Strengthening Nonprofit Boards and Developing the Next Generation of Leaders
Business Volunteers Unlimited (BVU) proudly announces the Board Matching Class of 2025, a cohort of more than 130 business professionals who have been trained, matched, and elected to nonprofit boards and committees across our region and beyond. BVU’s Board Matching Program, now in its fourth decade, has matched a total of more than 4,300 professionals to nonprofit board service – creating a robust network of civic-minded leaders shaping Northeast Ohio’s future. The Class of 2025 represents the continued commitment of our business community to support and engage in civic service across the region.
“For our community to thrive, our nonprofits must have strong, strategic boards. Our business community has the talent to make that possible,” said Elizabeth Voudouris, President & CEO of BVU, “Board service is more than volunteerism, it is leadership development, civic engagement, and an investment in our community’s future.”
BVU works with more than 1,000 businesses and nonprofits annually to connect skilled professionals with board service opportunities aligned to their expertise, interests, and leadership goals.
More than 60 businesses participated in BVU’s 2025 Board Matching program, including some of the largest and most influential businesses in the region:
BDO USA
Bober Markey Fedorovich
Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP
CBIZ
Clearstead Advisors
Ernst & Young LLP
Falls Communications
Fifth Third Bank Frantz Ward LLP
Greater Cleveland Partnership
KeyBank
KPMG LLP
McDonald Hopkins
Nestlé USA
Northern Trust
Oswald Companies
Progressive Insurance
ScaleCo Capital
Sherwin-Williams
Squire Patton Boggs
Taft, Stettinius & Hollister LLP
Thompson Hine LLP
Tucker Ellis LLP
University Hospitals
Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease LLP
Wellspring Financial Advisors
Westfield Insurance
and dozens more.
Celebrating a Growing Culture of Board Leadership
BVU celebrated the Class of 2025 and the region’s commitment to civic leadership at its annual Civic Leadership Celebration in December, presenting the 2025 Richard W. Pogue Civic Leadership Award to Thomas N. Tyrrell. Tyrell, BVU’s founding Board Chair, addressed the Class of 2025 on the importance of board service as a meaningful way for business leaders to shape the future of our region. Drawing on decades of nonprofit board leadership, Tyrrell encouraged new board members to view their service as an opportunity to lead strategically, ask thoughtful questions, and strengthen the organizations and communities they serve.
BVU’s Board Matching Class of 2025
Participants listed alphabetically by last name. Please note that some participant and company names have been omitted due to certain restrictions.
Emily Aerni, Bober Markey Fedorovich – Junior Achievement of North Central Ohio Ella Adams, Falls Communications – The Gathering Place Rising Leaders Council Joe Adams, Clearstead Advisors – The First Tee of Cleveland Ambassador Committee Mark Anderson, Summa Health – United Way of Greater Cleveland Young Professionals Board Nick Ashdown, Sherwin-Williams – Ohio City Bicycle Co-op Zakiyyah N. Ashshaheed, FirstEnergy – Euclid Hunger Center Christian Athey, First Financial Bank – Welcome House, Inc. Mallika Atreyapurapu, Progressive Insurance – RePlay for Kids Ashley Bailes, Thompson Hine LLP – Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio Bridge Board; A Place 4 Me Andris Balodis, KeyBank – The Centers Associate Board; St. Augustine Health Ministries Ruth Barnum, Apex Skin – Embracing Futures George Bashour, Thompson Hine – Cleveland Jazz Orchestra Jana Bazzoli, University Hospitals – Arts Impact Sydney Bell, McDonald Hopkins – Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio Bridge Board Sandy Blum – WomenSafe Inc. Katie Brancato, Case Western Reserve University – FrontLine Service Jim Brennan, Squire Patton Boggs – Reach Success Patrick Brennan, Ernst & Young LLP – Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio Summit County Advisory Board Pamela Sheehan Brown, Greater Cleveland Partnership – Cleveland Arts Education Consortium Alissa Campbell Shaw, Sherwin-Williams – Tri-C Advanced Technology Training Center Hélène Caniac, Helene Can Help LLC – Zygote Press; Fair Housing Center John Carney, KeyBank – Ronald McDonald House Charities NEO Engaging Leaders Mary Carpenter, Progressive Insurance – WomenSafe Inc. Michael Centa, McDonald Hopkins – Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland Christopher Church, Progressive Insurance – Tri-C Business Industry and Leadership Team Andrew Cleves, Frantz Ward LLP – CASA of Cuyahoga County Lauri Cole, Progressive Insurance – One Health Organization Meredith Collier, Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP – Board Champion Committee Brett Connolly, Shook Construction – Junior Achievement of Greater Cleveland Kendra Daniel, Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry – Hospice of the Western Reserve Luke Davis, McDonald Hopkins – Hope for a Cure for ALZ Amanda Delaney, KPMG LLP – Pathway Caring for Children Associate Board Sharee Dorsey, Cleveland Clinic – Tri-C Opportunities in Tech BILT; Art Therapy Studio Felisa Eafford, Cuyahoga Community College – Hunger Network Walk Committee Sam Eartly, CBIZ – Junior Achievement Young Professionals Advisory Board Albert Ferreria, MetroHealth System – MetroWest Community Development Organization Kelsey Finucan, Oswald Companies – Wigs for Kids Benjamin Foote-Huth, McDonald Hopkins – Ingenuity Cleveland Jennifer Forcier, Welty – NEOSEF Madeline Frantz, Greater Cleveland Partnership – Slavic Village Development Corporation Josh Friedman, Frantz Ward LLP – Cleveland Arts Education Consortium Emily Gessner, KeyBank – Near West Theatre Mike Gheen, Oswald Companies – PetFix Northeast Ohio; Happy Trails Farm Logan Gresock, Welty – ACE Mentor Program of Cleveland Dr. Ken Griffin, Care Alliance – Friendly Inn Settlement
