We are proud to have an incredible team of educators, community members, and students who give of their time and talent to keep the organization thriving.
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OASL's administrative staff include the Executive Director, Senior High Director, and Middle Level Co-Directors. As career educators, these individuals are responsible for the daily operations of the organization and for the design and delivery of our student leadership programs. The organization is also supported by a volunteer Social Media & Communications Coordinator and Website Administrator.
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Purpose and Mission:
The State Board of Advisors serves as an advisory board positioned to give advice and consent to the OASL Leadership Team and the OASL Board of Representatives. This State Board of Advisors will compromise of experienced leaders, educators, and professionals, the board is dedicated to enhancing the overall effectiveness and impact of OASL.
Key Responsibilities:
Strategic Guidance:
Collaborate with the Executive Board to develop and refine long-term organizational goals.
Provide expert insights and recommendations on key strategic initiatives.
Advice and Consent
Establish Policies for governing the Association.
Adopt a budget annually for the Association provided by the Executive Director
Legislate any business of the Association not otherwise delegated in this Constitution.
Determine, initiate, and develop activities and procedures which are in the best interests of the Association
Networking:
Leverage personal and professional networks to establish connections beneficial to OASL.
Explore partnership opportunities with external organizations and entities.
Program Evaluation:
Assess the impact and effectiveness of existing OASL programs and initiatives.
Provide constructive feedback for continuous improvement.
Resource Mobilization:
Contribute to fundraising efforts by identifying potential sponsors and donors.
Assist in securing resources to support OASL's mission and activities.
Composition:
The State Board of Advisors is composed of distinguished individuals with a passion for student leadership, education, and community impact. Members are selected based on their proven leadership, expertise, and commitment to OASL's mission.
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The OASL State Programming Board includes both elected and appointed representatives responsible for overall governance and organizational strategy. Students and student organization advisors from member schools are eligible for elected positions on the board. Additional community members and alumni may also be appointed for their particular subject-matter expertise that fills an identified organizational need. The OASL Executive Director and Program Directors serve as non-voting members of the Programming Board
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We have cultivated an expert volunteer team of adult coordinators and high school/college students to facilitate OASL's Student Leadership Programs. Our staff members engage in year-round training on program curriculum, facilitation skills, group development, leadership models and approaches, and diversity and inclusion. We are proud of our strong peer education model that sits at the heart of our success in developing student leadership capacity and efficacy.
OASL Leadership Team
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Connie Miley
Executive Director
connie.miley@oasl-oh.orgConnie has been committed to and invested in student leadership development throughout her professional career, including 19 years as a Middle School Student Council Advisor and 25 years directing Middle Level programs for OASL. She currently serves as Director of Programming for The iBELIEVE Foundation and is Executive Director for OASL.
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Anthony Paletta
Director of Advancement
anthony.paletta@oasl-oh.orgAs an alumni of OASL, Anthony has been involved with the organization since middle school. Anthony has served a leadership role in OASL since 2017. He currently works on building new partnerships, recruiting new schools, and growing OASL to reach as many students in Ohio as possible. Anthony is a full time social studies teacher at New Albany High School and is a cross country and tennis coach. Anthony’s favorite part of OASL is the the connections and life long skills students obtain to make a positive impact in their schools and communities.
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Kaitlin O'Hara
Senior High Director
kaitlin.ohara@oasl-oh.orgKaitlin has been serving as OASL's Senior High Director since 2014. Previously, she volunteered as an adult staff member at OASL events after she participated as a student and volunteer staff member during her middle school and high school years. Kaitlin is a full time school counselor at Grove City High School in Grove City, Ohio. Kaitlin's favorite part of OASL is watching students grow and learn together, and as a result seeing them build more confident versions of their authentic selves.
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Calli Fenik
Middle Level Director
calli.fenik@oasl-oh.orgCalli was involved in OASL as a delegate and staff member until she graduated from Elyria High School in 2019. Since her time away, she studied communication PR at the University of Dayton and graduated in 2023. What she enjoys most about OASL is the community and safe space it creates with students all across Ohio. It enlightens a person to see the world differently which in turn creates compassionate and open minded leaders. Calli is always so excited to see how OASL participants become “World Changers”!
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Sydney Cassel
Social Media and Creative Coordinator
Sydney is an alumni of OASL and graduated from Medina High School. Sydney is currently studying Molecular Genetics at The Ohio State University. Her favorite thing about OASL is the life long friendships and the constant inspiration and motivation the organization provides.
