Converge

Cynthia W. Turner is associate dean for access and student success at Fisher, where she leads college initiatives to improve student persistence, graduation, and career outcomes, while fostering meaningful community partnerships with alumni, corporate partners, and local organizations. She oversees the strategic direction and alignment of the Office of ACCESS and the Office of Career Management to support students from their first year through post-graduation success.

A frequent speaker, Cynthia draws on her expertise in accounting, generational dynamics, and building thriving cultures—both within organizations and across communities—to help leaders sharpen their skills, strengthen relationships, and create lasting impact.

Cynthia began her academic career at the University of Illinois at Urbana‑Champaign, serving for 17 years on the accountancy faculty, including as associate director of its undergraduate program. In 2013, she joined Fisher as a senior lecturer of accounting and developed the award‑winning Project THRIVE program, a student success initiative in the undergraduate accounting and management information systems department. Since joining Fisher’s leadership team in 2019, her strategic efforts have helped secure over $3 million in external funding for scholarships, launched a historic partnership with the City of Columbus to support pre‑collegiate programming for local high school students, and expanded alumni engagement opportunities, among other things.

Cynthia teaches in Fisher’s undergraduate, graduate, and executive education programs, and her research has been published in the Journal of Accounting Research and the International Journal of Accounting. Before entering academia, she was a practicing accountant with EY. Cynthia currently serves on the boards of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio, PatientPoint Foundation, Community Impact Council, and Women for Economic and Leadership Development. She is a member of the American Accounting Association, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the National Association of Black Accountants.

Angus Fletcher is a professor of story science at The Ohio State University Project Narrative and co-director of the Fisher Leadership Initiative. His research has been called “mind-blowing” by Malcolm Gladwell, “life-changing” by Brené Brown and has been endorsed by psychologists and neuroscientists such as Martin Seligman and Antonio Damasio. He is the author of the national bestseller Primal Intelligence and more than 100 articles and book chapters.

Angus holds a PhD from Yale, and his work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York Academy of Medicine and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In 2023, he was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for his “groundbreaking research” with classified U.S. Special Operations units.

Elizabeth Martinez is the president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio (BBBSCO), the largest agency within the statewide network. She leads the organization’s mission to empower young people through mentoring and innovative educational initiatives, including hands‑on environmental programming at Camp Oty’Okwa. Under her leadership, BBBSCO continues to expand its social impact, helping youth build the skills and confidence needed to thrive. 

With more than 20 years of leadership experience, Elizabeth brings deep expertise in strategic planning, fundraising, business development and organizational management. She is known for her transformational leadership style, fostering staff development, strengthening organizational culture and driving sustainable growth across youth development and education sectors. A certified executive coach, Elizabeth advises senior leaders navigating complex challenges, offering strategic insight on governance, decision‑making and stakeholder engagement. Her impact has earned her recognition as one of the most admired executives in Central Ohio by Columbus Business First’s C-Suite Awards, CEO of the Year by Columbus CEO magazine and one of the top national Latino leaders by the National Diversity Council. 

Elizabeth holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and is bilingual in English and Spanish. She remains an active community leader, serving on the boards of the Franklin County Human Services Chamber, Franklin County Children Services and United Way of Central Ohio. 

Interim CEO of CoreNet Global, Jeri Ballard leads a nonprofit association representing nearly 10,000 members in 50 countries responsible for real estate assets of large corporations. She spearheads the organization’s mission to advance corporate real estate through professional development opportunities, publications, research, conferences and networking in 45 local chapters.

Before joining CoreNet Global, Jeri served as executive vice president of Real Estate, Business Operations Centres and Corporate Travel for Shell. She led a global team responsible for delivering $1 billion annually in real estate and facilities management and spent much of her Shell career based in the Netherlands. She began her career with Westinghouse Electric and has held management positions with Asea Brown Boveri (ABB) and Dynegy Inc. 

Jeri has been recognized as one of the top 15 women in real estate by Corporate Real Estate Women (CREW) and as Corporate Real Estate Professional of the Year in Houston by CorNet. She serves on Fisher’s Alumni Board and the advisory board of ArtLifting, representing artists with disabilities. She also holds an MBA from the University of Connecticut. 

Jeri is married, has a daughter and enjoys photography, scuba diving and flying as a single‑engine instrument‑rated pilot.

Recognized by Advertising Age as one of the “100 Most Influential Women in Advertising History,” Nancy Kramer has spent a lifetime as an entrepreneur in marketing and technology. 

She founded Resource in 1981 with seed funding from Apple Computer, growing it into a 375‑associate digital marketing leader known for industry firsts — from creating Apple’s earliest interactive retail experience to launching one of the internet’s first live‑streaming events for Victoria’s Secret, as well as producing two iconic Super Bowl commercials. She has been featured in CNN, CNBC, Fortune, Time, USA Today, Advertising Age and more. Her company earned numerous awards and honors, including Clios, National ADDYs and recognition as the Best Place to Work from The Wall Street Journal.

