This year marks the 18th annual 20 Under 40 Leadership Awards Recognition Program. The 2013 program brings the number of distinguished 20 Under 40 award recipients to 360. The 20 Under 40 program focuses on individuals who are making exceptional contributions to the community and/or have distinguished themselves in their careers. It is intended that the program will assist in motivating young leaders in the area. The awards program also represents a networking opportunity for candidates and attendees. Chrys Peterson, news anchor for WTOL-TV11, is the master of ceremonies for the awards event.
The list of past and present 20 Under 40 award recipients is a virtual who’s who of current and future community leaders. To become an award recipient, many candidates have been nominated two to three times in as many years. Nominations for the 20 Under 40 awards come from all segments of the community.
An outside panel of judges is selected annually, generally consisting of CEOs, officials, and community leaders. This year’s judges include: Cheryl Hardy, president, Hardy Communications; Mike Hart, president / CEO, Hart; Rita Mansour, CPWA, senior managing director, Mansour Wealth Department at McDonald Partners; Joe Metzger, president, Metzgers; and Rhonda Sewell, media relations coordinator, Toledo-Lucas County Public Library.
The event is sponsored by Eastman & Smith, Ltd.; Fifth Third Bank; Plante & Moran, PLLC; Columbia Gas of Ohio. Leadership Toledo is the community partner, WTOL-TV11 is the media sponsor, and Toledo Business Journal is the media partner. The cultural arts sponsors are Toledo Museum of Art, The Toledo Symphony, Toledo Opera, and Oregon Community Theatre. Sponsors have worked over the past several months to organize the event.
Following are profiles of this year’s 20 Under 40 award recipients.
RECIPIENT TABLE
Nominated by Heather Nelson
Jameel Burkett began his career at Burkett Restaurant Equipment, his family’s business, in 2002 when the company was a local distributor of new and used restaurant equipment. Over the years, Burkett and his family transitioned the company to a national provider of food-service equipment and supplies. He was hired as the fifth employee of the company, which has grown to 60 personnel. Burkett has been recognized with the distinction of being named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year semi-finalist in 2012 and induction into Entrepreneurial & Business Excellence Hall of Fame in 2012. The oldest of five children, Burkett graduated from the University of Toledo (UT) in 2002 and is currently enrolled at UT for his MBA.
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Nominated by Sara Bassler
Katie Bush has taken on many roles in healthcare. Currently she is an emergency nurse RN, forensic program coordinator at the University of Toledo Medical Center (UTMC), SANE at The Toledo Hospital, and a RN for OH-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team. Formerly, Bush was an assistant professor at UT, domestic violence court advocate for family and child abuse prevention center, and a UT Police 911 dispatcher.
Bush is an active member of the Emergency Nurse Association. She has also served as the Ohio Delegate at the general assembly the past two years and was chosen to go to Washington, DC to lobby on Capitol Hill regarding emergency nurse issues. Bush serves on UT’s sexual assault education prevention program committee and is a volunteer to guide active nursing students in the emergency department.
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Nominated by Mike Anderson
Nicholas Cherry is an ethanol merchant with The Andersons, Inc. At age 29 he was promoted to a higher-level position that was previously held by a colleague who was more than 10 years his senior. From 2002-2004 he served as Xavier University Rugby Football Club president. In 2011 Cherry took the role as St. John’s Jesuit Assistant Rugby Coach. This year he was included in the Leadership Toledo Class of 2013. Cherry is currently working on his MBA at Bowling Green State University.
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Nominated by Karen Fraker
Tawny Cowen-Zanders is an area coordinator for The Salvation Army’s northwest Ohio area services and she is the youngest person to hold this position. A Magna Cum Laude graduate of Malone University in 1997, she studied abroad in Nizhni Novgorod, Russia and Belize, Central America. Cowen-Zanders obtained her Master of Science in non-profit management and philanthropy from Bay Path College in 2011. She completed a $3.4 million capital campaign in Massillon and oversaw the construction of an 18,000 square foot facility. Prior to relocating to northwest Ohio, Cowen-Zanders received recognitions and awards from the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce and other Stark County organizations.
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Nominated by Mark Urrutia
Josh Flores, a native of Toledo, is an educator for Toledo Public Schools. Flores has served on the board of directors for the Toledo Youth Commission and has mentored several at-risk youths through the YWCA-Incentives for Excellence.
Flores obtained his Master’s Degree from Bowling Green State University in Education-Curriculum & Teaching, with a focus on urban education reform. He is a founding member of the University of Toledo-Epsilon Alpha Chapter – the first Sigma Lambda Beta entity in the State of Ohio. In 2009 he received The City of Toledo, Board of Community Relations Youth Empowerment Award.
