Board of Directors

Linda Berger

Linda Berger is the PR chairperson for the Interfaith Hospitality Network board. She is responsible for media relations and speakers’ bureau to insure that the agency's mission is conveyed to the community in a timely and positive manner with the help of the PR committee. Linda became involved with Interfaith Hospitality Network through a request for a dinner to be made for the one of hosting. She was hooked after this and took on a more active role as a coordinator. She is presently a stay-at-home mom with many duties and various other volunteer commitments. She has been in Cincinnati for 5 years with her family including 2 guinea pigs. Linda loves cooking, golf, reading and travel. With strengths in fundraising combined with the PR position she hopes to contribute much to Interfaith Hospitality Network and its goals. ↑ Return to Top

Jeff Bucher

Jeff Bucher is Interfaith Hospitality Network Treasurer. Jeff is a CPA and has over 20 years of experience in accounting and auditing for multi-national companies. Jeff and his wife Carolyn have two children and live in Mt. Lookout. ↑ Return to Top

Michael Davis

Michael Davis began his affiliation with Interfaith Hospitality Network when asked to prepare a meal for a guest hosting. That interaction with Interfaith Hospitality Network guests led to a commitment to work to strengthen Interfaith Hospitality Network. Michael serves on the Congregational Relations Committee with a goal to broaden the involvement of congregations in the City. He is the proud father of three daughters. In his spare time, he enjoying cooking, gardening, music and movies. ↑ Return to Top

Marjorie Fox

Marjorie Fox joined the University of Cincinnati faculty in 1989. Since January 2010 she has been head of the Electronic Media Division which is part of the College Conservatory of Music (CCM). Prior to joining UC, Marjorie spent 13 years in television news in Peoria, IL and with WMAQ-TV Chicago. She worked for four years in the 1980s as a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker. She is a graduate of Hanover College and has a master's in journalism from Northwester University. Marjorie is single and lives in Hyde Park. She is a member of Christ Church Cathedral. She volunteers for IHN during the cathedral's host weeks.

In addition to her responsibilities at UC, Marjorie enjoys walking, working out, reading, and attending classical concerts and operas. She is a member of the board of directors of Cincinnati Public Radio. ↑ Return to Top

Beth Gottfried

Beth Gottfried enthusiastically joined the Interfaith Hospitality Network board in late 2008 serving to chair the Speakers’ Bureau. In this capacity, she is responsible for providing speakers to conduct outreach, to congregations and public interest groups to educate the community on the function of Interfaith Hospitality Network. Through this outreach congregations have been able to recruit additional volunteers, stay engaged and educated on the vision and daily happenings at Interfaith Hospitality Network.

Beth attends Hyde Park Community United Methodist Church and volunteers as an overnight host throughout the year during their hosting weeks with Interfaith Hospitality Network. She is currently the Economic Development Manager for the City of Mason. Previously Beth was a project manager for new model development at Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America. In a community service capacity, she previously served on the board of Give Back Cincinnati, the Corporate Guild of Dress for Success, led the Freedom Project and developed a grant process for young professionals through a project named Ignite. ↑ Return to Top

David Knoll

David Knoll was privileged to join the Interfaith Hospitality Network Board in early 2009. He is a cradle Episcopalian, born and raised in Cincinnati, a graduate of Hanover College in Indiana, and a veteran of the Vietnam War. After leaving the Army he worked with the Social Security Administration for over thirty years, retiring in 2004 as a Field Representative. His job as a Field Rep gave him a rude introduction to the problem of homelessness in Cincinnati. For the past thirteen years he has been the primary coordinator for Interfaith Hospitality Network at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer. Since 2002 he has served on the Board of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, including several years as Co-Chair. David is very service oriented and he is excited about the opportunity to continue to work toward the eradication of homelessness. He is married to Patricia Lynch-Knoll, PhD, and a Professor of Communications at Thomas More College. ↑ Return to Top

Laura Warren

Laura Warren currently serves as President of the Board of Interfaith Hospitality Network. Laura previously served as Secretary of the Board and Chair of the Personnel Committee. She joined the Board in 2002, after receiving an email from an associate (really her mother-in-law who was on the Interfaith Hospitality Network Board at the time) advertising the need for a board member with a legal background to join the board of a non-profit, interfaith network serving the homeless.  That was all it took for Laura.  It was a great “ad,” and without more than a phone call, she signed up!

