ABOUT US
Hybrid Founder and Board of Directors
Kimberly Brazwell – Founder
Kimberly is a biracial native of Central Ohio, representing African American and German heritage. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication from Ohio University and a Master’s in Educational Policy and Leadership from The Ohio State University. Possessing a long-time and devout interest in diversity issues, Kimberly has participated in several diversity training sessions including but not limited to race, religion and sexual orientation and has facilitated several diversity workshops. She co-presented at state conferences on diversity issues in higher education and provided programming and workshops for liberal arts colleges around Ohio. She currently serves as a 2006-2007 fellow in the John Glenn School of Public Affairs Leadership 2000+ Academy, which promotes leadership, advocacy and public policy in behavioral healthcare. Honored with the W.E.B. Du Bois Appreciation Award for outstanding service to the community at Otterbein College in 2005, Kimberly currently serves as the institution’s Assistant Director of the Center for Career Planning and resides in Westerville, OH with her husband, Jason, and two children.
Jason Brazwell
Jason is an import to Columbus via Rochester, NY and Sylvania, OH. He holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Otterbein College and works as an IT Asset Relocation Analyst with Limitedbrands. With nearly 10 years in technology via major business corporations, Jason has a great deal of experience in organizational problem-solving. Jason is passionate about the concept of family, mentorship and the importance of role models in the lives of youth. Outside of the IT world, he enjoys reading, writing and is a published poet. Jason resides in Westerville, OH with his wife, Kimberly, and two children.
Melissa Gilbert
Melissa serves as the Director of the Center for Community Engagement at Otterbein College. With a long history in service-learning administration, she is a faculty member, national engaged faculty scholar and professional development leader on Otterbein’s campus. Melissa has published widely in the fields of service-learning, women's studies and civic engagement and is honored to serve as one of five faulty selected in the United States to be a 2006-2007 National Civic Scholar, representing the Mid-West Region for National Campus Compact. Melissa works extensively with community partners in Central Ohio - brokering new partnerships, evaluating services and planning future collaborations.
Lisa-Marie Rojas
Lisa-Marie is a native of Columbus, Ohio and the mother of two biracial sons – one of African American, Native American and German heritage and another of African American and Mexican heritage. She was a recognized leader in the call center banking industry before leaving to assist in the pursuit of a family business in carpentry and building remodeling. Lisa-Marie is currently a student at Ohio Dominican University, studying psychology with plans to pursue family counseling in a clinical setting. As a mother and wife in a multicultural household, she enjoys international gourmet cooking with special interest in Asian and Hispanic cuisine.
Jordan Ross
Jordan is a native of the sunshine state, born and raised in Port Charlotte, Florida. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Flagler College. He later relocated to Buffalo, New York where he graduated in the top of his Masters in Student Personal Administration graduate program from Buffalo State College. While at Buffalo State, Jordan earned presidential recognition as one of the top five graduate students at the college and received acknowledgement for the Best Masters Project among other honors. He now works in campus life and housing as the in Assistant Director of Residence Life at Otterbein College. Jordan brings a strong knowledge base of higher education administration as well as issues of and pertaining to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender community.
Edna Thomas
Born and raised Kentucky, Edna is one of eight children. She received her Bachelor of Science in Education from Ohio Dominican College (now Ohio Dominican University) and her Master’s and PhD in Education from the Ohio State University. Her doctoral work focuses on teaching about diversity with strengths and interests in reading about diversity for children. She has served in various capacities in the diversity and educational industries throughout the city and has also been a coordinator of the Columbus Area Writing Project through OSU. Edna now works as the Director of the Urban Academies via the Columbus Public School System and is a part of the faculty at the Columbus branch of Ashland University.
Susan Winkfield
Susan is a student at Capital University, studying social work and has an Associate’s in Social Services from Ohio State University-Newark/Central Ohio Technical College. Originally from Newark, Ohio and raised in Granville, Ohio, she is the mother of two adult biracial children of Irish, German and African American heritage. Susan has a wealth of experience and interest in recover and hospice work as well as certification to facilitate therapy groups. Prior to her academic work at Capital, Susan worked at OSU-COTC under the Office of Student Activities in the Office of Multi-Cultural Affairs and assisted in bringing programming to campus that addressed the needs of biracial students on college campuses and currently works in a nursing facility as an Admissions Planner and Social Worker.
