Mr. Riley was the executive director of Columbus AIDS Task Force (CATF) from March 2003, until October of 2006.  He was directly responsible for the development, coordination, implementation and assurance of all programs provided by the agency to meet the needs of Columbus AIDS Task Force clients and persons living with HIV/AIDS.

Alyson Poirier has 17 years of case management and social work experience.  Commissioner Poirier currently oversees the homeless outreach program for the capital Crossroads Special Improvement District.  Ms. Poirier earned her undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice from Michigan State University and is completing her Master’s degree in Human Resource Management.  

Angela Mingo currently serves as the Community Relations Director at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.  Angela has served in this capacity since 2007, shortly after the position was created.

Prior to serving as the Director of Community Relations, Commissioner Mingo served as Columbus City Council’s community affairs director and as a senior planner in the City of Columbus Planning Office.

Brian Shinn currently serves as assistant general counsel and elections counsel to Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. In this capacity, he advises the Secretary of State on general legal issues and Ohio's 88 boards of elections on elections law issues.  Shinn previously worked as an Assistant Disciplinary Counsel for the Supreme Court of Ohio and as a judicial law clerk at the Ohio Tenth District Court of Appeals and at the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas.

Chris Cozad  has served on the City of Columbus Community Relations Commission since 2004.  She also serves as the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trandgender (LGBT) community liaison to Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman.

Cozad sits on the Board of Trustees of the Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Organization (BRAVO) having served in that capacity since the foundation of the organization in 1996.  Additionally she served as President of that Board from 1996 through 2007. 

President and CEO of YWCA Columbus, a position she accepted in January 2010. Since joining the YWCA, Elfi has successfuly navigated the challenging economy and critical excess of homeless families at the YWCA Family Center. Under her leadership, Family Center continues to be an award-winning model of re-housing families within 20 days of entering the center. Her insightful guidance has also led to a three-year CARF accreditation, which demonstrates the YWCA's commitment to quality, accountability and satisfaction of the people served.  

Frances Curtis Frazier has been a Facilitator and Consultant for over 25 years.  She holds a B.S. in Special Education and a M.A. Degree in Learning Disabilities and Behavioral Disorders from the Ohio State University.  Fran is currently working on a doctoral degree in Leadership and Change at Antioch University in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

As an Executive-on-Loan to the Ohio Commission on African American Males, Fran developed and supervised the Mother to Son Project a statewide program which addressed the needs of single African American mothers raising boys.  Commissioner Frazier is an ardent advocate for women’s transformation. 

J.S. Jindal, M.D.S. was appointed to the Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board (ADAMH) by the Franklin County Commissioners. His appointment runs through June 30, 2010. Jindal is a retired dentist; he worked for the Ohio Rehabilitation & Corrections Department for 11 years.

Jindal is a founding member of the Spiritual Sadhna Society, an organization dedicated to enhancing spirituality in society, and the Interfaith Association of Central Ohio, an organization that is charged with bridging different religions and faiths.

Javar Godfrey is a man of the people, a promoter of justice, and an advocate for social equality.  He works tirelessly for the betterment of his community and exemplifies the spirit of giving.
 In an effort to strengthen the community and empower the citizens within it, Javar has created several programs, including Godfrey Athletics, a youth sports and activities organization that strives to instill in its participants ages 2 to 22 a strong work ethic, a positive attitude, a sense of community, and an appreciation for education.

Joel Díaz serves as the Chief Development Officer for AIDS Resource Center Ohio; a statewide AIDS service organization leading the fight against HIV/AIDS through awareness, advocacy, and care. He served as a former member and Chair‐Elect for the Board of Directors of the Columbus AIDS Task Force, is also a former board member of the Hispanic Chamber of Columbus and served as co-chair for Art for Life 2010 and the 2009 Human Rights Campaign Columbus Gala Dinner. He is a former member of Mayor Coleman’s Young Professionals Commission and holds a BSBA from the Ohio State University’s Max M. Fisher College of Business. He is a graduate of the Leadership Columbus Class of 2009 and United Way of Central Ohio’s Pride Leadership Cycle 1 program. In 2008 Joel was designated one of Columbus Alive’s People to Watch and named by Americans for the Arts as an Emerging Arts Leader of Color from the Great Lakes Region, in 2011 Joel was named a Distinguished Hispanic Ohioan by the Ohio Latino Affairs Commission, the youngest person to ever receive this award and was named an intriguing personality in the inaugural edition of Who’s Who in LGBT Columbus. Joel has a passion for social justice and is committed to the fight for human equality.

