Meet the Board & Staff

CCAC Board

The CCAC Board has approached its startup, mission, renovation planning, and sustainability planning with a level of diligence typically applied to for-profit corporations. The Prospective Project Review report conducted by the Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission states, “From the information given in the Business Plan, the Board of Directors for the CCAC appears to have the expertise of a financially healthy organization” and “appears to contain members with requisite experience in fundraising, construction, legal and financial disciplines, among others.”

The Board’s careful, collaborative approach to planning has propelled CCAC forward continuously since 2004 and is evidenced by its relationships with established arts organizations, strategic partners, and community leaders.

As his third and last career, Jens Rosenkrantz Jr. owns and runs The Annex Gallery in OTR’s Pendleton Arts District which hosts exhibitions curated by non-profits including The Carnegie, CAC, Taft Museum, Mercantile Library, SOS, FotoFocus and Friends of Kenya. In addition, it hosts the art exchange between US and Cuban artists, Bridges Not Walls, which he and his wife, founded in 2015 with 10 trips there in five years. His own photographs have been included in private and corporate collections and have been exhibited throughout Cincinnati and Havana, Cuba.

Previously, Jens owned two restaurants in Cincinnati, La Poste, and Django, and a wine store, Cincinnati Wine Garage. Before that, he worked for thirty years in private business and investment and securities organizations as a CFO, manager, and salesman.

Jens was born in Boston, schooled in California, having graduated from the University of California at Berkeley, and since then, has lived in Cincinnati with family roots going back to the Civil War. In addition to CCAC, he serves on the boards of The Carnegie (as past president), Cincinnati Preservation Association, Aeqai Inc, and is Treasurer of a local investment club. He is married to M. Katherine Hurley, a nationally recognized landscape painter with a studio at Pendleton for thirty years, and together they have five children and five grandchildren.

Monica is currently the EVP of People, Culture and Engagement at Myriad360 where she is responsible for leading the human strategy and programs.  She brings over 20 years of HR experience in both domestic and global companies in the financial services, food and flavor, and medical device industries. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Miami University and her Master’s in Labor and Human Resources from The Ohio State University.  Monica has lived in Clifton for over 20 years with her husband and two sons.  She is excited to work with the CCAC team to continue their important work in providing exposure and access to the arts for the Clifton and Cincinnati communities.

Craig is a certified public accountant and has over thirty-five years of experience working in the public accounting and private industry sectors. He retired as a principal at the public accounting firm of Clark, Schafer, Hackett, where he specialized in financial statement-related audit and assurance services, and business consulting.. He previously worked for the national public accounting firm KPMG and served as the local market chief financial officer for PNC Financial Corp.

In his retirement, Craig is passionate about volunteering and giving back to the community. He is excited about the opportunity to continue to serve CCAC and participate in an organization that focuses on important multi-generational arts and cultural needs of Clifton and the surrounding communities.. Craig currently serves on the Board of Directors of LCNB National Bank and devotes his volunteer efforts by serving on the finance committees of Clifton United Methodist Church and State Avenue United Methodist Church, and, serving on the audit committee of the Easter Seals Tristate. Craig has also served on a variety of not-for-profit boards and audit committees, including the American Red Cross – Greater Cincinnati Chapter and the Freestore/Foodbank. Craig is a graduate of Purdue University and received his MBA from Miami University. He and his wife, Valerie, lived in Clifton for 30 years and have two grown children.

Andrew Garth is a Clifton community resident with two elementary school daughters that love their arts programs.  He is an alum of ArtsWave’s  Boardway Bound program and an attorney with a history in public service roles. He currently serves as Executive Vice President and General Counsel for the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority. Before joint the Port, Andrew served for more than ten years in the City of Cincinnati Solicitor’s Office as its chief transportation attorney, chief of staff, deputy solicitor, and for the past two years as City Solicitor.

Andrew has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Stanford University. He earned his J.D. from Stanford Law School.

Melissa Cordero relocated to Cincinnati in 2019 from her hometown of Miami, Florida. She takes great pride in her Latin roots, with a background from the Dominican Republic. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Florida Atlantic University and went on to pursue a master’s degree in Accounting at Nova Southeastern University. With over eight years of experience in the accounting field, including a certification as a CPA, Melissa has built a strong foundation in accounting.