After IBM acquired Resource in 2016, she became a Lead Partner focused on C‑suite client relationships and IBM’s cultural transformation. She serves on the boards of Root Insurance and M/I Homes, is a trustee at the Wexner Center for the Arts and a former chair of The Columbus Foundation. A longtime civic leader and advocate for LGBTQ rights and women’s reproductive freedom, Nancy and her husband, Christopher Celeste, have six adult children and 11 grandchildren.

Benjamin Campbell is a professor of management and human resources at Fisher College of Business. He received a PhD in economics from UC-Berkeley and has an undergraduate degree in mathematics from the Ohio State University.

Ben teaches managerial economics throughout and has been named the “Outstanding Full-Time MBA Core Professor” in 2010, 2012 and 2013, the “Outstanding Working Professional MBA Core Professor” in 2011, 2014, 2015, and 2018, the “Outstanding EMBA Core Professor” in 2021, and the “BRIGHT MBA Outstanding Professor” in 2018. He was the recipient of the 2011 Pace Setters Westerbeck Graduate Teaching Award and was nominated for the 2013 Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching.

Ben’s research explores the boundary conditions of mechanisms that limit the mobility of human capital to established and entrepreneurial firms and thus adds to the understanding of the role of human capital in creating and sustaining competitive advantage in dynamic environments. His research has appeared in outlets including Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Strategic Management Journal, Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, Management Science, Journal of Management, Journal of Management Studies, Industrial Relations, and Industrial and Labor Relations Review.  His research has been named the runner-up for the 2014 INFORMS-Industry Studies Association Best Paper Prize and the runner-up for the 2009 Best Conference Paper at the Strategic Management Society.

Jeffrey Voorhees is a senior data and technology executive who has built a career transforming data, analytics and AI organizations into engines of financial growth for Fortune 500 companies. He currently serves as vice president of technology strategy and innovation at TruStage Insurance, where he leads enterprise technology strategy, AI and innovation in driving the organization’s financial performance and strategic outcomes.
 
Previously, Jeffrey built award-winning data and AI organizations at Bread Financial, pioneering the use of generative and agentic AI in financial services. He also served as chief data officer at Truist, shepherding the organization through one of the largest mergers in U.S. financial services history. Earlier roles include senior leadership positions at Hertz and Nationwide Insurance.
 
Known for combining systems thinking with pragmatic execution, Jeffrey helps organizations translate complex data and technology environments into sustained strategic advantage. His work has earned multiple patents and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review and MIT Technology Review.

Nancy Dawes is a recognized serial innovator, known for her transformative work with Procter & Gamble’s Olay, Pringles and Head & Shoulders brands. She was instrumental in creating today’s multi-billion dollar, anti-wrinkle “masstige” skin care category, turning a declining Olay brand into a $2.5 billion powerhouse. 

Leading global teams, Nancy employed design thinking principles to create consumer-preferred, anti-aging skin care products that measurably improved skin health and appearance and enabled pricing that led to holistic business wins for P&G. Her work on Olay Total Effects and Olay Regenerist consistently reframed challenges, advanced proprietary materials and delivered breakthrough packaging and product innovations that built enduring brand equity.

Her achievements have earned her recognition as one of P&G’s most elite scientists and engineers (Vic Mills society) and The Ohio State University College of Engineering’s 2021 Benjamin Lamme Medal for Meritorious Achievement in Engineering. 

After 38 years at P&G, Nancy leverages her innovation experience as a trainer and consultant. She also serves as president of Buckeye Engineering Women in Executive Leadership (BEWEL), leading a community of executive-leader alumni who advocate for women in the College of Engineering. She earned her degree in chemical engineering from Ohio State in 1981.

Whitney Mantonya is a senior lecturer in the Department of Operations and Business Analytics at Fisher, where she teaches operations, undergraduate electives and in the Master of Business Operational Excellence program. 

Whitney also serves as a mentor for the Pathways to Supply Chain program and teaches in multiple Executive Education programs. Prior to joining Ohio State, Whitney worked with organizations as a leader and consultant to empower organizations including Mount Carmel Health System, Cardinal Health and Nationwide Insurance to empower people and achieve extraordinary results through Operational Excellence.

Whitney earned her BS in Business Administration from The Ohio State University and a MBA from the Baker College Center of Graduate Studies.

Srini Koushik has spent his career at the edge of what’s next — building, scaling and transforming businesses with technology. An AI expert and practitioner and one of Channel Insider’s Top 50 AI Leaders, Srini has more than 35 years of C-Level executive experience leading AI innovation at Fortune 500 organizations. His vast executive experience includes serving as president of AI and Sustainability at Rackspace Technology; president and CEO at NTT Research; SVP, CIO and CTO at Nationwide; and managing principle and distinguished engineer, e-business services at IBM. 

