YES! Columbus is led by a group of young professional women from various employers, vocations and organizations around Columbus. Our board is responsible for recruiting new membership, hosting events, and fundraising to advance the mission of Dress for Success Columbus.
2020 YES! Columbus Board Members
Erin Hackett | President | Morgan Stanley
Erin Hackett is a financial advisor with The Fortis Group at Morgan Stanley. Her practice involves working with women and families to craft and implement financial plans to help them reach their lifestyle goals or plan for a major purchase or life event. She is a graduate of The Ohio State University with degrees in English and Political Science and a minor in Professional Writing and Communications. She is a member of various women’s clubs in Central Ohio and is an advocate for women’s issues, especially pertaining to women and their finances.
Meredith Carney | Vice President | Express
Meredith is the Director, Compensation for Express. She has over 15 years of experience in various roles in Compensation and Human Resources and has previously worked at Battelle and The Ohio State University. Meredith is a Certified Compensation Professional. She has her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from The Ohio State University and her Master’s of Labor and Human Resources from the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University. Meredith has served as the Vice President of YES! Columbus since 2018 and served as the Secretary in 2017. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, spending time with family and friends and rooting for the Buckeyes and all Cleveland sports teams.
Julia Grisdela | Immediate Past President | Deloitte
Julia joined the YES! Columbus Board in 2017 and will be serving as Immediate Past President after serving two years as President. In the prior year, she helped YES! to raise $20,000. She also served as the YES! Vice President and Development Chair. As a member of the Dress for Success Board of Directors, Julia is responsible for engaging young women in the community to join her in championing the mission of Dress for Success Columbus; to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.
In her professional life, Julia is a senior within the Deloitte Audit Project Management group in Columbus, Ohio. She graduated from the University of Findlay with a Bachelors in Accounting and Finance and from The Ohio State University with a Masters of Accounting. In addition to her service for Dress for Success, she is also very involved with the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University. Julia serves as a mentor to undergraduate students through the Fisher Alumni Undergraduate Mentor Program, a Fisher Alumni Board Member, and as an annual speaker for the MAcc Speaker Series. In her free time, she enjoys reading, working out and watching football.
Whitney Crews | Treasurer | JPMorgan Chase Bank
Whitney Crews is currently a Credit Specialist in the Consumer and Community Bank at JPMorgan Chase. She is one who believes in building up her community and empowering women. Whitney brings a high level of energy and dedication to any environment that she finds herself a part of. Her experience is in the finance industry with over twelve years of knowledge from residential mortgage to Private Banking and Commercial Lending and Risk. Whitney graduated with her BS degree in Finance from Franklin University in 2012 and is now poised to give of her time to leverage her talents, education, experience, and drive to further empower women in her community.
Brenna Bartlett | Secretary | Ohio Department of Education
Brenna Bartlett works as a Career-Technical Education Program Specialist for the Ohio Department of Education, overseeing programming and equity initiatives for at-risk populations. 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 fiancé Ryan and their dog Bobbie Dylan, Brenna also serves as Secretary of the Central Ohio Alumnae Association and National Assistant Recruitment Chairwoman for Theta Phi Alpha fraternity. In her free time, Brenna enjoys volunteering, traveling, and exploring the arts.
Molly Seguin | Events | COSI
Molly is excited to join the YES! Columbus Board for 2020 as the Events Co-Chair. Born and raised in Columbus, she received her Bachelor of Arts in psychology with minors in social work and gender studies from the University of Dayton in 2011.
Experienced in working for non-profits, Molly currently works for COSI-Center of Science and Industry, a nationally esteemed science center in Columbus as the Director of Volunteer Experiences. Working part-time for the Columbus Young Professionals Club (CYP Club) as an Event Coordinator, Molly has the opportunity to connect people to new professional and personal opportunities around Columbus because she truly believes Columbus and its residents have so much to offer. In her free time Molly enjoys spending time with her family and two yorkiepoo dogs Fred and Bob, as well as searching out the best brunch spots in the city!
Lauren Curto | Events | Bricker & Eckler, LLP
Lauren is the Litigation Support and Legal Technology Manager at corporate defense firm Bricker & Eckler, LLP. In her role, she provides in-house support to all legal departments in areas of e-Discovery, project management, processing, document review, document production, 3rd party subpoenas, trial preparation, trial support and over-all e-Discovery and pre-litigation strategy and implementation. Lauren is also responsible for the strategic administration and development of her firm’s legal technology tools which includes in-house privacy management software, global case management software and custom application development. Lauren received both her bachelor’s and law degree from The Ohio State University. In addition to YES! Lauren is involved in various women’s groups including Women Lawyers of Franklin County, Women’s Energy Network and is a Columbus ambassador for TheSkimm. In her spare time, Lauren is active in the triathlon community completing her first half ironman in 2019 and enjoys cooking and traveling with family and friends.
Brittany Savko | Programming | The Ohio State University
Brittany currently serves as Senior Program Coordinator, Alumni Relations in Undergraduate Admissions at The Ohio State University. In her role she coordinates alumni volunteer involvement in student recruitment efforts. Prior to this recent career change, Brittany supported varsity student-athletes in their personal and professional development through one-on-one meetings and impactful programming. Her experience working in life skills & career preparation – and desire to be more active in Columbus – led her to Dress For Success / YES!