Beyond her career, Melissa has a passion for travel and is constantly planning a new adventure with Dario, her husband, since December 2017. Together, they find joy in discovering artists of all mediums, including music, painting, and architecture. They also share a deep appreciation for the creativity found in food and consider it an art form as well. She is the proud owner of a Siberian Husky, Bella, who means the world to her.

Cedric Michael Cox is best known for his paintings and drawings that merge surrealism and representational abstraction. As a student at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP), Cox was awarded a fellowship to study at the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland. After receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting in 1999, he began to exhibit regionally and nationally.

Cox’s paintings catapult color into rhythmic action with abstract and recognizable images that create compositions inspired by themes in music and the natural world. His work remains true to sharing Cox’s innermost self as his passion radiates from the canvas. Working under several influences which include architecture and art history, Cox’s work ranges from the geometric, to the curvilinear, to floral-like forms, all dancing within surrealistic shapes. In addition to his work being in corporate collections, Cox has executed several large-scale public murals, as well as murals in various public and private schools in The Cincinnati Region.

Cox’s past exhibitions include: The Contemporary Arts Center of Cincinnati, The Weston Art Gallery, The Columbus Art Museum, Dayton Art Institute, Five Myles Gallery in Brooklyn, Museum of Science and Industry and Gallery Guichard in Chicago, and The Taft Museum of Art. In 2019, Cox’s work was on exhibit at 21c Museum Hotel in Cincinnati, and in 2020, he had a solo exhibition at James Ratliff Gallery in Sedona, Arizona. A 20-year retrospective exhibition at Caza Sikes Gallery and a commissioned body of work was created for the New Kinley Hotel Cincinnati in 2020 and in 2021, a series of 64 paintings for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital was installed. Throughout his career, Cox’s work has been featured in books, magazines, and in the media.

Since 2017, Ms. Cull has served Xavier University in the role of Associate General Counsel. Prior to returning to her alma mater, Ms. Cull had been a partner at the law firm of Kohnen & Patton, where her work focused on general litigation, employment law, and appellate practice. During her third year of law school, Ms. Cull served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Northern Kentucky Law Review. She is a St. Louis, Missouri native and stubbornly remains a Cardinals baseball fan. She and her husband, Brendon, live in Clifton with their young daughters, Maggie and Ginny. The Cull family loves all that the CCAC has to offer, especially the summer Wednesday concert series, and Becky looks forward to collaborating with the Board to creatively and carefully steward the CCAC into its next chapter.

Maggie works in Data Strategy for 84.51 and previously spent her career in a variety of Data Science roles, stemming from her bachelors degrees in Analytics and Marketing from Miami University. She grew up in Cincinnati and is a proud Clifton resident, which is what drew her to join the CCAC board during the ArtsWave Boardway Bound program. Maggie also connected with CCAC’s mission of being a community arts center for everyone. Having grown up attending violin lessons and art classes at her own community arts center, she understands the importance of connecting young people with the arts.

bio coming soon…

Dave Lockard has been a resident of Clifton for more than 20 years. Dave and his wife, Janet, are grateful to have raised their daughter in Clifton and watched her participate in CCAC offerings during childhood. Dave’s past involvement with the CCAC involved site selection and fundraising for CCAC’s new home on Clifton Avenue, opening in 2024.

Dave has been active in commercial real estate investment in Greater Cincinnati for almost 35 years and is a Senior Vice President with CBRE, Inc. Dave is a BSBA graduate of the University of Notre Dame and currently serves as an Ohio Director for the Western Golf Association/Evans Scholar Foundation.

“From the start, I’ve been awed by the impact of CCAC on my family and the Uptown Community as a whole. We have an opportunity and a responsibility to build on the vision of the founders and carry on the work of this remarkable community asset.”

bio coming soon…

Toilynn O’Neal Turner is a talented artist, artistic entrepreneur, and cultural activist who passionately promotes diversity through the arts, connecting local artists, businesses and cultural institutions. She is the founding director of the Robert O’Neal Multicultural Arts Center (ROMAC) and serves as the Executive Director of the Queen City Foundation. With her long history in the nonprofit sector and demonstrated expertise in fund development, coaching, DEIA, and arts and event management, she is looking forward to utilizing these skills to shape the future of CCAC.

bio coming soon…

George Vredeveld moved to the Cincinnati area in 1977 where he and his wife Rose raised their three children. In 1999 they moved to the Clifton area and have been active in the community. In October 2016 George joined the board of CCAC an organization that he has admired and supported since its beginning. He is especially impressed with the positive role CCAC has played by offering a variety of programs that are of interests to different demographics in the area.