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Nominated by Adam Hintz
Tony Geftos is a 13abc reporter / anchor with WTVG-TV, SJL Broadcasting. He began his career at 13abc in 2000 as manager of the Findlay Bureau. Since then, Geftos has become the senior reporter and co-anchor of 13abc Action News Good Morning Weekend Edition. He participated in the creation of “Tony and Todd’s Roadside Attractions” and helmed the I-Team franchise “The Restaurant Report Card.” He also played a major role in bringing local topics into the national spotlight, appearing on GMA, CNN, HLN, and ABC News Now.
In 2012 Geftos won Ohio AP first place in the best breaking news category for “13abc Catches a Thief.” He is also experienced in fundraising. Geftos has hosted or served as M.C. for fundraisers that have benefited Planned Pethood, the Toledo Area Humane Society, the Theatre League of Toledo, and the Adopt America Network auction, among others.
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Nominated by Duke Fultz
Adam Greenslade serves as the director of government affairs, marketing & communications for the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission. Previously, Greenslade worked in both chambers of the Ohio Legislature, worked at the Ohio Republican Party, and has held the position of director of Clydescope Economic Development Corporation, Inc. He is also the founder of North Coast Strategy Group. Greenslade is a two-time finalist for the Sandusky County Chamber’s Small Business of the Year Award. Greenslade also received the governor’s appointment to the Ohio Turnpike Commission board.
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Nominated by Gretchen S. DeBacker
David Mann is an associate attorney at Marshall & Melhorn, LLC, with a focus in business and local government law. He earned his J.D., Summa Cum Laude, from the University of Toledo College of Law in 2012. Mann previously served as executive director of the Lucas County Land Bank and prior to that he held various leadership positions with Lucas County government. He was ranked third in his law school graduating class and first among all part-time students with full-time jobs. He has been nationally recognized by the American College of Bankruptcy as the 2012 Sixth Circuit Distinguished Bankruptcy Student and by Equality Toledo as LGBT Advocate of the Year in 2012.
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Nominated by Mary Beth Hammond
Tim Mayle is the assistant director of the Findlay•Hancock County Economic Development office. In addition to his economic development position, he serves as president of the North Central Campus for Emerging Technologies (NCC-ET) where he has led the business incubator / accelerator to record revenues while decreasing operational costs. He is also responsible for aligning NCC-ET with local angel investors and Rocket Ventures.
Mayle serves on the marketing committee for Northwest Ohio Regional Economic Development Association (NORED). He also works closely with the Regional Growth Partnership (RGP) and JobsOhio.
Currently, Mayle is working on his Certified Economic Developer certification through the International Economic Development Council.
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Nominated by John Rowley
Ryan Rowley is the owner of JK Rowley Limited, a third party logistics business. Completing his schooling in Toledo, Rowley is a graduate of St. John’s Jesuit High School and the University of Toledo. He graduated from UT with a Bachelor of Arts in foreign language.
Rowley served in the US Army as a member of 1/75 Ranger Battalion as a team leader. He deployed multiple times to combat zones where he was awarded an Army Commendation Medal for valor. He is a member of Caliburn Lodge where he serves as Deacon, a Knight Templar of York Rite, and a 32nd degree member of the Scottish Rite.
Rowley has worked for several logistics companies, holding leadership positions as vice president of sales and director of logistics. He formed his own logistics company and opened an office in Oregon, Ohio. The business was expanded with another office in Cincinnati and continues to grow.
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Nominated by Mark Urrutia
Jennifer Sorgenfrei serves as the executive officer and public information officer for the City of Toledo and Toledo Mayor Michael Bell. Sorgenfrei was born and raised in northwest Ohio. After graduating from the University of Toledo, she went to work at the Ohio House of Representatives. From there she returned to Toledo to work with the Lucas County Mental Health Board and to attend graduate school at UT for her MPA.
Sorgenfrei has helped with a number of local events including the commemoration of the Bicentennial of the War of 1812 and participated in events sponsored by EPIC Toledo and the Toledo Sport and Social Club. She also led the coordination of a parade and concert in Levis Square during Crystal Bowersox’s 2010 American Idol competition.
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Nominated by Kari Sharp
Katie Spenthoff has been the principal at Wernert Elementary School since 2011. During the 2011-2012 school year, Wernert Elementary School was rated “excellent” by the Ohio Department of Education.
Spenthoff created a sensory room for emotionally disturbed (ED) students through partnerships with local businesses. Along with the sensory room, she established an ED program for students in grades K-6 that involved events such as Holiday Etiquette Lunch at Christmas, Thanksgiving Feast, and an Open House for ED families. Spenthoff also implemented a positive student behavior program with the theme of the Wizard of Oz titled: “There’s no place like Wernert.”
She is a member of a number of organizations including the Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators, Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators, and Ohio Middle Level Association for Teachers. She has also volunteered for Glass City Marathon and is professionally trained in crisis prevention intervention.
