Commissioners

First Lady Shannon Ginther, Chair

Shannon Ginther knew she had an opportunity to help improve the city when her husband, Andrew J. Ginther, was elected the 53rd Mayor of the City of Columbus. But instead of choosing multiple projects on which to focus, she chose one: advancing the economic well-being of Columbus' women.

Shannon has spent the majority of her career in health and healthcare administration, including work at the Ohio Departments of Health and Insurance, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, and now at OhioHealth. These experiences have helped her better understand the challenges women face.

"Delivering high quality healthcare to everyone is my passion," she says. Shannon's passion began at an early age as she watched her father move through his career as a process engineer. This sparked her fascination with the opportunity to impact outcomes by changing process. "With healthcare it is easy to see. You bring the right people to the table to change the process. As the process improves, the quality of healthcare goes up and the costs come down."

She sees the same opportunity with the Columbus Women's Commission. The Commission is focusing on four areas: health and nutrition, housing, workforce and education, and pay equity. "We are fortunate that our community already has many great programs in each of these areas. We are using the Commission to knit together the expertise of each and form a united front to make the community a stronger place for women to live, work, and raise a family."

All of the Commission's work is strategic, complete with outcomes-oriented metrics. As Mayor Ginther has often said, "If you don't measure it, you don't mean it." Shannon is leveraging the Commission to effect measurable changes in the lives of Columbus' women.

Shannon earned her bachelor's degree in political science at the University of Cincinnati and her law degree from Capital University. She and the Mayor have one daughter.

Lourdes Barroso de Padilla

Lourdes Barroso de Padilla has an extensive background in youth development and leadership. She has served with City Year, an education focused organization dedicated to helping students and schools succeed for more than 20 years. Barroso de Padilla has helped to found five of City Year's twenty nine sites across the country, and has worked at all levels of the organization. She is a certified Youth Development Trainer and was awarded the Hewlett Packard Alumni Leadership Award in for her impact and service to the organization.

Barroso de Padilla is a graduate of Project Diversity, Leadership Columbus, and the Academy for Leadership and Governance Executive Fellowship program. She has served as a Commissioner with the Ohio Latino Affairs Commission, as a founding member of the Create Columbus Commission and as a board member for Directions for Youth and Families and a member of the United Way's Education Impact Council and Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Currently she serves as a board member of the YWCA Columbus, a member of MORPC Regional Policy Roundtable, Advisory Board Member for the Columbus Chapter of the New Leaders Council, member of The Columbus Police Chief's Advisory Panel and a member of the Columbus City Schools Community Engagement Committee.

As the Vice President of Stakeholder Engagement for City Year Inc. Barroso de Padilla oversees the organizations major gifts, corporate and grant programs. Since its inception more than a decade ago Barroso de Padilla has been engaged and currently serves as the Director for the Latina Mentoring Academy a unique professional development and mentoring program for Latinas in Central Ohio. Barroso de Padilla was featured in the inaugural editions of The Women's Book and Who's Who in LatinoColumbus as well as WELD Ohio's Women Welding the Way Calendar. She has been honored as one of Business First's 40 under 40, and was named a Distinguished Hispanic Ohioan by the Ohio Commission on Latino Affairs. In November of 2021, Barroso de Padilla made history by becoming the first Latina to be elected as a member of the Columbus City Council.

Lourdes is a bilingual first generation Cuban-American who was born and raised on the eastside of Columbus and is a product of the Columbus public school system. She resides with her husband, Ernesto, and daughters, Eva and Valentina in Eastmoor.

Melissa Benson

Melissa Benson has spent her legal career advocating for Ohioans living in poverty. As the Senior Managing Attorney of the Housing Practice Group at Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio, she has worked to prevent evictions and ensure safe housing conditions for thousands of families in Columbus. Melissa was lead counsel in T&R Properties v. Wimberly, the Tenth District Court of Appeals case stopping the nearly 30-year practice of eviction by affidavit in Franklin County Municipal Court.

Melissa is also a passionate advocate for access to abortion and other reproductive health care. She serves on the Board of the Pro-Choice Ohio Foundation, striving to guarantee every Ohioan the right to make personal decisions regarding a full range of reproductive choices.