Prior to his retirement in 2013, George was a professor at the University of Cincinnati where he held the Alpaugh Family Chair in Economics and was the director and founder of the UC Economics Center for Education and Research. He is noted for his observations of the local and world economies and especially factors that affect regional economic development. He directed more than 100 studies on regional labor markets, economic impact of institutions, economic development and the role of education in meeting the needs of industry.

George is a member of the Academic Council and a Research Associate at Varna Free University in Bulgaria and a member of the Board of Advisors for the European Leadership University in North Cyprus and the Netherlands. He also serves as director for a national mutual fund.

Dr. Vredeveld received his Ph.D. in economics from Indiana University, a Masters degree from Purdue University and his B.A. degree from Calvin College.

Cindy and her husband, both lovers of urban living, moved to Cincinnati in 2002. Cindy has channeled her passion for viable urban communities as a trustee of the Clifton community council, member of the steering committee for the Clifton Main Street program, community representative on the Fairview School Local Decision Making Committee, news editor of the Clifton Chronicle and as a founding director and board chair of the regional Clifton Cultural Arts Center (CCAC).

In 2012 Cindy received the annual Woman of Distinction award from the Girl Scouts of Western Ohio, honoring women leaders in the greater Cincinnati region, who demonstrate strong initiative and personal leadership on issues relating to women and girls. Cindy was recognized for her work with CCAC in 2009 as one of five Cincinnati finalists for the Jefferson Award. During the 1990s Cindy formed and operated Source Markets International, Inc. an exporter of consumer goods to major retail chains in Australia and New Zealand. In addition to her entrepreneurial endeavors, she has worked in marketing positions in film and packaged goods companies and has a Bachelor of Science of the University of Cincinnati College of Engineering. In 2014 Cindy completed a 500-miles walk across northern Spain on the Camino de Santiago.

Mark McKillip is a founding director of CCAC. He retired as Principal Architect/Assistant to the City Manager for the City of Cincinnati in 2006. During his City career, Mark directed numerous downtown projects, such as the Saks Fifth Avenue/Hyatt Regency Hotel project, the Aronoff Center for the Arts, Fountain Place, and the Greenwich, Groton Lofts, and Shillito Lofts housing projects. Since his retirement from the City, Mark has maintained a practice of providing Owner’s Representative services for construction projects to local non-profits including the American Red Cross Cincinnati Chapter, the Cincinnati Nature Center, the Cincinnati Art Museum, and CCAC’s new home — the first, purpose0built community arts center in Cincinnati.

A native Ohioan, Mark graduated with honors from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning and pursued postgraduate studies in real estate development. Mark is a licensed architect in the State of Ohio. Mark formerly served as an officer with the Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati and the Hamilton County Convention Facilities Authority.

Barbara Sferra became involved with CCAC in 2006 by writing grants as a community volunteer, and subsequently joined the Board of Directors in 2007, where she served as Treasurer from 2009 to 2017. Barbara has over 22 years experience in Human Resources Management, specializing in Employee Relations. She is also a budding fiber artist, specializing in art quilts, using hand-dyed fabrics in the majority of her work. She is a member of the Contemporary Quilt and Fibers Artists Guild (CQAFA), Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA), the Weavers Guild of Greater Cincinnati (WGGC), and the Bombshells of Cincinnati. Her work has appeared in several local arts centers as well as at the Textile Center in Minneapolis, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, and the Quilt Study Center & Museum in Lincoln Nebraska. She also curated CCAC’s “Fiber IS Art” exhibit in 2019, which featured artists from the WGGC and SAQA. Barbara is also passionate about fitness and is a Certified Pilates instructor teaching classes at CCAC and Anchor Wellness. She received her Master of Labor and Industrial Relations from Michigan State University, and her Bachelor of Business Administration from Kent State University.

CCAC Staff

Emalene Benson – Programs Director

Emalene joined CCAC in July 2013. She holds a bachelor’s degree in arts administration from Bellarmine University as well as a CTEFL from Via Lingua. Emalene has over a decade of arts administration and education experience, previously working for both the Mellwood Arts & Entertainment Center in Louisville, KY and the New British Centre in Rome, Italy. A Northside resident, she co-chairs the Northside House Tour and recently joined the boards of the Northside Community Council and the Cincinnati Observatory Center. She channels her creative energy into yarnbombing with the Bombshells of Cincinnati and taking classes with DANCEFIX by HBDC.

