One Voice for Education

Board of Directors

OHSPRA Board of Directors

President Lou DeVincentis

Lou DeVincentis has more than two decades of experience in public relations, including the last 21 years at the Orange City School District where he serves as the Director of Communications. At Orange, he oversees the district website, social media platforms, print publications, media relations, digital communications and community relations, as well as assisting the superintendent, the Board of Education and district administrators with numerous projects and programs. He has worked on several successful levy campaigns for both the Orange City School District and the Wickliffe City School District. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Communication from Cleveland State University and worked as the public relations and marketing coordinator for the Great Lakes Science Center before joining Orange and becoming an award-winning member of OHSPRA and NSPRA. He has served as OHSPRA's Director of Contests and Awards (2014-2015 & 2015-2016), Director of Membership (2016-17 & 2017-2018), and President-Elect (2018-2019 & 2019-2020). He also serves on the Citizens for Wickliffe Schools committee in Wickliffe where he lives with his wife and two children.

President Elect Alicia Mowry

Alicia Mowry has overseen communications and public relations at the Delaware Area Career Center since 2009. Prior to joining the world of school public relations, she served as both an account manager and a marketing director in the private sector. Alicia's first task at the Delaware Area Career Center was to rebrand the district, recreate all communications material, and launch a new web site. This task became the first step in a long-term, multi-faceted campaign to increase awareness and improve the image of career and technical education throughout Delaware County. Most recently, the Delaware Area Career Center was awarded the Public Relations Excellence PRism Award from the Public Relations Society of America, Central Ohio Chapter in the category of Crisis Communications and Issues Management. The district was recognized for communications efforts in an unprecedented and complicated levy issue. Alicia has her B.A. in English with a minor in Scientific and Technical Writing from Bowling Green State University. She also obtained her M.B.A. from Capital University with a focus on Marketing and Marketing Research. Alicia lives in Worthington with her husband and two rambunctious boys.

Past President Patrick Gallaway

Patrick Gallaway has devoted much of his career to public service. He has helped lead the communications efforts for a variety of state agencies and non-profit organizations prior to leading the communications efforts at New Albany – Plain Local Schools (NAPLS) beginning in July of 2012. The district is 20 minutes northeast of downtown Columbus with an enrollment of approximately 5,050 students.

Gallaway oversees a communication operation including media relations, website, internal communications, community outreach and social media.

Prior to his time in New Albany, Gallaway served as the media relations director for the Ohio Department of Education and as the director of communications for former Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. He has worked in fundraising and development for Stonewall Columbus, a non-profit agency, in a public involvement role at the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, in student affairs at The University of Akron and in donor services at the American Red Cross.

Gallaway has served on the OHSPRA Board since 2012 in the roles of Membership Director, President-Elect, President and now Past President. He is also serving as the Mideast Vice President for the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA).

Gallaway is a graduate of The University of Akron (Go Zips), earning both a master's degree in higher education administration and a bachelor's degree in communications-public relations.

Director of Sponsorships/Partnerships Crystal Davis

An award-winning journalist and videographer, Crystal Davis has a wide range of experience both in front of and behind the camera. She became Public Relations Coordinator for Pickerington Local Schools in January 2019, and was previously the deputy director of communication services at the Ohio School Boards Association and communications director for the Industrial Commission of Ohio. In front of the camera, Crystal has worked for more than 15 years as a TV reporter/meteorologist at various stations in South Carolina, Michigan, and Ohio, and was most recently a freelance meteorologist for Spectrum News 1 in Columbus. She graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor's degree in journalism and later earned a certificate of broadcast meteorology from Mississippi State University. During her career, Crystal has won many awards for her work including OHSPRA's Best of the Best PR Plan and Writing awards as well as several national and international awards in creative writing, web video production and marketing.

Treasurer Patti Koslo

Patti Koslo has over 25 years of experience in school public relations including; community and parent engagement, strategic planning, crisis management, district rebranding and marketing, website development, award-winning video productions, along with a highly successful record with school bond and levy campaigns. Prior to moving into the school public relations sector, Koslo served as an accountant for Johnson and Johnson.

Following her work in the Nordonia Hills City School District, Koslo started K Communications, LLC in 2010, working in both the education and the non-profit sectors. She has been a board member with OHSPRA for over two decades and received the OHSPRA Crystal Award for her dedication to and achievements in school Public Relations.

Koslo continues her passion and support of public education and serves as a trusted advisor for school districts both large and small in Ohio and across the United States. She has presented at state and national level conferences, she is an accomplished public speaker, and has published numerous journal articles. In addition, Koslo has served on various boards including serving as the Mid-East Vice President for the National School Public Relations Association, President of the Ohio Chapter of School Public Relations, Nordonia Hills Rotary President, and Executive Director for the Nordonia Schools Foundation.

