About Us - Board
Jodi Barnard brings to The Westcott House Foundation board two decades of experience as a senior fundraising executive having raised over $60 million for higher education, pediatric healthcare and performing arts sectors. Most recently, Barnard served as the Chief Development Officer to The Children’s Medical Center of Dayton where she provided strategic direction and leadership for identifying and funding the institution’s annual, capital and endowment priorities. Barnard managed a foundation staff of eleven towards goals in annual giving, major and planned gifts, corporate and foundation giving, and federal funding. She also guided data base management, prospect screening and identification, and donor relations activities. Her total philanthropic attainment reached over $34 million in her time at Dayton Children’s. Barnard holds Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and Business from DePauw University. She currently works for Qbase Inc. as the Vice President and General Manager for Higher Education and Nonprofit Markets.
Mark Chepp, The Westcott House Foundation board chairman, retired as Director Emeritus from the Springfield Museum of Art in December of 2006, after having served as the Museum's Director since 1991. The Museum houses a permanent collection of American art and an active fine arts school, and is accredited by the American Association of Museums. Between 1974 and 1991, Chepp served as Curator of Exhibitions and Collections at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Art Museum. His academic background includes an M.A. degree in art history, and an M.S. degree in studio art, both from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and a B.A. degree in studio art from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He has curated and written catalogs for numerous exhibitions of contemporary and historic art, regularly serves as a juror for state and regional exhibitions and is a grants reviewer for the Ohio Arts Council. He is also an accreditation Peer Reviewer for the American Association of Museums. Since January of 2007, Chepp has pursued a full-time career as a studio artist, an activity which he was able to enjoy only sporadically during the course of his 33-year museum career. Recently, his paintings have been exhibited at the Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition (2005, 2006) and at the Springfield Museum of Art (2005, 2006). He also has exhibitions tentatively scheduled in 2008 at Columbus' Keny Galleries and Shot Tower Gallery.
Glenn Collier is working to establish and maintain the Westcott House as a first-class attraction here in Springfield, one that is good for the community and, indeed, for all who visit. A partner in the local law firm of Martin, Browne, Hull and Harper, he is eager for the public to view the house as "a truly great restoration and preservation effort that is self-sufficient." Because Collier knows that "seeing is believing," he urges everyone to visit The Westcott House, thereby continuing its productive life. With degrees from Ohio Wesleyan and Cornell Universities, Collier serves on the boards of the Springfield Museum of Art, the Springfield Chamber of Commerce, the Springfield Foundation, Wittenberg University, and the Community Improvement Corporation.
Katherine Pridemore-Denney brings to The Westcott House Board more than twenty years of experience at marketing not-for-profit groups and small businesses. With a bachelor of science degree in communications and secondary education, she welcomes the personal and professional opportunity to be an early player "in identifying the ambitious goals and priorities of one of our region's greatest treasures." By working with other members of the Board, she looks forward to "the responsibility of insuring that tomorrow's legacy is even richer than that which we inherited." While ensuring fiscal responsibility, she wants to promote widespread public awareness of The Westcott House and grounds through diverse uses to honor "the century's greatest architect." For example, she can imagine the enthusiasm of young students, kindergarten through twelfth grade, working with photographic archives and history books as well as participating in workshops experiencing their local heritage. Because The Westcott House "offers important economic, social, and educational benefits not only for children," Pridemore-Denney, who is the executive director of Interface, a cultural economic development and creative firm, encourages the creative involvement of all individuals, businesses, and civic groups. She directs her other volunteer work toward the Dayton Philharmonic Marketing Advisory Committee and the Greater Dayton Humane Society.
Craig Dillon, a local architect, has the distinction of being the only Westcott House Foundation board member to have lived in the house itself. After graduating from The Ohio State University, Dillon joined an architectural firm in Toledo, Ohio, but shortly thereafter returned to Springfield, where he worked for another firm before establishing his own in 1995. During that time he resided in an apartment in The Westcott House, learning its architectural intricacies by combing every inch -- even the attic, he says. Despite the inconvenience of limited heating and plumbing facilities, Dillon enjoyed the ambience of the house and the "spirit" of Frank Lloyd Wright that seemed to permeate it. With more than nineteen years' experience in the architectural field, he now wants to share the house with the public as a venue for special events as well as a museum. Dillon is a member of the Board of Directors and current president of Springfield's Center City Association. He volunteers with Habitat for Humanity, the Tecumseh Council, and his church.
Debbie Hill, the board secretary, who has a background in concrete and construction materials together with a long-time interest in Frank Lloyd Wright, gives a unique perspective on the Westcott House board. Owner of Bryce Hill, Inc., an area business dealing in stone, concrete, and other building materials that was founded by her late father in 1934, Hill is eager to preserve the house because she believes that it "enhances and promotes interest in Springfield." With a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Bowling Green State University, she is a member of the boards of the Springfield Museum of Art, Urbana University, and the Ohio Ready Mixed Concrete Association.
Mike Major accepted membership on the Westcott House Board because it offered "a fine opportunity to work along with some highly talented and bright people on a great asset for the region." A professional bronze sculptor, he brings considerable experience to his position. His many sculptures include one of pioneer George Rogers Clark that now stands on Springfield's downtown esplanade. Major graduated from Ohio University with a Bachelor of Science degree; he also earned a master of fine arts degree from the Pratt Institute. He pioneered the visual arts program that brings practicing Ohio artists to the state's school children. Major wants to share The Westcott House "in a classy but cost-effective way." He encourages those interested in Frank Lloyd Wright to study the Westcott restoration. "Visits [to] this early Wright house can be especially interesting and informative because it was a seminal project for his spectacular architectural career," says Major. Major is a member of the Springfield Museum of Art Board of Directors and president of Main Street Urbana. He received the 2000 Ohioan citation for service to the State of Ohio in the arts.
Robert Kitchen is currently the Treasurer of the Westcott House Foundation board. Rob is a 2001 graduate of Bluffton College with his Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and Business Administration and a 2002 graduate from Wright State University with a Masters of Accountancy. He has worked extensively with all types of local government and nonprofit organizations. His experience includes accounting, auditing, agreed upon procedures and tax services. For the past five years he has worked with Ohio Housing Finance Agency and Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing to maintain compliance with applicable laws for a number of affordable housing projects.
Chris Schutte, a Springfield native, recently returned to the area following a ten-year stint as Managing Partner of Match on Hilton Head Island (SC). Schutte brings to the Westcott House Foundation board nearly twenty years of experience in the fields of marketing, branding, retail development and project management. He currently serves as Director of the Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau and President of the Board of Directors for Eyes Wide Open Worldwide. Schutte is a graduate of Miami University (OH) with a B.S. in Management & Communications. He is a Frank Lloyd Wright devotee, an avid collector of Arts & Crafts furniture and a member of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy. Schutte considers the Westcott House to be among the finest Wright sites in the country and is pleased to play a small part in its continued growth and long-term sustainability.