Meet the Team

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Board of Directors

Elizabeth Cohen, President

Beth is the owner of Faux Elegance Interiors. She specializes in designing interior spaces & unique paint finishes.

Carol Roe, Vice President

Carol A. Roe JD, MSN, RN - Carol obtained an MSN from Case Western Reserve University and a JD from Cleveland State University. She is retired from the Centers for Dialysis Care of Shaker Heights, Ohio as Director of Regulatory Compliance and Risk Management. Carol's career has encompassed the roles of staff nurse in both acute and long term care as well nursing administrator and educator. Additionally, as a lobbyist for the Ohio Nurses Association, she advocated the professions views to the Ohio General Assembly. She was one of the architects of legislation which resulted in the recognition of advanced practice nurses in Ohio. As public affairs consultant for the Ohio Board of Nursing, she advised the Ohio General Assembly about the impact of legislation on nursing regulation and drafted many of the first rules related to advanced practice nursing in Ohio. She was the first editor of the Ohio Board of Nursings newsletter to licensees. She has published in the areas of nursing law and professional issues. Her presentations in the renal community have focused on enhancing the safety and quality of care for patients undergoing dialysis.

John Heinert, Secretary / Treasurer

Michael T. Delaney

Michael Delaney is an attorney specializing in corporate financial distress, insolvency, and Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases. He represents corporate debtors, creditor committees, and fiduciaries, and has experience with distressed transactions, debt restructuring, and receiverships. Michael holds leadership positions in professional organizations like the American Bankruptcy Institute and the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association. He frequently speaks on insolvency issues and contributes to relevant publications. Michael has been recognized in The Legal 500 USA and Chambers USA, and named a Southern California "Super Lawyer" for business bankruptcy. He also provides pro bono legal services to veterans.

He holds a J.D. from Chapman University and an LL.M. from George Washington University. Michael has extensive experience in high-profile bankruptcy cases, including representing companies like Limetree Bay Refining and Relativity Media. His areas of focus include healthcare, debt finance, mergers, and acquisitions

Michael P. Donnelly

Justice Michael P. Donnelly is the 160th justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio. He took office in January 2019, following his statewide election in November 2018 to a full term on the Court.

Prior to joining the state Court, Justice Donnelly served as a judge on the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, General Division for 14 years. He was elected to the seat in November 2004 and re-elected in 2010 and 2016. In addition, from 2010 to 2017, he was one of five judges on Cuyahoga County’s Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Court, which oversees criminal cases involving defendants who suffer from severe mental illness or developmental disabilities.

Before serving as a member of the local judiciary, Justice Donnelly was an assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor from 1992 until 1997. He then went on to practice civil litigation for seven years, first practicing at an insurance-defense firm, and later joining a firm where he represented injured workers and other plaintiffs in asbestos litigation, personal injury lawsuits, and workers’ compensation claims.

Justice Donnelly served on the Ohio Supreme Court’s Commission on Professionalism from 2007 to 2012 and chaired the Commission during his final year. During his tenure on the Commission on Professionalism, he helped establish the highly successful Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program, which has received national accolades. He also spent more than a decade personally mentoring new lawyers.

In 2011, Justice Donnelly was one of two Ohio judges invited to participate in a two-year program created by the National Judicial College as part of their “Innovative Leadership Skills for Leader-Manager Judges Project,” which aimed to empower future judicial leaders across the United States to improve the functioning of the criminal justice system.

Justice Donnelly has also been a faculty member of the Ohio Judicial College, teaching both attorneys and judges at numerous continuing-legal-education seminars on professionalism and issues of criminal and civil justice reform and procedural fairness.

Justice Donnelly has served as a member of both the Ohio State Board of Bar Examiners and the Ohio Jury Instruction Committee. He was appointed by the chief justice to the Ohio Supreme Court Death Penalty Task Force in 2013, and he currently serves as the Ohio Supreme Court’s liaison to the Task Force on Conviction Integrity and Post-Conviction review.