This will be Brittany’s second year leading Programming on the YES! Board; she brings five years experience on the national board of directors for Delta Xi Phi Multicultural Sorority, Inc., where she most recently served as National Executive Vice President. Brittany credits her sorority membership for further developing her passions for women’s empowerment, friendship, and paying it forward, all of which she is glad to experience through the YES! community. Brittany is an active volunteer with Besa and serves as a leader on the University Staff Advisory Committee at Ohio State.
In her free time Brittany enjoys traveling, collecting records and comic books, searching for murals, and cheering on the Buckeyes. Raised in Columbus, she is proud to be a two-time Buckeye graduate (M.A. in Workforce Development and Education; B.A. in Anthropology & B.A. in Sociology).
Makyla Zimmerman | Programming | OhioHealth
Makyla is currently a Credentialed Trainer at OhioHealth. In this role, she supports the training and development of our new associates and continual education for any established associates. 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 running on the Olentangy Trails, traveling or at her monthly book club.
Breanna Johnson | Communications | J.P. Morgan Chase
I studied at the University of Akron and received my Bachelors degree in Organizational Supervision and Communications. I have grown very fond of my business degree that I desired to start my own company. In 2018, Melanin Mamaa Boutique was born. I started it wanting to let people know that they can look good and feel good all while looking great on a budget. I also work a full time job at J.P. Morgan Chase in their disputes department. When I am not busy with my business, at work or with friends and family. I tend to spend it with my Pomsky Zeke. He keeps my energy very high and he is a great little companion.
Alexis Jones | Communications | Diamond Hill Capital Management
Alexis works in marketing at Diamond Hill Capital Management, where she assists in promoting the company and its investment strategies. Alexis joined the YES! Columbus Board in 2019. Outside of YES, she is also involved with Women for Economic and Leadership Development (WELD) and the Columbus Museum of Art. Alexis holds a bachelor’s degree in History of Art from The Ohio State University. In her free time, she enjoys running, traveling, and trying new restaurants.
Jenn Cartmille | Communications | Director of Marketing, Greater Columbus Sports Commission
Jenn has a passion for enhancing an organization’s mission and supporting their goals through a thoughtful approach to marketing. Her current role at the Greater Columbus Sports Commission provides the opportunity to execute the organization’s business plan and establish brand-elevating and client-relevant marketing strategies. A professional with a decade of experience, Jenn oversees the Sports Commission’s digital and brand assets, content marketing and designs marketing plans for events such as the 2016 NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship and the 2018 NCAA Women’s Final Four, both resulting in strong attendance numbers and a positive image impact on Columbus as a sports destination.
A graduate of The Ohio State University, Jenn received her Bachelor of Arts in Strategic Communication in 2011 and her master’s degree in Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) from West Virginia University in 2017. Outside the office, you will find Jenn exploring all Columbus has to offer with her 10-pound dog, Gunner, and helping women in the community achieve their goals through volunteering and mentoring.
LaRae Carmon Keppen | Membership Development | Abercrombie and Fitch
LaRae is a Director of Merchandising at Abercrombie and Fitch. She has over 15 years of merchandising experience and has previously worked at Express. LaRae currently leads the girls merchandising team of Abercrombie Kids. She earned her bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University, where she was an active member of the Pi Beta Phi women’s fraternity. This is her first year as a YES! Columbus Board member, where she will engage as the co-chair of Membership Development. In addition to her involvement with YES!, LaRae served as a mentor in the Women2Women program of Dress for Success. She also acts as a volunteer in various opportunities provided through Besa. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, participating in philanthropic activities, and socializing with friends.
Morgan Poczekaj | Member at Large | M+A Architects
Morgan Poczekaj is currently a marketing coordinator at M+A Architects. A local architect firm in Columbus, Ohio, Morgan oversees the marketing needs for the private market sectors and the internal and digital marketing efforts. Serving on her first year of the Yes! Columbus Executive Board, Morgan is excited to help elevate the group by bringing fresh and new ideas to the board as a 2019 Member at Large.
As a young professional, Morgan holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Marketing from Otterbein University. Outside of work and volunteering, she enjoys horseback riding, thrifting, and trying new restaurants.
Mallory Sherer | Member at Large | Alliance Data
Mallory is a Department Operations Specialist at Alliance Data. Within her role, she manages the operations, communications, projects and expenses for the Client Services and Marketing department. She graduated from Ohio University with a degree in Communication and a minor in Marketing. She is a cast member of a local performing arts group, Vaud Villities. She is new to YES! but grew up volunteering with her mom at Dress for Success and is looking forward to continuing that tradition through her experience with YES!. During her free time, she enjoys reading, trying new restaurants, and doing anything outdoors with her husband, Alex, and Golden Retriever, Mac.
YES! Columbus Executive Board
The YES! Columbus Board consists of 17 members, including the above elected officers and appointed roles as well as a Dress for Success Liaison and the Immediate Past President (if available).
All elected Board Members are required to complete a Board Member Application and be voted on to the Board through majority vote.
The next board elections will be held in November 2020. If you have any questions, please email Jessica Bradbury, Dress for Success Columbus liaison at jessica@dfscmh.org
