Advocacy Brown Bag Series: Ohio Budget Cycle - Preparing for the Next Biennium Budget

Mike Sobul is a Senior Analytics Advisor with Frontline Education (formerly Forecast5 Analytics), a national company with over 2,000 clients that provides public sector business intelligence software, consulting, and support services to school districts, higher education institutions and local governments. 

Prior to joining Forecast5, Mike was the CFO/Treasurer of the Granville schools from November 2011 through May 2019 and a consultant with Public Finance Resources from April 2012 until its merger with Forecast5 in May of 2019. 

Mike served as the Section Chief for Forecasting and Special Projects at the Tax Analysis Division of the Ohio Department of Taxation.  He was with the Department of Taxation from December 1986 until his retirement in July 2011.

Prior to joining the Department of Taxation, Mike served for two and one-half years as research associate at the Urban Center at Cleveland State University and two years as a budget analyst for the city of Cleveland. 

Over the past 30 years, Mike has contributed to school funding reform efforts in the Voinovich, Taft, and Strickland administrations.  He also has worked closely with the Cupp-Patterson workgroup since its inception in November 2017.

Mike received his B.A. from Wittenberg University and his Masters of Public Policy from the University of Michigan.  

Dr. Erik Roush has been with Columbus City Schools since July 2013, and he has served as lead in Policy and Government Affairs since January 2015.  In this capacity, he is responsible for advocating on behalf of the district before local, state, and federal authorities. Dr. Roush is also responsible for the district's internal policies and administrative guidelines. 

Dr. Roush currently holds a School Business Manager's license. Dr. Roush holds a Bachelor’s in Political Science and a Master’s in Public Administration from Ohio University and a Ph.D. in Education Policy and Leadership from the Ohio State University.

Dr. Kevin Miller was a public educator for 36 years. He was an English teacher and principal at Wayne Trace Jr./Sr. High School before becoming Superintendent of Hicksville Village Schools in Defiance County. While at Hicksville, Dr. Miller worked with the community on the design and construction of a new Pre-K through 12 school building. During his tenure there, Hicksville Schools were rated “Excellent with Distinction” by the Ohio Department of Education and received national recognition from the Southern Regional Education board as a “High Schools That Work” Pacesetter School.   

Dr. Miller served as superintendent of Ottawa Hills Schools from 2010 to 2019. Ottawa Hills Schools are considered among the very best in Ohio and the nation. In 2015, Ottawa Hills became the first district in Ohio to earn all A’s on its district and building Local Report Cards issued by the Ohio Department of Education. The district repeated that feat in 2016, ’17, ’18, and ‘19—the only school district in Ohio to do so. Ottawa Hills has received statewide and national recognition by Forbes, US News and World Report, Newsweek, the Washington Post, and the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

On August 1, 2019, Dr. Miller became the Director of Governmental Relations for the Buckeye Association of School Administrators (BASA). In that position, he lobbies on behalf of public school districts across Ohio and serves as a liaison between the Statehouse and Ohio’s superintendents.   

Dr. Miller lives in New Albany with his wife, Carla, and their four sons: Yale, Collin, Breckin, and Sterling.     

Katie Johnson is the Executive Director of the Ohio Association of School Business Officials. Katie is the seventh Executive Director and the first woman to lead the organization since its inception in 1936.

Katie was the Deputy Executive Director for OASBO prior to being named Executive Director. In that role, she served as legislative lead and in-house legal counsel for the association, keeping staff and members abreast of legal and regulatory compliance issues in school business. In addition, she has served as the chief learning officer, developing curriculum to support OASBO’s strategic plan and the Ohio school business profession.

Katie also serves on boards and committees focused on public finance, including serving as a member on the Finance and Appropriations Committee for Columbus City School District, as Treasurer of the Confluence Community Authority, and as past President of the Ohio Chapter of Women in Public Finance.

Katie holds a bachelor's degree in Business Finance from the University of Colorado, a master’s degree in Education from The Ohio State University, and a law degree from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.