Justice Donnelly is a proud recipient of the 2015 Honorable William K. Thomas Professionalism Award from the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, the 2017 Public Service Award from the Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys, and the 2020 Alumni of the Year Award from Cleveland Marshall College of Law. He was inducted into Cleveland Marshall College of Law Hall of Fame in 2020.

Justice Donnelly serves on the board of the Cleveland Baseball Federation, which provides baseball and softball summer programs at no charge to children living in lower-income areas of Cleveland and East Cleveland. He also was involved with the development of the Western Reserve Fire Museum, which educates children about fire safety.

He is a graduate of Cleveland’s St. Ignatius High School and John Carroll University, and he received his Juris Doctor degree from Cleveland State University’s Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. He was admitted to the practice of law in Ohio in 1992.

He and his wife, Nancy, reside in Cleveland Heights. They have two children.

Robyn Forney

Robyn Forney is a dedicated volunteer, entrepreneur, and experienced professional. Currently, they volunteer with Red Wine & Blue, where they gather signatures for reproductive rights and help organize events. As the founder of Early Bird Embroidery, they oversee all aspects of the business, including design, customer relations, and operations, growing the business by 200% in five years.

Previously, they worked in product management at American Greetings, handling Target’s gift wrap account, and as a buyer at OfficeMax. They also held a role as Assistant Store Manager at The Gap.

Their career hiatus from 2002 to 2018 was spent raising children and volunteering. They are active in numerous organizations, including the Junior League of Cleveland, and have supported political campaigns and social causes. They hold a Teaching Certificate from Notre Dame College and a BS in Fashion Merchandising from Kent State University.

Laura Hong

Laura Kingsley Hong, a trial lawyer with 35 years of experience, is nationally recognized for her expertise in class action, mass and toxic tort, product, and commercial litigation. Serving as national, trial, and local counsel, she's successfully defended clients in high-stakes cases nationwide.

Laura was inducted into the Case Western Reserve University School of Law Society of Benchers in 2021 and actively contributes to diversity and inclusion efforts. A former professor, she frequently speaks on legal topics.

Laura's education includes a JD from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and a BA from Oberlin College. Admitted to various courts, she holds accolades from The Best Lawyers in America and Crain’s Cleveland Business Women of Note (2021). Active in legal associations, she still continues to make significant contributions to the profession.

Pauline Ramig

Growing up as the daughter of Nebraska farmers, college was not a given for Pauline. Until her aunt stepped in with the encougragement and a loan. Pauline holds an undergraduate degree and graduate degree in math from the university of Nebraska and the University of Louisville. Before coming to Cleveland in 1970 to complete her Ph.D in mathematics and statistics at Case Western Reserve University. Since then she has emerged as an admiral volunteer, leader, and philanthropist. After working hard on various projects and being a professor, Pauline decided to open up Ramig Financial Planning in 1992. After a long journey with her business she finally closed it in 2021. Ramig still remains very busy as she makes a positive impact in her community and is a proud member of many prestigious boards, foundations, and committees.

Dennis Terez

Dennis G. Terez represents individuals through his service on the Criminal Justice Act panels for
the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Ohio. He previously served as an assistant federal public defender and then as chief defender for the
Northern District of Ohio and as acting chief defender for the Southern District of Ohio. He also serves as
an adjunct faculty member at Case Western Reserve University’s School of Law, and previously served as
an adjunct faculty member at the University of Michigan Law School. Prior to his federal appointments,
he was a partner with the international law firm of Squire, Sanders and Dempsey L.L.P. (now Squire Patton
Boggs). Mr. Terez earned a bachelor’s degree in Foreign Service, summa cum laude, from Georgetown
University in 1980, where he was valedictorian, and studied abroad as a Fulbright Scholar at the University
of Bonn Juristische Fakultät-Law School from 1981 to 1982. He earned his law degree from the University
of Michigan Law School, magnum cum laude, in 1985, where he was an Articles Editor of the Michigan
Yearbook of International Legal Studies. He recently earned a master of business administration degree
and a master of science in management degree with a specialization in finance from Case Western Reserve
University’s Weatherhead School of Management.

