2017-2018 Board of Directors

President: Vicki Marsala Calonge

Having received both her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Education degrees from the University of Cincinnati, Vicki is a proud Bearcat through and through. Her love for working in higher education and commitment to student development is evident from her tenure as she served in the Office of Student Activities and Leadership Development at her Alma Mater, for over ten years. During that time she also taught classes as an Adjunct Instructor in the Center for Access and Transition and the College of Allied Health Sciences. Additionally, out of a passion for inspiring others to fitness, Vicki became certified to teach group fitness classes, was a personal trainer and designed and coordinated a revenue-generating and comprehensive fitness, nutrition, wellness, and social program for brides-to- be. Currently, Vicki works as a freelance event production consultant.

Vicki joined the Junior League of Cincinnati in 2008. Prior to her appointment as President-Elect, Vicki served as the Vice President of Community Impact on the Board of Directors, Nominating Committee Vice Chair and Chair, Kids in the Kitchen Co-Vice Chair and Co-Chair, and as an engaged member of the Strategic Planning Ad Hoc Committee, Infrastructure Ad Hoc Committee, and RefugeeConnect Committee. Vicki is the proud recipient of the 2010 JLC Jeanne Boyce Morrison President’s Award. In addition to her volunteer work for the JLC, Vicki also serves on the Duke Energy Children’s Museum Advisory Board, the Cincinnati Ballet Dancer Sponsorship Committee, and she is a Fall 2010 Graduate of the United Way of Cincinnati Board Orientation and Leadership Development (BOLD) program. Vicki uses the volunteer management skills she honed in the JLC out in the community working on large-scale community events such as the Cincinnati Parks Foundation Hats Off Luncheon, Cincinnati Community Organizing Committee for the MLB All-Star Summer 2015, and Dress for Success Cincinnati Fashion Show. Through serving in these professional and volunteer roles, Vicki has developed her skills in managing programs and large-scale events, developing strategic plans to increase efficiency, training and coaching leaders, managing large numbers of volunteers, creating and evaluating assessment tools, and managing large budgets. She is a proud lifelong resident of Cincinnati and truly loves this great city of ours. Vicki and her husband, Allan, reside in Madeira with their two children.

President-Elect: Tara Noland

Tara Noland is the founding Executive Director for GreenLight Cincinnati, a non-profit that works to identify and solve critical, local needs. Having earned a B.A., B.S.W., and M.S.W. from the University of Kentucky, she has spent her career in the non-profit sector. She was a member of C-Change, Class 4 and WeLead, Class 10. She was named one of Cincinnati’s Forty Under 40 by the Business Courier and a YWCA Rising Star in 2012. She is also a member of the Source Cincinnati National Connectors Group, a group that works to inform our region’s national storytelling efforts.

Tara enjoys volunteering in the community and served as a co-chair for a 2015 MLB All Star Summer committee, president of the C-Change Alumni Society and member of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber’s Senior Strategic Advisory Team for Leadership Programs. A member of the Junior League since 2009, Tara has held positions as the Vice President of Training and Development, Vice-Chair and Chair of the Leadership Development Committee, and member of the Nominating Committee. She received the JLC Rising Star award in 2012. Tara lives in Mt. Washington with her husband, Zac, and daughters, Elliot and Norah.

Secretary: Kate Fortlage

Kate Fortlage began at Formica in April 2014 and is a Senior Manager in the Marketing Department with proven abilities in strategic planning, managing projects and direct reports, driving top-line and bottom-line sales growth, and influencing cross functional managers. Prior to Formica, she was a Brand Manager for KAO USA, where she worked for over 8 years. She received her B.A. from Bowling Green State University in 1999 and her MBA from the University of Dayton in 2005. Born in Toledo, Kate relocated to Cincinnati after her MBA to start her marketing career at KAO. Currently, she manages the residential segment at Formica and is responsible for developing and leading brand strategy, innovation, and marketing plans. Kate joined the Junior League of Dayton in 2000 and transferred to the JLC in 2006. She has served on every JLC Council and has been a leader on all Councils but one (New Member Vice Chair and Chair, Social Vice Chair and Chair, Nominating Committee Vice Chair and Chair). Kate also served on the Board of Directors as Special Projects and led an Ad Hoc Committee in creating the JLC strategic plan. She also led the points system initiative, and served in an Out-of-League Placement as a Steering Committee Chair for the All-Star Game.

Legal Advisor: Lauren Solimine

Lauren Solimine is an Associate with the law firm Cummins & Brown LLC, where she is involved in all aspects of the firm’s corporate and litigation practice, with a particular focus on securities and corporate governance. Prior to joining Cummins & Brown, Lauren was an Associate with Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman LLP, a large litigation firm located in New York City, where she focused on complex commercial litigation.

