DSAS Year in Review

NATASHA PIETROCOLA
Division of Senior and Adult Services Administrator

• DSAS Year in Review Presentation 

ADVISORY BOARD REMARKS

BILL HEBBLE
Clients Rights Officer, Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board of Cuyahoga County

Bill Hebble has spent his social service career advocating for older adults and adults with disabilities. Bill is currently employed as the Client Rights Officer for the Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services Board of Cuyahoga County where he is privileged to advocate for those receiving mental health or substance use disorder services. Bill served as the Chair of the DSAS Advisory Board in 2022 and 2023 and Chair of the Advisory Board’s Advocacy Committee from 2021 until 2023 where he was honored to further expand his passion for advocacy.

JENNIFER KONS
Director of Strategic Initiatives, United Way of Greater Cleveland

Jennifer Kons directs United Way of Greater Cleveland’s strategic initiatives, including new initiatives within the 211 help line and projects that align healthcare and social services. Jenn’s prior experience centers on individual- and systems-level alignment of health and social needs with traditionally under resourced communities. She has previously managed programing and fundraising at a community health center and worked with ethnic, community organizations across Illinois on public benefits access and advocacy.

JULIE JOHNSON
Chief Executive Officer, Hunger Network Julie M. Johnson is the CEO of Hunger Network, a nonprofit grassroots food relief and recovery organization that fights food inequity and injustice in the Greater Cleveland area. Prior to this role, she was the President & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Western Reserve and the Director of Development & Marketing for Malachi House. She graduated with Bachelor of Arts in English, with a minor in Classics, from Allegheny College. She is a founding member of Cleveland Women in Business for Good, as well as an alumna of Leadership Akron (Class 34) and Cleveland Bridge Builders (2002). Julie serves on the Advisory Board of Cuyahoga County Division of Senior and Adult Services as the Advocacy Committee Chair, the Livable Cleveland Advisory Council, and on the Philanthropy Committee of Boundless.

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

WILLIAM TARTER, JR.
Public Policy Fellow, The Center for Community Solutions
wtarter@communitysolutions.com

William Tarter, Jr. serves as a Fellow of Public Policy for The Center for Community Solutions, a non-partisan, non-profit public policy think tank located in Downtown Cleveland. He works primarily in local government and health and human services, examining data trends, to explore what policymakers and community planners can do now to effectively prepare for the future.

Will is very active in the community. He serves as the 1st Vice President of the Cleveland Branch of the NAACP, Chair of the Debate Committee for The City Club of Cleveland, and Chair of Social Action for the Cleveland Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. He also is a member of the web team for his church. Will is a Distinguished Toastmaster, an achievement that is attained by only 4 percent of Toastmasters worldwide. He also has previously served as the President of the Toastmasters Cleveland Club #351.

Will graduated with a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies from Ohio University.

Will is married to his college sweetheart, Sarah, and has two children, Abigail and Luke.

• Keynote Address Presentation
• Feeling the Pinch: The Daily Impact of Inflation on Cuyahoga County’s Older Adults Report

DISCUSSION PANEL

JANET KEELER
Director of Community Development, Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities
keeler.janet@cuyahogabdd.org

Dr. Janet Keeler presently holds the position of co-chair on the DSAS Advisory Board and is set to transition into the role of Chair. Janet has worked at the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities (Cuyahoga DD) for over 27 years in a variety of leadership positions.  She is currently the Director of Community Development and oversees work that increases individuals’ access to competitive employment, community membership and independent community travel.   

HOPE LANE-GAVIN, MPS
Director of Nutrition Policy and Programs, Ohio Association of Foodbanks  
hlane@ohiofoodbanks.org

Hope Lane-Gavin is the Director of Nutrition Policy and Programs with the Ohio Association of Foodbanks where she focuses on strengthening access to public assistance programs aimed at eliminating food insecurity and improving public health. Prior to this role, Hope served as the Health Equity Fellow with The Center for Community Solutions where she led their maternal health, racism as a public health crisis and nutrition access portfolios statewide. Hope also has extensive legislative experience having both worked for the Ohio General Assembly as both a staffer and lobbyist.

Hope is a graduate of both Kent State University and The George Washington University and currently resides right outside of Columbus, in Grove City with her yellow Labrador, Ella-Barker and her husband Mark. When she is not tending to the vegetables in her garden or at one of the amazing MetroParks central Ohio has to offer you can find her cheering on the Columbus Crew, coaching soccer, reading or cooking!

• SNAP Elderly Simplified Application Project – Landscape, Lessons and Opportunities
• Older Adults, Food Insecurity, and SNAP: Brief on the crisis facing Ohioans 60+
• SNAP: Simple Access for Older or Disabled Adults Brochure

KATE TULLIO, MPH, MS
Associate Vice President Health Equity at CareSource  
katherine.tullio@caresource.com

Kate is the Associate Vice President of Health Equity for the Ohio market at CareSource, Ohio’s largest Medicaid Managed Care company. In her role, Kate oversees the strategic design, implementation, and evaluation of health equity efforts into quality, clinical, and population health initiatives. Kate joined CareSource in June 2021.

Prior to joining CareSource, She also has held positions at Cleveland Clinic, The James Cancer Center at Ohio State University and Ohio Department of Health investigating health disparities in cancer, diabetes, depression, and infectious disease. Kate is a Board member of Ohio’s Minority Health Commission, the former co-Chair of Ohio Partners for Cancer Control, and as a member of the Board for Cuyahoga County’s CASA chapter. An author of more than 50 scientific publications and frequent speaker at conferences and events, Kate earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from John Carroll University and master’s degrees in public health (epidemiology) and health information management from Ohio State University.  

GINA WILT
Advocacy Director, Coalition for Homelessness and Housing in Ohio
ginawilt@cohhio.org

Gina Wilt was raised in the small town of Botkins, Ohio. She graduated from the Ohio State University with a double major in Political Science and Journalism & Communications. She has worked in state government affairs for over 20 years. Gina currently works to end homelessness and to promote affordable housing for our lowest income Ohioans as the Advocacy Director for the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio. Prior to this position she served as Vice President for CRN Consulting, Ltd., a bi-partisan government advocacy firm.  She was trained and mentored in the Ohio Senate where she worked as the Senior Legislative Aide to State Senator Scott Oelslager, the Chairman of the Senate Finance committee.

Gina is a council member for the Ohio Statewide Independent Living Council. She also serves as a board member for the Ohio Poverty Law Center, the Ohio Healthy Homes Network, and is on the steering committee for the Ohio Olmstead Taskforce and Advocates for Ohio’s Future.  She is also a member of the Ohio Lobbying Association. Gina lives in Hilliard with her husband, Rigo. They have two very active sons, Christian and Cruz.

• State of Homelessness in Ohio Report