Presenters

The 2024 Spring Conference Presenters are listed in order of appearance.

Forest Thompson has served as the elected County Prosecutor in Medina County since 2017. He is a 1988 graduate of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania where he earned B.A. in Political Science and History. He is a 1993 graduate of the University of Akron, School of Law where he earned his Juris Doctorate. Forrest worked as a trial lawyer in private practice from 1994 until 2017. Prior to attending college Forrest served in the United States Air Force from 1977 until 1984 where he worked in explosive detection and diplomat security.

Louis Tobin is the Executive Director of the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association where he has worked since 2017. He is a 2004 graduate of The Ohio State University where he earned a B.A. in Psychology, a 2007 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh-School of Law where he earned his Juris Doctor and is a registered attorney in the State of Ohio. Prior to working for the OPAA he worked for the Ohio Judicial Conference serving Ohio judges in a variety of roles including Deputy Director, Judicial Services Counsel, Legislative Counsel, and Legislative Liaison. Lou began his career as a Legislative Aide in the Ohio House of Representatives.

Jason Click is a member of Meeder’s Executive Management team, where he is responsible for the management and strategic direction of Meeder Public Funds in addition to department oversight. Jason has served in various management roles within the investment industry throughout his career and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences as well as a published industry contributor. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration/Finance from The Ohio State University and has over 20 years of investment management experience. Jason holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification.

Jim McCourt’s responsibilities at Meeder include client relationship management, business development and working directly with clients to implement investment strategies best suited for their entity. Jim holds a B.S. in Financial Management from The Ohio State University and an MBA from Capital University. Jim is a CFA Charterholder and has over 15 years of investment experience.

Benjamin Albrecht is a partner at Fishel Downey Albrech & Riepenhoff LLC. He advises cities, townships, counties and public officials throughout Ohio on all labor and employment law issues, including the preparation of municipal civil service rules, employee handbooks and policies for various jurisdictions. He also represents employers in collective bargaining and in administrative matters before various state, local and administrative agencies including the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, State Employment Relations Board and State Personnel Board of Review. He received his BA in History at the University of Chicago and his Juris Doctorate at The Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University.

Natalie Sjelin is the Director of Training for the Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security (CIAS) at the University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA). She obtained her Master of Science in Information Technology with a concentration in Cybersecurity from UTSA and has worked in this field for over 20 years. Her experience includes designing, facilitating, and executing cyber security exercises, and developing and delivering cyber security training at various levels. Her focus has been working with communities to build viable and sustainable cyber security programs. Most recently, Ms. Sjelin has joined the Department of Information Systems and Cyber Security (ICSC) as an adjunct faculty member in the Carlos Alvarez College of Business teaching Network Security.

Lindsay Webb has served as Lucas County Treasurer since 2018 and is the first woman to hold the position in her county. Prior to being elected, she served on Toledo City Council.

John McManus was elected Montgomery County Treasurer in November of 2020 and assumed office in September of 2021. Prior to his role as Treasurer, John served as Chief Deputy in the Montgomery County Clerk of Courts Office. Prior to moving from Memphis to Dayton to pursue higher education, John worked in state and federal government in a number of capacities. After graduating from college, John served as a White House Staff Assistant in the administration of President George W. Bush.

Kellie Gray is the Williams County Treasurer, a position she has held since 2019.

Jason Powell, PayIt’s Director of Implementations, has spent over a decade immersed in the public sector and implementation realms. Having navigated his fair share of byzantine systems of record, he emerges as the go-to individual for ensuring seamless technological functionality. His wealth of experience not only encompasses the intricacies of diverse backend systems but also extends to effectively bridging the gap between technology and its intended outcomes.

Onalee Arnold is a Fraud Prevention Manager at Park National Bank. She earned her BA in Accounting and Forensic Accounting and has a
Masters of Business Administration (MBA). She has spent the last 10 years in banking with Park National Bank and the last 5 years in Fraud Management.

Lark Mallory serves as President and CEO for the Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus and Franklin County, a business that provides financing to developers of affordable housing. The loan portfolio includes construction loans, traditional single property loans and structured financing and bond transactions. She is also Fund Manager for the organization’s $100M Housing Action Fund. Previously, she served as General Counsel and Board Secretary for the organization.

Cheryl Brooks Sullivan was elected as the 43rd Franklin County Treasurer in 2016 and re-elected in 2020. She is the first African American to serve as Franklin County Treasurer and the first African American woman to serve in any Franklin County office. She served with the United States Army Security Agency, Central Intelligence Division, where she held a top-secret security clearance as a 05D.20 Cryptographic Special Identification Technique Operator. After her military service, Ms. Brooks Sullivan joined ranks with Laborers’ International Union Local 423 and specialized in asbestos abatement. Since 1980, she also has been involved in the management, administration, appraisal and sale of real estate.