Annual Board Election

Abigail “Abby” Allen is the founder of Sweetgum Manor, a Cincinnati-based wellness and retreat center offering nature-based experiences, digital detox programs, and curated gatherings for individuals and corporate teams. She also runs Neon Butterfly, a creative marketing agency that achieved triple-digit growth during the pandemic and has partnered with leading brands including Disney, GoFundMe, and Procter & Gamble.

With more than 20 years in the wellness world and deep corporate experience leading global brands—from Olay to Twitter—Abby designs restorative, impactful programs that foster resilience, creativity, and meaningful connection. Originally from New York, she relocated to Cincinnati in 2019 and is committed to advancing wellbeing and community growth locally.

Abby was a Girl Scout in New York City, which felt uniquely magical considering how far she was from ‘the woods.’ Her mom had nurtured a love of the outdoors from the start and was determined to find a troop in Manhattan--and she made it happen!

Bonnie Curtis, PhD, is a senior executive with a proven record of accelerating business growth for Castellini and Procter & Gamble globally by leveraging strong business acumen, technical expertise, and leadership success in diverse functional areas and cultures. Broad experience with combined Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and HR leadership. Delivers breakthrough results through high-performance work systems, communication, collaboration, and negotiation skills. Engages individual employees and entire organizations in goal achievement by a high-energy, focused, and participative style.

Bonnie received her PhD in Leadership and Change from Antioch University and holds a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from the University of Arizona. In 2014, she was awarded Mother of the Year from Working Mother Media, and in 2015, she received the Professional Achievement Award from the University of Arizona.

des in southeast Indiana, and she teaches strategy in the MBA program for Northern Kentucky University and is the CEO of her own consulting company, Golden Spike, LLC.

Ashleigh Foster, JD, CHC, is an accomplished professional with extensive experience as a compliance leader at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. She has been with the organization for over 10 years since May 2015. As a current Enterprise Compliance Lead in the Office of the General Auditor and Corporate Compliance, Ashleigh is instrumental in maintaining compliance program effectiveness for Blue Cross and its subsidiaries through a strong foundational compliance culture. Her key areas of expertise include priority risk management, advisory business oversight and compliance liaison direction, internal and external federal and state regulatory audit coordination, training and education, and data incident response management.

Ashleigh earned her undergraduate degree in Communication Studies from the University of Michigan and her Juris Doctor degree from Wayne State University Law School. She also holds the Certified in Healthcare Compliance credential.

Ashleigh is a member of the Board of Directors for Women of Toledo. She is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and active with the Zeta Alpha Omega Chapter in Toledo as an Executive Committee member. Her professional organizations include the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Leadership Development Association, the National Association of Health Services Executives as a Detroit Chapter affiliate, and the Health Care Compliance Association. Ashleigh is also a member in good standing of the Detroit Athletic Club.

Ashleigh fondly recalls selling Girl Scout cookies with Michigan Metro Troop 1883 of Stevenson Elementary School in Southfield, Michigan. She and her fundraising partner formed a lasting bond as Brownies selling cookies outside of Farmer Jack, a Detroit-based grocery chain. Gaining one of her best lifelong friends through Girl Scouts is her favorite memory.

Sarah Hickernell is the Director of Operations at the John Henry Eldred Jr. Foundation, where she brings more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit operations, development, and organizational leadership. Her work focuses on building strong, sustainable systems that enable mission-driven organizations to grow with intention and integrity.

Sarah’s professional background includes senior development, operational, and executive leadership roles at organizations such as the Toledo Museum of Art—where she served as Development Operations Manager and Interim Director of Development—and the Owens Community College Foundation, where she served as Interim Executive Director. She has also worked across three different Girl Scout councils, supporting volunteer engagement, membership growth, and fundraising, and brings deep institutional knowledge of the Girl Scouts movement at both the local and national levels.

A lifetime member of Girl Scouts, Sarah earned the Gold Award and has remained actively engaged in the organization’s governance and leadership. She has served as a delegate to multiple Girl Scouts National Council Meetings and as a member of a GSUSA Steering Committee, contributing to national-level strategy, engagement, and organizational direction.

Sarah holds an MBA in Project Management and a bachelor’s degree in information technology. Her background combines strategic leadership with deep operational and systems expertise, including nonprofit governance, fundraising operations, financial and organizational oversight, and complex project management. Sarah is collaborative, thoughtful leadership style, a strong understanding of nonprofit governance and fiduciary responsibility, and a commitment to supporting organizations through periods of growth and change.

Jaime Lanham is currently serving as a Director-at-Large on the Board of Directors of Girl Scouts of Western Ohio. She is Vice President, Stock Plan Services with Fidelity Investments. When not at work, Jaime is busy carpooling 3 kids to their various activities. She is a proud mother of Hildi (a student at the University of Dayton), Max, and Quinn. As a family, they love to create new memories through travel and frequently find joy visiting their lake house in South Haven, where they enjoy skiing in the winter and lake life in the summer.

