
WHO WE ARE

Our COO
Susan Jones
Star House COO
Our Team
Brianna Burks
Youth Advocate
Margaret DeLaurentis
Clinical Therapist
Sarah Douglas
Youth Advocate
Joshua Eblin
Youth Advocate
Camille Francis
Youth Advocate
Basilia Gonzale
Youth Advocate
Jill Gorz
Clinical Therapist
Beth Haas
Executive Assistant to CEO
Brittany Stricklen-Hillyard
Development Director
Naima Ilmi
Case Manager
David Kirkwood
Nutrition Manager
Virgie Lee
Youth Advocate
Cheyenne Lenhart
Social Services Coordinator
Chad Margo
Operations Manager
Samuel Masters
Special Projects Manager
Elizabeth Moody
Drop-in Services Manager
Louis Morgan
Youth Advocate
Denise Nembhard
HR Consultant
Kshama Parekh
Youth Advocate
Alonso Porte
Youth Advocate
Shaniqua (Shug) Price
Youth Advocate
Denise Richardson
Youth Advocate
Demetrius Richardson
Youth Advocate
Schauntarah Robinson
Youth Advocate
Taylor Ruh
Receptionist
Calvin Washington
Youth Advocate
Kathryn Weaver
Case Manager
Mariah Willis
Youth Advocate
Madison Yoder
Communications and Grant Manager
Youth Advocate
Our Founder
Natasha Slesnick, PhD
Natasha founded Star House in October 2006. She is committed to ending homelessness and its associated problems among one of the most vulnerable and underserved populations in our country (homeless youth). She has been working with homeless youth since 1998. After opening a drop-in center for homeless youth in Albuquerque, NM, she moved to Columbus, OH and because of a gap in services in Columbus, opened her second drop-in center. She is a Professor of Human Development and Family Science and is Associate Chair for Research in the Department of Human Sciences at The Ohio State University. She has over 60 peer reviewed publications, book chapters, and a sole authored book focused primarily on interventions for homeless youth and families. She has consulted with multiple organizations on the best strategies for intervening in youth homelessness, and has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health to conduct randomized clinical trials to end homelessness and its associated problems among youth and families.
Our Board of Trustees *Effective September 1, 2019
Virginia Barney
City of Upper Arlington (Retired)
Phil Baum, Treasurer
Grange Insurance
Vice President, Chief Actuary
Alycia Broz
Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP
Partner
Natalie Furniss
Nationwide Insurance
Senior Vice President, Property and Casualty
Mary Lou Hittle, Secretary
Independent
Kimberly James
Schneider Downs
Shareholder
Kelly Kelleher
Nationwide Children's Hospital & Ohio State University
Meg Kelley
White Castle
Matt McClellan, Vice Chair
Miles-McClellan Construction Company
President
Terry O'Connell
Time Warner Cable (Retired)
Melinda Swan
The Collective Genius
CEO
Bill Walker, Chair
Huntington Bank
Senior Vice President,
Committee Members *Effective September 1, 2019
Laurie Aquilina
Independent
Clarke Billard
Stephanie Chester
Mimi Dane
Independent
Helen Eisenberg
Josh Fitzwater
Holden x Ellis
Rhonda Fraas
Independent
Joe Gernert
Independent
Kate Harkin
Independent
Janet Jackson
Independent
Antwane Martin
Independent
Doug McCoard
Independent
Theresa Saelim
PNC
Laure Schoedinger
Independent
Deanna Springs
CoverMyMeds
Whitney Thompson
Independent
Mike Valley
Eastwind Capital Wealth Management
Scot Zajic
Brian Zuercher
Hopewell