Nicole Harrington, Progressive Insurance – Seeds of Literacy Patricia Harvey, Progressive Insurance – Gift of Adoption Michael Hogue, University Hospitals – Cleveland Jazz Orchestra Kelsey Hughes-Blaum, Taft – Dress for Success Cleveland Andre Husain, HSB Architects + Engineers – First Tee of Cleveland Piyush Jain, Progressive Insurance – DigitalC Diamond Johnson, AMS – Limitless Ambition Patrick Johnson, PRADCO – USO Ohio Rob Karlson, Ernst & Young – Ingenuity Cleveland Sonia Karkare, Kent State University – Asian Services in Action Sean N. Kilbane, BDO USA – West Side Catholic Center Christian Klein, Company 119 – Cleveland Police Athletic League Jeff Kovacs, Hospice of the Western Reserve – Ronald McDonald House of Cleveland Marie Lenarduzzi, Bober Markey Fedorovich – Hospice of the Western Reserve Elizabeth Leonard, Nestlé USA – RePlay for Kids Tadarrelle Lett, Kent State University – The Blick Center Jaala Lewis, Copley High School – Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio Shalonda Lewis, C&S Healthcare Services – North Coast Community Homes Vince Losue, Fifth Third Bank – Children’s Museum of Cleveland Joseph Lubin, PRADCO – Emerald Development & Economic Network Jessica Maddamma, Westfield Insurance – CASA/GAL Volunteer Association Bob Madsen – CLE Connect Jocelyn Maldonado, Wellspring Financial Advisors – Cleveland Angels Brittany Mallow, Thompson Hine LLP – Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio Madison Massie, McDonald Hopkins – America SCORES Cleveland Marissa Mastroianni, Tucker Ellis LLP – Art House Mike McNamee, Progressive Insurance – After-School All-Stars Kimberly Menjivar, Progressive Insurance – Wildwoods Matthew Messina – Womankind Maternal & Prenatal Care Center Tushar Mondhe, Cleveland-Cliffs – Rescue Village Marc Newman, BDO USA – North Coast Community Homes Heather O’Donnel, KeyBank – Reach Success Kevin O’Neil, KeyBank – Cleveland Police Athletic League Julie Paul, Progressive Insurance – Community Assessment & Treatment Services Rebekah Paul, McDonald Hopkins – Cleveland Dance Project Debra Pence-Meyenberg, Youth Opportunities Unlimited – Family Connections Rachel Pope, University Hospitals – Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence Michael Quinlan – Cleveland Public Market Corporation Marci Rathburn, PRADCO – Art Therapy Studio G. Todd Robie, Thompson Hine LLP – Greater Collinwood Development Corp Marcus Robertson, McDonald Hopkins – Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio Boris Rogulja, BNY Wealth Management – Ronald McDonald House Charities Ryan Rosenthal, University Hospitals – Morgan Art of Papermaking Conservatory Angela Ruggeri, ScaleCo Capital – Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity Traci Sage, HR Leadership Group – Family Promise of Greater Cleveland Melissa Santee, Cleveland Museum of Natural History – Family Planning Services Shawn Schlesinger, Progressive Insurance – Reach Success Karthik Sekharan, Thompson Hine – Cleveland Jazz Orchestra Gabriel Shetler, KPMG LLP – Providence House Steven Shein, University Hospitals – Children’s Hunger Alliance
Peter Shipley, BDO USA – Friends of Breakthrough Schools Julia Sieck, Progressive Insurance – Food Strong Sophia Smith, Merck & Co. – Effective Leadership Academy Caitlin Steiner, Squire Patton Boggs – Kaiser Studios Katie Stevenson, Progressive Insurance – Fostering Connections Maria Stutsman y Marquez, Weatherhead School – Dress for Success Cleveland Sarah Thomas, Greater Cleveland Partnership – Greater Cleveland Habitat Sharon Thomas, Centers for Dialysis Care – Partnership for Good Health Joren Tengesdal, PRADCO – Children’s Museum of Cleveland Wendy Trem, Falls Communications – ZENworks Yoga Pauline Tung, Progressive Insurance – Fostering Hope; Asian Services in Action Ron Ulle, Clearstead Advisors – Hearts of Patriots
Justin Walter, Progressive Insurance – Canopy Child Advocacy Center Amy Washington – Girls on the Run Northeast Ohio Raji Welch-Bay – Project: LEARN of Summit County Sage Wen, Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP – Children’s Museum of Cleveland Cameron Wilk – Ronald McDonald House Charities Athena Williams, Vorys – Greater Cleveland Film Commission Derrick Wortman, Welty – Salvation Army Summit County Jessica Zhang, Northern Trust – Broadway School of Music & the Arts Ke Zhong, Return on Life Wealth Partners – McGregor Foundation Jamie Zubik, Progressive Insurance – Help Foundation
About BVU
BVU strengthens nonprofits by developing and activating business talent. By preparing professionals for board service and connecting them with mission-driven organizations, BVU ensures nonprofits have the leadership and governance needed to thrive, while cultivating purpose-driven leaders across the business community.
For more than 30 years, BVU has served as a trusted bridge between Northeast Ohio’s business and nonprofit sectors, creating partnerships that build stronger organizations, stronger leaders, and a stronger community