Our Board

Our bylaws require at least 30 percent of our Board to be representatives of member charities.

Member charity MUSE, Cincinnati Women’s Choir.

 

Board of Directors

We are proud of our diverse, strong Board of Directors, which for the current 2025-26 term consists of 10 volunteer voting members. Our current Board is woman-led and predominantly female, with 60 percent of our total board identifying as female. In addition, 30 percent of our board members are BIPOC, and 20 percent identify as LGBTQIA+. Although our bylaws require a minimum of one-third of our Directors serve as representatives of our Member Charities, currently 60 percent of the Board serves in that capacity.

Employment information is provided for identification purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the individual’s place of employment.

Isabella (Bella) Frueh

Think - IF Consulting, Board President

Isabella (Bella) Frueh, MA (she/her) is a proud, native Cincinnatian, with 17 years of professional history in education, youth services, and nonprofit service, including close to a decade serving on various Governing Boards and Advisory bodies. Bella advocates for re-balancing systems through power-sharing, which is especially important for causes that impact young people in our community. Bella is the Founder/Owner of "Think - IF" Consulting Services, supporting nonprofit clients with strategy build-out and mission alignment; program design and impact evaluation; and grantwriting. Through consulting, Bella works towards community-centered and data-driven problem-solving - especially while lifting up grassroots organizations with strong evidence of impact.

Bella is a current member of NAEYC's National Affiliate Advisory Council; current founding member of the Public Allies Cincinnati Advisory Board; an American Heart Association 2024 Leader of Impact; and a proud graduate of Leadership Council for NonProfits' BOLD cohort (2019), Groundwork Ohio's Leadership & Advocacy Fellowship (2022), and YWCA of Greater Cincinnati's Rising Stars Equity Leadership program (2024).

Most importantly, Bella serves the community coming from a place of humility and learning. She will never shy away from holding herself (and others with particular levels of privilege and power) accountable, and firmly believes we all have different roles to play in dismantling oppressive systems.

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Jen Scott*

Equality Ohio, Board Vice-President

Jen Scott (she/her/hers) is a native Ohioan from Forest Park, Ohio. She attended Northwestern University earning a degree in Chemistry. After returning to Ohio, she embarked on a successful career in information technology and established her own consulting firm. In 2015, she began another path in life, that of a community organizer and grassroots activist. Through her volunteer roles, Jen learned how to use her personal passion to empower a community to make a real difference in the lives of others. She brought this passion to Equality Ohio, a member organization, when she joined the team in 2019 to establish and expand Equality Ohio’s work in the southwest Ohio region and now provides resources to all of Ohio as the Director of Advocacy. Jen serves on the boards of American Atheists as Board Chair, as Director of Compliance and Parade Chair for Cincinnati Pride, and Vice President for the Kentucky Freethought Convention. She also runs Science on Tap Cincinnati, a science education program.

Jen joined the board of Community Shares in 2020 and is looking forward to furthering the mission of Community Shares to build social and economic equity and a healthy environment in Cincinnati and the surrounding region.

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Kimberly McGinnis*

Mercy Health, Board Scribe

Kimberly McGinnis, advocate for birth and social equity, is a manager of a perinatal outreach program at Mercy Health, where she supports community health workers who partner with pregnant families in Hamilton County in an effort to address the disparities in Black infant and maternal health outcomes.

Kimberly is a yogi, certified doula, certified lactation counselor, certified community health worker, and licensed professional counselor. Kimberly has also been a advocate for marginalized students in higher education and served as an academic advisor for over 20 years. Kimberly is also a social justice facilitator, trained by the Racial Awareness Program, at the University of Cincinnati, where she is a proud alum.

Kimberly is a founding board member for Transform and a consulting board member of the Blaq Birth Circle and she has also served on the Queen’s Village Roselawn Neighborhood board and Main board. Kimberly is honored to be considered for the Community Shares Board of Directors. Kimberly hopes to positively impact the future of Cincinnati through service with Community Shares.

David Kirley

Cisco, Board Treasurer

David has spent his career gaining diverse experiences in many sectors. Currently, he is a Customer Project Manager at technology company Cisco. Previously, he lent his talents to P&G where he streamlined order management for Professional Oral Health customer support teams. He has earned degrees from both University of Cincinnati and the Union Institute and University.

When not engaging in professional endeavors, David enjoys spending time with his family, travelling, and he'll never say "no" to a game night. An Oakley native, he lives in College Hill with his two dogs and is passionate about the mission of Community Shares and the impact that we have in our community.

