Mansfield Board

Kelly Blay (Vice-Chair) joined the Mansfield Board in 2017 after 25 years of highly successful sales and operations experience in the telecommunication industry. She received the BS in Finance from The Ohio State University, Fisher College of Business and the MBA in Marketing from Bowling Green State University. She is currently a member of the faculty in the Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship in the College of Business at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. Kelly is a Faculty Advisor for Pi Sigma Epsilon, and an active community leader with a substantial record of board and volunteer service. She is a past winner of The Ohio State University’s Pacesetter Award and Buckeye Leadership Award, Wooster’s Chamber of Commerce Board of Director Award, the Governor’s Ohio Reads Award, a recipient of the YWCA’s Tribute to Women in Industry Award, and more.

Christopher Lake Brown Chris is the Deputy Law Director for his hometown, the City of Mansfield, Ohio. As a municipal government attorney, he sees a variety of state and local government law issues including §1983 claims, labor and employment disputes, public records law, zoning and planning, and real estate issues including transfers of city-owned land and foreclosures.

Chris is active in the ABA, Ohio State Bar Association, and his local bar association. He is currently Chair of the ABA Young Lawyers Division, a Past-Chair of the OSBA Young Lawyers Section, and Immediate Past-President of the Richland County Bar Association. He also serves in the ABA House of Delegates, the OSBA Board of Governors, and is active in the Ohio Municipal Attorneys Association. In 2016, he was awarded the ABA Section of State and Local Government Law’s Jefferson B. Fordham Up & Comer Award. Chris earned his B.A. in English from The Ohio State University and his J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law.

When he’s not practicing law, Chris can be found spending time reading and watching movies with his wife Rachel and their three dogs Bella, Birdee, and Carla. He also enjoys traveling and being outdoors running, hiking, and cycling. Chris is committed to public service and serves on the Board of Directors of the United Way of Richland County, Ohio and the Richland County OSU Alumni Association Board.

Renda Cline (Chair) is currently the President of the Mansfield City Schools Board of Education. She earned the Bachelor of Science in Allied Healthcare Management from Franklin University and is a Recovery Manager at CareStar. Some of her previous work experience includes work at Kindred Hospital Central Ohio, and as an Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education at North Central State College. She has a heart for service as evidenced by being a Girl Scout leader, Boy Scout den mother, past member of the Tyger Booster Club, PTO President, and currently Leader of Women of Destiny in addition to other service commitments to her church.

Nicholas Gesouras joined the Mansfield Board on July 1, 2018. A long-time area resident, he is the Senior Vice President of Trust Services at Mechanics Bank. Active in the community, he currently chairs the Richland County Board of Development Disabilities and the Mansfield-Richland Area Education Foundation, and serves on the boards of the Richland Area Chamber of Commerce, Raemelton Therapeutic Equestrian Center, and several more organizations. He holds the BSBA in Marketing and International Business and the MBA in Finance from Bowling Green State University, completing his education at the Graduate Trust School, at Northwestern University. A Certified Financial Services Counselor, he has also taught at Midwest Trust Schools.

Michele S. Gorman is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science in Education earned entirely at Ohio State Mansfield. Married with two children, she is co-founder of the Richland School of Academic Arts and currently serves as the school’s Principal. She explains, “I believe our greatest asset in our society is our children. I have dedicated my life to making sure that all children have the opportunity to receive an education filled with rigor, surrounded by the beauty of the arts, and taught by loving educators.” These values are strongly evident in her years of professional experience not only with the Richland School of Academic Arts but also with the Richland Academy and Discovery School. Her extensive community service includes serving on the Boards of the Miss Ohio Scholarship Program, the Children’s Theatre Foundation, Richland Academy, Pioneer Performing Arts Academy, and the Little Buckeye Children’s Museum. One of her personal accomplishments is earning her private pilot’s license in 2009.

James A Goudy II, M.D. began his first three-year term on the Mansfield Board in 2015. He is a graduate of Mt. Vernon High School and completed his undergraduate and graduate degrees at The Ohio State University. He served his residency at Riverside Methodist Hospital. Formerly Chief of Staff at Galion Community Hospital, he now serves as Chief Medical Officer at Avita Health System while continuing his practice at Galion Internal Medicine. He has been a proctor for Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants at Findley and Otterbein from 2000 to present. He is currently serving on the board’s Finance and Facilities Committee.

Samuel Ratvasky graduated Summa Cum Laude from Lutheran West High School in Rocky River, Ohio, and is enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology (BSET) program at Ohio State Mansfield. In addition to his courses here, he tutors algebra through calculus at the Conard Learning Center. He will graduate in the spring of 2025. From 2021 to present he owns and manages a small business that coordinates supplies and financing and researches products to assist in supply and demand for businesses. For over six years he managed eight employees in his lawn care business while still in high school. The winner of many awards in high school and at the state level, and a community service volunteer, Sam strives to graduate with an engineering degree and have considerable business experience to align with his degree.

Zoi Romanchuk, small business owner of PR Machine Works and Slick Automated Solutions, Inc., is serving her second three-year term on The Ohio State University Mansfield Board. She and husband, Mark, are long-time residents of this area. She holds the BA and MA in Slavic Languages and Literature from UCLA and has previous work experience as an International Admissions Officer at USC and as Senior Russian translator with the US Department of Defense. She is extremely active in workforce development activities on the local, state, and national levels. Just a few of her service commitments include being a member of the Ohio Manufacturer's Association, the Mansfield Military Affairs Group, Vice Chair of the Regional Manufacturing Coalition, national board member of Women in Manufacturing, and as past national Chair of the National OneVoice Manufacturing Government Affairs Committee. She is the past winner of the TWIN Award, and the Chamber Extraordinary Leadership Award, and is the 2020 ATHENA Leadership Award winner.