Building Ideas

John Heater brings two decades of non-profit work, from local pastor to service at multiple YMCA systems across the country. His breadth and depth of experience in leading people with an attitude of 'servant leader' has impacted communities throughout the Midwest and Southeast. He is currently serving as Group Vice President at the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati. https://myy.org/

Mike Bohn is the Director of Athletics for the University of Southern California. His 35+ year career in Athletics was inspired from his formative years on a Little League ball diamond in Colorado, earning championships at Boulder High School, and also as a dual-sport athlete at the University of Kansas. He has served in leadership with multiple NCAA Division 1 institutions including at The Air Force Academy, University of Idaho, San Diego State, University of Colorado, University of Cincinnati, and USC. He is committed to creating an athletics culture focused on the "student athlete experience" and is a firm believer in being a "constant student of leadership." www.usctrojans.com

Betsy Ross is CEO of Gameday Communications. She was one of the first women to break into sports reporting and broadcasting, having served as sports reporter, news anchor for regional television as well as ESPN News and Sportscenter. She is currently a play‐by‐play anchor for women’s college basketball for ESPN, Fox Sports and other national and regional outlets, and as a sports reporter for Cincinnati’s FOX 19. She is the author of the book " Playing Ball with the Boys: The Rise of Women in Men’s Sports" released to a national audience. She also teaches a graduate level course at Xavier University, and has taught at Indiana University. www.gamedaypr.com

Kenji Matsudo is a passionate, enthusiastic educator and "teacher of teachers" who serves as a Superintendent at Madeira City Schools - one of the highest performing public school districts in the Midwest. www.madeiracityschools.org

Jeff Berding is President of FC Cincinnati and led the club's meteoric rise from the United Soccer League into Major League Soccer. He started his career in politics, worked for members of Congress, ran a successful political campaign to fund the renewal of Cincinnati's central riverfront that maintained the City's MLB and NFL teams, served on Cincinnati City Council, and spent nearly 2 decades working as a sports executive for the Cincinnati Bengals.

April Berg is the Co-Founder of Aruna Project. She was a collegiate athlete and passionate about running and fitness. April walked away from a career as a nurse in internal medicine to serve communities in China and India. Her time serving women in the brothels of India instilled a passion to relieve injustice for oppressed women in the world. This passion and her love of fitness served as catalyst to the creation of Aruna, an Athleisure lifestyle brand creating functional luxury bags and accessories handcrafted by women freed, empowered, and employed. www.arunaproject.com

Matt Oberlin has worked in Collegiate athletics for nearly two decades, starting as a D3 student athlete with professional tenure at both Division 2 and Division 1 athletic departments. He is the Past President of the Collegiate Events and Facilities Managers Association (CEFMA) and currently serves as Associate Athletic Director/Capital Projects and Facilities/Events at Central Michigan University.

Steve Langenkamp was an accomplished football student- athlete at The Ohio State University, ran a family business, served over 20 years as a public elected official, and now is COO and Sport Facilities Planner for a leading architecture & design firm.