Amanda is the first Executive Director of Plexus LGBT & Allied Chamber of Commerce and a dynamic advocate for inclusive workplaces and thriving small businesses across Northeast Ohio. In her conversation with Andra, Amanda shares what drew her to Leadership Portage County's inaugural Class of 2024, her journey to Kent through family and caregiving, and her deep commitment to building community where she lives—not just where she works.

Amanda explains the mission of Plexus as one of only 55 LGBT chambers of commerce in the United States, describing its role as a connector between LGBTQ and allied-owned businesses, corporate partners, and individuals seeking affirming workplaces. She reflects on how the organization has evolved from a traditional chamber model to one that includes education, equity-minded leadership training, and workforce development initiatives designed to reduce barriers and increase belonging. Through personal stories—including navigating discrimination and visibility in her own career—Amanda highlights the importance of authenticity in leadership and the real-world impact of inclusive policies and culture.

The conversation also explores Amanda's upbringing in a working-class family, her transformative experience at Antioch College, and her belief in claiming space in rooms where others may feel they do not belong. Recently named Cleveland Magazine's 2025 Community Leader of the Year, Amanda speaks candidly about generational growth, accountability, and the responsibility leaders have to create opportunity for others. She and Andra discuss balancing empathy with performance, advocating for oneself in the workplace, and the importance of protecting joy while leading with courage and kindness. Check out Plexus at https://www.thinkplexus.org.

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The Best Leadership Podcast Ever is a project of Leadership Portage County in Northeast Ohio and showcases alumni from the program. Guests share stories of leadership successes and challenges. Follow The Best Leadership Podcast Ever wherever you get your podcasts.

Janice is the Executive Director of the Portage Foundation and a passionate advocate for community connection and service. In her conversation with Andra, Janice shares how serendipity led her to the Foundation at a pivotal moment in life, when her two daughters were heading off to college and she found herself asking, "What's next?" After years of championing her family and community in different ways, Janice discovered an opportunity to serve Portage County in a broader capacity—first as Outreach Manager and later as Executive Director.

Janice explains the role of a community foundation as a bridge between donors and the causes they care about, emphasizing that philanthropy is not reserved for the wealthy. Whether through donor-advised funds, scholarships, rapid response efforts, or targeted initiatives like the Portage Pride Fund, Janice highlights how every dollar and every voice can make a difference. She and Andra discuss the importance of listening to community members, responding to emerging needs, and recognizing the power that exists when people come together with shared purpose.

Throughout the episode, Janice reflects on growing up as the youngest of nine children in a family rooted in service and humility—values that continue to guide her leadership today. She shares her mantra of "embrace failure," encouraging authenticity over perfection and reminding young professionals that success is rarely a straight line. Janice also speaks about the importance of "showing up"—wherever you are in life—and being present, engaged, and open to others' experiences. In discussing Portage County's strengths, she celebrates its diversity, resilience, and deep sense of care, while urging residents to focus less on criticism and more on connection and contribution.

Check out The Portage Foundation at https://portagefoundation.org.

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The Best Leadership Podcast Ever is a project of Leadership Portage County in Northeast Ohio and showcases alumni from the program. Guests share stories of leadership successes and challenges. Follow The Best Leadership Podcast Ever wherever you get your podcasts.

Ted is a lifelong Portage County resident, veteran, entrepreneur, and community leader whose professional journey spans military service, personal training, health club ownership, national steel sales, and—most recently—the recovery and behavioral health field. In his conversation with Andra, Ted reflects on growing up in Windham, leaving the area for military service and work opportunities, and ultimately returning home with a deeper appreciation for community, mentorship, and purpose. He shares how early career experiences and informal mentorships helped shape his confidence, resilience, and belief in possibility—particularly for someone who did not follow a traditional college path.

Ted describes how mentorship and sponsorship played critical roles throughout his career, from personal training relationships in Cleveland to navigating the highly competitive national steel industry. He and Andra explore the importance of trust, belief, discipline, and consistency, as well as Ted's view that success requires daily commitment—especially during uncomfortable or uncertain moments. Ted also discusses the power of mindset, self-awareness, and interrupting negative self-talk, emphasizing the value of surrounding oneself with people who create space for growth and accountability.

