Barberton Community Foundation Board of Directors Holds Annual Meeting

Lynne Holcomb to Serve as Board Chair, Josh Gordon Begins New Role as Executive Director

(January 19, 2023 Barberton, Ohio) –  Barberton Community Foundation’s Board of Directors met at Barberton Area Community Ministries (BACM) for its annual meeting on January 18, 2024.

The main business of the meeting was to elect the board’s slate of officers for the year. Lynne Holcomb was elected to serve as Chair of the Board of Directors. Holcomb has been a member of the board for seven years and was a Friend of the Foundation for three years. She is a Barberton native with a strong accounting and financial background, currently working as the Director of Finance for Top Echelon Software.

Holcomb succeeds Jason Slater, who is completing his final year on the board. Slater has served since 2022 as chair.

“I am thankful for the trust the board placed in me as their leader for the past two years,” Slater said. “Lynne too, has earned the trust and respect of the board as our Finance Committee chair. She has the background and understanding to enforce the board’s policies and governance to achieve the Foundation’s primary goal, which is to steward these funds in perpetuity for the benefit of all future Barbertonians.”

Holcomb thanked Slater for his service as chair.

“I am proud to be of service to an organization with leaders like Jason who have taken the long view of our community’s needs,” Holcomb said. “Many times, the impact of our decisions as a board is not felt for years. We will stay focused on our vision for economic growth, choosing grants and projects that do the most good for the most people over time. We are fortunate that we have a number of projects to review this year, and we are excited to continue those conversations.”

The full slate of officers for 2024 is: Lynne Holcomb, Chair; Moriah Cheatham-Williams, Vice-Chair; Hugh McMichael, Treasurer; and Deb Shreiner, Secretary. The board also welcomed one new member, Mike Andric, Assistant Director of Curriculum at Barberton City School District.

Andric has worked for the school district for 19 years. He is a member of Magic City Kiwanis and does additional volunteering in the community. Andric brings a valuable skillset as a community collaborator to the board. He is the district lead for the Business Advisory Council (BAC), a partnership between the City of Barberton, Barberton City School District, and Barberton businesses. The BAC works to connect business partners with the district to impact curriculum, support business needs in Barberton, and to create opportunities for work-based learning and employment.

Jennifer Bidlingmyer, 2023 board Treasurer and Chair of the Development Committee, completed her final term of service on the board. Slater thanked Bidlingmyer for her service to the Foundation.

“I can’t thank you enough for your time, expertise and commitment to the Foundation,” Slater said. “You have been a valuable contributor to the board, and to the good work being done at the Foundation.”

Bidlingmyer shared that one of her most proud accomplishments in her tenure on the board came when the Foundation completed the final payment on the debt service for Barberton High School in 2021.

New faces at the Foundation

The board also welcomed new Executive Director Josh Gordon to his role. “I’m doing my best to get up to speed as quickly as possible, as we have a lot of important work happening right now,” Gordon said. “While the Foundation is currently in cycle of growing our granting capacity, it’s wonderful to be in a room of people that care so much about building our community.”

Gordon also thanked Tiffany Peters, Director of Finance, for her time as interim. “Rarely has a transition been lead with such incredible support and guidance. I look forward to working with her and the rest of the outstanding team.”

Economic Development at the Foundation Continues

The Economic Development Committee report included an update on three of the active projects. The property at the old Rockwell Industries along Newell Street, purchased at the end of 2022 for redevelopment, continues to be a priority. The City of Barberton and the Foundation are collaborating on site readiness and entertaining businesses who have interest. Main Street Barberton, another project in partnership with the City, is fulfilling its mission of revitalizing downtown by focusing on filling building vacancies and creating new events to entice people to visit Barberton’s downtown arts and entertainment district. The committee also reported on the Magic Marketplace project, in partnership with the City of Barberton, for which the Foundation has previously earmarked $250,000. The project has a fast-approaching deadline for its development, and the board is hopeful the deadline is met, the project timeline is established, and work begins soon.

Other Business of the Foundation

Barberton Community Foundation was established from the sale of Barberton Citizens Hospital. A final piece of that sale, known as The Tuscora Park Liquidating Trust, is now resolved. The Trust was established separately with a portion of the assets from the sale that were withheld from the Foundation to cover the cost of any outstanding liabilities (such as workers’ compensation) owed by the hospital. Former Foundation Board Chair and former Foundation Executive Director, Tom Harden, was the steward of the Trust and resolved the final liabilities in December of 2023, enabling the complete proceeds from the sale to transfer to the Foundation.

The Foundation’s first grant cycle for Education and Workforce & Economic Development closes Thursday, February 1. Scholarships for high school students opened Friday, January 19 and will close Friday, February 9.

Students seeking scholarships and nonprofits interested in applying for grants should utilize the Foundation’s application portal GOapply available at barbertoncf.org.

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About Barberton Community Foundation

Established in 1996, Barberton Community Foundation has awarded over 8,500 grants and scholarships totaling more than $109 million since its inception. The Foundation strives to improve, now and forever, the quality of life for Barberton residents by providing leadership on vital issues, fostering collaboration, and creating a legacy of giving to do good. The Foundation strengthens the community for current and future generations by proactively directing its grant dollars to the community’s greatest needs. To read more about Barberton Community Foundation visit www.barbertoncf.org or follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/barbertoncommunityfoundation.

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