About Us

Barbara Mills currently serves as co-founder and Chair of Gala of Hope Foundation. Formed by Barbara and Bob Mills in 2014, the Foundation works tirelessly to change the face of cancer in the Dayton region. To date, it has raised and invested over $6 million in local cancer research, treatments and patient support. Mills advocates daily on behalf of cancer care and patients across the 14-county region.

Mills began her public service career in the 1980’s with Congressman Bob McEwen (R-OH) working her way up from staff assistant to chief of staff over 10 years. During that time, she became well-versed in the inner workings of Congress. Following that career, Mills teamed up with then-Lt. Governor Mike DeWine, working in various capacities in state government, and on his successful campaign for the US Senate. Mills was named as DeWine’s US Senate State Director, a position she held for the entirety of DeWine’s Senate career. While in that role, Mills created a unique state-wide constituent service team and group of local offices to connect the Senator more directly with each of Ohio’s 88 counties. This model is still in use today by Ohio’s current US Senators and many other statewide elected office holders. Mills rounded out her public service with US Congressman David Hobson (R-OH) as his District Director.

Until 2015, Mills served as co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of CBD Advisors where she used her unique relationship building skills, learned in nearly 25 years of public service, to advance the private sector.

Mills is the current Board Chair of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio.

In the last few years, Mills has received a number of prestigious recognitions: Excellence in Income Development from the American Cancer Society; the Dave Hobson Award by the Dayton Development Commission recognizing outstanding and unwavering support for the Dayton region; Women of Influence honoree by the YWCA of Dayton. In 2018, Barbara and Bob Mills were named the Regional Leaders of the Year by the Dayton Business Journal — the first time in its history that a husband and wife team were recognized.

Mills is the matriarch to a beautifully blended family of four adult children, their spouses, and nine fabulous grandchildren. Bob Mills passed away in 2020.

As partner with CBD Advisors, Giambrone helps healthcare and corporate clients achieve their goals by developing and executing growth strategies, and successfully navigating issues, policy, and politics.

Early in her career, Giambrone worked for Procter & Gamble and Domino’s Pizza, respectively. For 24 years, she served as the vice president for strategic partnerships and business development for Dayton Children’s Hospital. There, she led the nationally recognized public affairs, advocacy, philanthropy, marketing, and physician referral programs. She headed the hospital’s highly successful business development efforts.

In service to her community, Giambrone served for eight years on the Beavercreek City Council including as Vice Mayor and Mayor, and was at the time the only female mayor of a top 25 Ohio city.

Giambrone is active with the Boys & Girls Club of Dayton, Pink Ribbon Girls, the Ohio Children’s Hospitals Association, and Vote for Ohio’s Kids. A two-time graduate of the University of Dayton, she teaches Health Policy in the School of Public Administration, has served on the University’s Board of Trustees, and is now a Trustee Emeritus. Giambrone also earned fellow status in the American College of Healthcare Executives, and is board certified in healthcare administration.

Giambrone is a sought-after speaker on topics like strategy, effective advocacy, and Building Professional Networks that Work.

LeeAnn Johnson graduated from high school in 1989, during which time she earned her Florida's Expanded Functions Dental Assistant Certification. She attended the prestigious St. Petersburg College, and graduated in 1993 with an Associate of Science Degree in dental hygiene. In 1993, Johnson earned her license to practice dental hygiene in Florida. From 1993-2006, she worked as a dental hygienist for some of South Florida's most respected dentists.

Since 2006, Johnson has been an active leader in her community, including member of the Poland, Ohio, Junior Women's Club; the Canfield Republican Women's Club; the Canfield Welcome Wagon, where she has served as Vice President; Moms of Pre-Schoolers; and the local Parent Teacher Organization.

Since relocating to Washington County in 2011, Johnson has served in various other community service and volunteer roles, including Treasurer, Vice President, and current President of the Washington County Republican Women's Club; Trustee and past President for the Betsey Mills Club; board member for the Marietta Fountain Foundation; member of the Marietta Welfare League; past member of the Washington Elementary Parent Teacher Organization (PTO); past member of the Belpre Women's Club; and organizer of Bible studies and book club meetings for women of all ages and professions.

From 2016-2018, Johnson was the Director of the Women2Women Conversation Tour — a national effort to encourage strong women, especially businesswomen, to pursue positions of leadership and to amplify their voices in Washington, D.C.

Johnson is also currently active in several national level organizations. She is an active member of the US Congressional Spouses Club, and she is a frequently sought advocate and speaker for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).

She serves on several boards, including The People’s Bank Theatre Board in Marietta, Ohio; the Executive Board Member and Secretary for the Appalachian Children Coalition; and Board Member and Vice President of the Suicide Alliance of Washington County. In addition, Johnson serves on the Executive Council of the Congressional Families Cancer Prevention Program of the Prevent Cancer Foundation.

