Aim Hire 2025
Breakout Session
Round 3
4:00 pm – 4:45 pm
Creating a Win-Win for Businesses & Ohio Students
Learn about the transformative power of Adopt A Class, which connects students with mentor teams from more than 250 employers to explore life and career experiences. The program provides significant professional and personal development for employees and a measurable return for businesses.
Location: Pheoris West C, Floor 3
Speaker Biographies & Slides:
Sonya Fultz is a passionate and innovative leader dedicated to fostering educational equity and mentorship for students in underserved communities. Under her leadership, the organization has significantly expanded its reach, growing corporate and civic partnerships by 35% and engaging thousands of volunteers to mentor students.
A lifelong educator, Sonya joined Adopt A Class in 2020 and quickly focused on a clear vision: connecting students with caring adults who expose them to a wide range of life and career experiences. The organization now supports more than 5,000 volunteers mentoring over 12,000 students including more than 2,000 Northern Kentucky students. Her strategic initiatives have ensured that students are prepared for post-high school pathways, from college and trade school to military service and other careers. Sonya’s unwavering commitment to her mission has not only grown Adopt A Class but has also created a model for effective mentorship that is shaping the next generation of leaders. Her dedication and leadership are making a profound difference, one classroom at a time.
Preparing Students for Today’s Workforce: Connecting Learning to Careers
This engaging session shows how schools and businesses partner to give students real-world
experiences, professional skills, plus adaptable resources to use in your community.
Location: Pheoris West A, Floor 3
Speaker Biographies & Slides:
Denise Miller has dedicated her professional career to helping students connect classroom learning to the real world and develop lifelong skills that prepare them for future success. With over 20 years in education, she has served as a classroom teacher, Title I teacher, and literacy coach before continuing her journey as a Career Education Coordinator for the Ashtabula County Technical & Career Campus (A-Tech). In this role, she collaborates with all local schools, businesses, and community members to create meaningful career exploration opportunities for students throughout Ashtabula County.
Denise also draws on her unique background as a licensed optician in the private sector, which provides her with a firm understanding of workforce needs and strengthens her ability to bridge the gap between education and industry. She takes great pride in her community and values building partnerships that inspire students to envision the many possibilities their futures can hold. Outside of work, Denise is usually running between the sidelines and the bleachers to cheer for her children, or happily outnumbered on adventures with her husband and their four kids.
Staci Zappitelli is a Career Education Coordinator at A-Tech, providing leadership and career-focused education services across all local school districts in Ashtabula County. She has 20+ years in education, including classroom teaching, and 15 years in the private sector in manufacturing and business. She uses her diverse background to collaborate with schools and local businesses to connect classroom learning to the workforce. Staci coordinates career exploration events and tours, and creates career-focused lessons. She also developed A-Tech’s countywide mock interview program, in partnership with all local school districts in Ashtabula County. She is passionate about helping students explore and match their strengths and talents to potential careers, while developing 21st century skills to gain a competitive advantage. She also delivers presentations on career-focused education and workforce trends for educators and business professionals.
Exploring Ohio’s Legislative Landscape
Explore key policies shaping education and workforce — and what they mean for students, schools, and Ohio’s business community.
Location: Pheoris West B, Floor 3
Speaker Biographies & Slides:
Kevin Duff is the Executive Vice President of Ohio Excels, where he leads the organization’s work related to policy, advocacy, research, special projects, and operations. Kevin's career has been guided by a single north star: All students should be prepared for success after they graduate. Before joining Ohio Excels, Kevin was a consultant and senior analyst with Education First Consulting from 2015 to 2018. In that role, he led project teams conducting research, provided direct support to education policymakers in seven states, and developed high-profile guidance on federal policies and stakeholder engagement.
Before Education First Consulting, Kevin served in the Ohio Department of Education (now called the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce). Starting as an intern in 2008, he rose to the position of senior policy analyst for his final three years. Kevin worked with policymakers to create and implement of a wide range of major policy initiatives, including Ohio’s graduation requirements, academic standards, assessments, report cards and accountability, the third grade reading guarantee, and school improvement efforts. Kevin earned his Master of Public Administration from the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at Ohio State University. He also earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Ohio State University. He currently lives in Columbus, Ohio.
Cassandra Palsgrove is the Director of K-12 Education Policy at Ohio Excels. She is dedicated to public policy development, state advocacy, and research efforts at the critical intersection of education and workforce development with the goal of improving educational outcomes for all K-12 Ohio students.
Cassie brings more than 15 years of experience in education, most recently with the Ohio Department of Education where she led the Office of Graduate Success. In this role, she focused on projects that engage stakeholders and partners from higher education, business & industry, workforce and other state agencies to help support school and district leaders to develop and implement systemic K-12 strategies to help students consider their post-high school paths and ensure they are well prepared to pursue them. The Office of Graduate Success team coordinates efforts to support schools in systemic K-12 career advising, graduation requirements, early career & college programming and business-education partnerships.
As a classroom agriculture educator prior to her work at the Ohio Department of Education, she engaged students in meaningful experiential learning and career exploration opportunities. Cassie holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Agriculture and a Masters of Arts in Educational Administration from the Ohio State University.
Connecting Grads to Quality Careers: Lessons Learned From Ohio’s Workforce Super Pilot
Discover how creative technology and dynamic partnerships are connecting recent high school graduates to high-quality career opportunities in the Buckeye state.
Location: Roman Johnson, Floor 3
Speaker Biographies & Slides:
Katie Fang is the Founder and CEO of SchooLinks, an enterprise SaaS company in the education space, focusing on college & career planning and workforce development. She founded the company after college based on her own experience using legacy tools and sought to make the process more engaging and effective.