Melissa received her law degree from Case Western Reserve University in 2005. She obtained a bachelor's degree in journalism and a certificate in women's studies from Ohio University in 1999, and previously worked as a journalist in Cleveland.

Lilleana Cavanaugh

Lilly is the Deputy Chief for Business Solutions & Outreach at the Minority Business Development Division of the Ohio Department of Development. In this role, she works to increase the number of certified minority, women-owned, veteran friendly and diverse business enterprises. Mrs. Cavanaugh is focused on increasing the number of businesses receiving technical assistance, capital and supporting the increase in procurement opportunities for businesses in our state.

Lilly has an extensive career in the private and public sector. Most recently, she served as Executive Director for the Ohio Commission on Hispanic/Latino Affairs, State of Ohio. Mrs. Cavanaugh has been directly engaged with the Latino and ethnic minority communities in Ohio for 25 years. She has played a key role in building collaboration and partnerships among government entities, community-based organizations, and the private sector to improve the quality of life and opportunities for Hispanic/Latinos and other ethnic minorities. She is originally from Costa Rica and has lived and worked in Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the United States.

Lilly is a Certified Public Manager and has an associate's degree in Business from Sinclair Community College, a bachelor's degree in Management from the University of Phoenix, and a master's degree in Business Administration from Capella University.

Sheri Chaney Jones

Sheri Chaney Jones is a serial entrepreneur, who has helped government and nonprofit organizations gather and use data to change actions, outcomes and lives. Sheri is the founder of Measurement Resources Company, a national organizational development and research firm and Co-Founder and CEO of SureImpact, a high-growth tech start up. An author, professor, and internationally recognized expert, she believes in data, metrics, and accountability. Sheri is the author of the award-winning book, Impact & Excellence: Data-driven Strategies for Aligning Mission, Culture, and Performance in Nonprofit and Government Organizations published by Jossey-Bass in 2014. Sheri earned a M.A. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Central Michigan University and a B.S. with distinction in Psychology from The Ohio State University.

Brittany Eddy

Brittany is the Director of Housing for the Community Development for All People and oversees the organization's investment of over $100M+ in affordable housing with its various partners.

Brittany L.B. Eddy was born in San Diego, California, but has called Columbus home for over 30 years. She is the Director of Housing for the Community Development for All People and oversees the organization's investment of over $100M+ in affordable housing with its various partners. She is responsible for the strategic planning, development and implementation of new affordable housing on the Southside of Columbus.

Mrs. Eddy is a successful business owner and has been a licensed Associate Broker/Realtor since February 2016 and is associated with the downtown Coldwell Banker Realty. She has served as a Director for the Columbus Realtors board since 2021, was most recently recognized as the first African American woman to serve as the President for Women's Council of Realtors Columbus in 2023, previously served as an area commissioner for the Far East Area commission and is an active State Political Coordinator on behalf of Ohio Realtors for H.D. 2. which serves as a liaison between the statehouse, and policy related to legislation around housing, real estate, private property rights, and more.

She has lived in Geneva, Switzerland, where there, she advocated for women's rights by working with organizations such as the World YWCA and the United Nations. She continues to be a prominent voice to the Central Ohio real estate and housing market through her advocacy of legislation, in speaking out about discriminatory practices, and through education in the community.

Leah Evans

Mrs. Evans is the Senior Vice President, Real Estate Development, having previously served as the Director of Home Ownership and Neighborhood Revitalization and Vice President of Neighborhood Strategies. Mrs. Evans oversees the financing, development and implementation of Homeport's residential development and neighborhood revitalization strategies and leads business development to support the targets of Homeport's strategic plan and increase investment and impact in Central Ohio communities. Prior to her work at Homeport, Mrs. Evans served as the Deputy Director of Planning & Development for the City of Gahanna where she oversaw the building, code enforcement, land-use planning, economic development and zoning activities and managed the administrative functions of the department. Prior to being Deputy Director, Mrs. Evans was the city's first Economic Development Manager and held several positions in community and economic development with the Ohio Department of Development (now the Ohio Development Services Agency). Mrs. Evans holds a Master of City and Regional Planning from The Ohio State University, is a trained Project Management Professional and a certified Economic Development Finance Professional. She has over 18 years of experience in the community and economic development field and is committed to building and sustaining strong and inclusive communities.