In 2020, Johnson was elected to the Republican State Central Committee to represent the people of Ohio’s 30th State Senate District, which encompasses 10 counties spanning much of Eastern and Southeastern Ohio.

She is married to Youngstown State University President Bill Johnson, and is the mother of a 20-year-old son, Nathan. She and her family currently reside in Youngstown, Ohio.

Shannon Jones has grown Groundwork Ohio’s statewide advocacy efforts into a national model for coalition building and policy success. The goal of this well-orchestrated, strategic effort is to advance quality early care and education, so all Ohio children have the best chance for lifelong success. Jones’ vision calls for every elected leader, policymaker, and diverse stakeholder to clearly understand the value of making targeted investments in Ohio’s youngest children and why that investment is critical to Ohio’s long-term economic success.

Another achievement is her vision and leadership behind the Vote for Ohio Kids Campaign— a unique alliance between Groundwork Ohio and the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association in partnership with business, healthcare, and early education leaders, as well as child advocates from across the state to ensure the state of Ohio prioritizes children’s early education and health.

Prior to joining Groundwork, Jones served in the Ohio General Assembly for a decade as a state representative and a state senator, where she was chosen by her colleagues for key leadership posts in both chambers. She is the only woman in her party— and first in Ohio history— ever to achieve the distinction of election to the leadership teams in both chambers. Known as a leader who is willing to tackle the most difficult and complex issues, Jones used her trusted influence to put kids at the top of the legislative agenda. Her efforts resulted in a renewed focus by the state on policies that support the health and educational opportunities of Ohio’s most vulnerable children.

Jones’ most beloved legislative effort led to a statewide bipartisan mandate to improve Ohio’s abysmal infant mortality epidemic. Her passion helped catapult this health crisis into the public consciousness and as a result, created a uniform and streamlined process for investigating infant deaths. She implemented a safe sleep education program and a policy to ensure safe places for newborns to sleep upon discharge from Ohio’s hospitals, and established the Commission on Infant Mortality. Jones also co-chaired the first Commission, which culminated in a comprehensive law implementing the Commission’s substantive recommendations around evidence-based practices and the social determinants of health. This work has been praised by national experts in the field and has been emulated by other states as a model roadmap for improvement. She continues to serve on the Commission as an appointee of the Senate President.

Because of her leadership, Jones is one of Ohio’s most distinguished child advocates. She shares her passion for and learnings around this work throughout the country at conferences and workshops.

In 2008, Jones was selected for the prestigious Rodel Fellowship by the Aspen Global Leadership Institute and remains one of only 300 public servants nationally to have achieved that honor. She remains active with this distinguished group of leaders by regularly participating in Aspen-Rodel convenings.

Jones earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Cincinnati and teaches Health Policy at the University of Dayton. She also serves in her second term as a Warren County Commissioner and as a board member for its state association, the County Commissioner’s Association of Ohio, the Health Policy Institute of Ohio, the YWCA of Dayton, and the Warren County Foundation.

Ms. Majida Mourad is an executive with a proven track record in both government and private industry. She currently serves as the Chief of Staff & Senior Vice President of Federal Government Relations at Tellurian Inc., a fully integrated Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) company. In her current role, Mourad is responsible for working closely with the Executive Chairman regarding all business activities across the enterprise, as well as engaging with public officials and industry leaders to cultivate a policy environment that ensures energy security.

Before joining Tellurian, she served as Vice President of Government Relations at Cheniere Energy, where she was instrumental in the company receiving the first US LNG export permit in the continental United States, solidifying the company’s position as a key player in the global LNG market. Prior to Cheniere, Mourad was the President of Abraham & Roetzel LLC, and a Partner of The Abraham Group LLC, a strategic consulting firm focused on the international energy sector.

From January 2001 through February 2005, Mourad served as Senior Advisor to Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham, focusing on the international relations efforts of the U.S. Department of Energy. She represented the Department at summits throughout the world, including: the North American Initiative, the G8 Energy Ministerial Conferences, the Western Hemispheric and US-African Energy Ministerial Conferences, as well as numerous other initiatives. She also served as one of the Department’s senior officials for the OPEC International Seminar, International Partnership for a Hydrogen Economy, the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum, and the Liquefied Natural Gas Summit.

Mourad’s career began on Capitol Hill, where she gained valuable experience working for the late Congressman Sonny Bono and then continued her dedicated service under Congresswoman Mary Bono. Subsequently, she made a successful transition to the Senate, where she worked for then-distinguished Senator Spencer Abraham.