Though Katie is a first-time founder and CEO, she's able to build and scale the company to serve millions of students nationwide. SchooLinks was ranked four years in a row on the Inc 5000, the fastest growing companies in America in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 and named one of the top 10 "Most Innovative Company in Education" by Fast Company in 2023. She was named to the Forbes “30 under 30” list, Top Texans under 30, the Young Woman to Watch, and has been featured on the cover of Austin Woman Magazine.
With over 18 years of experience in the fields of communications, behavioral health, insurance and creditors rights, Jimmy has led public affairs strategies, managed nationally recognized coalitions, built influential marketing and advertising campaigns, and collaborated firsthand with government officials to deliver meaningful outcomes for Ohio constituents.
Jimmy has experience and education as an attorney as well as in leading award-winning design and marketing teams, giving him insight into problems both analytical and abstract. His ability to employ traditional public relations and creative messaging across the ever-changing landscape of communications, public affairs, and marketing and advertising, offers Werth clients innovative and integrated paths to reach the most critical audiences. At Werth, Jimmy leads public affairs, strategic marketing, and brand management solutions across paid, earned, owned and grassroots experiences. His work focuses extensively on public health awareness, public clients and behavior change initiatives, as well as coalition development and management.
Jimmy serves as the immediate past board chair for Voicecorps Reading Service, a board member for Habitat for Humanity-MidOhio and as the Media Law Committee chair for the Ohio State Bar Association. Jimmy holds a B.A. in Philosophy and Psychology from Otterbein University as well as a Juris Doctorate from Capital University Law School. He lives in Upper Arlington with his wife and three young children.
Andrew Mulcahey is an advertising executive @ TEGNA (WBNS-10TV & PREMION) with over 15+ years of experience working on advertising strategies with local, regional and national advertisers. Based in Columbus, Ohio, he helps advertisers & businesses develop, executive and achieve their marketing & advertising goals. Outside of work, Andrew has served on the Board of Directors for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio and currently is on the Board of Directors at VOICEcorps.
Kristy Venne has over 20 years of experience in public PK-12 education, workforce development, and community engagement. She has served as a classroom teacher, school principal, and district administrator for two leading school districts in central Ohio. In 2024, Kristy founded Jade Strategies, a consulting firm dedicated to advancing classroom-to-career solutions through innovative partnerships and programming.
Kristy’s approach centers on a human-centered, collaborative, and design-thinking process to transform challenges into opportunities. She is committed to ensuring that every individual has access to quality opportunities and support to reach their full potential. As the former Director of Community Engagement, Planning, and Partnerships for Dublin City Schools, Kristy has a proven record of fostering strategic relationships and implementing innovative PK-12 initiatives. Her leadership roles have included founding Director of Emerald Campus, Career Education Coordinator, and Assistant Principal.
With a background in visual arts education and administrative leadership, Kristy combines creative problem-solving, collaboration, and clear communication to drive success in education and workforce initiatives. She holds a Superintendent License and earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Art Education, all from The Ohio State University.
From Middle School to the Marketplace: Strengthening Career Foundations
Join this interactive session to see how the Effective Leadership Academy and Fairview Park City Schools inspire 6th graders to develop workforce skills that spark confidence and future success.
Location: Massey C, Floor 3
Speaker Biographies & Slides:
Keith Ahearnis in his fifth year as Superintendent of the Fairview Park City Schools, bringing 29 years of experience in education. A former high school and middle school principal and assistant superintendent, he is committed to building strong school communities, supporting staff, and creating meaningful learning opportunities for all students. Keith champions career exploration, collaboration with families, and partnerships with community organizations to help students thrive.
Joe is originally from England, but grew up on the East side of Cleveland. Joe is currently a student at DePaul University in Chicago, studying political science and education. Joe enjoys running and watching the Premier League (especially his favorite team Arsenal). After High School he spent a year living in Ecuador working for the Ecuatoriano government. After receiving his Bachelors in political science from DePaul University in Chicago, Joe decided to move back to Cleveland and continue the work that his mother, Flo started.
Jake Hastings has over a decade of experience in education and hospitality. Passionate about leadership development and experiential learning, Jake is dedicated to empowering individuals with the skills, confidence, and mindset needed to reach their full potential—aligning with Effective Leadership Academy’s mission to cultivate leadership, collaboration, and personal growth in learners of all ages.
Creating Value for Students & Industry Through Simulated Work Environments
Join Worthington Enterprises and Columbus Downtown High School as they showcase a hands-on, realworld production challenge that bridges classroom learning and industry needs.
Location: Roman Johnson, Floor 3
Speaker Biographies & Slides:
Rob is entering his fourth year as an educator with Columbus City Schools. Prior to teaching, he spent 10 years as a mechanical design engineer working mostly with automation of die casting and forging processes. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from The Ohio State University and a M.B.A. from Bowling Green State University, and is pursing a Masters of Education also from Ohio State.
Geena Gamble is a Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist at Worthington Enterprises. Since joining the company in 2018, she has led recruiting initiatives across universities, technical schools, military programs, and community partnerships, with a strong focus on building pipeline programs to bring new talent into manufacturing. She also collaborates with K-12 schools to support workforce development and inspire the next generation of talent. Passionate about connecting individuals with roles where they can thrive, Geena enjoys creating innovative strategies to identify, attract, and retain top talent. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources from The Ohio State University.
Cheryl Young serves as an Area Manager at Worthington Enterprises' Columbus Cylinders plant. With over 20 years of experience in manufacturing, she began her career in Accounting before transitioning into Operations as a Continuous Improvement Manager, subsequently advancing to her current role. Cheryl is committed to developing others and seeks opportunities to collaborate on improvement initiatives.