Courtney Falato

Courtney Falato has dedicated her career to disruptively innovating systems and processes so all individuals have equitable access to the opportunities needed to flourish in life. Ms. Falato is currently the Vice President for Global Philanthropy and Program Officer at JPMorgan Chase, responsible for setting the grant-making strategy in Ohio and Kentucky as a member of the firm's Global Philanthropy team. Ms. Falato previously served as the Director of Smart Cities at The Ohio State University, as well as the Chief Innovation Officer for Dublin City schools and the Director of Innovation at Reynoldsburg City Schools. As a researcher for over a decade, Ms. Falato focused on the implementation, spread and sustainability of innovative school models and programs in K12. Ms. Falato served as Associate Project Director at the University of Chicago's Center for Elementary Mathematics and Science Education, Associate Director of STEM Projects at the Battelle Center for Mathematics and Science Education Policy at The Ohio State University, and an education researcher at American Institutes for Research in Washington DC.

Ms. Falato received her B.A. in Political Science from The Ohio State University and her M.Ed. from the University of Virginia.

Gina Ginn

Dr. Ginn serves as the Executive Director for Columbus Early Learning Centers. CELC is celebrating 130 years of doing what it takes to give children and their families access to the highest quality early learning programs regardless of their weekly income. Under her leadership the organization has doubled its number of locations and tripled the number of children CELC serves each year. Additionally, Gina is committed to taking an active role in the community to ensure that the families served by CELC have a voice regarding their need for a voice and place in the community. It is Gina's goal that all families in Columbus have access to all of the needed supports to allow their children the best start in education and in life.

Prior to assuming the role of Executive Director, Gina spent more than ten years in the nonprofit sector working in fundraising and development. After earning a Bachelor's degree in environmental and biological sciences from the University of Cincinnati, she attended The Ohio State University where she received a Master's degree in educational policy and leadership and a PhD in workforce development. She is proud to be a resident of the City of Columbus and lives in Clintonville with her husband and now, 3 rescued Siberian Huskies.

Veronica Knuth

Veronica serves as the Chief People Officer for Quantum Health, an award-winning consumer healthcare navigation company that delivers an unparalleled consumer experience based on empathy and trust, enabling employers to achieve industry-leading satisfaction rates and independently-validated claim savings.

Prior to joining Quantum Health, Veronica served as the Vice President, Human Resources for CoverMyMeds and prior to CoverMyMeds, held various roles in Human Resources and Finance at L Brands.

Beyond her day job, Veronica is active in the Columbus community. She sits on the Columbus Women's Commission, One Columbus Leadership Circle and Fisher Leadership Institute Advisory Council. She lives in Gahanna with her husband Jim and has two adult children, Aidan and Kennedy.

Erika Pryor

Dr. Erika Pryor is the founder and CEO of EPiC Learning Today. created the company as a space where scaling business, non-profit agencies, entrepreneur support organizations and Fortune 1000 companies can access innovative, first-in-class learning solutions that create a-ha moments for users, employees and learners everywhere and anywhere.

Dr. Pryor is passionate about supporting women and BIPOC communities with accessible tools, resources and opportunities which help create economic stability and accelerated growth. She also supports adoption and the finding of forever homes for foster children.

After completing her Doctorate of Philosophy from University of Pittsburgh, Department of Communication, Dr. Pryor relocated to Columbus to teach at Denison University. After serving as an Assistant Professor, Dr. Pryor began her marketing and communication career in the private sector first as a freelance consultant. She later held roles at McGraw-Hill Education, The Ohio State University, and JobsOhio.

With 10+ years of experience in teaching in higher education, B2B marketing, communications, and branding, community outreach and engagement, fundraising, as well as economic and workforce development, Dr. Pryor always brings a fresh and innovative approach to any experience.

Stacy Rastaukas

Stacy Rastauskas Bretherton is the Vice President for Government Affairs at The Ohio State University. In this role she advances the university's broad agenda with federal, state, and local governments, regulatory agencies, and key policymakers. She also leads the university's Office of Government Affairs.