Jaime is involved in her community through her children’s schools and is an avid reader of both fiction and non-fiction. Her other hobbies include being a cheerleader on the sidelines of soccer fields, lacrosse, track, and courtside for wrestling, volleyball, and in the audience for chorus and musicals. She is a young widow who, unfortunately, lost her husband unexpectedly 5 years ago. She couldn’t have made it without her community at work and at home, and has thrived due to her strong and supportive community that includes her friends, family, and loyal neighbors. Because of this experience, she has learned to worry less about the small stuff and to live like you have no tomorrow. Jaime’s personal and professional priorities include diversity and inclusion, women’s leadership, community impact, and financial literacy.

Hon. Michael J. Newman is a United States District Judge in the Southern District of Ohio’s Dayton seat of court. He was appointed in 2020. He previously served as a United States Magistrate Judge, a position to which he was appointed in 2011, and reappointed in 2019 to a second eight-year term. Following law school, Judge Newman was a law clerk on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio and the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Judge Newman graduated with honors from the Washington College of Law at American University, attended the Advanced Mediation Program at Harvard Law School, and holds an LLM in Judicial Studies from Duke Law School. Prior to taking the bench, he was a partner at Dinsmore & Shohl in Cincinnati, where he chaired the firm’s Labor & Employment Appellate Practice Group, and created and led Dinsmore’s pro bono appellate program in the Sixth Circuit. While in private practice, he was named a Leading Lawyer, an Ohio Super Lawyer, and one of the Best Lawyers in America in Labor & Employment Law.

Judge Newman’s bar service is extensive; he was the first Magistrate Judge in the United States to be appointed national president of the Federal Bar Association. He later served as president of the Dayton Bar Association and the Federal Bar Association Foundation. His Civics and Service to Others initiative as FBA president resulted in thousands of young people from all across the country meeting with federal judges to learn about civics and the Third Branch of government. This civics work continues; Judge Newman was named the FBA’s first Judicial Ambassador for Civics Education, and he has been repeatedly invited to speak on the topic of civics education by the Federal Judicial Center. He now co-chairs the Sixth Circuit’s Civics and Outreach Committee with Judge Curtis Collier, and chairs the Southern District of Ohio’s Civics Committee. His Duke thesis addressed ways in which state and federal judges can best conduct civics education with secondary school students.

Judge Newman and his wife, Rachel, are the proud parents of triplet daughters, now attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. All three are Gold Scouts.

Rhonda Reagh, PhD, is currently serving as a Director-at-Large on the Board of Directors of Girl Scouts of Western Ohio. She is the recently retired principal owner of Reagh and Associates, a firm she launched in 2011 after a 32-year career in leadership of Ohio child welfare agencies. She worked on practice improvement strategies at the local, state, and national levels, as well as with the Ohio Supreme Court Committee on Children, Youth, and Families. As the owner and CEO of Reagh and Associates, Rhonda provided personal and executive coaching, consulting, and leadership development training. She continues to be a well-respected resource for organizations and small businesses seeking help with problem-solving, skill development, teamwork, and performance improvement. She enjoys volunteering her expertise with the Board of Girl Scouts of Western Ohio and the Miami Valley Non-Profit Collaborative.

Rhonda is a 2014 WiBN Top 25 Women to Watch Honoree and a 2015 recipient of the OSU College of Social Work Alumni Society Distinguished Career Award. She lives on a mini-farm in West Milton, Ohio, with her husband, Jerry, and their Labrador Retrievers.

Dr. Marvin Whitfield is a visionary leader, educator, and advocate for social equity, serving as the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Ohio. He is also the founder of the Blue Force Mobile Training Team, an initiative dedicated to empowering organizations through innovative training solutions. Dr. Whitfield previously served as a Senior Instructor on a Department of Defense contract, where he played a pivotal role in designing and delivering advanced training programs for the United States Army Intelligence Center of Excellence Training Division.

With over 30 years of distinguished service in law enforcement, Dr. Whitfield rose to the rank of Police Commander. His academic credentials include a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice, a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice Administration, and an MBA specializing in Human Resource Management. He also holds certifications in Botvin Life Skills Training and the Psychology of Leadership.

A dynamic trainer and researcher, Dr. Whitfield has conducted extensive training sessions for public and private organizations, as well as higher education institutions. His research focuses on cultural competency and leadership development, areas in which he continues to contribute through scholarly pursuits, professional development seminars, and advanced training courses.

As a dedicated educator, Dr. Whitfield serves as an instructor and coach for the State of Ohio Child Welfare Training Program, a trainer for the Ohio Human Service Training System, and a Basic Life Support Instructor with the American Heart Association.

Dr. Whitfield’s commitment to community development is evident through his active involvement on the Mercy Health North Board of Directors, the Toledo Opera Board of Directors, the Toledo Rotary Club, and the Toledo Exchange Club. Additionally, he serves as a Special Deputy with the Wood County Sheriff's Office. A staunch advocate for social equality, trauma-informed care, and youth resilience, Dr. Whitfield is an active member of various committees dedicated to these causes.

Through his leadership, research, and community engagement, Dr. Marvin Whitfield exemplifies a commitment to fostering positive change and empowering others.

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Annual Board Election

Annual Board Election

The Board Election begins March 5, 2026, and ends March 15, 2026.

The 2026 Board Election is here!