We are so thankful to each one of our board members who dedicates their time and resources to help Habitat for Humanity of Summit County to continue to succeed and grow.
Thank you for all your hard work!
Jay DePasquale - President
Westfield Insurance
Jay is the Division Leader, Middle Market Central Division at Westfield Insurance and has thirty-two years of sales management and service staff management in Small Business, Middle Market, and Personal Lines. He graduated from The University of Akron with a Bachelor of Arts, Business Administration – Marketing and a Masters of Management – Aquinas College, Grand Rapids, MI. As well as being Board President of Habitat for Humanity he is a Board Member of Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity and the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation.
Nancy Diller-Shively
Community Member for Affiliation
Nancy is a wife, mother of 2, grandmother of 3 and also the founder of Cambridge Home HealthCare, Bridgeport Home Healthcare, and Janston Properties and Janston Development. She is the recipient of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award 2001, INC 500 Award for America’s fastest growing companies 2002 through 2010, Weatherhead 100 Award from 2000 through 2011 for Outstanding Growth Companies, Rainmaker Award 2005. Leadership Akron graduate 1997. As a registered nurse and graduate from St Thomas School of Nursing and Malone College, she is committed to helping others. Nancy has served on a variety of non-profit boards over the years, however Habitat for Humanity holds a special place in her heart.
Pastor Mark Frey
The Bath Church, UCC
EMERITUS
Annie McFadden
City of Akron
She has served in numerous leadership roles in the Akron-Summit County elections circuit, acting as Campaign Manager for Summit County Children Services, Summit County ADM Board, Akron-Summit County Public Library and serving as Manager for Dan Horrigan’s Mayoral Campaign in 2015.
Now, as Mayor Horrigan’s Deputy Chief of Staff and Deputy Mayor for Administration, she serves as the lead on City communications, branding and messaging, oversees the Communications staff, government and community relations, and manages any Mayor’s Office strategic initiatives deemed appropriate by the Mayor.
Brian Peterson
GPD Group
Brian Peterson is a Principal Engineer at GPD Group and a part time professor at the University of Akron. He has served these positions for 21-years and 15-years respectively. Brian is the father of three girls and lives with his wife in Summit County He has served on the Habitat for Humanity Board for 5-years and has been active in the PR Committee, field construction, and site development support.
Tammy Skipper
Fair Housing Contact Service
Tamala Skipper is the Executive Director at Fair Housing Contact Service. She has served in this position since 2004 and has been with the organization since 1985. Tamala has served on Habitat for Humanity Board for 5 years and also serves on the Family Support Committee. Additionally, Tamala serves on the Boards of the Urban Neighborhood Development Corporation (UNDC), Akron Summit Community Reinvestment Coalition, and the Better Business Bureau. Tamala lives with her husband, Brian, in Akron. They have 2 sons and a granddaughter.
Monica Vinay - Vice President
Myers Industries, Inc.
Monica is the Vice President, Investor Relations & Treasurer of Myers Industries. In March, she became Director of Investor & Financial Relations and, in December, she was promoted to Director of Investor Relations & Communications.
She was a member of the Leadership Akron class XXIX.
Rick Dodson
Malco Products
Rick is Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Malco Products, a specialty chemical manufacturer of automotive and household cleaning products in Barberton, Ohio. He has over thirty years of financial management experience working with successful manufacturing and distribution organizations. Rick serves the Habitat for Humanity Board as a member of the Finance Committee.
Michele Cicciari
Wells Fargo Advisors
Michele Cicciari is a Senior Vice President Complex Manager and Financial Advisor with Wells Fargo Advisors’ Akron, OH office. Michele is dedicated to helping her clients meet their financial goals, backed by the vast resources of her firm. Michele graduated from Lehigh University with a degree in Business and Economics in 1989 and has earned the prestigious Certified Financial Planner certification. In addition, she is on the Board of the Fairlawn Area Chamber of Commerce where she has held various positions including Secretary, President Elect and President. Michele and her two boys live in Medina, OH.
Patrick Miller
Reliance Standard Insurance
Patrick Miller is the current Producer Relations of Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, a member of The Tokio Marine Group.
Patrick has served in this capacity since November 2007. He worked for Standard Insurance Company for two decades where he held various roles of increasingly responsible sales & management positions in both home office and the field environments. Prior to joining Reliance Standard, Mr. Miller was President of Client First Group of Ohio which provided employee benefit consulting for clients which employed 1,000 plus employees. Mr. Miller holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from University of Oregon.
