The YES! Columbus Executive Board is compromised of young professionals in our community who have a passion for empowering others through service, professional development, and networking.
All elected Board Members are required to complete a Board Member Application and be voted on to the Board through a majority vote.
Makyla Zimmerman | President | YWCA Columbus
Makyla (she/her/hers) is a Human Resources Generalist at the YWCA Columbus. In this role, she works to create an environment where employees are excited to come to work and help to continue their development. She has a passion for helping others, which has led her to becoming involved with Dress for Success and YES! Columbus. After meeting other ladies in this organization and attending the volunteer events, she could not wait for an opportunity to become more involved. In her free time, you can find her taking a class at System of Strength(SOS), traveling or reading a great thriller/mystery!
Brenna Bartlett | Past President | Ohio Department of Education
Brenna Bartlett (she/her) serves as an Assistant Director in the Office of Career-Technical Education at the Ohio Department of Education, overseeing work-based learning and workforce equity initiatives for the state of Ohio. Born and raised in Cincinnati, OH, Brenna attended Northern Kentucky University where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in Public Administration. Upon graduating, Brenna served as the Special Projects Coordinator for Dress for Success Cincinnati and developed a lifelong passion for the mission of women’s empowerment. Now a full-time resident of Columbus with her husband Ryan and their dog Bobbie Dylan, Brenna has served on the YES Executive Board since 2019.
Jessica Meadows | President – Elect | Tailored Management
Jess Meadows (she/her/hers) is a professional with over 10 years of experience growing, coaching and leading high achieving and diverse teams. She is a Director of Program Management and Development at Tailored Management, and is responsible for the development and success of a portfolio of programs while serving as a dedicated leader to her team and the organization.
Jess is passionate about serving her community and has volunteered with Dress for Success and YES! Columbus for 6 years and is eager to serve on the board again in 2023. In her free time she enjoys being a dog mom to Chip and Olive, checking out all of the best patios in town, live music and is an American Coaster Enthusiast.
Jenn Chao | Secretary-Treasurer | SERS Ohio
Jenn Chao (she/her/hers) is a certified digital marketing professional with over 11 years of experience in digital communications and social media management in the public sector.
Jenn is passionate about helping her community, volunteering with several groups in the Central Ohio area. She is honored to continue serving on the YES Board in 2023 and helping to further the mission of Dress for Success in supporting women in Columbus.
A proud Taiwanese American, Jenn is a self-described foodie who enjoys traveling, photography, yoga, running, and exploring different events around the city.
Arianny Damian | Communications Chair | Thompson Building Associates
Arianny Damian (she/her/hers) is a business development and marketing professional, currently building relationships to help restore the lives of Ohioans. She is the Director of Business Development for Thompson Building Associates (TBA), a local and family-owned restoration firm rebuilding property and restoring lives since 1978. In this role, she fosters connections throughout the community that link TBA with home and business owners who have experienced loss due to fire, water, mold, or wind claims.
Arianny has an impassioned desire for helping the community outside of her profession, serving in a number of associations and organizations in Columbus. A self-proclaimed professional relationship broker, a long time focus of hers has been aligning women with resources and other professionals to reach their goals. This is what fuels her excitement in contributing to the YES! Columbus executive board. In her free time, Arianny is usually building sculptures or painting in The 42o8 art studio, the multi-media collective she founded with her brother and best friends.
Allison Gavin | Programming | Coldwell Banker Realty
Allison Gavin is a local residential Realtor serving both buyers and sellers all over central Ohio. She absolutely loves her job and really thrives on making connections with people and helping them elevate their lives.
Once she realized her passion for helping the community, she decided to expand this into charity work as well. Her first volunteering event was a suiting session and she immediately fell in love! Allison has been actively involved with YES! And Dress for Success since 2019 but is excited to contribute even more by serving on the YES! Board in 2023.
In her free time she’s either hanging out with family and friends, probably trying out a new restaurant/brewery, or working on home improvement projects at her new house.
Teah Ojeda | Advocacy | Tailored Management
Teah Ojeda, a native of Cleveland, OH, earned her master’s degree in Human Resource Management from Indiana Wesleyan University. About 6 years ago, she and her husband Miguel relocated to Columbus, OH where they set out on their journey to launch the Faith City Church; a thriving ministry that is still impacting families and their surrounding communities today.
In her professional career, Teah serves as a Supervisor in the HR department at Tailored Management, a local staffing & recruiting firm. In this role, she leads a team of professionals to provide world-class HR service and support to nearly 2,000 external associates across the United States. Though Teah aspires to continue impacting the HR Space, she is also passionate about empowering women to discover and realize their purpose and potential, which is why serving as the advocacy chair for 2023 will be the highlight of her year.
In her free time, if she is not gallivanting around the city with her hubs and two littles, you can find her crocheting at a local coffee shop, working out at orange theory or indulging in photography related shenanigans.
Ashley VanDyke | Signature Events Chair | CDDC
Ashley (she/her/hers) is responsible for managing more than 200 events at the John F. Wolfe Columbus Commons park each year. Before joining the CDDC team, Ashley helped organize events for multi-million-dollar organizations in both the private and nonprofit sectors. She has experience coordinating large-scale community events, corporate banquets, and weddings, as well as marketing events, partnering with community business organizations across the state of Ohio.
Over the past decade, she has volunteered at several Central Ohio nonprofits, most notably, as a professional suiting lead at Dress for Success Columbus, after falling in love with their vision and mission. During her free time, Ashley loves activities that allow her to experience art, food, culture, and connection.