Julia Arbini-Carbonell was born and raised in Colombia, South America. She came to the Unites States in the late 60’s.  She started with the Ohio Department of Human Services in 1987 as a Program Developer at the Office of Children and Families. She administered the Ohio Family Violence Prevention Program.  She returned to ODJFS in 1998 to assist in the development of the department’s Cultural Diversity Initiatives.  Julia monitors compliance of the Prohibition of Discrimination Against Limited English Proficient individuals and provides technical assistance to the department as well as county agencies on Title VI.  

Karan Froom brings over 20 years experience in training, development, marketing, and corporate communications to the Commission. She’s currently the Manager of Transformation Change Management for NiSource, a Fortune 500 energy holding company engaged in natural gas transmission, storage and distribution, as well as electric generation, transmission and distribution.

In her role as Commissioner, she hopes to drive increased cultural awareness and inclusion by finding new ways to educate the community and market the services of the Community Relations Commission.

Mary Howard is employed at the Ohio State University as Director of Nursing.  With an operating budget of 35 million and 475 employees, Ms. Howard is responsible for operations, strategic planning, and program development.

Ms. Howard serves on the Board of Directors of CRIS (Community Refugee and Immigration Services) and has volunteered time to the United Way.

As Executive Director and Founder of WrightChoice, Inc., she understands the needs of businesses and students alike, and has committed her organization to recruiting, developing and linking the members of tomorrow’s workforce to today’s opportunities. 

Ms. Howard serves on the Board of Directors of CRIS (Community Refugee and Immigration Services) and has volunteered time to the United Way.  As a consultant she facilitates organizational-wide disability awareness training and provides tools for managers to effectively hire and retain employees with disabilities. 

Mussa Farah is the Co-founder and President of the Horn of Africa.   He established social services organizations to assist the Somali and East African refugees in the Central Ohio area in addition to
Mediating public policy between Somali refugee agencies. 

Commissioner Farah has worked as a Bi-lingual instructor for the Columbus Public Schools, and as a group facilitator and mediator.

Nancy Pyon has over 20 years in the insurance and financial services industry. She provides consultation services in the areas of business, real estate, financial planning, and career strategy. Nancy currently serves as Principal and Board member for the Korean American Community School of Central Ohio where she bridges and promotes Korean language and culture. She also serves as Vice President for the Korean American Society of Central Ohio, and serves other Boards such as Asian Festival Corporation and Asian American Commerce Group.  

Patricia S.  Eshman is the Assistant Vice President, Community Relations for Grange Insurance.  As A VP for Community relations Ms. Eshman is responsible for directing support for targeted non-profit organizations aligned with Company’s policy and strategic plan, developing policy and administering philanthropic/community relations for a multi-billion dollar 13 state regional insurance carrier.  Ms. Eshman has extensive experience in developing public policy and community relations.

Ms. Eshman was the Senior Vice President, Public Policy, Children’s Hunger Alliance from 2004 through 2007 and the Director of Government Affairs, of the Ohio Home Builders Association from 1995 through 2003.

Rabbi Harold J. Berman has served as Rabbi of Congregation Tifereth Israel of Columbus, Ohio, since 1979.  Previously he led congregations in Benton Harbor, Michigan, and Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, and served on the staff of the Joint Commission on Social Action of the United Synagogue of America.

Rabbi Berman has served three times as president of the Columbus Board of Rabbis, from 1981 to 1982, from 1990 to 1992, and from 2000-2002. He has served as president of Jewish Family Services of Columbus, as a member of the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee of the Columbus Jewish Federation and as chairman of the Federation's Community Relations Committee. Rabbi Berman is also a Founding Trustee of the Columbus Jewish Day School.

Rebecca Nelson currently serves as Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Director of the Multicultural Center at The Ohio State University.  As Assistant Vice President, Rebecca provides oversight for the Multicultural Center along with Off-Campus Student Services, the Student Housing Legal Clinic, the Parent Association, and community relations.    The Center’s mission is 3-fold:  to provide intellectual and cultural enrichment, programs, services, and facilities focusing on multicultural concerns; to create a community environment recognizing cultural differences and respecting cultural uniqueness; to facilitate cross-cultural interaction, learning and appreciation. 

Thomas Diamond currently serves as a Senior Legislative Advisor for Columbus City Council. In this role Commissioner Diamond works directly with the Council President and Councilmembers to develop and promote various citywide initiatives. He has been on the staff of City Council since October 2000, and has served as Council's ex-officio member of the Community Relations Commission since 2007.

Community Builder

William A. Dodson Jr., has over thirty (30) years of community development and housing experience. He holds a Master of Arts in Public Administration from the Ohio State University (1981) and a Bachelors degree Marshall University, in Sociology and Social Welfare.

Mr. Dodson presently serves as Executive Vice-President and Director of Community Relations for the Rhema Christian Center, a large urban church in Northeast Columbus.  He also serves as Executive Director for the Dayspring Christian Community Development Corporation established by the church to address the need for affordable housing, employment, literacy, and economic development.