You can reach Emalene at emalene.benson@cliftonculturalarts.org.

Debbie Ollinger Bernloehr – Finance Manager

Debbie joined CCAC in February, 2016, and manages various financial and development responsibilities. Debbie was born and raised in Cincinnati, but also lived in New York and Chicago while she pursued her Marketing career. She previously worked as a Brand Manager at Quaker Oats and H.J. Heinz, then shifted gears to become an Account Director at LAGA, a package design firm in Cincinnati.

She became a stay-at-home mother when her second child was born, and has been busy with volunteer activities ever since. She currently volunteers with the Cincinnati Zoo, and has previously held leadership positions with the Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, Kindervelt and various community groups and school organizations.

She received her undergraduate degree in International Business from Hofstra University in New York, and her MBA from Indiana University. She is the proud mother of three grown children and has been married to her husband, John, for over 25 years.

Debbie has always been interested in working with a non-profit and is thrilled to be part of an organization that is so dynamic, educational and just plain fun. Its focus on the arts and outreach to the community is a treasure for the entire city of Cincinnati.

Kinsey Downs – Assistant Programs Manager

Kinsey joined CCAC in December 2023, with years of experience in customer service and logistics. She completed her Bachelor of Fine Art at Miami University after solidifying a passion for expanding accessibility and visibility to the arts. Her first job as a muralist connected her with the people and history of the community while creating art everyone can engage with. Since then, she has participated in over a dozen large-scale public murals and continued her artistic practice, bringing forth dioramas, murals, and installations. She is excited to bring her energy and passion to support a community-driven organization at CCAC.

You can reach Kinsey at kinsey.downs@cliftonculturalarts.org.

Fiona Harrell-DuChaine – Guest Services Coordinator

Fiona joined the CCAC team in August of 2024. After a longtime background in fine arts and discovering a love of interactive media, they completed their Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Cincinnati where they studied game design and information technology. Fiona’s first job was with the local arts nonprofit ArtWorks where they worked seasonally for five years. This jumpstarted Fiona’s interest in public art and their belief that everyone should have the opportunity to be creative in their own way. As a lifelong Northside resident, Fiona is excited that they can continue working in their community at CCAC.

You can reach Fiona at fiona.hd@cliftonculturalarts.org.

John Leo Muething – Executive Director

John Leo joined CCAC in October 2021 after a lifetime of love for theater and the arts. He completed his Bachelor of Science at the University of Durham in northeast England and received a Professional Fundraising Certificate from Boston University. He has six years of nonprofit experience, previously working at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and Ohio Valley Voices, and is a Certified Fund Raising Executive. When not at work or at the theater, he loves spending time at home with his husband, Jay, and their cat, Oliver.

You can reach John Leo at jl.muething@cliftonculturalarts.org.

Liz Rose – Venue Rentals and Bar Manager

Liz joined CCAC in October 2025 with years of experience in event planning and nonprofit operations. They completed their bachelor’s degree in Business and Nonprofit management at Earlham College. Community drives Liz in all the work they do. They enjoy bringing people together be it for art, celebration, or education. As a Clifton resident they are excited to build community at the CCAC. Outside of work Liz spends time cooking, crafting or spending time with their wife Meg and their dog Frankie.

You can reach Liz at liz.rose@cliftonculturalarts.org.

Emily Versoza – Gallery Manager

Emily Versoza joined the CCAC team in July of 2017. Previously, Emily attended the Art Academy of Cincinnati, graduating in 2013 with a degree in Fine Art and Art History, and dedicated much of the years in between to cultivating her own studio practice. Born and raised in Clifton, Emily is delighted to be able to be a participant (in a more behind-the-scenes capacity) in the arts community of Cincinnati.

Outside of her duties as Gallery Coordinator, Emily can be found traveling with her husband, Joey, compulsively researching future travel, pursuing carbohydrates, or participating in a wide spectrum of visual culture.

You can reach Emily at emily.versoza@cliftonculturalarts.org.

John Wittenburg – Facility Custodian

bio coming soon…

All photos courtesy of Caitlin Murphy Photography