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Nominated by Linda Fumey
Matthew Sutter is the manager of development at the Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority (LMHA) and has been with the Authority since 2000. His professional activities focus on the development of single and multifamily housing for sale or rental. His recent focus has been on the redevelopment of the former Brand Whitlock and Albertus Brown Homes into Collingwood Green.
Sutter has served as the board chairman at Neighborworks Toledo since 2009. He also holds the position of vice president of the board of the Toledo-Lucas County Housing Fund. Recently, Sutter completed the Housing Development Finance Professional certification through the National Development Council.
Sutter has been active in Girl Scouting with his wife and four daughters. He has also been a football official since 1996.
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Nominated by Matthew Rubin
Nathan Syrek, a Toledo native, is a CPA who specializes in tax accounting with Plante Moran. He has served as the chief financial officer at Children’s Discovery Center. He coordinated a scholarship fundraiser that raised over $20,000 for a Children’s Discovery Center student whose entire immediate family passed away during a tornado in 2010. Syrek, along with his wife Dana, started and sold a small business in Toledo, The Art Supply Depo.
Syrek obtained his MBA from the University of Toledo, where he was recognized with the UT Student Pacemaker Award, presented by the Business Leadership and Engagement Council. He and his wife have four adopted dogs, two of which are handicapped, and one adopted parrot. Syrek sits on a number of community boards and committees.
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Nominated by Randy Oostra
Ryan Szepiela is a physician who specializes in musculoskeletal medicine, spine interventions, and sports medicine with ProMedica. He serves as the associate team physician for the University of Toledo and is the head team physician for Lourdes University and Owens Community College. Szepiela is the co-founder of ProMedica Regenerative Medicine, which is medical technology that uses stem cells to regenerate osteoarthritic joints and the spine. He is a member of the ProMedica Physicians and Continuum Services board. He has volunteered medical care for multiple community events including the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, The Glass City Marathon, and the Pacesetter Soccer event.
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Nominated by Edward McNeal, Jr.
Stephen Taylor is the general manager for the Taylor Automotive Family and is responsible for running the company’s Kia dealerships in Toledo, Findlay, and Lima. He also runs the Hyundai dealerships in Perrysburg and Findlay. The Taylor Kia dealership was named the International Kia dealer of the Year in 2009, in part for high customer service scores. In 2011, the company was recognized as a Outstanding Corporate Philanthropist by the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
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Nominated by Dave Schlaudecker
George Thomas is an attorney with Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc. (ABLE). Overcoming losing both parents in his youth, Thomas graduated from Lourdes University Magna Cum Laude, with dual degrees in Psychology and Business. His professional activities include serving as a judicial clerk for Judge McConnell, drafting approximately 50 judicial opinions for the Toledo Municipal Housing and Environmental Court, and serving as AmeriCorps Homelessness Prevention attorney. He has also written a grant for Equal Justice Works competitive fellowship and was awarded the fellowship. Thomas is a graduate of Leadership Toledo, Class of 2013.
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Nominated by Chase Francis
Brian Treece serves as the assistant dean of students and director of residence and Greek life at The University of Findlay. During his career with the University, Treece has helped manage the growth of student staff from 41 to 62 students and the growth of the on-campus student population from 925 to over 1,350 students.
Treece has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from the University of Findlay. He earned his doctorate degree in education from Northcentral University. In the community, Treece is in his third year as president of the board for Cancer Patient Services. He has served on the Hancock Youth Leadership board and is a member of the Hancock Leadership Alumni Association.
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Nominated by Craig Teamer
Brandon Tucker is the executive director of economic & community development at Washtenaw Community College. His responsibilities involve managing the college’s services to the external business community, which includes corporate training / development, small business development, career services, and business outreach.
Tucker has been involved with the community for many years. He has served as a member of the City of Toledo Youth Commission board of directors, a 2010 graduate of Leadership Toledo, a member of the United States Air Force-Ohio Air National Guard, and a graduate advisor at the University of Toledo. Currently, he is the executive pastor at Greater New Psalmist Church, a member of Lourdes College Alumni Association board, and national chairman of Leadership Development. In 2012, he was recognized with the Wyndolyn L. Snell My Ministry Matters Award by the Phillips Temple CME Church.
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Nominated by Stephanie Gries
Suzanne Weller serves as the state director of communications and marketing for the March of Dimes Foundation. As state director, Weller has directed the launch of the $10 million Prematurity Research Center.
She was first inspired to join the foundation after the premature birth of her daughter in 2009. In 2011, she held the position of executive director of northwest Ohio with the foundation, where she increased net profit by 116.3% year-over-year. She also created the first-ever regional “baby shower” where new or gently used baby items were collected and distributed to facilities and families in need. Weller has been recognized by the March of Dimes with the Division of the Year award in both 2011 and 2012.
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