Stacy began her career working in the U.S. House of Representatives as a legislative assistant for U.S. Congressman David Hobson. Stacy joined Ohio State in 2004 to open Ohio State's Washington, D.C. office. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Wittenberg University and a Master's in Public Administration from George Mason University.

An active member of several national higher education government relations groups, Stacy has chaired both the Council on Government Affairs for Association for Public Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the steering committee for the Council on Federal Relations for the Association of American Universities (AAU). She is a university representative to the Ohio State Alumni Association Board of Directors and the Ohio Chamber of Commerce Board. She also serves on the boards of Wittenberg University, Friends of WOSU, and the Patrick J. Tiberi Leadership Institute, and is President of the Ohio Chamber Research Foundation.

Katie Robinson

Katie Robinson has an impressive track record of success in diverse industries such as retail, healthcare, financial services and automotive. Her expertise spans across human resources, marketing, product development, innovation and investment. She is currently the co-founder and Chief People & Branding Officer at Fortuity, a company committed to delivering exceptional customer support services through a highly skilled but under-utilized urban workforce, backed by strategic investments in technology, training, retention and advancement initiatives.

Previously, Katie held positions at Alliance Data's Retail division (now Bread Financial), where she spearheaded the development and management of integrated credit, marketing and loyalty solutions for renowned brands in North America. She also served as the Senior Vice President of Strategic Innovation at FIS, a leading provider of technology, processing and services to the banking and payments industry.

Throughout her career, Katie has enjoyed working with various technology start-ups and non-profit organizations to develop their go-to-market strategies and brand identities.

Katie also currently serves on the Franklinton Area Commission and board of directors for the Franklinton Area SID.

Tanya Salyers

Tanya Salyers is the Director of Advocacy at YWCA Columbus, where she leads the agency's advocacy program and public policy work in areas concerning racial and gender equality, and systemic intersections of poverty, housing, education, community safety, and health.

Previously, Tanya led community relations efforts for COTA, as well as communications and digital engagement strategy for Innovation Ohio and The Women's Fund of Central Ohio.

Tanya co-directs New Leaders Council Columbus, an organization that trains and connects local changemakers who champion equity and fuel progress. She also serves on the Board of Advisors for OPAWL, a grassroots community that organizes for social justice and elevates the voices, visibility, and progressive leadership of AAPI people in Ohio. Previously, she was a board member for Zora's House.

In 2021, Tanya was honored as a Woman on the Rise by YWCA Columbus. In 2018, she was named one of 52 Young Professionals to Know in Columbus by CityPulse Columbus.

Tanya is a graduate of Shawnee State University, located in the Ohio River Valley. A proud Korean-Appalachian, Tanya is from New Boston, Ohio and has called Columbus home for the last 18 years, where she resides with her son, Calder.

Wendy Sherman Heckler

Wendy Sherman Heckler serves as Provost and Senior Vice President at Otterbein University and is responsible for leading the Academic Affairs Division and collaborating with the President's Cabinet to integrate academic and institutional operations with the University's strategic plan. She also focuses on outreach to community partners and the coordination of internal efforts to promote students' academic success. Wendy teaches a first-year seminar course on women's leadership and has served on Otterbein's Women's Leadership NET, founded by Otterbein President Emerita Kathy Krendl.

Additionally, Wendy is the Vice President for Undergraduate Education for the Coalition for the Common Good (CCG), a national education system founded by Otterbein and Antioch universities to address many of the issues facing higher education by allowing small universities to focus on undergraduate teaching excellence while partnering on a national scale for graduate and adult education that expands impact, increases student access, and addresses workforce needs in their communities.

Wendy is currently on the board of Service!, and served as Board chair for Communities In Schools of Ohio from 2020-2022. She received the Martin Luther King Peace and Justice Award from Otterbein in 2017, the Community Support Award from the Columbus City Schools Board of Education in 2018 and was a 2022 Women for Economic and Leadership Development (WELD) Calendar Honoree.