Born and raised on the east coast, Lauren credits her involvement with Junior League for making Cincinnati now seem like home. Since joining in 2013, Lauren has served on the Nominating Committee, as a Training Lead for Leadership Development Committee, and as a member of the Membership Outreach and Events Committee. She is also a Board Member and Secretary for Attitude – Cincinnati Ballet’s Young Patrons Organization, as well as a member of Kindervelt #50 and ProKids Young Professionals. A graduate of Boston University and Brooklyn Law School, Lauren lives in Indian Hill with her husband, Peter, and her two daughters, Charlotte and Gwendolyn.

Treasurer: Kristian Scarpitti

Kristian is a Finance Manager at Ethicon, Inc. (part of the Johnson & Johnson family of companies). She received her B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Miami University and her M.B.A. from Xavier University with a concentration in Marketing. Since joining the Junior League of Cincinnati in 2010, Kristian has served on the 5K, Nominating, and Membership Satisfactions Committees, as well as Chaired the Transfers Committee, and now serves on the Board as the Treasurer. In addition to her involvement with the JLC, she is involved with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Heart Institute Patient-Family Advisory Council. Kristian and her husband, Andy, reside in Hyde Park with their three children, Evie, Andrew and Nick.

At-Large Member: Alison Bushman

Alison Bushman joined the JLC in 2009. She served for three years as a New Member Advisor, and as a member of the Nominating and Membership Outreach & Events Committees. While serving as the Chair of a new Membership Recruitment Committee, she also stepped in a completed a term as Vice President of Membership. Alison has her undergraduate degree from West Virginia Wesleyan College. She currently works as the President & CEO of Bake Me Home, a non-profit organization she founded in 2008 with her twin daughters. In addition, she serves on the Advisory Board of the Cincinnati History Museum, and is the Vice President of the Corporation Board of the Beta Sigma Chapter of Alpha Xi Delta. Alison is a Board Member Emeritus of Beech Acres Parenting Center and the Duke Energy Children’s Museum. She is a native of Washington, DC, and relocated to Cincinnati in 1995. Alison, and her husband, Lee, live in Anderson with their teenage daughters, Amy and Emma.

At-Large Member: Sara Cooperrider

Sara Cooperrider joined the Junior League of Cincinnati in 2011 and has made a considerable impact in the past four years. As a New Member, in addition to serving on the Kids in the Kitchen Committee, she joined the Program Development Committee, and helped lead what was to ultimately become the RefugeeConnect project since its inception. Sara was appointed to serve on the Board of Directors in 2012-2013, while continuing her role on the Program Development Committee. Sara has her undergraduate degree from Miami University and her law degree and master’s in public health from George Washington University. After working in health policy in Washington, Sara practiced with the law firm of Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur in her hometown of Cincinnati. After two years with the firm, she took a position as Assistant General Counsel at UC Health, where she is employed today. She also currently serves a leadership position on the Cincinnati Bar Association’s Nonprofit Law Committee and enjoys volunteering with ProKids. Sara and her husband, Tony, live in Hyde Park with their daughter.

At-Large Member: Judy Schneider Dalambakis

Judy Schneider Dalambakis has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Cincinnati.  Her past work experience includes: Associate Director of Admissions at the University of Cincinnati, Director of Community Relations for Joseph Beth Booksellers, Columnist for the Cincinnati Post and a Columnist for Express Cincinnati.

Judy served as President for the Junior League of Cincinnati, President of the Cincinnati Parks Foundation, Chair of the Friends of the Cincinnati Art Museum and President of BRAVO of the Cincinnati Ballet.

She has served on numerous boards including the Alzheimer’s Association, Playhouse in the Park, Association of Volunteers for Children’s Convalescent Hospital, Friends of the Art Museum, UC Alumni Board of Governors, Civic Garden Center, Junior League of Cincinnati, Women Helping Women, Impact 100, and currently serves on the UC Bicentennial Commission, the Christ Hospital Foundation, and the Cincinnati Ballet Board as the co-chair of Etoile.

Judy has chaired numerous fundraisers raising thousands of dollars for nonprofits including Cincinnati Zoo’s Zoofair, Cincinnati Art Museum, Playhouse in the Park, Cincinnati Parks Foundation, Junior League and the Alzheimer’s Association.

She has been recognized as a 2006 Cincinnati Enquirer Woman of the Year, A Girl Scout Woman of Distinction, the University of Cincinnati’s Alumni Distinguished Service Award recipient, received the Junior League’s President’s Award and been honored as a UC Communication Alumni Champion.