Board member emeritus

Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell

Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell is an ordained minister in 2 Christian denominations and the American Baptist Church. She is devoted to international peace and justice.

Stephen Thomas

Steve is the founder of Chagrin Arts and a Chagrin Falls attorney who divides his practice between negligence, business litigation, transactional business, and estate planning.

President's Club

Alec Berezin

Alec Berezin, a native of Tiffin, Ohio, graduated from Miami University and Case Western Reserve Law School. He has served in a variety of leadership positions in the Greater Cleveland area - Menorah Park, Beth Aynu Synagogue, Lake County Bar Association, Adoption Network and Ohio Innocence Project. He practiced law as a litigator for 40 years in and around
northeastern Ohio. His greatest achievement in life was convincing his wife, Marcia, of 50 years
to marry him and blessing him with two children - Josh and Rachael and two grandchildren - Javier and Eilah.

Larry Blaustein

Larry is a retired product inventor living in Chagrin Falls.

Jeanette Grasselli Brown

She is retired Director of Corporate Research at BPAmerica. She also served/chaired on Ohio Board of Regents. She serves on the boards of Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland Orchestra, Cleveland Water Alliance, and more.

Kimberly Corral

Kimberly Kendall Corral has successfully and aggressively defended a wide range of criminal cases from misdemeanors to capital homicide cases. Kim represents clients at all levels of criminal justice advocacy. This includes investigation, indictment, pre-trial motions practice, trial, direct appeals, post-conviction remedies, jurisdictional appeals, habeas corpus, and wrongful conviction litigation.

Being charged and/or convicted of a crime is certainly one of the most stressful times in a client’s life. A successful outcome requires a tailored and nuanced approach for every case. Upholding a client’s constitutional and procedural rights is complex and time-consuming work. Kim believes that productive client relationships are an essential element to a winning strategy. Kim’s noteworthy track-record in the criminal defense field is built on her genuine passion and her zealous work ethic. She is not blind to the injustice that plagues our legal system but takes immense personal pride in her steadfast work to restore her clients’ rights.

As a result of Kim’s notable trial experience, she has been certified by the Supreme Court of Ohio for appointment as Death Penalty Defense Counsel. Kim is staunchly opposed to the death penalty. In a system so fraught with error there is no rational basis to arm that system with the right to kill. In addition to traditional clients, Kimberly has represented police officers, working for the Fraternal Order of Police, Ohio Labor Council. In that capacity, she represents law enforcement officers investigated for or charged in criminal matters. Kim also occasionally partners with the Ohio Innocence Project to work toward the exoneration of wrongfully incarcerated Ohioans.
Kim believes that every good freedom fighter needs to fight aggressively and persistently. Those two qualities are the things people compliment her or criticize her for most- depending what side they’re on. Kim’s aggression and persistence serve her in her personal life as well. She is a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a bicyclist (having ridden across the country, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean), a marathon runner, and an artist. She loves to travel and she has two young daughters who can occasionally be heard singing and shouting in the background during client phone calls.

To note a few of Kim’s recent successes; Kim worked to exonerate Ruel Sailor after he spent fifteen years incarcerated for a murder he did not commit. She was invited to speak at the Cleveland Brown’s Social Justice Summit. Kim was invited to the Oval Office to discuss a client’s pardon with the President of the United States and White House Counsel. She was honored as a Rising Star in 2019 by Super Lawyers and she recently collaborated with HBO star Michael K. Williams and a panel of criminal reform advocates to raise money and awareness about juvenile justice.

