Melody Sawyer Richardson, Chair Ms. Melody Sawyer Richardson is Director of the Commercial Real Estate Division at Comey & Shepherd City Office, where she specializes in the sale of unique and historic properties. Her mission is to bring people and businesses back to the urban core. After receiving a Master’s in Social Work from OSU, she went on to earn an MBA (Rutgers School of Management), and JD (Rutgers Law School). She is admitted to the bar in New York, New Jersey, Ohio and Kentucky. Previously an attorney with the Wall Street firm of Lord, Day Lord Barrett Smith, she subsequently served as Associate Counsel of Chase Manhattan Bank (NY) and then Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary of Bellemead Development Corporation. After returning to Cincinnati, she became Vice President & General Counsel of Cincinnati Arts Association. Ms. Richardson has chaired many events and served on many local and national boards including the Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors’ Bureau, Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Opera, SPCA, Tall Stacks, the International Sculpture Center, the U.S. Dept. of State Fine Arts Committee, and Vice Regent for George Washington’s home, Mt. Vernon, where she represents Ohio. A native Cincinnatian, she joined the SORTA Board in 2003 and was elected Chair in 2007 and re-elected in 2008.
William L. Mallory, Sr., Vice Chairman
Mr. Mallory serves on the Ohio Elections Commission and the board of the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati. He was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives for 28 years, retiring in 1994 with the record as the longest serving majority leader in Ohio's history and the longest serving Ohio House representative from Hamilton County. President Clinton appointed Mr. Mallory to the National Highway Safety Advisory Committee by President Carter and to the International Trade Advisory Committee. He has won numerous awards for his support of education, senior citizens, public transportation, mental health, and American Civil Liberties issues, including the Martin Luther King Dream Keeper Award. He is a graduate of Central State University and pursued post-graduate studies at Xavier University. He taught courses at the University of Cincinnati in state government and African-American politics for 25 years. A Cincinnati native and resident, Mr. Mallory is married and has six children. He joined the SORTA board in 2006 and was elected Vice Chairman in 2008.
Minette Cooper
Ms. Cooper has dedicated her life to helping children and her community grow and flourish. She is currently Chief Consultant at Cooper and Associates, where she advises candidates on campaign issues. She served as a Cincinnati City Council member from 1995-2003, holding positions including Vice Mayor, Finance Chair, Health and Human Services Committee Chair, and Economic Development Committee Chair. In 2006, she served as Senior Campaign Consultant for the Citizens for Pepper Committee. Cooper began her career as a kindergarten teacher in the Washington D.C. School System. She went on to become a Head Start teacher within the Montgomery County Public School System and the Community Action Agency. Other experience includes Office Manager at Taft Psychiatric Associates and Director of the Re-Entry Program for the Mental Health Association. Cooper received her Masters of Education at Xavier University in August 2008. She holds a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education from Howard University. She is the mother of three. Ms. Cooper joined SORTA in 2008.
Margaret C. Gutsell
Dr. Gutsell serves as executive director of the Inclusion Network, an organization committed to promoting and supporting efforts to include people with disabilities in the community. During her tenure at the non-profit, her expertise has helped businesses, organizations, schools, museums, and individuals to be more welcoming and inclusive to everyone. The governor appointed Dr. Gutsell to the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council, where she served two years as vice chair. She holds a B.A. in psychology from Michigan State University, an M.A. in rehabilitation counseling and an Ed.D. in special education from the University of Cincinnati with concentrations in human development counseling and administration. She has taught and published at the university level. She and her husband, Jeff, reside in College Hill. Dr. Gutsell joined the SORTA board in 2007.
Gregg Hothem
Mr. Hothem is a licensed Realtor and Cincinnati-area business leader and serves as the Warren County representative to the board. Hothem has successfully led several corporate restructurings resulting in significant revenue growth and profit gains. He currently serves as General Manager of Venture One Construction, Inc., a Cincinnati-based commercial construction firm specializing in retail new construction and remodeling along with governmental, educational and health care facilities. Hothem is focused on taking Venture One to world class status within its key markets, working with clients such as Wal Mart, Sears, Gordon Food Service and Ohio University, among others. Hothem attended Northern Michigan University and the University of Michigan and holds a B.A. in Accounting and Political Science. He is an active member of the Warren County Regional Planning Commission, the City of Loveland Finance Committee, Executive Service Corp and Habitat for Humanity. Hothem resides with his wife and two daughters in an 1876 restored Victorian home in Loveland. Mr. Hothem joined SORTA in 2009.
Edwin H. Humphrey
Mr. Humphrey is a lifelong resident of Miami Township and president of the Board of Clermont County Commissioners. He serves as the Clermont County representative to the SORTA board. Humphrey is the first vice president of the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments, and for the past 19 years, he has served as a Miami Township Trustee. He has been active in numerous community service positions, including volunteer firefighter/paramedic and chief of Miamiville Fire and EMS. Humphrey is retired from Procter & Gamble. He has worked as a computer consultant and trainer, and was the Executive Director of CART (Clermont Area Rural Transit) and CTC (Clermont Transportation Commission) between 1998 and 2000. He holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from the University of Cincinnati. He and his wife, Janice, have raised three children and are the proud grandparents of six. Mr. Humphrey joined the SORTA board in 2009.