Aminata Soko

As Director of the ECDI Women's Business Center of Central Ohio, Aminata Soko enables socially and economically disadvantaged women, immigrants, and other underrepresented individuals to become financially independent through small business ownership. She and her team help empower entrepreneurs through educational programming, professional business coaching, and access to capital. Aminata's passion for economic development and sustainable solutions to poverty led her to Columbus to work for ECDI as an AmeriCorps Vista in 2018, when she developed programming to help refugee and immigrant populations establish small businesses. Aminata earned her bachelor's degree in accounting and her MBA in Sustainable Business Practice from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. While earning this degree, she served as a consultant to help several corporations implement lasting social and environmental impact initiatives. Aminata has received recognitions including the Ethics and Leadership Award from the Fund for the American Studies and the Spirit Emerging Leader of the Year from Duquesne University. As a native of the African country of Mauritania who speaks three languages and has professional experience in the US, Africa, and Latin America, Aminata considers herself a global ambassador.

Danielle Sydnor

Danielle Sydnor is CEO of the newly formed Rise Together Innovation Center a capstone of a larger, Franklin county-funded strategic plan to help an estimated 400,000-plus county residents find paths toward economic stability. Danielle worked in banking since 2002, including National City Bank, MBNA and Bank of America, with experience in retail banking and management experience in credit card sales, service and lending. Danielle became licensed as a financial advisor with Merrill Lynch in 2011. She continues to draw from all her professional experiences to build genuine relationships where clients, partners and the community can benefit.

Danielle is the outgoing President of the Greater Cleveland Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). As President, Sydnor is responsible for fighting for the equality of rights of all persons with a focus on eliminating racial hatred and racial discrimination.

Sydnor holds a bachelor's degree in Finance from the University of Phoenix. She is a proud recipient of Crain's Cleveland 2019 40 Under 40 and a graduate of the 2020 class of Leadership Ohio. Danielle is a native of Sacramento, California. Her family moved to Cleveland, Ohio in 1995. She has two sons Noah and Giles.

Bob Szuter

Bob Szuter is co-owner of Wolf's Ridge Brewing, a downtown Columbus brewery, restaurant and private events space, and Understory, the sister brewery and restaurant in Old North Columbus. Bob is responsible for overseeing all on-premise operations and general management of Wolf's Ridge Brewing, Understory, and its wholesale beer business. He is a graduate of the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University with a major in finance.

Bob and his wife Lauren have two children, Evalyn and Charlotte, and reside in Clintonville.

Sarah Townes

Sarah Townes is currently the Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer at Experience Columbus and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, where she is responsible for all aspects of marketing, digital, public relations and partnerships. Townes provides strategic direction in collaboration with sales, services, tourism sales and membership, and works to steward the organization's role and perception in Greater Columbus.

Townes has over 20 years of marketing leadership experience with a range of brands, including Aveda, Caribou Coffee, Kellogg's Cereals, Gander Mountain, Marshall Field's, Mall of America, Sears Holdings Corporation, Tresemmé Hair Care, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, and many more.

Townes has spearheaded brand and re-brand strategies, agency relationship management, creative development, production, omni-channel media strategy, CRM, digital innovation, social media, public relations and strategic partnerships to exceed business growth trajectories.

A graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a degree in advertising, Townes' prior campaign work has earned numerous awards, including being named to the Columbus CEO's Future 50 Class (2022), two MarComm Platinum Awards, SGB 40 Under 40 Class of 2016, two Effie Awards, a Webby Award from The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences and three Silver Anvils from the Public Relations Society of America.

Rebecca Wiggins

Rebecca has spent her career in the financial wellness industry focused on reducing systemic barriers that prevent people from achieving their dreams and potential. Currently, she serves as executive director for Community Financial Wellness, which offers online, accessible financial education, tools, and resources to nonprofit community partners for the people they serve.

Prior to Community Financial Wellness, Rebecca was executive director for AFCPE® (Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education), a national nonprofit organization that ensures the highest standards of professionalism in the field of financial counseling, coaching, and education with the belief that all people, regardless of income or background, deserve access to qualified professionals to help them achieve financial security.

Rebecca is active in the community, currently serving on the DEI Committee for The Women's Fund of Central Ohio. She holds a Master of Family Financial Planning and Master of Business Administration.