The 24 members met for the first time on Jan. 20 and will serve for one year. They will provide editors and reporters input and feedback on coverage topics, suggest story ideas and people to interview, and help us hear from parts of the community we might not otherwise.
“This board has become very important to us. The members of it over the past three years have given us important feedback on our work and encouraged us to cover topics they felt were vital for our community to improve,” said Samantha Sommer, Dayton Daily News managing editor for investigations.
The Community Advisory Board is one part of the Dayton Daily News Path Forward project, which focuses on four topics: ensuring the safety and sustainability of the region’s drinking water; how Dayton Public Schools can become more of a positive force for change in the region; what needs to happen for the local and regional economy and workforce to be prosperous into the future; and how we can address longstanding issues around race and equity.
“It is my hope that this board will help the Dayton Daily News identify important topics in need of coverage, as well as provide additional scrutiny and alternative perspectives,” new board member Julio Mateo said. “This board can help diversify and enrich the sources in which the Dayton Daily News relies on for stories and data, which can lead to more reliable, independent and comprehensive news content. Ultimately, my hope is that this board will help equip our community members to actively participate in our local democratic systems.”
The newspaper’s Ideas & Voices section also will draw from the contributions and feedback from the board.
“I hope board members come to see these meetings as much as a resource for them as they are for us,” Community Impact Editor Nick Hrkman said. “We want them to know they have access to our staff, as well as the reach and impact of our platforms.”
Here are the members of the 2022 advisory board:
- Cassie Barlow, CEO of Strategic Ohio Council for Higher Education
- Myra Bozeman, Trotwood school board president and Sinclair Community College communications professor
- Elaine Bryant, Dayton Development Coalition’s executive vice president for aerospace and defense
- Luis Chanaga, president of Kettering Health Miamisburg
- Rusty Clifford, assistant superintendent of the Montgomery County Educational Service Center
- Jeffrey Graley, co-founder and CEO of Mile 2
- Marty Grunder, owner of Grunder Landscaping
- Kathy Harper, vice president of communications and marketing for Premier Health
- Maha Kashani, senior account manager at IGS Energy and past president of the Dayton Arab American Forum
- Stephanie Keinath, vice president of strategic initiatives at the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce
- Alexis Larsen, Chief of Philanthropy for Five Rivers MetroParks
- Julio Mateo, human factors psychologist and consultant
- Jenny Michael, vice president of marketing at CareSource
- Rochonda L. Nenonene, director of the Urban Teaching Academy at the University of Dayton
- Dr. Alonzo Patterson, pediatrician with PriMed
- Erin Rhinehart, co-managing partner at Faruki PPL
- Karen Townsend, HR consultant and diversity trainer
- John Parks, CPA at Clark Shaefer & Hackett
- Terry Posey, attorney with Porter Wright Morris & Arthur and Miami Twp. trustee
- Amaha Sellassie, director of the Center for Applied Social Issues and an assistant professor of sociology at Sinclair Community College
- Eric Spina, president of University of Dayton
- Jack Thomas, president of Central State University
- Terra Williams, director of health promotion for Public Health-Dayton & Montgomery County
- Michael Wright, attorney and managing partner at Wright & Schulte
About the Author