At-Large Member: Mary Ivers

Mary Ivers started her business career as an entrepreneur, co-founding an INC 500 software company, Software Clearing House. As this company grew over 15 years, Mary learned how to expand an organization on a tight budget and also worked with many of the internal systems for managing clients, databases, mailing campaigns, and websites – all skills that would later prove useful when managing a thriving nonprofit. In 1999 Mary started an affiliate of Dress for Success in Cincinnati. Mary also started an Earned Income Venture, called the 4th Street Boutique, a thrift store, to sell excess clothing to generate proceeds for the support of the Dress for Success mission. Mary retired from Dress for Success Cincinnati in 2012 and continues to serve on the Board of Directors.

Mary is an alum and a trustee of Mount St. Joseph University and has been a Commencement speaker and awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree. She is a Cincinnati Enquirer Women of the Year, a Great Rivers Girl Scout Council Woman of Distinction, and an Athena Award Finalist. Mary is also member of Leadership Cincinnati Class 12 and Leadership Northern Kentucky. However, Mary’s greatest accomplishment is being a mother of four and the grandmother of seven.

At-Large Member: Shelley Poffenberger

At-Large Member: Juliana (JJ) Wales

Sustainer Advisor: Melanie Chavez

Melanie Chavez is a Principal with Chavez Properties, a third generation family business headquartered in Cincinnati. Along with her responsibilities for Chavez Properties, Melanie manages Construction and Brand Messaging for Fast Park. Prior to joining Chavez Properties, Melanie enjoyed a career in management consulting with Ernst & Young and Pritchett & Associates. After completing her B.A. at Xavier University, cum laude, as a Music major, Melanie received her M.B.A. and M.A. from Southern Methodist University.

Melanie is an active member of the community currently serving as a Trustee for the Cincinnati Opera, the May Festival Association where she is Vice-Chair, and The Summit Country Day School. She spent 10 years as a Junior League of Cincinnati Active Member, during which time she was awarded the 2007 Presidents Award and held numerous leadership positions including President in 2011-2012. Most recently, Melanie was co-chair of the 2015 Community Organizing Committee which helped engage community and augment activities surrounding the 2015 MLB All-Star Game in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Melanie has been recognized by Inspire Magazine as an Inspiring Volunteer of the Year, was a member of the 40 Under Forty Class of 2011, was recognized by Venue Magazine with a Board Chair Award in 2011, was a member of Leadership Cincinnati Class 38, received the Rising Star Award from the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra in 2014, and in 2015, received a Spirit of Cincinnati USA Partnership Award. She resides in Hyde Park with her husband Jeremy and her three children Jackson, Jefferson and Natalie.

Executive Management Team

VP Communications: Haley B. Elkins

Haley B. Elkins has spent the last twelve years helping individuals, small businesses, and nonprofits find the right technology and communication tools, and she is passionate about putting these tools in the hands of more women. She has previously served as the Operations Manager for Cincinnati Ballet, and the Managing Director for Know Theatre of Cincinnati and MUSE, Cincinnati’s Women’s Choir. She has worked with the National Council of Women’s Organizations, the Feminist Majority Foundation, the Texas Equal Access Fund, Younger Woman’s Task Force: D.C. Metro, and the BlueGreen Alliance, among others.

She was named a YWCA Rising Star in 2013, and was a recipient of the Junior League of Cincinnati Excellence in Training Award in 2015. She has been a member of the Junior League of Cincinnati since 2009; her roles have included the Chair and Vice Chair of the Online Committee, the Volunteer Coordinator for CinSation, and the Nominating Chair of the Junior Leagues of Ohio State Public Affairs Committee.

Haley is a nationally recognized writer whose work has been translated into multiple languages and published on xoJane, Indian Country Today, The Good Men Project, and Rue89, among others. She holds a degree in English literature and feminist theory with a minor in technical writing from the University of North Texas. She and her husband, Luke Brockmeier, have lived in Madisonville for ten years.

VP Community Impact: Gina Germana

Gina Germana works professionally as a Senior Consultant at Landrum and Brown, a global leader in airport and aviation planning. She specializes in aviation forecasting and financial planning.

She received her B.A. of Business Administration from the University of Cincinnati in 2010 with a concentration in finance and international business.

Gina joined the Junior League of Cincinnati in 2012 and has made a considerable impact within its projects over the past five years. Prior to serving as the VP of Community Impact, she was a Chair of the GrinUp! Committee, Vice Chair and Chair of CandO Committee, as well as a Pediatric Oral Health Committee member. Gina also served on Board Bank.

Gina was born and raised in Parma, Ohio and now resides in Sycamore Township.

