Leadership
Board of Directors
Special thanks to Dennis Laughlin, one of our original board members, for all his tireless support of the cause until his passing.
Joe Pulizzi
Founder, Board Member
Joe Pulizzi (he/him) is founder of multiple startups including content creator education site, The Tilt, the content entrepreneur event Creator Economy Expo (CEX), and is the bestselling author of seven books including Content Inc. and Epic Content Marketing, which was named a “Must-Read Business Book” by Fortune Magazine.
Joe is best known for his work in content marketing, first using the term in 2001, then launching Content Marketing Institute and the Content Marketing World event. In 2014, he received the "Lifetime Achievement Award" by the Content Council. He successfully exited CMI in 2016 and consequently wrote an award-winning mystery novel, The Will to Die.
He has two weekly podcasts, the motivational Content Inc. podcast and the content news and analysis show This Old Marketing with Robert Rose.
Pam Pulizzi
Founder, Board Member
Pam is the co-founder of the Orange Effect Foundation and currently serves as Treasurer. She worked in the marketing field for the past 14 years, and is currently at The Tilt, an education site for content creators.
Previously, at the Content Marketing Institute, she found her passion to build and lead amazing teams because of the commitment of the staff at CMI. Pam also helped to create Content Marketing World, an event where over 3,500 marketers come together annually to learn and network with the best and brightest.
Pam's background is in social work, and she is raising two children, one with autism, so the opportunity to start and direct this nonprofit is a dream come true. She has been a key leader in the CMI Golf for Autism the past 15 years and a champion for many other nonprofit organizations.
Kristin Erbacher
Board Chair
Kristin Erbacher is a Managing Director within the Middle Market Commercial Risk practice of Aon. Kristin has over 30 years of experience in the insurance industry with a focus in client service and brokerage for mid-size to large property and casualty clients.
Kristin obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration/Finance from Cleveland State University.
She is a four-year participant of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day, and a Team In Training participant in the Rite-Aid Cleveland Marathon, 2010-2011, Columbus Marathon 2018.
Kristin, and her husband Bryan reside in Avon, Ohio, with their daughter Addison.
Michael Balzano
Board Member
Michael Balzano has been a B2B Media Publisher and Sales Manager since 1997, representing International Media providers BNP Media, Penton Media, Advanstar Communications, and others utilizing e-media, content marketing strategies, and conference and expo sales management in multiple industries.
He also has created, managed, or helped fundraise for more than 60 charity and/or golf events, benefiting the American Cancer Society, National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC), and many other nonprofit organizations.
A graduate of Kent State University, Mike and his wife Darlene currently split their time between his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, and Naples, Florida.
Jacqueline Columbro, CCC-SLP
Board Member
Jacqueline Columbro is a speech-language pathologist licensed by the state of Ohio and holds a Clinical Certificate of Competence from the American-Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She earned her Bachelor’s degree at Ohio University in Hearing Speech and Language Sciences and her Master’s degree from the University of Akron in Speech-Language Pathology.
Jackie has past experience providing speech therapy in various settings including summer day camp for children who have special learning needs, head start, high school and school-aged children and home health care for adults. She has seven plus years of experience and currently works in multiple skilled nursing facilities and a rehabilitation hospital.
Born and raised in Westlake Ohio, Jackie loves anything and everything Cleveland related. She likes to stay active and enjoys Crossfit, kickboxing, and traveling in her free time. You can always find her running 5K races for charitable causes all around the greater Cleveland area.
Jeff Gargas
Board Member
Jeff Gargas is the COO and Co-founder of the Teach Better Team (Creators of www.teachbetter.com, The Grid Method, and Teach Further) and co-author of the book, “Teach Better.” He works with educators to increase student engagement and improve student success. He also offers 1-on-1 coaching for teachers who have a product or idea they want to share with others to better education.
Prior to co-founding Teach Better, Jeff was the owner of ENI Multimedia, an online marketing firm, where he worked with entrepreneurs and small businesses, assisting them with web design, social media, content marketing, and brand awareness.
Prior to all of this, Jeff was an adjunctive professor at Kent State University and spent 10+ years in the music industry. He has spoken at conferences around the country, and has successfully promoted more than 500 events and launched 7 businesses in a variety of industries.
Jeff is passionate about music, and enjoys spending time with his family as often as possible.
Dr. Monica Gordon Pershey, Ed.D., CCC-SLP
Board Member
Dr. Gordon Pershey is a Professor in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department at Cleveland State University. She is licensed by the state of Ohio as a speech-language pathologist and holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Dana Gore
Board Member
Dana Gore is a Vice President of Employee Health & Benefits at Marsh McLennan Agency. Dana offers innovative ideas and solutions to assist employers in achieving both their insurance goals and overall business vision. She focuses on long-term strategic plans to help clients contain claims costs while providing top level employee health and benefits plans.
Dana is from the West side of North Eastern Ohio and currently resides in downtown Cleveland. She is an active volunteer in Cleveland and currently is the Associate Board Chair of the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation. Dana is honored to be a part of The Orange Effect Foundation, committed to improving the lives of those in need of speech therapy services and looks forward to continuing to make a positive impact in the community.
Lindsay Hanzlik
Board Member
Lindsay is honored to serve as a committed board member of the Orange Effect Foundation, driven by a deep-rooted passion for advocating for those without a voice. With a decade-long journey in leading content marketing, she has steered content strategies for esteemed global organizations within the SaaS, CPG, and legal sectors, blending strategic insight with creative flair.
Lindsay’s commitment to OEF’s cause comes from her personal experience of being blessed with a son who has Speech Apraxia. The lessons learned from her son’s time with talented speech, occupational, and physical therapists have fueled her desire to advocate for children with speech disorders.