Laura received her JD and MBA from Ohio State and practiced with the Cincinnati law firm of Keating, Muething & Klekamp, P.L.L, for 14 years as an attorney in the firm’s business and finance departments.  Now, Laura is using her legal contacts in her work as a recruiter with the company Baldwin Gilman.

Laura is a member of Hyde Park Community United Methodist Church and enjoys teaching the “Tweens” Sunday school class.  She lives in Hyde Park with her husband, Dave, and four children. ↑ Return to Top

Betsy Wones

Betsy Wones joins the IHN board this year to serve as co-chair of the Congregational Relations Committee. She’ll be continuing the committee’s mission to engage congregations in the IHN ministry as host or support congregations and to provide mentoring to current IHN congregations.

Not a new face to IHN, Betsy was employed as IHN’s Volunteer Coordinator for 3 ½ years, from early 2007 to August 2010. In that capacity, she came to know, appreciate and enjoy IHN’s coordinators and many volunteers and congregations.

She is a long-time member of IHN host congregation First Unitarian Church, where she worked previously as Director of Religious Education, recruiting and training volunteers for the Preschool through High School Sunday educational programs. Her volunteer work at First Unitarian has included serving on the board, chairing several committees and service to IHN. She’s also been an active volunteer in the community and Cincinnati Public Schools while raising 5 children. She currently participates in canine-rescue operations and enjoys her grandson, reading, trivia contests, and music in the form of singing, dancing or playing the drumset.

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Staff

Eve Beasley

Eve Beasley, our Shelter Case Manager, has served in the social service field for over 30 years, and at Interfaith Hospitality Network GC since 2000. As our resident expert on case management and collaboration, she explains that her drive for helping others comes from the thought of making even the smallest difference in someone’s life, whether it be through a simple gesture such as a smile or by explaining how much she cares about someone who feels like no one does. Prior to joining Interfaith Hospitality Network of GC, Eve worked with the Urban Appalachian Council conducting home visits and helping to move families toward stability once their benefits were exhausted. Her experience and knowledge are staples to the success of Interfaith Hospitality Network GC.

Eve moved to Cincinnati in 1967 from her hometown of Hazard, KY. She currently resides in Price Hill with her husband Jeff. In her free time, she enjoys scrap booking, camping, and spending time with her family (five children and three grandchildren). ↑ Return to Top

Carole Gaskins

Carole Gaskins, our lead Bus Driver, has been with IHN since September of 2004.  Regardless of her lengthy commute, Carole has been a reliable source for the agency for the last few years.  When asked what keeps her at IHN she mentioned that she enjoys helping the families and making new friends.  When she is not toting families from the Day Center to the congregations and vice versa, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, especially her eight grand children.  She also loves to read.  In addition, Carole has maintained a job as a bus driver with Kenton County since 1988.  Carole and her husband of 36 years currently reside in Aurora, Indiana. ↑ Return to Top

Georgine Getty

Georgine Getty, the Executive Director of Interfaith Hospitality Network has served Interfaith Hospitality Network since 2009. Georgine’s background holds a wealth of experience in the area of homelessness. She previously held the position as the Executive Director of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless for six years. Prior to that she worked at First Step Home and also the Cincinnati Parks Foundation. She has degrees from the University of Cincinnati and the University of Northern Iowa. She is the recipient of many awards including Community Partner of the Year in ’07 from Tender Mercies and Executive Director of the Year in ‘07 from AIDS Volunteers of Cincinnati.  In 2005, City Beat named her “Coolest Advocate” and also “Best Fighter for the Homeless.”

