Northwest Ohio Human Resource Association

Holly Newcomer , CEBS, SHRM-CP

Holly currently serves as Senior Health Care Consultant at BCBS of Michigan serving the Auto, Key and Large & National Accounts advising on employee benefits health care use, cost and spend analysis, data analytics, employee education, financial trend, disease managment, wellness initiatives, market solutions, high cost claims reporting and executive summaries. Holly is an active licensed Life, Health, Accident, Property and Casualty insurance agent in Ohio, Mighigan and Indiana. As well, she currently holds her SHRM-CP Certification through the Society for Human Resource Management, and CEBS Designated from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. She is a graduate from the University of Toledo with a Bachelor of Education and alumni member. 

Heather Mallette

Heather Mallette is the Director of Human Resources at Envelope Mart/HOT Graphics in Northwood, Ohio. She receieved her B.A from University of Toledo in human resources and a minor in business law. Mrs. Mallette spent over twenty-years in Toleds as a career HR professional in a variety of positions. She volunteers at the school her children attend and an ethusiastic Rockets fan. 

Heather Mallette currently resides in Toledo with her husband Doug, and two children. She can be contacted at malletteheather@gmail.com. 

Anita Santus

Currently serving as the Senior Human Resource Manager for Jones-Hamilton Co., a Chemical Manufacturing company in Maumee, Ohio, Anita Santus plays a pivotal role in shaping and executing comprehensive HR strategy that aligns with the organization’s objectives. Anita spearheads innovative health, wellness, compensation, performance management, and employee engagement strategies that create tangible and enduring benefits for the company.

A strong believer in the transformative power of positive thinking, Anita excels at turning workplace challenges into opportunities. At the heart of her professional and personal philosophy is the art of cultivating relationships, recognizing that they are the cornerstone of enduring success. She finds joy in mentoring emerging professionals, guiding them to unlock their full potential.

Anita is a proud alumna of the University of Toledo, holding a Bachelor's degree in Human Resource Management. Her commitment to excellence in HR is underscored by her attainment of the prestigious SHRM-CP certification, a testament to her dedication and expertise.

Outside of work, Anita finds joy in simple pleasures—savoring delicious food, playing games, and cherishing moments with her family. An adventurer at heart, Anita has a passion for travel, drawing inspiration from the beauty of diverse cultures and landscapes. In both her professional and personal life, Anita Santus exudes positivity, a commitment to excellence, and an enduring enthusiasm for exploration.

Sara Caris , SHRM-CP

Sara Caris is the HR Specialist at the Rudolph Libbe Group in Walbridge, Ohio. Her role focuses on assisting hiring managers with their recruiting needs, and creating an effective and personable onboarding experience for new hires. Sara received her B.B.A from the University of Akron with a major in human resources and minor in finance. She spent the first few years of her career handling the day-to-day HR functions at a food production company. 

When she's not at work. Sara is an active volunteer with the Wood County 4-H Program where she volunteers at 4-H Camp, advises a 4-H Club, and is the Vice President of the Wood County 4-H Committee.

Sara can be contacted at sara.caris@rlgbuilds.com

Emily Lewallen , PHR

Emily Lewallen, PHR has been volunteering her time on the NOHRA board since 2017.  Currently, she is the Director of Corporate HR at Owens Corning. Emily joined OC in October of 2021 after spending 6 years with SSOE supporting international HR operations. She is a proud lifelong resident of Toledo and received her undergrad and graduate degrees from the University of Toledo.

Nadia Lewis , SHRM-CP

Nadia Lewis is the Assistant Vice President for Human Resources at Tiffin University in Tiffin, Ohio. She received her B.A. from University of Cincinnati in International Business and her Masters of Science in Organization Leadership with a focus in Human Resource Management.  Nadia Lewis spent nine-years in Toledo, Ohio as a career HR professional in a variety of industries from higher-education, to global staffing, and in healthcare before returning to her passion in higher-education.  She is a certified facilitator in Bridges out of Poverty and Fierce Conversations.  Helping to train company’s in the opportunities that exist to maximize the various pathways in creating a culture of engagement, is also a true joy for her. 

Nadia Lewis currently resides in Maumee, Ohio with her husband Kevin and their two boys KJ (6) and Camden (3). She can be contacted at lewisna@tiffin.edu.

