Building Ideas

  Rob is Co-Chair of Taft’s Sports Law Group and Chair of the firm’s Cincinnati Business practice. He is widely recognized as principal counsel to private equity and venture capital funds, growth-oriented companies, sports franchises, and research institutions. His practice focuses on leading equity financings, securities offerings, complex commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and ot...

President Geoffrey S. Mearns serves as the 17th president of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.   This 21,000 student institution competes at the NCAA Division 1 FBS level in the Mid American Conference.   In addition to its' acclaimed programs in the Estopinal College of Architecture & Planning, the College of Communication Information & Media, Honors College, and the Miller College of Bus...

Terri Hanlon-Bremer, MSN, RN, was named TriHealth’s incoming Chief Executive Officer (CEO) effective in late June 2026. In her previous role as Chief Operating Officer (COO), Terri worked closely with clinical and administrative leadership teams to continue to elevate operational performance while driving the continued integration and acceleration of TriHealth’s leading population health strategy....

Doug Steimle is Operations Leader and Principal at Schaefer, a Cincinnati headquartered Structural Engineering design practice. Doug is one of Schaefer’s senior level engineers with 23+ years of experience. He is recognized in the design of tall wood and hybrid-frame buildings both for mixed-use + multi-residential, and has shared his knowledge through presentations to architects and engineers acr...

Jeff Mitchell was introduced as the Cardinals’ Director of Athletics on February 6, 2023. A respected administrator with more than two decades of experience in higher education and athletics administration, Mitchell is currently in his third year as a member of the Ball State University senior executive team and leads an athletics department that sponsors 19 programs with more than 450 student-ath...

Colleen is a Partner at DSD Advisors LLC, the government relations consulting affiliate of Dinsmore & Shohl LLP that partners with public, private, and nonprofit clients to achieve their public policy goals at the local, state, and federal levels. She is responsible for advocacy and communications strategy development and execution on behalf of all DSD clients. Before joining DSD Advisors, she ser...

Born into family committed to public service, Dan Driehaus has been civically involved since birth. He continues to serve his community on Wyoming City Council, in addition to non-profit boards, public boards and through his own children's activities and schools.  ​ Dan earned his B.A. in Public Administration from Miami University in 1994. Following graduation, Dan served as the Volunteer Coordin...

Jason Toth was named senior associate vice president for administration for the University of Toledo in January 2019. He oversees the University's Facilities & Construction and Supply Chain offices. In his role, Toth leads the planning, directing, and monitoring of facilities operations and maintenance for the physical plant of the University. He is also responsible for the coordination and manage...

Justin Brookhart is the Executive Director of Public Art and Placemaking at AGAR, an experiential marketing and creative agency specializing in cultural storytelling and immersive brand experiences. In this role, Justin leads a national portfolio of transformative public art and placemaking projects that fuse creativity, culture, and community. Overseeing everything from concept development and ar...

Annette DiTommaso, Executive Director  Annette DiTommaso is the Executive Director of the Blue Line Foundation, where she leads efforts to support first responders, uplift at-risk communities, and drive impactful urban revitalization projects throughout Greater Cincinnati. With over a decade of expertise in corporate social responsibility and nonprofit management, Annette is deeply committed to fo...

Brendon Cull President & CEO, Cincinnati Regional Chamber Brendon Cull leads the Cincinnati Regional Chamber—the region’s largest business organization—where he drives a bold strategy to grow our economy, population, and cultural vibrancy. Since joining the Chamber in 2015 (after a decade guiding government affairs for The Kroger Co.), Brendon has steered game‑changing initiatives: championing the...

Charley Wayman is the Director of Marketing at MSA Design, where she leads strategic marketing and business development initiatives across the firm’s architecture, interiors, and graphics disciplines. A proud graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s College of DAAP with a degree in Fashion Product Development, Charley brings a unique blend of creativity, strategy, and relationship-building to he...

Meet Scott Schuster, a passionate champion of education and lifelong learning whose visionary leadership is reshaping Cincinnati’s nonprofit scene. As Vice President of Philanthropy and President of the Cincinnati Museums Foundation, Scott spearheads bold fundraising strategies that help the Cincinnati Museum Center spark curiosity and wonder across science, regional history, and beyond. Under his...