VP Finance: Stephanie Skryzowski

Stephanie Skryzowski is the Chief Financial Officer of buildOn, a nonprofit that breaks the cycle of poverty, illiteracy, and low expectations through service and education. She is also the owner of 100 Degrees Consulting, which provides financial and operational leadership to help nonprofits change the world. Having spent the better part of a decade in the apple orchards of Afghanistan, terai of Nepal, and mountains of Haiti among other far-flung locales, Stephanie gained vast on-the-ground experience leading teams and organizations around the globe. She currently serves clients working in community and economic development, education, and microfinance in Cincinnati, East Africa, West Africa, Haiti, Nepal, and Nicaragua.

Stephanie received her Master’s degree in Public Administration from New York University, specializing in nonprofit management and finance. She also has a B.A. in Political Science and International Studies from SUNY Brockport. Stephanie joined the Junior League of Cincinnati in 2014 and served on the Finance Committee her first active year. Stephanie loves her work with nonprofits, running marathons, hiking with her husband and dog, and traveling the globe. She is originally from Rochester, NY and currently resides in West Chester with her husband, Mark.

VP Fund Development: Katie Hayden

VP Membership: Megan Stacey

Megan Stacey is a Cincinnati native with a passion for giving back to the community. She graduated from Miami University in 2005 and earned her master’s degree from Xavier. Megan helps families buy and sell homes as a Realtor with Keller Williams Advisors.

She resides in Mt. Lookout with her husband (Drew), daughter (Emory), son (Ford) and two dogs (Murphy & Briggs). When not working or spending time with her family, Megan enjoys several hobbies including her fashion blog, Polka Dots & Pleats.

After joining the JLC in 2009, Megan has served in various leadership roles including New Member Advisor, Chair of Membership Outreach & Events, and Chair of Major Gifts. She has also served on Ad Hoc Committees, including New Member Curriculum (from her years as a teacher and assistant principal) and Points & Obligations.

VP Training & Development: Sarah Rieger

Sarah E. Rieger is Director of Guest Services for Genesis Healthcare, Kentucky Division. After receiving a B.A. in Organizational Communication from Miami University, Sarah moved to Chicago and worked in sales before finding her true passion of working with older adults. Sarah was a new member of the Junior League of Chicago and transferred to Cincinnati in 2010. Sarah is a graduate of C-Change Class 8. She was also a participant in the inaugural class of The Shift, a social innovation challenge with the United Way of Greater Cincinnati. After completing The Shift, along with her co-founder, Sarah launched Community Grandparents in Lower Price Hill. Community Grandparents fosters trusting relationships between low income parents and older adults to build support networks and create self-sufficiency. Sarah has also been an active volunteer for the Alzheimer’s Association, Girls on the Run, working with women in transitional housing and the foster care system in Butler County.

During her time with the JLC, Sarah has chaired both Membership Outreach & Events and New Members, along with working on the strategic plan, program development, Kids in the Kitchen and CinSation. She received the JLC’s Excellence in Training Award in 2016.

Recording Secretary: Jacklyn Olinger

Jacklyn is an Associate at the law firm Manley Burke LPA where her practice focuses on issues specific to nonprofit and tax exempt organizations.  She received her B.A. in political science from Miami University and her J.D. from the University of Dayton School of Law. Since joining the Junior League of Cincinnati in 2009, Jacklyn has served on the Board of Directors (Legal Advisor), Nominating Committee, Columbia Center Committee, and spring fundraiser committee as well as Chair and Vice-Chair of the Cookbook and Fall Fundraiser (5K & Tour of Kitchens) Committees and Vice-Chair of the Finance Committee. Jacklyn is the proud recipient of the 2015 Jeanne Boyce Morrison President’s Award.  In addition to her involvement with the JLC, she serves as a member of the Committee on Leadership for her sorority, Alpha Xi Delta, and on the Board of Directors of GRAD Cincinnati. Jacklyn and her husband, Brad, reside in Mt. Lookout with their two sons Jefferson and Michael.

VP Sustainer Council: Saralou Durham

Saralou joined the JLC in 1981 and served as President of the League in 1987-1988. She is a three-time appointed Sustainer Advisor to the Board of Directors. Over her nearly forty years as a member of the JLC, she has served the League in various capacities, most recently as an elected Sustainer representative to the Nominating Committee.

A proud University of Cincinnati Bearcat, Saralou has served her alma mater on the Board of Trustees and as President of both the UC Alumni Association Board of Governors and the College of Education Alumni Association. In addition to her volunteer commitments to the JLC and UC, Saralou has served on the Boards of the Easter Seal Society, the Family Education Center, and Playhouse in the Park. Saralou, a Cincinnati real estate agent for over twenty-five years, currently uses her real estate expertise to assist the League as a member of the Columbia Center Ad Hoc Committee.

VP Sustainer Council: Dionn Tron