The conversation then turns to Ted's current work as founder and CEO of Hope Town in Windham, a recovery-focused organization built from his own lived experience. Ted explains his vision for recovery housing as a full continuum of care—one that addresses housing, transportation, employment, peer support, and long-term resilience. He shares how Hope Town has grown through social enterprise models, collective leadership, and intentional investment in people, highlighting stories of team members who have developed into leadership roles through trust, sponsorship, and opportunity. Ted and Andra also discuss the future of workforce development, the role of AI in organizational leadership, and Ted's belief that empowering people to grow into their potential—while giving them permission to learn and fail—is at the heart of effective leadership.

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The Best Leadership Podcast Ever is a project of Leadership Portage County in Northeast Ohio and showcases alumni from the program. Guests share stories of leadership successes and challenges. Follow The Best Leadership Podcast Ever wherever you get your podcasts.

Keleigh Veraldo-Zucchero, Leadership Portage County Class of 2023, is our guest for episode six of The Best Leadership Podcast Ever! Keleigh is a longtime Kent resident, community volunteer, and real estate advisor who spent more than two decades in elementary education before transitioning into real estate during the COVID-19 pandemic. In her conversation with Andra, Keleigh shares her personal journey of putting down roots in Kent after attending Kent State University, meeting her husband Sean, and raising their daughter in the same community that has come to feel like home. She reflects on the importance of place, family, libraries, walkable neighborhoods, and the deep sense of belonging that has shaped her life in Portage County.

Keleigh describes her career shift from education to real estate as a natural extension of her passion for service, social-emotional development, and helping people navigate life transitions. Rather than viewing herself as a salesperson, Keleigh frames her work as that of a real estate advisor and coach—someone who listens deeply, builds trust, and supports clients during emotionally complex moments. She and Andra explore themes of servant leadership, authenticity, relationship-building, and the importance of leading with humility and empathy, especially during times of uncertainty and change.

In addition to her professional work, Keleigh discusses her extensive community involvement, including volunteering with Main Street Kent, serving on nonprofit boards, and her experience as a member of Leadership Portage County. She reflects on the value of engaging with people who hold different perspectives, the responsibility of leaders to reduce division, and the power of showing up for others—particularly when times are hard. Throughout the conversation, Keleigh emphasizes that leadership is not about getting ahead of others, but about bringing people with you, creating community, and helping others feel seen, valued, and supported.

------ The Best Leadership Podcast Ever is a project of Leadership Portage County in Northeast Ohio and showcases alumni from the program. Guests share stories of leadership successes and challenges. Follow "The Best Leadership Podcast Ever" wherever you get your podcasts.

Randy Griffith, Leadership Portage County Class of 2005, is our guest for the fifth episode of The Best Leadership Podcast Ever! As the Superintendent of Maplewood Career Center, Randy is a leader in public vocational education. In his conversation with Andra, Randy describes his winding professional journey, starting with his undergraduate experience in computer programming at the University of Akron, and then moving toward education, as he became a certified middle school math and history teacher while coaching in Southwest Ohio. Randy shares how he returned to Northeast Ohio to work in construction and received a job offer to work at Trumbull Career and Technical Center (TCTC) as a building trades teacher, which helped him recognize his passion for vocational education. Randy then describes taking a supervisory role at Maplewood and quickly moving up the organizational chart to fill the Superintendent role in 2004.

In addition to discussing the programs offered at Maplewood, Randy and Andra also touch on whether it's important to be liked as a leader, the difficult process of making change in organizations, and Randy's view that comprehensive education needs to move beyond rote memorization to incorporate experiential education and prepare students to have productive careers. Randy also describes the surging interest in career tech--and Maplewood--among area students.

------ The Best Leadership Podcast Ever is a project of Leadership Portage County in Northeast Ohio and showcases alumni from the program. Guests share stories of leadership successes and challenges. Follow "The Best Leadership Podcast Ever" wherever you get your podcasts.

Shannon Zemba is our guest in Episode 4 of The Best Leadership Podcast Ever. Shannnon is a member of Leadership Portage County's Class of 2025.