Elected State Board of Representatives
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Laura Calaiacovo
Advisor Representative Medina City Schools
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Scott Cross
Adult Representative Port Clinton City Schools
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Heidi Jurging
Advisor Representative Kent Roosevelt High Schools
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Robin White
Advisor Representative Belpre High School
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Niro Wimalasena
Adult Representative
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Connor Morrison
Senior High Representative- Olentangy Orange High School
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Daria Lesmerises
Senior High Representative - Westerville City Schools (Westerville South)
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Landon Fulkerson
Senior High Representative Westerville City Schools (Westerville Central)
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Ellie Fosu
Senior High Level Representative New Albany High School
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Katrina Dietrich
Middle Level Representative
State Board of Advisors
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Laura Calaiacovo
Elected Representative Board - Laura Calaiacovo is a Spanish teacher and Student Council Advisor at Medina High School. She loves to share her passion for the Spanish language and culture with her students and travels with them in the summers. Her specialty is service trips so that students get the benefits of travel and helping others to make a difference on a global level. She started on her journey of leadership training in college and has continued to be involved in leadership activities through Student Council since she started teaching. OASL is a huge part of Student Council at Medina and she encourages kids to be involved in leadership activities throughout the course of their high school tenure. Laura loves to read, bike, play volleyball and salsa dance.
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Bill Wagner
Dr. Bill Wagner has served public preK-12 education for over 36 years. He is currently the Director of the First Ring Schools Collaborative, a consortium of 17 urban public school districts adjacent to and including the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Prior to his current position, Dr. Wagner served various public school districts in the Northeast Ohio area as Superintendent, Director of Human Resources, Principal, and other administrative positions, starting his career as a teacher of chemistry and physical science.
He holds a Doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from Ashland University, a Master’s degree in Educational Administration from Ashland University and a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Ohio University. He was selected as the 2015 Ohio Music Education Association Administrator of the Year, the 2012 NAASP/MetLife Ohio High School Principal of the Year, and has served as an adjunct professor for Ashland University, Baldwin Wallace University and Cleveland State University.
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Leslie Bucheit
Director, Medical Affairs, Guardant Health
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Rob Bucheit
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Judson Laipply
Motivational Speaker/Training - “Judson Laipply served as High School President 1993-1994. After earning his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees he embarked on a speaking career and has been doing so ever since. Over 25 years, millions reached, and bountiful laughter Judson continues to make audiences laugh and learn. He’s also the world’s first YouTube “celebrity” having had the first video ever to hit 100 million views with his “Evolution of Dance”. You can learn more about him at www.judsonlaipply.com”
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Chris Davis
Head Tennis Coach, Smith College (Retired)
Davis assumed the head coaching position at Smith College in 1978 and led the Pioneers to New8 Conference regular-season titles in 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1998 and advanced to the NCAA Division III Championships in 1988, 1993 and 1994. The 1989 and 1993-1995 teams reached the conference tournament finals.
She was voted Conference Coach of the Year in 1994, 1996 - 98 and 2002, ITA East Region Coach of the Year in 1999 and PTR East Regional Coach of the Year in 2002.
In addition to her roles on the ITA Board of Directors and ITA Executive Committee, Davis served as chair of the NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Subcommittee and was a member of the NCAA Division III Tennis Committee from 1992 to 1998. She was recognized at the 1988 U.S. Open for her contributions to community tennis receiving the National ITA Community Service Award. In 2009, Davis received the national USTA/ITA Campus Recreation Award.
Davis' contributions to the sport of tennis extend beyond the college game as she has her PTR professional level as well as USTA high performance certification, holding numerous teaching and tennis director positions, including Tennis Director at The Country Club at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio.
From 1987 to 1990 Davis served as the ITA national ranking chair. She was inducted into her high school and Northeast Region Agenda Women's Halls of Fame and received the GTCA Lifetime Achievement Award.
A 1976 graduate of Springfield College, Davis received her master's degree from Smith. She was ranked in USTA junior tennis competition and played top positions on Springfield's undefeated tennis teams as well as junior-year collegiate competition in England.
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Bobby Smathers
Human Resources Specialist - Non-Profit Board Chair “I work in Human Resources for Rocky Brands, Inc. and serves as Board Chair for the Rocky Community Improvement Fund. I'm a coffee enthusiast with a heart for my community and Southeast Ohio.”
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Melissa L. Rocco, PhD
Professor, University of Vermont - Melissa L. Rocco, PhD (she/her)
As a leadership educator and scholar, Dr. Rocco strives to help individuals identify, develop, and engage their capacity for change-making. She is currently senior lecturer in the Department of Education and director for the Higher Education & Student Affairs Administration graduate program at the University of Vermont. Her research, teaching, and practice focus on the application of transformative and liberatory pedagogy to challenge dominant leadership narratives and center identity, equity, and justice in the study and practice of leadership across professional and community contexts. She has authored, edited, and reviewed some of the most widely-used publications in leadership education and has facilitated hundreds of leadership development programs across the globe. In addition to her role on the OASL Board of Advisors, Dr. Rocco serves as faculty director for the National Clearinghouse for Leadership Programs, representative to the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education, and trustee for LeaderShape, Inc. She holds a PhD in Higher Education, Student Affairs, and International Education Policy from the University of Maryland.
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Sharmil Modi
Real Estate Fund Manager
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Neelam Modi
Brand Strategy Consultant
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Michael Collins
Kids Voting Ohio, Executive Director
Michael Collins has been involved and invested in Ohio education and students for decades. Mr. Collins Served on the Westerville City School Board and the Ohio State Board of Education. Currently, Mr. Collins is the president of an education policy consulting firm, The Michael Collins Group, located in central Ohio.