Board of Directors

Deidra Lashley, LSW MPH is the Executive Director of Bethany House, which has provided long-term transitional shelter and support services to domestic violence victims and their children in Toledo-Lucas County and Northwest Ohio for over 30 years. Deidra brings her twenty years of victim advocacy experience to the Board of ODVN because she believes our state coalition provides essential leadership and expertise to stakeholders and enhances the work of local domestic violence programs.

Tia Payne is the visionary behind Legacy31 founded on the scripture Proverbs 31:25. Tia brings 17yrs of advocating on behalf of victims and their children. With this experience, through Legacy31, she has the unique privilege of offering a variety of faith-based crisis intervention services to victims of intimate partner violence (IPV).

Tia works with organizations such as The Hope and Healing Survivor Resource Center in Summit County where she is part of the leadership team as the Assistant Director of Domestic Violence Services.

To date, Tia is a published author of “reflections of a PK” and a co-author in Bloom Vol. 2 where her chapter is titled “She Survived”. In March of 2021, Tia began the “She Survived Movement” offering female survivors a way to share their stories loudly and with no shame.
Tia facilitates support groups, offers trainings and workshops on a variety of topics centered around IPV survivors and those connected to them. Tia offers teen empowerment sessions focusing on “Healthy Relationships” as well as “What is Consent”.

If you are looking for someone to empower your church or organization you can reach her by email at tiapayne@legacy31.org, legacy31_ on Instagram, and on Facebook @legacy31.25.

Leah Hamp is an audit supervisor for Rea & Associates, a CPA firm located in Dublin, Oh. She is experienced in assisting her clients with new and technical accounting issues. As part of her job, she serves client across diverse industries, including not-for-profit, construction, and employee benefit plans. Beyond her professional endeavors, she actively contributes to her community as a member of the King Ave United Methodist Church Finance Committee. In her free time, she enjoys trying a new restaurant and reading a good book. Leah is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, majoring in accounting.

Sheryl Clinger serves as the Director of External Affairs for The Center for Family Safety and Healing (TCFSH) and has been a part of the organization since 2005. As part of her role, Sheryl oversees the training and advocacy department at TCFSH, which offers customized family violence education and training for employers, faith-based organizations, healthcare systems, legal systems, schools, and other social service organizations. With an increase in demand over the last five years, Sheryl and her team have delivered family violence education to hundreds of systems in central Ohio and surrounding areas. Additionally, the training and advocacy department has presented at local, state, and national conferences. Sheryl serves on various local and state committees that focus on family violence and participates in case review teams. In 2018, she joined the board for the Ohio Domestic Violence Network. Sheryl earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Education from Bowling Green State University. She has a passion for helping people and strengthening our community through education and prevention.

Sam Gilley, Partner, Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP, is a commercial litigation attorney who started his legal career in federal court. Sam has quickly become a go-to for clients looking for representation in financial industry, construction, manufacturing, benefits administration, and healthcare matters. He has been named to Ohio Super Lawyer’s Rising Stars list each year since 2020. Sam has assisted survivors in legal matters pro bono for the last two years. With his board service, Sam joins his wife, an elementary school teacher, in the quest to assist those who need our help the most.

Jane Keiffer is the Executive Director of Artemis Center. She received her Masters of Social Work from the University of Kentucky and her undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Toledo. Jane has been an employee of Artemis Center for the past 25 years, serving as Clinical Director for 9 years following several years as the Crisis Services supervisor. She has served as an expert witness as well as participated on several committees in the community, advancing best practices for working with victims of domestic violence. She has also provided numerous trainings to the community which includes police officers, prosecutors, victim advocates, and many other professionals on intimate partner violence. In her free time, Jane enjoys volunteering for Hospice as a baker. Jane is a passionate advocate for equality and human rights.