Kelly Bonnell is Chief Operations Officer of Constellation Wealth Partners.   Kelly brings expertise in process and strategic planning from a career dedicated to managing the organizational operations of scaling companies. She was instrumental in the success of her family’s business, BGR, Inc. where she led the company’s strategic planning and growth efforts in her position as COO.  In this role,...

Regina Carswell Russo is Founder/CEO of RRight Now Communications, a strategic communications firm.  Regina helps clients remove barriers to effective communication. With more than 30 years of communications, journalism, and media relations experience, Regina's clients include Duke Energy, Fifth Third Bank, United Way of Greater Cincinnati, The Port, Procter & Gamble, the Cincinnati Symphony Orche...

In this episode, we sit down with Sean McGrory, who has been the Board President of the Wasson Way organization since 2018, after joining in 2017. Sean is also a founding member of the CROWN Collaborative, which stands for the Cincinnati Riding or Walking Network. CROWN is an ambitious project aiming to create Cincinnati's first-ever urban trail loop—a 34-mile, multi-use paved trail encircling the...

Chad Munitz joined FC Cincinnati in May 2022 as its Chief Development Officer where he manages the club's Real Estate growth ambitions including the creation of a large-scale mixed-use district adjacent to TQL Stadium.   Chad added oversight of the club's business development arm, Aligned Ventures, to his remit in January 2024, which includes all non-MLS soccer revenue initiatives.   Prior to FC C...

Tom Demeropolis serves as Editor-In-Chief of the Cincinnati Business Courier, the premier business media digital and print publication in Greater Cincinnati.    He leads the team in both the print and online editions. He is a University of Cincinnati graduate and has a master’s in journalism from Ball State University. Prior to joining the Courier in 2010, he was a reporter with the Dayton Busines...

Luke Blocher is General Counsel and Chief Strategy Officer for the Cincinnati Development Fund.  The CDF  is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit lending institution that fills a gap not covered by traditional lenders. They provide funding for real estate development in under-served markets in the Greater Cincinnati area. They also offer facilities and equipment funding for nonprofit organizations in the Greater...

LaNae Barnes is the Local Market Executive for Bank of America in Cincinnati and works in partnership with the market President leadership team to help connect businesses, families and individuals to the banking and investment teams that will help improve their financial lives. She deploys Bank of America’s resources in the market to address social and economic concerns and build strong communitie...

A strong advocate for people, Keizayla Fambro is a seasoned political strategist and community leader with a passion for social justice, policy, and community engagement.   Keizayla, is the Chief of Staff in the office of Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval.  She strategically supports and manages the Mayor's administration, while also serving as the Mayor's top advisor.   Prior to this role, Keizayla...

Damian Hoskins is the Executive Director of Elementz, the premier Hip Hop Cultural Art Center in, Cincinnati. Elementz is committed to fostering talent, igniting potential and inspiring possibilities, particularly for underrepresented youth in the Greater Cincinnati region. Previously, Damian was the Vice President of Arts Impact at ArtsWave, the leading fundraiser and promoter of the arts in Cinc...

As President and CEO of Visit Cincy (formerly known as the Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau), Julie Calvert leads the region’s destination marketing and management organization. Her strategic vision and collaborative approach help maximize the size and impact of Cincinnati’s visitor economy and expand the region’s travel, tourism, and convention industries. Prior to her appointment as C...

Kate Schroder joined Interact for Health as its fourth President and CEO in January 2022. In this role, she works with Interact for Health’s staff and board to provide leadership, direction, and vision to the organization and to develop strategies to address some of the most pressing health needs in Greater Cincinnati. A native of Cincinnati, Kate has experience leading health initiatives locally...

Rob Zimmerman is in his third year as Head of School at his alma mater, Cincinnati Country Day School. He was born in Dallas, lived in Atlanta as a young child, and grew up in Cincinnati since the 3rd grade (residing in Indian Hill, literally across the street from CCDS, where his parents still live and host Sunday family dinners). He is a proud 1998 graduate of Country Day, attended Vanderbilt Un...