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Danielle Craig*

Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region

Danielle Craig Hemphill currently serves as the Vice President of Communications and Education for Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region. She has been a member of the Planned Parenthood team since January 2014 and manages a team of talented folks who work to increase access to sexual and reproductive health care and education through comprehensive sex education, strategic communications, media relations, marketing, events, and community outreach. Danielle has more than 23 years of experience in communications, public relations and marketing. Prior to working with Planned Parenthood, she spent the first part of her career working in the corporate, for-profit world. Danielle has a BA from Purdue University in Professional Writing and Publishing and an MBA from Thomas More University.

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Claire Daugherty*

Over-The-Rhine Community Housing

Claire has spent most of her career with the YMCA at both the local and national level. While she is an expert in youth development, her many years in the non-profit world has also made her a skilled fundraiser for Over-the-Rhine Community Housing, one of our charity members. She is an experienced world traveler with avid interest in other cultures, passionate conservationist, seamstress, youth development and social justice advocate. She embraces the positive opportunities that change creates.

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La’Shawnta Lewis

Keller Williams Pinnacle Group

La'Shawnta Lewis is a real-estate advisor and investor. She previously also served as Executive Director for Parents for Public Schools of Greater Cincinnati. She has spent her career gaining diverse experiences in many sectors. She has spent the past five years learning the world of non-profits, educating and advocating for equality in public schools.

Prior to leading Parents for Public Schools of Greater Cincinnati, La'Shawnta spent several years as a software developer for a home builders company based out of Florida. La'Shawnta is also the Marketing Co Chair for the Greater Cincinnati Realtist Association, where she spends time organizing and marketing events. La'Shawnta previously owned her own home health care company where she focused on the needs of geriatric and special needs clients.

In her spare time La'Shawnta loves to spend time with her 2 beautiful children and travel the world. Her true passions are helping others, education and children. She wants to make sure everyone from preschool through adolescence has an equal right to adequate education, resources and mental health.

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Tom Schultz

U.S. Dept. of Energy

Tom Schultz is a Technical Project Officer with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of State and Community Energy Programs. Previously, he was the Data and Program Manager for the Cincinnati 2030 District, an Initiative of Community Shares member organization Green Umbrella. A proud Cincinnati native, Tom returned to Cincinnati serendipitously in 2019 for a graduate fellowship with the City of Cincinnati Office of Environment and Sustainability after completing a Masters of Public Affairs from Indiana University, where he concentrated in Sustainability, Sustainable Development, and Social Entrepreneurship. In his current role, Tom works to analyze data and support programs to support creating a healthy and sustainable built environment for all a job he feels aligns perfectly with the mission of Community Shares.

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Tristan N. Vaught*

Transform Cincy

Tristan N. Vaught is a Co-founder of Transform Cincy, a Community Shares member charity, and formerly the Director of Education and Training at Living with Change. They are an activist, educator, and the Founding Director of the LGBTQ+ Center at IUPUI. Previous to this role, they held positions as the Interim Director and first Program Coordinator of the LGBTQ Center at the University of Cincinnati. They hold a Master’s degree in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from University of Cincinnati with research centered on the effectiveness of LGBTQ+ ally trainings in higher education. They also graduated with Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from the University of Cincinnati. Tristan’s advocacy and education work focuses on intersecting identities and how they impact individuals’ lived experiences. They enjoy writing poetry and short stories, communing with nature, and considers themselves a bourbon snob.

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David CS Whitehead*

Spectrum Reach

David CS Whitehead is a Sale Manager and Regional Political liaison for Spectrum Reach. He is the owner of David CS Whitehead Tax Service, LLC. David is extensively involved in the community and currently serves as the president of the Cincinnati NAACP where he chairs the Voter Empowerment and Political Action committees for both the branch and State of Ohio. In addition, he is Co-chairman of Voter Awareness for the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Ohio, Ohio Council of Deliberations, assist with the Desert of Ohio, and a class of 2023 Grand Inspector General in the AASR United Supreme Council Northern Jurisdiction. He is secretary of Gothic Lodge 122.

David is one of the founding facilitators of the Helping Children Cope with Divorce Program in Hamilton County where he spent 12 years assisting parents in learning how to co-parent post separation. Also, he was an instructor for high conflict parenting training in the Clermont County court mandated parenting program. He served as the master of ceremony and avid supporter of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Sickle Cell Research Day for over 15 years. He continues his passion for assisting others through mentorship programs, public speaking, and any opportunity that comes. He is a Sunday School leader at St James AME Church in Covington Kentucky.

David attended both Cumberland College and the University of Cincinnati to earn his bachelor’s degree in business administration. David has spent numerous years coaching youth sports while raising his children. This competitive athlete resides in Cincinnati where he is actively involved in officiating basketball, football, and lacrosse. He is the 2023 recipient of the Cincinnati NAACP President’s Award for work in the community.

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*Asterisk indicates representatives from member organizations.