Bridget Mahoney, the immediate past Board Chair, is an activist and advocate dedicated to the prevention and education of domestic violence and child abuse. Joining forces with educational pioneers Jim & Elsa Croucher, Ms. Mahoney presented “Dating Violence: 101” to tens of thousands of high school students and was instrumental in the passage of the Tina Croucher Act which mandates dating violence education in all Ohio schools. Ms. Mahoney and her daughter, Julie Boak, have nationally shared their family’s journey through abuse and are currently assisting the effort for Anti-SLAPP legislation in Ohio that would protect the First Amendment rights of survivors and victims who want to share their stories or report crimes without fear of a meritless defamation lawsuit. Ms. Mahoney is a graduate of The Ohio State University and was formerly a television news anchor.

Dr. Cecilia Mengo is an Assistant Professor at the College of Social Work, The Ohio State University. Dr. Mengo received her Bachelor’s in Human Geography from Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya. She completed her Masters of Social Work from Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green Kentucky. Dr. Mengo earned her Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). Dr. Mengo has also received certificate trainings in Community-Based Participatory Research from City University of New York and poverty reduction strategies from Weitz Center for Development Studies in Rehovot, Israel. Violence against women is an epidemic and needs to end. Dr. Mengo’s aim is to extend and expand her research by contributing to prevention and intervention efforts that can control and end violence against women and girls. Dr. Mengo is particularly interested in exploring the intersections of individual, structural, and cultural factors that keep women in the cycle of violence and poverty.

Kathy Mull joined The Cocoon in 2012 as the Program Director and was promoted to Executive Director in 2017. The Cocoon has been providing services to domestic and sexual violence survivors in Wood County for 16 years. Kathy is a Licensed Social Worker having earned a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Toledo and a Master of Social Work from Eastern Michigan. Kathy brings 17 years of experience serving domestic and sexual violence survivors and is only one of only 290 individuals to complete the Advocacy Learning Center course through Praxis International. In her free time, Kathy enjoys spending time with her husband and son, reading a good book, and exploring the outdoors. Kathy believes in the power of community and knows change can be powerful when we come together and is committed to raising survivors’ voices and ending violence.

Bio Coming Soon!

Amber Scott is the President/CEO at Turning Point Domestic Violence Shelter providing advocacy and support services in six counties including Marion, Delaware, Wyandot, Crawford, Union, and Morrow. Amber has over 17 years in the nonprofit sector, with experience working in workforce development, adult and teen prevention, re-entry, and transitional housing programs.

She is a Certified Instructor/Facilitator through the Langevin Learning Center and holds a Lethality Assessment certification to support law enforcement with the successful transition of survivors. She holds certifications as a Professional Resume Writer (CPRW), Certified Life Coach (CLC) and Certified Goal Attainment Coach (CGAC) Amber is an adult literacy instructor for group-based learning in the area of workplace essentials and GED connection. She is also a proctor of the National Work Readiness Examination.

Amber has a bachelor’s degree in Pre-law with a minor in Criminal Justice and holds a master’s degree in the area of Adult Education and Curriculum Design. She is currently enrolled in the School of Education Ph.D. program through Capella University. She is also a member of The Professional Association of Resume Writers (PARW), and The National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP).

Julie Sundquist is the Executive Director of Homesafe, Inc., a domestic violence program providing emergency shelter, residential and non-residential services, and legal advocacy in Ashtabula County for over 45 years. Julie brings 25 combined years of non-profit, social services, community relations, and education. She serves as an advocate to connect and engage Ashtabula County residents to end the cycle of violence. Her passion and drive supports the delivery of comprehensive program services to empower survivors of domestic violence and their journey to healing.

Dr. Susan Yoon is an Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University College of Social Work. She received her BA and MSW from Ewha Women’s University in South Korea and earned her Ph.D. in Social Welfare from Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Yoon’s research seeks to promote resilience and well-being in children who have experienced childhood trauma, including child maltreatment.

Taylor Swope has been a board member for the Ohio Domestic Violence Network since 2017. She volunteered with a women’s shelter during her time at the College of Wooster and is dedicated to raising awareness about domestic and intimate partner violence in her community. Taylor has spent the last five years in advertising, working for Ologie and GSW. Currently, she is a project manager for IBM iX; she works with cross-disciplinary teams primarily on mobile commerce app development. When she is not working, Taylor enjoys taking spinning classes, volunteering, writing, and spending time with family, friends, and her cat, Emmy.