Walt Schwoeble
Akron Children's Hospital
Dave Woodburn
Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs
EMERITUS – Dave is a trusts & estates and real estate attorney with Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs. He primarily represents business owners, real estate developers and professionals with respect to their personal estate planning and real estate matters. As needed, Dave counsels individuals on dealing with homeowners associations and disputes between neighbors. He uses his estate planning experience and knowledge to contribute to Habitat for Humanity’s Board of Trustees.
Marie Brilmyer - Treasurer
Cohen & Co.
Marie is a CPA, MAcc, Partner, A&A with Cohen & Co and one of Marie’s key focus areas lies in working with not-for-profit organizations. She utilizes her skills and experiences as Habitat for Humanity’s Board Treasurer. Marie lives in Akron, Ohio, with her husband and their three children. When she is not cheering on her kids at swim meets, softball and baseball games, or soccer matches, she enjoys reading and running.
John Gruneich
Retired Pastor
John Gruneich is a retired Presbyterian Pastor, who has lived in Akron since 1986. The last 12 years of his ministry was spent serving various Presbyterian, UCC and Lutheran churches as their interim pastor. Since his retirement he has worked with the loyal volunteers building houses on the various work sites and hopes to use that experience as a Habitat board member.
Kandi O'Connor
Summit County Common Pleas Court
Kandi is the Chief Magistrate and Mediation Supervisor for Summit County Court of Common Pleas, General Division, serving in this position since 2015. She has been at Summit County Common Pleas Court, General Division since 1999, serving as a Judicial Attorney, Acting Magistrate and Acting Chief Mediator before assuming her current position. Magistrate O’Connor graduated from Kent State University with a B.S. in Education and from Cleveland Marshall College of Law.
Kevin Sestak
FirstEnergy
Kevin joined The Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company (CEI) as a plant helper in 1987 and advanced through various positions in the line department, dispatching and supervision. Sestak was promoted to vice president, Operations, for Ohio Edison/Penn Power in 2014. He also has served on the Board of Directors of the United Way of Westmoreland Country, Greensburg, Pa.
Amanda VanHorn
Cleveland Clinic Akron General
Anthony Vacanti
Buckingham, Doolittle and Burroughs
As a property rights attorney, I advocate on behalf of real property owners and developers in land use, zoning, eminent domain, real property tax and real estate transactional matters. I have a depth of experience representing property owners and developers in administrative and court proceedings concerning real estate and real property disputes. Such experience enables me to provide my clients with unique and comprehensive insight when negotiating real estate transactions. My clients benefit from my ability to cooperate with localities as it is often critical in completing real estate projects. No matter the issue, I provide clients with comprehensive representation by strategically advocating for your business objectives before numerous councils, boards, and courts across Northeast Ohio and beyond.
Joe Majewski
ChromaScape, Inc.
Executive with more than 30 years’ experience in business management and development, value creation, strategic planning, organizational development, sales management, operations management and human relations. Recognized for the team building and problem solving skills needed to create value and enhance profitability. Proven experience in business growth and development, plant start-ups, value stream mapping, project management, P&L responsibility, sales management and ERP system implementation.
Thomas Orcutt
Huntington Bank
Thomas Orcutt is Vice President and Relationship Manager in the Akron Region of The Huntington National Bank. Tom has more than 25 years of banking and financial services experience. Tom lives in Akron, Ohio, with his wife and their 4 children. He enjoys outdoor activities with his family and spending time with his wife working on their century home.
Reverend Ron Shultz
Family of Faith UMC
In addition to being the pastor of Family of Faith United Methodist Church since 2009, Pastor Shultz is a founding member of the Neighborhood Network. His church, which is located at 800 E. Market Street, hosts the monthly Neighborhood Network meetings. A native-born Akronite, Pastor Shultz has a deep passion for urban ministry which led him to become an active leader in the early development of the Neighborhood Network and continues to be the foundation for his work on the Core Team today.
Mary Verstraete
University of Akron - Retired
Mary C. Verstraete retired from the University of Akron at the end of May 2018 after a 30-year career there. Dr. Verstraete is an Associate Professor Emeritus in Biomedical Engineering. Dr. Verstraete’s passion has always been teaching and she taught freshman-senior undergraduate courses in Biomedical Engineering during her time at UA.
A long-time volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, Dr. Verstraete was elected to the Board in 2016 and is returning to active volunteering with the organization. In her now abundant free time, Dr. Verstraete will focus on her passion for philanthropy, photography, travel and golf.
Jake Frego
Bank of America
Jake Frego is a senior vice president of Bank of America and serves on the Ohio Market President Board for Business Integration. Before joining Bank of America, Jake spent seven years as a director with the Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club.
Jake is married to Janet, and they have four children. He serves on various boards at Archbishop Hoban High School, the University of Notre Dame, and Habitat for Humanity Summit County.