SE Region Fall School Finance Workshop 2024-2025

Bethany Nelson is a Senior Audit Manager in the Southeast Region with the Ohio Auditor of State and currently covers the counties of Guernsey, Muskingum and Perry. She has over 13 years of experience performing and managing government audits across the State. 

Jennifer is a Managing Principal and Portfolio Manager at RedTree Investment Group. She has been in the investment industry for over 20 years with a primary focus on the fixed income markets. For nearly 15 years, her experience has been centered around developing fixed income investment strategies for public entities, in particular for Ohio Schools. At RedTree, she is responsible for the implementation of each client’s specific investment strategy and portfolio risk management.

Jennifer earned her undergraduate and MBA degrees in Finance from Xavier University.  She has received the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

Aaron Rausch is the Chief of Budget and School Funding at the Department of Education & Workforce (previously Ohio Department of Education), where he manages an agency budget of more than $17 billion and administers the state’s school funding program. In 2019, Aaron received the Dick Maxwell School Finance Award from the Buckeye Association of School Administrators. Prior to joining ODE in 2014, Aaron worked for the Ohio Office of Budget and Management as a budget analyst in the education section. Aaron started his career in state government as a performance auditor, focusing on school district performance audits at the Ohio Auditor of State's Office. Active in his community, Aaron serves as an advisory board member on the Columbus and Central Ohio Children’s Chorus Foundation, sings with the Choral Union at Capital University, and rides in Pelotonia every year. 

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.