Shannon is a wife, mother, and owner of downtown Kent's Over Easy at the Depot. Shannon shares with Andra her experience growing up in Streetsboro, graduating from Maplewood Career Center, and then moving to St. Croix to assist her mother and stepfather with managing hotels and restaurants they owned there, eventually falling in love with the service industry. Shannon describes the process of returning to Portage County in 2010, her goal of owning her own restaurant in the area, and what she did to make it happen.

In their conversation, Shannon shares with Andra the importance of creating a work environment that values humility, respect, and common purpose, and they touch on how Shannon and Over Easy at the Depot have, in just a few years, responded to our community's needs while taking advantage of the services our community provides to small businesses on the rise. Shannon also announces future plans for the second floor of the historic train depot.

------ The Best Leadership Podcast Ever is a project of Leadership Portage County in Northeast Ohio and showcases alumni from the program. Guests share stories of leadership successes and challenges. Follow "The Best Leadership Podcast Ever" wherever you get your podcasts.

Leighann Fink from the Leadership Portage County Class of 2022 is our guest for our third episode of The Best Leadership Podcast Ever! Leighann is a mom, wife, and accomplished attorney who works at Ohio's Ninth District Court of Appeals and who regularly volunteers throughout the county. She is the President of Leadership Portage County's Board of Directors while also serving on the boards of Habitat for Humanity of Portage County and CASA of Portage County. Leighann describes her experience growing up in a coalmining family in eastern Pennsylvania and then shares how she moved to Portage County by way of Columbus, falling in love with both her now-husband and our welcoming community. Leighann and Andra discuss Leighann's multi-generational household and her close relationship with her father.

Leighann recounts her own experience in Leadership Portage County, noting that it helped her make friends and understand what Portage County residents care about. In their conversation, Leighann and Andra explore the freedom that practicing authentic leadership provides, the importance of evolving as a human being every day, the need to be able to ask for help, and Leighann's favorite quote.

------ The Best Leadership Podcast Ever is a project of Leadership Portage County in Northeast Ohio and showcases alumni from the program. Guests share stories of leadership successes and challenges. Follow "The Best Leadership Podcast Ever" wherever you get your podcasts.

Will Duck from the Leadership Portage County Class of 2025 is our guest for our second episode of The Best Leadership Podcast Ever! Will is a husband and dad, and he serves the Portage County Combined Health District in the position of Environmental Health Supervisor of Water Quality. In their conversation, Will shares with Andra how a conversation he had while earning is biology degree and working in the Grounds department at Kent State University first led him to the Health District. Andra and Will discuss the importance of active listening and building a strong, positive culture in a work environment--especially one that empowers employees, develops their leadership, and builds trusting teams. Will also describes his view of leadership as a relational, caring, and educational process, not a top-down, order-giving experience. As they wrap up their conversation, Andra and Will also touch on how scary it can be to ask clarifying questions in a situation if we're not understanding particular dynamics or feeling inadequate, but also how doing so can not only benefit ourselves but also serve others who may have been holding on to the same question. Will credits his Leadership Portage County experience--he served as Co-President of his class, by the way--for exciting future opportunities, including his joining the United Way of Portage County Board this fall.

------ The Best Leadership Podcast Ever is a project of Leadership Portage County in Northeast Ohio and showcases alumni from the program. Guests share stories of leadership successes and challenges. Follow "The Best Leadership Podcast Ever" wherever you get your podcasts.

Our first guest on The Best Leadership Podcast Ever is none other than Janet Dix from the inaugural Leadership Portage County Class of 1992. Janet is a wife, mom, and a new grandma, retired therapist, and philanthropist. In their conversation, Janet shares with host Andra Polasky how she came to plant roots in Portage County, her experience as a member of the first LPC class, and how her own diagnosis of attention deficit disorder that was discovered while serving as a therapist deepened her connection with her clients. Janet also describes her love of reading, balancing her community interests and involvements with her husband's, and how falling can lead to better things, especially when you have a support network.

------ The Best Leadership Podcast Ever is a project of Leadership Portage County in Northeast Ohio and showcases alumni from the program. Guests share stories of leadership successes and challenges. Follow "The Best Leadership Podcast Ever" wherever you get your podcasts.