Columbus, Ohio – The Greater Columbus Arts Council has announced the appointments of Christie Angel, Michael Bongiorno, Stacie Boord, Charles D. Hillman, Angela Pace, Manju Sankarappa, Clarence Simmons and Todd Tuney to its Board of Trustees.
“Our new board members bring diverse expertise and important community relationships that will be a great asset to GCAC and its programs,” said Tom Katzenmeyer, President of the Greater Columbus Arts Council. “We are pleased that they are volunteering their valuable time to advance arts and culture in Central Ohio.”
Christie Angel is Mayor Michel B. Coleman’s Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of External Affairs & Services where she leads the city’s engagement with external partners and officials from the county, state and federal government. Angel has held positions in both the public and private sector, including Vice President with the government relations firm, Sean P. Dunn & Associates, Director of External and Government Affairs for AT&T, Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Operations for Mayor Coleman, and legislative aide to Coleman when he served on Columbus City Council. She received her Bachelor of Science in Communications and MBA from Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio.
Michael Bongiorno is a principal and senior designer at DesignGroup, an AIA Gold medal architecture and design firm in Columbus. His work has garnered numerous awards in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. His current projects include the Columbus Museum of Art Expansion, the Battelle-Darby Creek Metro Park Nature Center, the Columbus School for Girls Expansion, the McConnell Arts Center of Worthington, the Grange Insurance Audubon Center, and the Franklin County Courthouse. Bongiorno serves on the board of trustees for the Center for Architecture and Design where he founded and led Columbus’ first “Design Week” and the award-winning “CBUS Ideabook Project”. He has served as adjunct faculty in design at the Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD) and as guest critic for numerous studios at the Knowlton School of Architecture at The Ohio State University. Michael is a cum laude graduate of Pratt Institute School of Architecture in New York City.
Stacie Boord is the Community Relations Director at Shadowbox Live. Stacie graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and previously appeared in both Opera Columbus and Columbus Light Opera productions. Since launching Shadowbox Live in 1988, she has appeared in over 10,000 performances and has become an integral member of the company, serving as Community Relations Director and Vocal Director, as well as continuing to be one of the troupe’s most popular metaperformers. In her role as Community Relations Director, Stacie has spearheaded groundbreaking arts education programs such as STEM Rocks the Box and The Shadowbox Live Boot Camp.
Charles D. Hillman is the President & Chief Executive Officer of the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) where he has responsibility for the administration of affordable housing programs in Franklin County. Hillman has 19 years of managerial experience in the development, construction and operation of private and publicly assisted rental properties. Previously, he was the Senior Vice President of Asset Management at the Chicago Housing Authority. He serves as a Trustee for the YMCA of Central Ohio, Central Ohio Workforce Investment Corporation (COWIC), Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) and the Joint Columbus and Franklin County Housing Advisory Board.
Angela Pace is the Director of Community Affairs for WBNS-10TV, serving as a liaison between WBNS and the Central Ohio community. Pace anchored the 6PM and 11PM editions of 10TV Eyewitness News for 13 years, beginning her on-air duties in March of 1993. Prior to that, she worked at WCMH-TV and WCLT Radio in Newark. She currently serves on the board of directors for the Mid-Ohio Foodbank, Lincoln Theater Association, Nationwide Children’s Hospital Foundation, Columbus Association for the Performing Arts, and Jazz Arts Group. Her work with the United Negro College Fund included hosting their annual telethon from 1987 to 1991 and serving as grand marshal for their walk-a-thon for four years. Pace’s list of awards and honors is long, including induction into the Columbus Public School Hall of Fame in 1992, and recipient of the 1994 Women of Achievement Award from the YWCA of Central Ohio, the 2006 Community Service Award from the Columbus Urban League, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Columbus Association of Black Journalists. She has won three Emmys and a regional Telly award. In January 2012, Pace was named one of the Top 50 Icons in Columbus by the Columbus Bicentennial Guide.
Manju Sankarappa is the Executive Director of Ohio Asian American Health Coalition (OAAHC) where she works to implement community-based interventions for the Asian community in the greater Columbus area and is responsible for overseeing and managing programs in the areas of community engagement, medical education and training, and research. Since becoming director, she has helped the organization receive a Health thru Action grant from Kellogg Foundation, a Legacy grant from New York University, and a Centers for Disease Control grant to provide screenings for the Asian- and African- foreign born population. Sankarappa arranged the first legislative day for the group in 2010, and has helped bring awareness of health needs and issues for the Asian community to the attention of the Ohio Department of Health and the larger community. Sankarappa is currently working to help the coalition transition towards becoming a community-based policy and research organization.
Clarence Simmons is the founder and chief executive of SIMCO Construction. SIMCO helps address the growing need for quality construction firms with the capacity to complete multiple residential and commercial projects, while providing the highest standard of excellence. Under Simmons leadership, SIMCO has successfully completed construction projects for the City of Columbus, Nationwide Children’s Hospital in partnership with the United Way of Central Ohio, The Ohio State University’s Campus Partners for Community Urban Redevelopment, the Columbus Urban League, the Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus and Franklin County, and many others. Prior to founding SIMCO, Simmons held positions with JP Morgan Chase and the Affordable Housing Trust of Columbus and Franklin County. Simmons currently co-chairs the Neighborhood School Development Partnership (NSDP) building committee and serves on the board of St. Stephen’s Community House.
Todd Tuney is Vice President of City Year, Inc. and Executive Director of City Year Columbus. Celebrating its 18th year in Columbus, CityYear recruits, trains and deploys diverse young leaders to serve full time to help turn around the lowest performing schools in Columbus. Before joining City Year Columbus, he managed philanthropy for LimitedBrands, Inc., and was responsible for the company’s corporate and foundation giving, ensuring quality stewardship of relationships with the non-profit and philanthropic community. Tuney’s public service career spans nearly 20 years, including seven years on the staff of the Ohio Attorney General’s charitable law section. He currently serves as a board member for the Mid-Ohio Foodbank, Boys & Girls Club of Columbus, Metro YMCA of Central Ohio, Columbus Metropolitan Club, and the Ohio Alliance of Public Charter Schools. He has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Pomona College in Claremont, California.
About the Greater Columbus Arts Council: Through vision and leadership, advocacy and collaboration, the Greater Columbus Arts Council supports art and advances the culture of the region. A catalyst for excellence and innovation, GCAC funds exemplary artists and arts organizations and provides programs, events and services of public value that educate and engage all audiences in our community. GCAC thanks the City of Columbus, Franklin County and the Ohio Arts Council for their continued support.
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CONTACT: Jami Goldstein
(614) 221-8492
jgoldstein@gcac.org