Nancy DISBROW

Over the past 20+ years, Nancy has led Human Resources Teams within multiple industries with Organizational Development as her primary focus. Over the past two years, she has followed her passion to help organizations embrace and celebrate Neurodiversity within the Workplace. 

For many years, she was a part of the HR community in the Northwest Ohio area and is now able to give back She would love the opportunity to help support and develop the next generation of HR leaders within the area. She has found tremendous value in professional networking organizations, such as NORHA, as the foundation for building peer relationships and partnerships. She believes HR professionals could now use a peer network and support system more than ever!

Kendallyn Jacobs , aPHR, SHRM-CP

Kendallyn Jacobs is an HR Operations Supervisor with the Rudolph Libbe Group and has been with the organization for over 6 years. Within this role, Kendallyn‘s primary responsibilities are day-to-day team management, HRIS maintenance, project management, and recruitment. She graduated from BGSU with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management (Go falcons!). She holds an aPHR and SHRM-CP certification and has been a member of the NOHRA board since June 2020. Kendallyn was honorably named NOHRA’s Emerging HR Professional of the Year in 2021.

Kendallyn is very involved within the community. She volunteers to frequently help UT and BGSU students with mock interviews and resume critiques and serves as a facilitator for the NOHRA SHRM certification prep group study sessions. She is also a United Way of Greater Toledo Campaign Manager Hall of Fame Inductee for her campaign efforts at the Rudolph Libbe Group.

Kendallyn has an extremely unique and fun hobby, drag racing! Yes, she has been racing dragsters since she was just 9 years old. Kendallyn lives in Maumee, with her fiancé - a Project Manager at GEM Inc., part of the Rudolph Libbe Group. She has 2 dogs that she absolutely adores, Chevy (Golden Retriever) and Gus (Golden Retriever-Shepherd mix).

Being in HR is Kendallyn’s absolute dream career. She has a passion for helping others and making an associate’s overall employment experience positive and enjoyable. Kendallyn was honored to serve as NOHRA President in 2024.

Drew Peterson , MBA, PHR

Drew Peterson, PHR, MBA, is completing her third year on the NOHRA board as the Arrangements Chair. Drew has been with WorkSpring since 2021 and in her role as an HR Consultant, she works closely with customers to deliver ongoing HR support, and project-based services including handbooks, audits, training, compensation, and other HR solutions.

She proudly earned both her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, specializing in Marketing, Management, and International Business, and her Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Bowling Green State University. In 2023, Drew was the recipient of the "Emerging HR Professional of the Year" award.

You can usually find Drew with a camera in hand trying to capture every moment. She also is an avid reader, runner, and Trader Joe's enthusiast. Her favorite way to travel is by visiting new national parks around the US.   

Jaclyn Sawasky

Jaclyn joined SSOE Group in 2021 as a Human Resources Generalist. She began her career working in human resources in 2018 at Syncreon, a third-party logistics provider in the automotive industry. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Marketing with a minor in Journalism from Madonna University. She also obtained her MBA from Wayne State University. In 2023, Jaclyn earned her SHRM-CP.

Jaclyn currently resides in Toledo, Ohio with her fiancé and two dogs. She enjoys trying new recipes, travelling and cheering on the Detroit Lions.

Nadia Lewis , SHRM-CP

Nadia Lewis is the Assistant Vice President for Human Resources at Tiffin University in Tiffin, Ohio. She received her B.A. from University of Cincinnati in International Business and her Masters of Science in Organization Leadership with a focus in Human Resource Management.  Nadia Lewis spent nine-years in Toledo, Ohio as a career HR professional in a variety of industries from higher-education, to global staffing, and in healthcare before returning to her passion in higher-education.  She is a certified facilitator in Bridges out of Poverty and Fierce Conversations.  Helping to train company’s in the opportunities that exist to maximize the various pathways in creating a culture of engagement, is also a true joy for her. 

Nadia Lewis currently resides in Maumee, Ohio with her husband Kevin and their two boys KJ (6) and Camden (3). She can be contacted at lewisna@tiffin.edu.