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Mourad is a member of several boards and committees, including the Atlantic Council, and the United States Energy Association. She also serves on the Advisory Board for FMC and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Corporate Council for Meridian. Additionally, she serves as Board Chair for the Ohio First Lady’s Charitable Foundation, and is a member of the Board for the Toledo Museum of Art, demonstrating her commitment to community involvement and philanthropic endeavors.

Partner-in-Charge of Calfee's Columbus office, Leah Pappas Porner also serves as Chair of the firm's Government Relations and Legislation practice group. Pappas Porner works closely with clients to develop effective government relations strategies, and she regularly advises clients on the legislative, executive agencies, and regulatory matters.

Pappas Porner has extensive experience in leading and defending legislative efforts, including building coalitions and working with stakeholders and trade associations. She has counseled clients regarding issues affecting higher education, Medicaid, utility, charter school, banking, environmental, gaming, technology, and housing industries, as well as tort reform and civil procedure reform.

Pappas Porner has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© (2013-2020) for Government Relations Practice. In 2014, Pappas Porner was named Lawyer of the Year in Government Relations by Best Lawyers. She was named one of the Most Effective Law Firm Lobbyists by Opinion Strategies Inc.

Early in her career, Pappas Porner was a participant in Leadership Columbus and the American Council of Young Political Leaders. Currently, she enjoys serving on the COSI Board of Trustees and the Capital Square Foundation Board.

In August 2016, Pappas Pornerwas a panelist at the Joint Women’s Leadership Summit at J. M. Smucker in Orrville, Ohio.

Pappas Porner served as assistant deputy legal counsel in the Office of the Ohio Governor from 1992-1995, and was the director of special counsel for the Ohio Attorney General from 1995-1999. She began her tenure with Calfee in 1999, became a partner in 2002, was elected to the firm’s Executive Committee in 2009, and the Management Committee in 2011. Pappas Porner was named Partner-in-Charge of the Columbus office in 2012.

Gerhardt began her career as an associate attorney at Rendigs, Fry, Kiely and Dennis, where she was involved with civil defense litigation and employment law.

She has worked at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Medical Center since 2013. Gerhardt first participated in the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (LEND) leadership program, and has since been a policy specialist for LEND. The leadership program trains individuals as a Family Specialist, who can represent the interests of family members of those with developmental disabilities. Gerhardt provides public policy and advocacy training to participating members of the LEND program.

Gerhardt received her juris doctor from the University of Cincinnati College of Law, and a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Dayton.

Gerhardt is currently a member of the Ohio Humanities Council, Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities Council, and a board member of LADD, Inc. She has previously been involved with Anderson Township Betterment Committee, and the Hamilton County Public Defender Commission.

She resides in Cincinnati with her husband, Chip.

Rosacco has worked in both the public and private sectors, including the Mayor’s Office at the City of Cleveland, in the Office of then-Governor George Voinovich as the Governor’s Regional Economic Development Representative, and as a Senior Vice President at McDonalds Investments (A KeyCorp Company).

Since 2001, Rosacco has worked at Cuyahoga Community College, where she currently serves as the Vice President of Government Relations and Community Outreach. Cuyahoga Community College is Ohio’s largest community college and a member college of the prestigious League for Innovation. As Vice President for Government Relations and Community Outreach, Rosacco is responsible for cultivating relationships with government officials at all levels and fostering strong community partnerships on behalf of Cuyahoga Community College.

Rosacco previously served as the President for the City Club of Cleveland, and the Ohio Bicentennial Commission.

She resides in Shaker Heights with her husband, Phil, and two daughters.

DeWine has been a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) since 1995 and began her career at Grant Thornton in Cincinnati.

Since 2000, she has worked with the Ohio Twine Company, DeWine Enterprises Inc., and the DeWine Family Foundation. She serves as the Secretary/Treasurer and Administrator for the DeWine Family Foundation, which provides up to four-year scholarships to more than 50 students each year. Through the Foundation, DeWine also oversees the support given to a school in Haiti, as well as countless other charitable organizations in Ohio and across the world.

From 2004 – 2008, DeWine was proud to serve as a commissioner on the Ohio’s Rehabilitation Serves Commission, a state/federal program partnering with individuals with disabilities to achieve quality employment, independence, and disability determination outcomes.

In 2013, DeWine was nominated and served as one of Cincinnati’s Finest Young Professionals for Cincinnati’s Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Through this position, DeWine supported the Foundation’s fundraising efforts for research to find a cure for the disease.

DeWine received her Master of Business Administration, with a Tax Concentration, from the University of Notre Dame, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy from Miami University.

As an avid runner, DeWine -- for over 20 years -- has qualified for and competed in a few Boston Marathons and several other distance races.

DeWine resides in Cincinnati and has three sons.