Stephan Louis
Mr. Louis has been involved in selling and marketing innovative medical devices throughout the United States for over 25 years. A Cincinnatian for several years, he has been actively involved with his community council, OKI Regional Council of Governments, church and other community groups. Mr. Louis holds a B.S. degree in Electronics and Design from Eastern Kentucky University. He resides in Pleasant Ridge and has three adult children. Mr. Louis joined SORTA in 2003.
Christine L. Matacic
Ms. Matacic is a Liberty Township Trustee and serves as the Butler County representative to the SORTA board. Matacic has twice been elected to four-year terms as a Liberty Township Trustee and is serving in her eighth year. In addition to her elected position, she serves on a variety of boards and committees that include: Ohio Kentucky Indiana Regional Council of Governments (Past President and Co-Chair of the Freight Working Group); Ohio Township Association (CLOUT Executive Committee); Butler County Township Association (President); Butler County Regional Transit Authority Board (Chair of Communications and Outreach); West Chester Chamber Alliance Board; Southwest Regional Advisory Board; and Natural Resources Assistance Council, District 10 Public Works Integrating Committee. In 2008 and 2009, she was named to the Power 100 by Cincy Business Magazine. Matacic is a native of the Cincinnati area and a graduate of the University of Cincinnati with a degree in Business Administration. She and her husband, John, have been residents of Liberty Township for 28 years. They have two adult daughters. Ms. Matacic joined the SORTA board in 2009.
Sean Rugless
Mr. Rugless is President and C.E.O. for the Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky African American Chamber of Commerce and is responsible for cultivating strategic partnerships and alliances for the purpose of strengthening minority businesses and growing the business community as a whole. He maintains a balance between professional, civic, and social involvement. He is a Leadership Cincinnati and Cincinnati Business Courier Forty under 40 alumnus, a member of the Urban League's African-American Leadership Development Program and recognized as Who's Who in Black Cincinnati. Civically, Mr. Rugless is the Board Chairman for Emanuel Community Center in Over-the-Rhine, and serves on the Boards of the Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors Bureau, SORTA, Downtown Cincinnati Incorporated, and the United Way of Greater Cincinnati. Periodically he serves as an adjunct instructor at Cincinnati State. Through his experience in brand management at Procter & Gamble, combined with time spent as developing and leading a brand consultancy practice in Cincinnati, Ohio, Mr. Rugless facilitates strategy discussions with small businesses, has been cited in several national publications and has been interviewed on a NPR's weekly program "On the Money." He received his MBA in Marketing & Competitive Strategy from the University of Rochester's Simon School of Business. Mr. Rugless joined SORTA in 2008.
Douglas E. Sizemore
Mr. Sizemore is the Executive Secretary-Treasurer for the Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council. The oldest of seven children, Sizemore grew up in Hamilton, Ohio. After being a member of the Molders Union in Miamisburg, Ohio for nearly two years, he joined UAW Local 647 in 1979 when he was hired at the General Electric Company in Evendale, Ohio. In 1985, he joined the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local Lodge 912 and served as steward, chief steward, trustee, and delegate to the Ohio State Council of Machinists, and the Cincinnati AFL-CIO. He was appointed organizer for IAMAW District Lodge 34, became a Business Representative and was later elected Directing Business Representative. In 2003, Sizemore was appointed to be the Eastern Territory Education Representative for the Machinists Union. In 2006, he was elected to his current position as Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council. He is married to his wife, Leah, and they have two sons, William and Douglas. Mr. Sizemore joined the SORTA board in 2009.
James Tarbell
On City Council from 1998-2007, Mr. Tarbell served as vice mayor of the City of Cincinnati and the chair of City Council's Arts, Culture, Tourism and Marketing Committee. He has served as a member of the City Planning Commission, the Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission, and the OKI Regional Council of Governments. As chair of the Arts Committee, Mr. Tarbell was instrumental in providing City funding for the expansion of downtown arts venues. He started the Over-the-Rhine Arts District Homebuyers' Loan Program and is a champion for the redevelopment of the City's neighborhood business districts, including preservation and rehabilitation of the historic but blighted areas of the city. He founded the OTR Chamber of Commerce. In 1994, Mr. Tarbell received the Charles P. Taft Civic Gumption Award. He was honored as the OTR Chamber's Man of the Year and Cincinnati Magazine's "most trusted" civic activist. He has served on the boards of Downtown Cincinnati Inc., Emery Center, Taft Museum and May Festival. Mr. Tarbell enjoys being a Cincinnatian. He and his wife, Brenda, live in Over-The- Rhine. He has been a member of the SORTA board since 2007.
Lamont Taylor
Mr. Taylor is Employee Relations Representative for Frisch’s Inc./Golden Corral Franchise, responsible for employee relations and non-exempt recruitment for Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. He had previously worked for Federal Express and the Greater Cincinnati Urban League. Mr. Taylor serves as the vice president of Finance for the National Human Resource Association. He has been actively involved in community issues, as past president of the Corryville Community Council and board member for the Cincinnati Empowerment Zone, Cincinnati Works, and Corryville Community Development Corporation. He and his wife Erika reside in Walnut Hills with their two children, Evan and Rhyan. He joined the SORTA board in 2003.