Outside of her profession, Lindsay is a writer, weaving narratives through poetry, nonfiction, and fiction. Her love of words and exposure to alternative forms of communication underscores her belief in the transformative power of language. She believes wholeheartedly that every person deserves an opportunity to have a voice.
As a graduate of UNC with a degree in Marketing and Writing, Lindsay continues to leverage her expertise as a marketer and creative. She desires to utilize her experience to tell her and others’ stories to spread awareness for children who otherwise would not be heard.
Today, Lindsay resides in Colorado with her husband and three sons.
Tom Leskovec
Board Member
Tom has spent over 20 years in various clinical and research settings. He began as an Applied Behavioral Therapist for the Ohio Board of MR/DD, which not only sparked his passion for clinical research, but solidified his strong belief in the effectiveness of early intervention for autism and speech disorders.
Upon graduating from Cleveland State University with his Master’s in Experimental Psychology, he began his next position as a Research Coordinator in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department at Case Western Reserve University. At Case Western, he managed their autism research program as well as clinical trials for many other childhood and adolescent behavioral and psychiatric diagnosis.
After Case Western, Tom spent eight years as a Senior Clinical Research Associate where he oversaw biotechnological and pharmaceutical clinical trials to ensure regulatory mandates and Good Clinical Practices were followed by both clinical research sites and sponsors of clinical research. Tom currently works on the pharmaceutical sponsor side of clinical research where he aids in the clinical operations oversight of novel treatment options for rare neurological conditions.
Elisabeth Logan
Board Member
Elisabeth Logan is a 42-year+ broadcast industry professional with extensive experience in management, sales, event production, sponsorship development, and digital sales management. She got the radio bug at a young age, listening to Motown music on her transistor radio at night.
Currently in her ninth year as Director of Sales for Urban One Cleveland* (Radio One Division), Elisabeth has been an integral part of the company for 15 ½ years. In her role, she oversees a sales team tasked with achieving local and national revenue budgets by crafting effective advertising and integrated marketing campaigns for clients.
*Urban One/Radio One specializes in reaching the African American community.
While Elisabeth has worked entirely for broadcast corporations throughout her career, including a stint as a former WMMS Buzzard during the mid-'80s and again in the early 2000s, she is driven to make a difference and express her purpose by helping to reach and meet the needs of underserved people and communities.
On a personal level, Elisabeth dedicated twenty years to being her late mother's caregiver at home after she was diagnosed with MS late in life. This experience provided her with a keen understanding of the many challenges faced by caregivers, leading her to share some of her experiences by blogging to help other caregivers.
Residing in Mayfield Village with her two cats, Autumn and Tink, Elisabeth's interests span radio, reading, learning French, traveling, music, spending time with friends, hiking, and strength training.
As a board member of the Orange Effect Foundation, Elisabeth is most enthusiastic about contributing to fundraising efforts and making a positive impact on children in need of speech therapy and technological assistance to find their voice. She firmly believes that everyone deserves to have their voice heard.
Melissa Meehan, CCC-SLP
Board Member
Melissa Meehan is a Speech-Language Pathologist licensed by the state of Ohio and holds a Clinical Certificate of Competence-CCC from the American-Speech-Language-
Melissa earned a Bachelor of Science from Ohio University and a Master of Arts from University of Cincinnati, both in Speech-Language Pathology. Melissa resides in Lakewood, Ohio with her husband, Kevin, where they have raised their three children. She is an active volunteer for many community events and presently chairs the Keep Lakewood Beautiful organization.
Alisha Noterman
Board Member
Alisha Magilei-Noterman co-founded Dynamic Therapy Solutions in 2001, growing it into a leader in Speech/AAC/AT across three locations. With a career beginning in 1996 and holding an Assistive Technology Certificate from CSUN Northridge, she is dedicated to enhancing communication for individuals with disabilities. Beyond her practice, Alisha launched Educate4.com for professional development and co-founded the CAMA (Communication Always Matters All Ways) AAC Conference and Project Build A Door to further support AAC users and professionals. As a Tony Robbins Platinum Partner, she's committed to impactful business and advocating for competence presumption. Residing in Oxnard Beach, CA, Alisha balances her professional passion with personal joys, including family, snowboarding, yoga, and music.
Don Pflug
Board Member
Don Pflug is the Senior Vice President of Operations for King Koil Mattress Company. In his role, he is responsible for the end-to-end supply chain functions within the company including Safety, Quality, Manufacturing, and Logistics. Don has over 35 years of operations and manufacturing experience and is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt.
Don has past experience in fundraising and supporting numerous organizations such as City of Hope, the American Cancer Society, the National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC).
Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Don obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Managerial Economics from Marietta College and currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife Joanne.
Craig Coffey
Board Member Emeritus
Craig Coffey is the content strategy and marketing manager for Eaton’s Brightlayer digital office offering. Is this role, he is responsible for developing content strategy, global messaging, and integrated marketing communications efforts. He is a 20-plus year veteran of B2B marketing with experience in the publishing, manufacturing, engineering and professional services industries. Prior to joining Eaton, his resume includes stints at blue chip brands including Lincoln Electric, Parker Hannifin and the Caterpillar dealer network.
Doreen Kukral
Program Manager
Doreen Kukral is Program Manager for the Orange Effect Foundation. She left a professional career in marketing and advertising to dedicate 20+ years to raising her children and getting involved with every educational board, PTA, committee, and boosters group possible. During that time, Doreen used her skills to benefit her own kids and all the kids around them, by enhancing their education and/or activity through leadership, fundraising, program coordination, and special events. She's proud to be a part of OEF and continue to play a roll in positively impacting the lives of children.
Doreen and her husband, Jim, reside in Seven Hills, Ohio, with their kids, Hailey & Jayce.
