BreakOut Speakers

Ready to dive in? Find the color of your track, check out your breakout, and get to know your trainers.  Our speakers aren’t just experts, they’re innovators, motivators, and leaders who will challenge the way you think and inspire you to take action. Don’t just attend, experience their stories, strategies, and energy that will spark your own breakthrough moments.

Designing for Equity (Morning)

Track: Every Resident Every Day

Isabela Gould has served as Executive Director of the Neighborhood Design Center since 2015, inspired by its mission of “design as a right, not a privilege.” With more than 20 years of professional and academic experience, she has taught at The Ohio State University and worked to empower communities through collaborative design. Originally from Romania, she holds architecture degrees from Bucharest and the University of Cincinnati.

Glennon Sweeney is Director of Community Programs and Outreach at the Neighborhood Design Center, where she leads engagement, partnerships, and research collaborations. She spent more than a decade at The Ohio State University’s Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, working statewide to address structural inequality. A Columbus native, Glennon’s expertise spans land use, development policy, and metropolitan segregation, with research published in leading journals.

Aging Forward: Building Inclusive and Respectful Communication in Health and Human Services

Laurice Cohens is Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Director of the Franklin County Office on Aging. A Columbus native, she provides financial leadership and oversees operations while advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives. Twice recognized as FCOA’s “Employee of the Year,” Laurice holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Ohio Christian University and is pursuing a master’s in Organizational Leadership. She and her husband, DeMario, enjoy raising their daughter, Mikiyah.

Tamara Hartley is Deputy Director of Communications and Outreach at the Franklin County Office on Aging, leading efforts to inform, engage, and connect with the community. With more than 20 years of experience in communications, she has developed campaigns and strategies for Fortune 100 companies and high-profile clients. An Ohio native and Howard University alumna, Tamara also holds master’s degrees in marketing and communications. She is mother of four and grandmother of four.

Partnering with Nonprofits to Strengthen Communities

Curtis Brown is the Community Partnerships Administrator for the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, where he oversees grantmaking and compliance for contracts that support equity, health, and resident well-being. With over a decade of experience in leadership, strategy, and program design, he builds initiatives that expand opportunity and strengthen institutions. Curtis is also pursuing his doctorate at Jackson State University, researching the success of first-generation African American LGBTQ+ students at HBCUs.

Michael Corey has served as Executive Director of the Human Service Chamber of Franklin County since 2017, growing its membership to more than 215 nonprofits. An attorney, he holds degrees from Duke University and The Ohio State University, including a J.D. from Moritz College of Law. Michael has extensive experience in law, policy, and advocacy, and has been recognized with the George Voinovich Humanitarian Award and named to Columbus Business First’s Power 100.

Procurement: Contracting with Intention (Morning)

Track: Economic Engagement

Megan Perry-Balonier, Director of Purchasing for Franklin County, Ohio, is an experienced leader in procurement practice and educational engagement. She serves as a member of the National Association of Counties EDGE Procurement Advisory Committee and is active in the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing and its local chapter, CO-OPP.

Procurement: Contracting with Intention (Morning)

Track: Economic Engagement

Procurement: Contracting with Intention (Morning)

Track: Economic Engagement

Equity Gap in Entrepreneurship (Morning)

Track: Economic Engagement

Boris Chudnovsky is Lending Manager for ECDI’s Central Ohio and Columbus Market and Program Manager for the Ohio Refugee Microenterprise Program. Since joining ECDI in 2022, he has closed over 100 loans annually, including 147 in 2024–2025. A former business owner with extensive lending experience, Boris holds a degree from The Ohio State University. Born in Ukraine, he immigrated to Columbus at 14 and speaks four languages.

Creating Pathways for Untapped Talent Powered by HRACO (Morning)

Track: Workforce Development

Creating Pathways for Untapped Talent Powered by HRACO (Morning)

Track: Workforce Development