Princeton Bryson , SHRM-CP

Jim Yates , SPHR, SHRM-SCP

Jill Kopanis , SPHR, SHRM-SCP

Kelsey Sager

Michelle Willard

Michelle has over 30 years of experience in the insurance and employee benefits industry. Over her years in the business, she has served in roles that include senior level client service, executive leadership and benefits consulting. Michelle’s primary responsibility at Hylant includes growth and retention of a book of business in a fast-evolving industry. 

Michelle’s client includes Libbey Glass LLC; Ohio Virtual Academy (K12); Sanoh America, Inc. and Roki America Co., Ltd. 

Michelle has served as a board member of the Northwest Ohio Human Resource Association (NOHRA) for over seven years and is a member of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Findlay Area Human Resource Association (FAHRA). Additionally, she has also served on the Toledo Human Resource Association Conference (THRAC) committee for many years.

Denise Dahl

Denise/ Epiphany Planning and Development brings to market over thirty years of experience working in and with governments, businesses, educational institutions, and nonprofits helping people and organizations thrive through economic and workforce engagement and development.

Ms. Dahl, happily engages with clients ranging from community colleges to Fortune 100 companies as well as start-ups, with a focus on increasing return on investment (ROI) through engaging employees and/or businesses in growth and development, utilizing strategic planning and/or training. Additionally, Ms. Dahl is/has been a professor at three universities teaching International Business, American Government, Public Administration, and Nonprofit Leadership. She has also created university curriculum on numerous topics.

Elisha Rank

Elisha is currently serving as the Manager, Human Resources Business Partner for Libbey Glass in downtown Toledo, Ohio supporting the Commercial function. In addition to her HRBP duties, Elisha is actively involved in Libbey’s community partnerships. Elisha is an alumna of Bowling Green State University (holding a bachelor’s in film & media business) and Capella University (holding a master’s in human resource management). In addition to her current role with Libbey Glass, Elisha holds the Student Relations Chair position with NOHRA and this is her first year on the board!

Outside of work, Elisha is a huge sports fan; particularly football (Ohio State and Steelers)! You can catch Elisha, her husband, and their daughter watching football any chance they can. Elisha and her husband are also avid volleyball players throughout the Spring, Summer, and Fall months. Elisha and her best friend, Alyson Binkley, run a food Instagram page to highlight the amazing restaurants and opportunities that Toledo has to offer (rankandbinkthefoodies). It’s turned into a great way to get involved with the city and share their love with its citizens! Elisha is a self-proclaimed pop culture enthusiast and jumps at the chance to join in on trivia at your local bar or restaurant, or watching the latest movies or tv shows.

Andrew Kelleher , GBA

Andrew Kelleher is an Employee Benefits Consultant with Hylant in Toledo, Ohio. His main focus is helping to empower financial and human resource executives with strategic employee benefit solutions.

In his time at Hylant,  Andrew completed his Group Benefits Associate (GBA) designation from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans and earned the Group Benefits Disability Specialist designation (GBDS) from the National Underwriting Company.

Before joining Hylant, Andrew received his bachelors in 2013 from Miami University in business marketing. He then served 6 years with a non-profit organization named CRU in Oxford, OH.

Andrew currently lives in Perrysburg, OH with his wife Megan and three daughters.

Gail Ritchie , SHRM-SCP

Gail Ritchie is a Human Resources Director for the Rudolph Libbe Group in Walbridge, Ohio. She received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Organizational Development from the University of Toledo. Gail began her HR career at EY in 1997 and her role took her to Nashville, TN in 2005. That’s where she developed her passion for country music and good BBQ!

Family ties beckoned her home in 2011 and before joining the Rudolph Libbe Group in 2016, she spent five years at Findley/USI as an HR Manager. She received her SHRM Senior Certified Professional designation in 2015 and has served on the THRAC committee, as NOHRA Communications Chair, Board Secretary, President-Elect, President 2023, Past President 2024, and now heads up the Workforce Development committee. She was honored to be the recipient of the Northwest Ohio Human Resources Association HR Professional of the Year award in 2020.

Gail currently resides in Oregon, OH with her husband Mike and their mini-Dachshund Jaxson. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and watching college football (Go IRISH!). She can be contacted at Gail.Ritchie@RLGbuilds.com.

Kelsey Sager