Terry Gilbert

Terry Gilbert has been in private law practice since 1973, focusing on
criminal defense and civil rights litigation. At the start of his legal career,
Gilbert represented American Indians in the aftermath of the Wounded
Knee confrontation in South Dakota, and numerous anti-war and civil
rights activists. Over the years, Gilbert has handled a variety of
government misconduct cases involving police abuse, wrongful conviction,
violations of free speech, prisoners’ rights, and victims of all forms of
discrimination. His defense of civil liberties has often put him at odds with
authorities and made him the target of op-eds and editorial cartoonists. At
the same time, he has written many op-eds himself, and used the media
to make his case for justice directly to the people. Gilbert lives with his
wife Robin in a Cleveland suburb and has two adult children: Benjamin, a
molecular biologist, and Julian, a law student.

Jeffrey Grover

Jeff was a resident of the Chagrin Valley area for a number of years. His older children attended Orange Schools, and his younger children attended West Geauga Schools. While Jeff lives primarily in New York City, he still maintains close ties to the Greater Cleveland community, and is particularly pleased to renew his ties with Chagrin Arts and an Honorary Board Member.
Jeff served as a member of the Chagrin Arts Board for several years, chairing what was known as the Arts Roundtable. This coincided with his tenure as Board President of the Fairmount Center for the Arts.
Jeff was a co-owner and Executive Vice President of the National Paper and Packaging Company, which was purchased by SupplyONE in 1999. This enabled him to go into private consulting, focused on privately held business and generational change. And in particular, renewed his ability to focus on his work in the performing arts on a full-time basis.
Jeff has worked as a professional actor for over two decades, an active member of Actors Equity and SAG-AFTRA, the professional guilds representing professional actors in the theater, film, television and commercial industry. He also has produced several short films along with his partners at g2h films, focused on socially relevant issues and social change.
He has had a particular skill in producing, and often creating collaborative artistic work from the film and theatrical mediums with organizations whose focus is on a specific area of service or cause. These have included collaborations with the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, HRC, Cleveland Play House, Recovery Resources, Cleveland Center for Eating Disorders, The Temple-Tifereth Israel, among many others.
Jeff has been in over 40 films, with a particular interest in areas of social justice, human rights advocacy, sexual and gender equality, racial equity, above all focused on enabling greater empathy and

Peter Lawson Jones

Peter Lawson Jones is an attorney, business consultant, professional actor and master of ceremonies, dramatist and former elected official.
From February 2002, through December 2010, Jones, a graduate of Harvard College (magna
cum laude in Government) and Harvard Law School, was a member of the Board of Cuyahoga County Commissioners, and its president for three of those years. He previously served two and one-half terms in the Ohio House of Representatives, where he was the ranking member of the House Finance and Appropriations Committee and second vice president of the Ohio Legislative
Black Caucus. Jones was formerly the Vice Mayor and a Councilman in the City of Shaker Heights, Ohio. Jones is the executive producer of Fatherhood 101 a documentary on the critical importance of responsible fatherhood. He is a consultant in the areas of government relations, community engagement, event planning, fundraising, market development and fatherhood programming.
Jones, a member of SAG-AFTRA and Actor’s Equity as well as an acting instructor, has appeared in well over twenty films (A Man Called Otto, White Boy Rick, Alex Cross, The
Assassin’s Code, Starve), on network television (NBC’s Chicago Fire and ABC’s Detroit 1-8-7), on stages throughout Northeast Ohio. He received the 2016 Indie Gathering International Film Festival Best Ohio Supporting Actor Award for his work in How to Change the World. Jones’s drama, The Family Line, has been successfully produced at Karamu House, Harvard University and Ohio University. His second play, The Bloodless Jungle, has enjoyed two full productions at
Ensemble Theatre in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Land of Cleve, an arts and culture blog, ranked
the second production as one of the best in Northeast Ohio in 2017. The play has enjoyed staged
readings at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Dallas Convention Center, the National Black Theatre Festival, Duquesne University and in Harlem. His most recent work,
The Phoenix Society, enjoyed a successful premiere at Playwrights Local in Cleveland earlier
this year. The drama was commissioned by the Life Exchange Center, a Cleveland nonprofit
that assists those in recovery from mental health and substance abuse challenges. Jones and his spouse Lisa are the proud parents of three children: Ryan Charles, Leah Danielle
and Evan Cooke.