We consider Georgine a perfect fit for Interfaith Hospitality Network,” said Carole Donnelly who headed up the search committee that recommended her to the board. “She is energetic, passionate about homelessness, a great communicator and a team player.”↑ Return to Top

Jeanne Haungs

Jeanne Haungs, Childcare Coordinator, joined the IHN staff September of 2010.  She comes to us with a Master's degree in Special Education.  For the past four years, she has worked as an Intervention Specialist in a public elementary school.  Before becoming a teacher, she volunteered at many organizations aroud Cincinnati.  She still volunteers at the Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired hosting a weekly radio show on Radio Reading Services.  Jeanne enjoys spending her free time with her husband, Chuck, a local actor, and their pug dog, Smalls.  She is very excited to be a part of the IHN family and looks forward to further developing the Childcare Program.

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 MerryBeth McKee

MerryBeth McKee, our Director of Operations, has been with Interfaith Hospitality Network GC since 2008. MerryBeth comes to us from the FreestoreFoodbank, where she worked for three and half years in capacity building for local grassroots nonprofit organizations. Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, she graduated from McDaniel College in 2003 with a degree in Social Work, after which she served in California as an AmeriCorps worker in a variety of direct service positions, including firefighter! Returning eastward after a year, she signed up for another AmeriCorps stint, this time at Cincinnati's FreestoreFoodbank, where she eventually became a fulltime employee. There, she helped train other local nonprofits to serve their clientele more efficiently by "building their capacity to serve." Through this experience of teaching others, she says she has learned a great deal about effectively working in and managing nonprofit organizations.

In her free time, MerryBeth attends NKU in pursuit of her Masters degree in Public Administration. She also serves on three young professional committees and trains for races around town. MerryBeth currently lives in Norwood, OH. ↑ Return to Top

Mary Phillips

Mary Phillips, our Facilities Manager, has been with Interfaith Hospitality Network GC since 2002. Mary works to keep the Day Center running smoothly and in order. She is also the welcoming warm smile that greets all new guest families as they enter the program. Her love for children is one of the reasons she enjoys working with the shelter. In addition, she appreciates the staff and their dedication to the mission of the agency. Before joining Interfaith Hospitality Network GC, Mary worked with the Chabad House as a Shelter Monitor. In her free time, she enjoys reading, cooking (she makes the best soup beans around), music, and spending time with family. Mary moved to Cincinnati 47 years ago from Meridian, MS.  She has two sons and currently resides in Roselawn. ↑ Return to Top

Beatrice Stringer

Beatrice Stringer, our Weekend Shelter Coordinator, has been with Interfaith Hospitality Network since April 2009. After transitioning from the mortgage industry, when asked what Beatrice enjoys about working with Interfaith Hospitality Network, she sites, “I’ve had the privilege to see first-hand how wonderful the program is. Interfaith Hospitality Network is a catalyst for social service and I love that about the program.”

In her free time she enjoys spending quality time with her son. She also enjoys reading and sewing. Beatrice comes from Hamilton, Ohio, and has been living in Cincinnati for 6 years. ↑ Return to Top

Ashley Tucker

Ashley Tucker, our Housing Retention Case Manager, has been with Interfaith Hospitality Network GC since 2008. Ashley comes to us with extensive experience working with families with multiple risk factors. Originally from Marietta, Ohio, she graduated from Malone College in 2001 with her bachelor of arts in youth ministry. Her internships included working with an inner-city church’s school-age program as well as Cornerstone Shelter and preschool in Chicago, IL. She came to the Greater Cincinnati area to work for the Salvation Army in Newport, KY, for 3 years as Youth Minister and then moved to her hometown to serve as Program Director at the Salvation Army. There she developed curriculum, recruited and trained volunteers, and implemented programming serving over 350 children and young adults. She went on to pursue a life goal of living and working in a national park at Glacier National Park, MT. She has since taught middle school students in West Virginia and finished her first year of her Masters in Social Work Program at Ohio State. As her research is congregational attendee involvement in social justice activities, she is enthusiastic to begin putting her studies to practice!↑ Return to Top

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