WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT

Laurel Beatty Blunt

Judge, Ohio 10th District Court of Appeals

Judge Beatty Blunt has dedicated herself to increasing access to justice and educating citizens about their rights. After a decade as a trial court judge, she was elected to the Ohio 10th District Court of Appeals, the first Black woman to serve in that role. In addition to numerous civic activities in and around the justice system, she also teaches about the Supreme Court of the United States at the University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy.

She is a founding member of the Ohio Black Judges Association, a current board member of Alvis, Inc. and a past board member of YWCA Columbus.

Marilyn Brown

CEO, Marilyn Brown Consulting, LLC

With over 35 years of experience in government and the nonprofit sector, including 14-plus years as a Franklin County Commissioner, Marilyn uses her background in organizational development to work on social justice issues. In her many roles, she coaches and trains diverse leaders and looks for ways to build relationships among people and groups who never imagine they share common ground. 

She is now a consultant, helping small businesses and nonprofits be the best they can be. Marilyn and her husband, Eric, have two daughters and three grandsons. The Browns have lived in the Short North area for over 30 years. 

Chris Cozad

President, Alternative Auto Care

Chris is a 1977 graduate of Hiram College. She started Alternative Auto Care in 1983 to create a women-centered auto repair shop and build a place where women could work in the field without the sexism typical of the industry. Chris believes auto repair offers women access to economic equity.

Her advocacy also extends to her 40 years of service around LGBTQ equality. Her roles have included sitting on many LGBTQ organization boards. Currently, Chris is chair of the Columbus Community Relations Commission and serves as LGBTQ community liaison to the mayor.

Colleen Marshall

News Anchor, Attorney, NBC4

Colleen is an award-winning anchor at NBC4 News and the host of The Spectrum, the longest running political program in Columbus. She is also a lawyer, who has practiced as a corporate litigator and family law attorney.

She is an eight-time Emmy winner, honored for investigative, political and feature reporting, and was honored with a National Gracie Award from the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation.

Colleen also was named a Silver Circle honoree by the Ohio Valley Chapter of the National Association of Television Arts and Sciences. She is an advocate for a number of organizations, notably the Central Ohio Alzheimer’s Association, which she has served for more than a decade in memory of her mother.

Dr. Patrice A. Palmer, DD, LSW, MSW, CMHC

CEO, Chosen 4 Change

Dr. Palmer is an audacious and compassionate leader on the front lines of criminal and social justice reform. Her work extends to local, state, and national levels as the voice for the voiceless. Dr. Palmer utilizes her lived experiences as the driving force for systematic change.

She has been deemed an expert in a variety of areas by Ohio leaders, offering guidance on legislative improvements such as Care’s Act 2.0, Second Chance Act, and Ban-The-Box. Her work has also earned her a place in the Hall of Fame at The Ohio State University College of Social Work. She was the 2022 National Social Worker of the Year and the Kevin Dickenson Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion.

Bettye J. Stull

Independent Artist & Curator

Bettye is an artist, collector, and curator who began her career as an arts specialist and center director for Columbus Recreation and Parks, where she worked for 30 years. In 1989, Bettye became cultural arts director and curator for the King Arts Complex, educating youth, supporting artists, and developing nationally significant exhibitions for 25 years. In 2004, Bettye became an independent curator, lifting up Black arts and culture through organizations across Ohio.  

At 91 years young and after seven decades of sharing her wisdom and talents, Bettye is still a force for the arts and a true Woman of Achievement. 

Jasmine Ayres

Director of Client Success, Cohear

Jasmine was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. She received a bachelor’s degree in history from Wake Forest University in North Carolina and a master’s degree from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin.

Since returning to Columbus she has coached football at Northland High School and helped register over 20,000 people to vote. She is currently a member of the North Linden Area Commission and also serves as the Community Development Officer for the Community of Caring Development Foundation, the development arm of New Salem Baptist Church. Jasmine is now the director of Client Success at Cohear, a community engagement and strategy company where she connects decisionmakers with everyday experts.