Dwight Milko

He is CEO & owner of RE/MAX Traditions located in Beachwood, Chagrin Falls, Chardon, Mentor, and Streetsboro. He also is COO & co-owner of MOTTO Mortgage NEO.

William O'Neil

Justice William O’Neill, born in Cleveland, Ohio, is a distinguished figure with a multifaceted background. He holds degrees in journalism, law, and nursing, and served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army, earning honors in Vietnam. O’Neill was an Assistant Attorney General for Ohio and a Judge in the 11th District Court of Appeals and also practiced as a Pediatric ER Nurse. He is a parent of four, a licensed attorney, and a dedicated Eucharistic Minister at St. Joan of Arc in Chagrin Falls.

Phillip A. Wenk

Philip is Co-Founder & Trustee of Wenk Foundation in Cleveland, OH.

Advisory committee

Marla Berg

Marla Berg, soprano, is a versatile performer, appearing in recital, concert, opera and musical theater. In concert she has appeared with The Cleveland Orchestra, the American Composers Orchestra in her Carnegie Hall debut, the Denver Chamber Symphony, the Rockford Symphony and the Ohio Chamber Orchestra. Ms. Berg is the Director of the Kent State Opera Program. She also is currently Associate Professor of Voice and Director of the Opera Program at Kent State University.

Patricia Haynish

Patricia is a former Music Department Chairperson as well as a General/Vocal Music Teacher for Chagrin Falls Exempted Village Schools. She is currently a Musical Theatre Director for Chagrin Community Education and other theatre groups.

Dr. Daniela Jauk

Daniela Jauk, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor for Sociology and Criminal Justice at the University of Akron, Ohio. She received a Masters in Sociology from the University of Graz in her home country Austria after working in feminist social work and being elected Independent Women Representative of the City Council of Graz, Austria. She completed her doctoral work in Sociology as a Fulbright student at the University of Akron/OH in 2013, specializing in Qualitative Research Methodologies and Sociology of Deviance and Gender Studies with a dissertation on the social construction of gender equality policy in the United Nations.

She fell in love not only with Akron, but also with the father of her wild and wonderful daughter Amani (7) and has returned to the area permanently in 2017 to live with her family after holding a position as assistant professor at the University of Graz, Austria from 2015 to 2017. Her entry into criminal justice work was the work as research specialist for Oriana House Inc. where she gained in depth experience with corrections research, mixed methods research projects, and grant writing. She helped establish a pilot project for women to introduce and assess the potential of horticultural therapy in community corrections and continues research in this area.

Daniela is passionate faculty mentor of the Ohio Innocence Project student organization she initiated at the University of Akron campus and intrigued by the power of art in fostering social justice and an inclusive, sustainable, and open society for all sentient beings.

Julia Shonberg

Julia (she/her/hers) is a NY based actor, theatre artist and facilitator originally from Pepper Pike, Ohio. She graduated from Boston University's School of Theatre with a BFA in Theatre Arts, studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and has trained with Double Edge Theatre Company in physical theatre. Over the past decade, Julia has trained and worked with The Boston Center for American Performance, New Repertory Theatre, The Barrow Group, Houses on the Moon, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, SPACE on Ryder Farm, Superhero Clubhouse, Current Harbor, Writopia Lab, River’s Edge Theatre Co. and Columbia Stages. Julia is a Core Company Member and Founder of The Neighborhood Theatre Project, a theatre company creating original, verbatim theatre through a process rooted in interviews and conversations. Currently, Julia is working toward her MA in Applied Theatre at CUNY School of Professional Studies. juliaschonberg.com | theneighborhoodtheatreproject.org

