Meet Our Team

  • Forest Clevenger ┃ Executive Director

    forest@ohioriverway,org

    Forest is an avid paddler and cyclist dedicated to promoting holistic wellbeing for individuals, communities, and the environment through outdoor adventure. He joined the Ohio River Way team in 2023 after serving on political campaigns, including for Congressman Morgan McGarvey, and leading programming at summer camps serving youth from 41 countries. Moved by the suicide of a family friend, Forest led a volunteer campaign that spurred a now-annual mental health screening for 50,000 teens in Jefferson County Public Schools. He earned a BS in Political Science from the University of Louisville, studied at the University of Oxford, and is completing an MSc in Behavioral Science & Wellbeing at the London School of Economics. Forest is certified as an American Red Cross Waterfront Lifeguard and a NOLS Wilderness First Responder.

  • Jessica Baltzersen ┃ Communications Manager

    jessica@ohioriverway.org

    Jessica has over a decade of marketing and writing experience. She graduated from Northern Kentucky University with a Master's in English and is a board member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America. She’s a freelance journalist writing on topics about nature, outdoor recreation, and conservation. Jessica loves to hike, and take road trips along the Ohio River Scenic Byway. Her favorite place to sit and enjoy the Ohio River is at Fernbank Park on the west side of Cincinnati.

  • Frances Kern Mennone┃ Development Consultant

    fmennone@fbtlaw.com

    A seasoned leader with rich experience managing organizational stakeholders, Frances is recognized for strategically building ideas and developments of significance. She has a reputation for solving problems for large-scale projects that are challenging and complex and that involve numerous, often competing interests. She works tirelessly at building relationships and connecting project partners with the right entities to ensure success. Her passion runs deep and defines the way she approaches every project.

  • Sophie Ritzenthaler ┃ Administrative Assistant

    sophie@ohioriverway.org

    Sophie is passionate about conservation and adventure along the Ohio River Way and enjoys working behind the scenes to help make that happen. She recently graduated with a Master’s in International Commerce and Diplomacy from the University of Kentucky. She grew up in Louisville, KY boating and swimming in the Ohio River with goals of swimming an open water race on the Ohio one day. While she grew up in Louisville, her favorite spot to sit and watch the Ohio River was along the waterway in Madison, IN.

Our Board Members

Officers

  • Brewster Rhoads ┃ Chair

    Cincinnati, OH

  • Mary Allen ┃ Vice Chair

    New Richmond, OH

  • Mike Perleberg ┃ Vice Chair

    Bright, IN

  • Christy Noll ┃ Vice Chair

    Burlington, KY

  • Jody Robinson ┃ Secretary

    Bellevue, KY

  • Simon Foster ┃ Treasurer

    Cincinnati, OH

Members

  • oSha Cowley-Shireman

    Owsley Brown II Family Foundation

    Louisville, KY

  • Rick Greiwe

    America’s River Root

    Cincinnati, OH

  • Susan Griffin Ward

    Kentucky Waterways Alliance

    Louisville, KY

  • Kelly Hess

    Paddle Perry Inc.

    Cannelton, Indiana

  • Brandon James

    Ohio Department of Natural Resources

    Cincinnati, OH

  • Prasanthi Prasad

    Wilderness Louisville

    Louisville, KY

  • Nia Rivers

    Kentucky Division of Water

    Frankfort, KY

  • Susan Schneider

    River City Paddle Sports

    Louisville, KY

  • Annette Shumard

    Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission

    Cincinnati, OH

  • Joe Stelzer

    Ripley, OH

  • Noelle Szydlyk

    Indiana Destination Development Corporation

    Indianapolis, IN

  • Paul Tenkotte

    Ohio River Innovation Library and Learning Engagement

    Covington, KY

  • Wendi Waugh

    Portsmouth Connex

    Portsmouth, OH

  • David Wicks

    River City Paddle Sports

    Louisville, KY

  • Kenton Wooden

    Meta

    Jeffersonville, IN

  • Tanner Yess

    Groundwork Ohio River Valley

    Dayton, KY