He was inducted into the CIO Hall of Fame, named CIO of the Year three times and twice named CTO of the year. He holds two patents and is the author or co-author of numerous articles.  Leveraging his expertise in innovation, digital transformation and enterprise modernization, he ensures Fisher’s programs deliver actionable AI insights for leaders. 

Kathy Kahn empowers individuals and families to take charge of their wealth at every stage of life. With a passion for guiding clients toward financial confidence, she works closely with professionals and business owners on investments, trust and estate planning, banking and lending, and philanthropic strategies. She emphasizes education and collaboration, ensuring every client feels heard, respected and supported.

Her three decades in a private family office have shaped her deep understanding of intergenerational wealth, legacy planning and the unique challenges successful families face. Today, she draws on that experience to help clients transform complex financial decisions into clear, manageable paths forward.

A significant portion of her practice focuses on women navigating major life transitions, where empathy and thoughtful guidance are essential. She serves on the boards of Dress for Success and Jewish Family Services and holds a leadership role with Morgan Stanley Columbus Women in Wealth. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, cooking and spending time with her husband, two daughters and close friends.

Matt Sheridan is a senior lecturer in the Department of Finance. Prior to joining Fisher, Matt worked as a financial market data consultant at Bloomberg, LP’s headquarters in New York.  He consulted with hedge funds, banks, insurance companies, pension funds and endowments to leverage market data to make informed and profitable investment decisions. Matt also has institutional investment experience, working as a Corporate Credit Analyst and Portfolio Manager at Cincinnati Financial. Matt is a member of the CFA Institute and has earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Matt received the Max M. Fisher Faculty Eminence Award in 2017 and the Daniel Westerbeck Undergraduate Pacesetter Award for Teaching Excellence in 2016.  

Chris Phillips is vice president and general manager of Geo and Education at Google. He leads Google's worldwide portfolio of geospatial and mapping products, technology, and business, including Google Maps, Google Earth, Google Street View, Google Maps Platform and Waze. 

Under Chris’ leadership, the team is transforming the future of maps for its active community of more than 2 billion users and creating more immersive visual experiences for consumers, developers, enterprises, automakers and cities. He also oversees the product and go-to-market strategy for Google’s full suite of education products offered to students, educators and institutions worldwide, including Google Classroom.

Before joining Google, Chris was the chief product and technology officer and executive vice president at SiriusXM and Pandora, where he led the product, engineering and technology delivery. He has also held leadership roles at Amazon, Intuit, Workspeed and Accenture. 

Jana Croom is the chief financial officer for Kimball Electronics, a global electronics manufacturing company. She drives strategic focus and prioritization, balancing customer, employee and investor expectations. A trusted leader with more than 20 years of strategy, finance, operations, regulatory and transformation experience, she describes herself as a people champion who understands that financial success is human-centered. 

Jana serves on the board of directors for First Energy, a Midwest electric utility, where she sits on the Audit and Corporate Governance, Corporate Responsibility and Political Oversight committees. 

She is a member of Diligent’s 50 under 50 Next Generation Board Leaders, Russell Reynolds’ Black CFO roundtable, the Manufacturers Alliance’s CFO Council and is an executive sponsor of the Manufacturers Alliance Women’s Leadership Council. Jana also was part of the inaugural class of the McKinsey & Co. Black Executive Leadership Program (BELP). She is passionate about advancing the next generation of finance leaders, with a specific lens for diversity, and is involved in many company-sponsored and external development programs. 

Jana holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from The College of Wooster.

Terry L. Esper is a logistics and supply chain management researcher, educator and change agent. Terry's research has been published in top-tier academic journals and industry outlets, and shared through academic conferences, symposiums, and roundtables. He regularly contributes his research-based insights to several media outlets, including Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, NPR, BBC World News, CNBC, USA Today, Sirius XM Radio, several local newspapers, blogs and podcasts, and he has a featured TedX Talk. 

Terry is a member of The Ohio State University Faculty Council and University Senate. He also serves on various committees within the Department of Marketing and Logistics, and contributes to Fisher via a number of committee appointments and special project teams.

In addition to his full-time academic activities, Terry also serves as an adjunct faculty content expert for the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business CIMBA Italy Program. He also maintains global academic engagement, having served on faculty at the University of Verona (Italy), as a key faculty liaison with Universidad Santa Maria de Antigua (Panama) and ESSEC Business School (France), and as a faculty leader for study abroad programs to Panama.

Terry has published his research on strategic SCM topics in leading academic and managerial outlets. His work combines logistics and marketing concepts to investigate how firms can leverage supply chain and logistics operations to differentiate themselves in their competitive marketplaces. Topical themes of his research include studies on supply chain strategy, relationship management, customer service, online retail, leadership, and corporate culture. Terry is also senior editor for the Journal of Business Logistics, and associate editor for the Journal of Supply Chain Management.