Director of Professional Development Kari Basson

Having held positions in the private sector, healthcare and education, Kari Basson brings more than 30 years of public relations experience to her current position. A graduate of the University of Dayton with a bachelor's degree in communications, Kari held PR positions with the Better Business Bureau and St. Elizabeth Medical Center prior to joining Kettering City Schools as the coordinator of community relations and auxiliary services. Also a former award-winning print journalist, Kari manages all aspects of the district's communications plan including media relations, employee relations, website development and maintenance, social media, video production, community surveying, advertising and publications. In addition, she oversees the auxiliary services program for the district, working with four parochial schools and one private school on the management of auxiliary funds allocated by the state to non-public schools through their local public school district. Kari is an accomplished pubic speaker and has presented at the local and state levels on numerous occasions. She has been a board member with OHSPRA for nearly a decade and received the OHSPRA Crystal Award in 2018 for her dedication to and achievements in school PR. Kari and her husband, Rick, reside in Kettering and have three daughters and five grandchildren.

Director of Communications Melinda Briggs

Melinda Briggs is Director of Communications at Little Miami Local Schools in suburban Cincinnati. She has been in the school public relations world for ten years, working both at Little Miami and at Sycamore Community Schools.

At Little Miami, Melinda is a one-woman department, managing the comprehensive communication and stakeholder engagement plan for this preK-12 public school district of 5,600 students.

Prior to school public relations, Melinda was a newspaper reporter and editor for more than 15 years, working at several papers in Ohio and West Virginia. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ohio University.

Melinda is a four-time OHSPRA Mark of Distinction and Best of the Best award winner and was previously a member of the OHSPRA board (June 2013-Dec. 2014) in the role of secretary. She lives in Morrow with her husband Doug, and is the mom of a Buckeye (son Ethan), and a Bobcat (daughter Bryce).

Director of Membership Olivia Bronczek

Olivia Bronczek is the communications coordinator for the Massillon City School District in northeast Ohio. In her position, she writes crisis and district communications, coordinates district events such as the State of the Schools, and develops social media content for all social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat. She recently led a redesign of the district website. She also started the district’s venture into Instagram and Snapchat. Previously, she was the marketing coordinator for Sugardale Foods in Massillon, Ohio. She developed and executed marketing events for the mobile marketing vehicle “The Taste of Sugardale”. She also assisted with the coordination of the Summer Events Internship Program as well as developed content for social media.

Director of Contests and Awards Candice Harrison

Candice L. Harrison is the External Communications Manager for the Toledo Public Schools and owner of Synergy Engagement LLC a boutique PR/communications firm. A native Toledoan, Harrison received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Toledo and earned her master’s degree in communications from Spring Arbor University. She most recently served as Director of Communications at Toledo Museum of Art and Senior Communications manager for the Toledo Zoo and Aquarium.

Candice was presented a Toledo 20 Under 40 Leadership Award in 2014 and a Top Community Voices Award from the United Way of Greater Toledo. She was named part of the Toledo region Limelight - People in the community making a difference. Her many activities include membership on the board of trustees for both the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo and Press Club of Toledo. She also serves on the Mosaic Committee for the American Advertising Federation (AAF).

Candice is a member of OHSPRA, PRSA, the Rotary Club of Toledo where she serves as Youth Services Chair, The Toledo Chapter of Links Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., and the Toledo Chapter of Jack and Jill of America Inc. Candice is married to Brandon Harrison and they have two children, Tre (21), and Brooklynn (12).

Secretary Audrey Holtzman

Audrey Holtzman is in her first year as the Enrollment and Recruiting Specialist for the Parma City School District, where she is tasked with bringing back community, private, and charter school students. Prior to her appointment in Parma, Mrs. Holtzman spent seven years in the Euclid City Schools as the Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator. She specializes in media relations, social media management, community relations, event planning, and digital and print collateral design. Audrey has worked for Fox 8 News in Cleveland and 13abc in Toledo.

Chapter Manager Mary Beddell (appointed position)

Mary Beddell is a proud supporter of public education and has over 10 years of experience in communications, social media marketing, event planning, and fundraising. Mary has served as the Chapter Manager for the Ohio School Public Relations Association since 2014. In addition, Mary is currently the Public Relations Director for Plain Local Schools, a K-12 public school district that serves approximately six thousand students in Canton.

While her telling the stories of her school is what drives her, Mary's true passion is in fundraising and helping others. Mary founded the Josette Beddell Memorial Foundation in 2009 with the help of family and friends, in memory of her mother, Josette who passed away from breast cancer in 2002. The mission of the Josette Beddell Memorial Foundation is to help better the lives of families in Ohio affected by cancer by providing direct financial assistance to families in need.