Stephanie Cedeño, MPH

Director of Civic Engagement, Besa

Stephanie is a Columbus native and has spent her career serving the community she loves and calls home. She currently lives in Old Town East and holds a BA in International Studies and a Master of Public Health from the Ohio State University.

As the director of civic engagement at Besa, a local nonprofit that engages people and businesses in transformational volunteer experiences that help meet community needs, she drives the volunteer strategy for the organization, oversees philanthropic partnerships with local companies, and helps rally thousands of volunteers each year.

She also serves as a mentor for the Latina Mentoring Academy and served as the Community Service Co-Chair for the Columbus Urban League Young Professionals. She is a graduate of the YWCA Leadership for Social Change and co-chaired the Events Committee of the first Latine/Hispanic Heritage Month Committee, helping to organize the city’s first-ever Latine art show curated by Latinas.

Jona Hilario, PhD

Co-Director, OPAWL – Building AAPI Feminist Leadership

Jona is a founding member and the current co-director of OPAWL.

She was born in the Philippines and has lived in Columbus, Ohio since 2004. She holds a PhD in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology from the Ohio State University.

OPAWL has changed Jona’s life and she’s grateful to be a part of it. She is committed to organizing Asian, Asian American and Pasifika women and non-binary people to collective action so we can bring about changes that allow our communities to flourish in Ohio.

Jennifer McKenzie, MOD

Human Service Executive, Strategist, and Systems Thinker

As the Managing Partner of Organized Synergy, a premier organization development firm, Jennifer brings her expertise from seven years of non-profit leadership experience to guide clients in program design, strategic grant acquisition, and impact evaluation. With a proven track record of success in human service organizations with budgets ranging between $250K and nearly $20M, Jennifer is known for her “win-win or no deal” approach and her ability to cultivate value-based partnerships. She provides guidance on program design, proposal creation, strategic partnerships, and performance-driven initiatives to help organizations reach their full potential.

Jennifer holds a bachelor’s degree from DeVry University and an Executive Master of Organization Development degree from Bowling Green State University. Recently honored as a “Woman on the Rise” by YWCA Columbus, Jennifer is passionate about uplifting the community and using the “change formula” to create social innovation. In her free time, Jennifer enjoys dairy-free ice cream flavors from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream. She resides in Pickerington, Ohio with her husband Ashon L. McKenzie, Esq., and their four children.

Ruchelle Pride, M.S., CDE®, C.L.C

Director, Office of Justice Policy & Programs, CASA of Franklin County

Ruchelle is an award-winning public servant leader with almost two decades of expertise in criminal justice, youth services, advocacy, and leadership.

She is a Restorative Practitioner who is consistently persistent in solidifying opportunities which promote the importance of serving the needs of our community. Ruchelle lends her intellectual property to a myriad of national, state, and local committees to support justice-related projects with an emphasis on race equity, community health, and economic mobility. After conducting research and continuing her advocacy for equitable justice, Ruchelle became a full voting member with the European Forum for Restorative Justice in Belgium representing the USA.

Ruchelle is a transformational public speaker, Certified Professional Life Coach, Certified Diversity Executive, Founder & CEO of The Relationship Architect – PRIDE Coaching & Consulting, LLC.

Anna Sanyal

Associate Attorney, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP

Anna is an associate at Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP. Drawing on her previous experience as an administrative law judge at the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and the Ohio Power Siting Board, Anna provides practical advice to clients on a wide range of utility and energy matters, including the development and permitting of solar farms and gas-fired electric generation plants in Ohio. Anna also has extensive experience in litigating matters before the Ohio Power Siting Board.

Anna strives to promote diverse lawyers and women in general as a board member of the Asian Pacific Bar Association of Central Ohio, chair of the National Asian Pacific Bar Association’s Energy, Environment and Sustainability Committee, and a member of the Jump at the Sun Society for Zora’s House.

Anna is a first generation Indian-American and speaks, reads, and writes Bengali and Hindi.