Advocacy Brown Bag Series: Quick Tips for Preparing Testimony

Ryan Pendleton is the Treasurer/CFO of Akron Public Schools where he oversees a budget of more than $500 million in public funds.  Ryan is dedicated to serving the community, in particular the students of Akron Public Schools.  He is very active in state and federal issues concerning education and the potential impact on the students of Ohio.  Ryan is a Leadership Akron Class 32 graduate and serves as the Legislative Chair and Northeast Region Director for OASBO (Ohio Association of School Business Officials).  Prior to working at Akron Public Schools, Ryan was the Treasurer/CFO of Barberton City Schools for nine years and worked previously as a financial advisor. 

Jenni Logan is the Treasurer/CFO of Sycamore Community City Schools. Prior to this, she was the treasurer/CFO at District Lakota Local School District January 2011 to August 2022.  Before that she was a Director in the Public Finance Department of Robert W. Baird & Co.  Ms. Logan has over 20 years of experience serving school districts in Ohio, which include an ESC, JVSD, CSD, LSD and an EVSD.  She has been involved with several state committees for OASBO and served the organization as its state president in 2005-06.    

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.

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.     

Mr. Brown has established himself as a successful leader in a high-achieving school district. As an instructional leader, Mr. Brown motivates people to do what is best for students, leveraging his instructional leadership to utilize best practices that increase student achievement. He is known as a collaborative leader who genuinely values positive partnerships with staff and community.

Mr. Brown came to Granville from Olentangy Local Schools, where he served in a successful progression of roles, including assistant principal, principal, executive director of elementary learning and interim superintendent. Prior to becoming a school administrator, Mr. Brown was a third grade teacher in the Gahanna-Jefferson Schools and a K-5 Special Education teacher in the Berea Schools.

Jeff Brown earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from the University of Dayton, and a Master of Arts degree in Educational Administration from The Ohio State University. He holds educational licensure for special education, elementary education, elementary principal and superintendent.

Mr. Brown is “first and foremost – a dad and husband” to wife Niki and children Emilee and Lillian. Mr. Brown’s favorite pastimes include spending time outdoors, hiking, skiing, playing golf, hockey and basketball, and of course, he is a Buckeye fan.