Building Ideas

Dan McNally born in Darwen, England (1978) is the Director of Soccer Operations for MLS franchise, FC Cincinnati. McNally has been with FC Cincinnati since the club formed in 2015 and he holds the distinction of being the clubs first full time employee. During his tenure at FC Cincinnati McNally’s primary role has been to establish the clubs Soccer Operation and to oversee the Gameday Operation du...

Katie Freeland is the Director of the Columbus Studio and an Associate Principal at MSA Design, a nationally renowned design practice based in the Midwest. She is from Powell, Ohio and attended Miami University, where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Architecture degree. She went on to receive her Master of Architecture degree from Washington University in St. Louis, graduating with honor...

Robert Sheeran assumed his duties as Vice President, Facilities at Xavier University in 2012 and is responsible for the operations of the physical plant. He served as Associate Vice President for Facility Management from 2002 -2012. Xavier’s Office of Physical Plant is responsible for the leadership in the planning and design of all new construction, major remodeling, maintenance and improvement o...

Sr. Rita Sturwold is a lifelong enthusiastic, innovative educator, serving as a teacher in Catholic elementary and secondary schools, as an administrator, and, for over 30 years, as a friend raiser and fund raiser. She has been the first to serve in a variety of positions locally, nationally and internationally. Sr. Rita is a member of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, an international congregat...

Senior Associate Athletic Director Steve Cady arrived at Miami in 1976 and has served both a coach and an administrator. Steve was the inaugural Coach and started the nationally-renowned Ice Hockey Program,. Cady credits his lengthy career in intercollegiate athletics to his own invaluable student-athlete experience and a strong belief in the value of the life skills athletics can teach. In additi...

Mike Penner has been a member of The Ohio State University’s athletic department’s leadership team for the last 14 years providing strategic direction and oversight for the 36-sport athletic department with more than 1,000 student-athletes and 1,700 full and part-time employees. He was promoted to Executive Associate Athletic Director in June 2018 and currently serves as the lead administrator for...

Nick Lingenfelter has over 17 years of experience in the Commercial Real Estate industry and began partnering with PLK in 2014 on development projects. He currently oversees the development of PLK’s apartments and for sale townhome projects focusing on site identification, planning, entitlements, project vision, and end design. Nick has an extensive background with complex real estate structures c...

Andrea Swartz AIA is Chairperson of the Department of Architecture at the Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning at Ball State University. A registered architect who has taught in professional architecture programs at Ball State, RPI, and as a graduate teaching assistant, she received her Master of Architecture from the Yale School of Architecture where she was the recipient of the AIA Hen...

Justin Newell is assistant athletic director and director of the Kenyon Athletic Center (KAC). As director, Newell is responsible for the oversight of the 263,000 square foot KAC, as well as all outdoor field and recreation space. Furthermore, his responsibilities with the athletic department are to act as a liaison to other Kenyon College departments, such as student affairs, maintenance, campus...

Todd began his career with the park district in 2003 and by 2017 had received four promotions. During that time, he steered the agency’s five-year strategic plan and completed several key projects including Highfield Discovery Garden, Otto Armleder Memorial Park, Fernbank Park, and the Mitchell Memorial Forest Mountain Bike Trail. Todd has served in the lead role on several park district initiativ...

Joe serves as the Director of Athletics for Princeton City Schools in Cincinnati. This North-Central Ohio native was a graduate of Lexington High School, the University of Cincinnati, and Xavier University. His career in athletics began as a scholarship student manager for Coach Bob Huggins and the Cincinnati Bearcats during their return to prominence in the 1990's. Prior to coming to Princeton, J...

As Founder and President of Leadership Exceleration (LE) and author of The Ascending Leader, Diane Egbers engages with clients and guides our consulting team to provide all aspects of Leadership Development, Executive and Team Coaching, and High Performing Teams. Diane founded and serves as Board Chair of a nonprofit called Grant Us Hope. In three short years, the organization has created positive...

Holly is the Vice President for Athletics at Transylvania University - the first college in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. This Louisville native is responsible for 27 NCAA sports and activities that include 420 student athletes. Prior to her tenure at Transylvania, Holly was at the NCAA where she served as Assistant Director of Championships, where she was responsible for managing nine Division 1...

Julian and Chris are the Founding Principals of Studio NYL, a Colorado based Structural Engineering and Facade Design firm that has earned the trust and respect of architects around the world for delivering truly innovative design-led solutions that exceed the conventional. Founded in 2004, Studio NYL's vision is rooted in the founders' belief that all architectural design can be elevated through...

Steve Estepp is the Superintendent of Mariemont City Schools, an elite & high performing public school district just east of Cincinnati, Ohio. This central Ohio native had dreamed of a career in broadcast journalism, but ultimately pivoted to enter education as a result of the profound impact of mentors and teachers on his life. In addition to his role leading the District, this graduate of Grove...

Evans Nwankwo is CEO and Founder of Megen Construction - a national construction firm based in Cincinnati. He was born and raised in Nigeria as one of 13 children, fled with his family to a rural village during a civil war, emigrated to America and graduated from Texas A&M. He is passionate about the impact of education to change lives, the importance of design and construction on the built enviro...

Matt Earman is Director of Parks & Recreation for the City of Dublin, Ohio - a fast growing "community of choice" in Central Ohio and the Columbus metropolitan region. This native of Northern Virginia graduated from Virginia Tech, served many roles in a large Parks Conservation District outside of Washington, D.C. and been instrumental working with Dublin City Councils and Administrations to devel...

Dawn Stewart is the Director of Athletics for Otterbein University. She is a former student-athlete with a 20+ year career in collegiate athletics having served at the University of Dayton, Captial University, and now at her alma mater - Otterbein. In 2016 she was named as one of four Division 3 "Under Armour Athletic Directors of the Year." She has been active with the National Association of the...

John Jaskiewicz is an Architect and President-Elect of the Cincinnati Chapter of the American Institute of Architects - founded in 1870 and one of the oldest in the United States. www.aiacincinnati.org

Julie Cromwell is CEO and President of Julie Cromwell Associates - a structural engineering design practice based in Cincinnati. She left a career-track leadership position in a well established company to start the first woman-owned Structural Engineering firm in the history of the region. She is active as an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Engineering, a mentor to yo...

Terry Rupert is a former student athlete, educator, coach, Vice President & Director of Athletics at Wilmington College, and been involved nationally with the NCAA. He previously served at Salisbury University, Utah State, Eastern Michigan University, and West Virginia Tech. www.wilmingtonquakers.com

John Heater brings two decades of non-profit work, from local pastor to service at multiple YMCA systems across the country. His breadth and depth of experience in leading people with an attitude of 'servant leader' has impacted communities throughout the Midwest and Southeast. He is currently serving as Group Vice President at the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati. https://myy.org/

Mike Bohn is the Director of Athletics for the University of Southern California. His 35+ year career in Athletics was inspired from his formative years on a Little League ball diamond in Colorado, earning championships at Boulder High School, and also as a dual-sport athlete at the University of Kansas. He has served in leadership with multiple NCAA Division 1 institutions including at The Air Fo...

Betsy Ross is CEO of Gameday Communications. She was one of the first women to break into sports reporting and broadcasting, having served as sports reporter, news anchor for regional television as well as ESPN News and Sportscenter. She is currently a play‐by‐play anchor for women’s college basketball for ESPN, Fox Sports and other national and regional outlets, and as a sports reporter for Cinci...

Kenji Matsudo is a passionate, enthusiastic educator and "teacher of teachers" who serves as a Superintendent at Madeira City Schools - one of the highest performing public school districts in the Midwest. www.madeiracityschools.org