Barrick Stees

He is the Assistant Principal Bassoonist of the Cleveland Orchestra and Instructor of Bassoon at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Kent/Blossom Music. Stees received a bachelor's degree and performer’s certificate from the Eastman School of Music where he studied with K. David Van Hoesen.
He has concertized extensively in Europe, South America and Asia, including a solo tour of Hong Kong and China. He has appeared at international music festivals in Italy, Germany, Argentina, Colombia and the Dominican Republic. He has given recitals throughout the United States. Solo appearances include performances with the Hartford Symphony, the South Bend Symphony, the Brevard Music Center Orchestra and the Cass City Bach Festival.
Awarded the Presidential Scholar Teacher Recognition Award from the United States Secretary of Education, he has taught at Michigan State University, the Interlochen Arts Camp, the Interlochen Arts Academy, the Brevard Music Center and the University of Akron. His former students occupy prominent positions in orchestras and universities throughout the United States.
He was previously Principal Bassoonist with the Hartford Symphony and has played with the Pittsburgh and Detroit Symphony Orchestras as well as the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He has recorded three solo CDs, The Romantic Bassoon, Opera Transcriptions and Paraphrases, and Nostalgica. His website, www.steesbassoon.com, and blog, BarryBlogs, contain a wealth of information for bassoonists.
Barry is a member of the Federated Church in Chagrin Falls, OH. He is a leader of the church's Social Justice Advocacy Ministry. Certified as a trained facilitator in the UCC's Sacred Conversations to End Racism, he facilitates engaging and challenging discussions on Restorative Racial Justice with many groups.

Raymond Towler

Raymond Towler is a Artist and Musician, self taught. A Exoneree since May, 2010. Advocate of Freedom and Peace. Band Leader of The Exoneree Band and The Lydian Jazz Band. President of X-Freedom Housing Group.

STAFF

Karen Prasser, Executive Director

Karen is both a musician and arts administrator. She is the Executive Director of Chagrin Arts and also a collaborative pianist at Kent State University – The Hugh A. Glauser School of Music. In addition, Karen is the music director at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Solon, Ohio, a position she has held for 11 years. Her extensive experience in arts administration and management includes serving as Executive Director of Summit Choral Society, Solon Center for the Arts and The Children’s Museum of Cleveland, and marketing director at Cleveland Ballet, Great Lakes Theatre Festival and the Wheeling Symphony. However, Karen is first and foremost a musician. She has served as pianist and conductor for opera and ballet companies including Michigan Opera Theater, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Fort Worth Opera, Dallas Opera, Western Opera Theatre, Lake George Opera Festival, Artpark, Orlando Opera Company, Augusta Opera, New Orleans Opera, Skylight Comic Opera, Richmond Ballet and the Edinburgh International Music Festival. Karen earned her Master of Music in piano accompanying from Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and her Bachelor of Music in both piano and voice from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Susi Kawolics

- Asst. to the Executive Director - Bookkeeper
Reverend Susi Kawolics is an Ordained minister in the United Church of Christ denomination, and retired from Federated Church in Chagrin Falls in December 2019 after serving as their
Associate Pastor. She is now working as an Administrative Assistant for the Community of St.
Peter, and she does bookkeeping and office work for a variety of companies, including Chagrin Arts. She is also a certified labyrinth facilitator and an active member of Federated Church
Social Justice Advocacy Ministry Team. Susi has lived her whole life in the Cleveland area, and has been married to her husband Rich, another native Clevelander, for nearly 40 years. They have two daughters, Kailey and Kiran, whom they love to visit in upstate New York.

Emily Olesinski, Special Projects & Video Specialist

Emily is owner of Emily O. Studios in Northfield, OH.

Lucas Jones - Social Media & Website Coordinator

Lucas is from Akron, OH and attends Kent State University. He is majoring in marketing and has an unwavering drive for crafting compelling campaigns. He graduated from Copley High School and loves spending time with his family and friends.