Posted on Tuesday, January 7th, 2025
The Cleveland Zoological Society is proud to welcome our new Board of Directors class!
Joining our dedicated Board in 2025 are: Alexandra Cottam, W. Todd Lawrence, A. Malachi Mixon, John Ramsey, Stacey Schrantz Reid, Eric Smith, and Gareth Vaughan. The Board of Directors is the governing body of the nonprofit Cleveland Zoo Society. These new Directors bring with them a wealth of expertise and enthusiasm, and we look forward to seeing how they help drive our mission to raise philanthropic dollars in support of Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Read more about our new Board of Directors members below.
Aly serves as Cohen & Company’s Partner in Charge of risk and quality management and leader of the Risk Management Council. She is a frequent presenter on regulatory developments, the implementation of new accounting, auditing and other technical standards, and consulting on the role of investment advisers and boards in those efforts. She is a member of the AICPA’s Center for Audit Quality Professional Practice Executive Committee. Aly lives in Avon Lake, Ohio, with her husband, Chris, and their two sons.
An experienced executive with a record of achievement, Todd Lawrence is President of Risk International where he oversees client delivery, operations and strategy execution. Todd earned his undergraduate degree in International Political Economy from The Colorado College and his MBA from the University of Michigan. He was born and raised in the Cleveland area and currently resides in Shaker Heights with his wife, Melissa, and their two teenage children.
Ki is a Partner at Resilience Capital Partners. His responsibilities include acquisition searches, negotiations, due diligence, financing and operational oversight of portfolio companies. He serves on the boards of directors for several Resilience portfolio companies and is also a Director for Air Enterprises, Inc. Ki received his undergraduate degree in History from Wittenberg University, and his MBA from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. Ki and his wife, Tasha, live in Cleveland Heights. They have two grown daughters.
As Partner at Kohrman, Jackson & Krantz LLP, Co-Chair of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group and Chair of the Family Law Practice Group, John brings extensive skill and experience to his clients. He mentors law students in mock trial teams at his alma mater, the University of Akron School of Law. He previously co-chaired the Family Law Section of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association. John and his wife Joanne live in Bath with their three children.
Stacey’s extensive background in sales and marketing includes roles with Le Creuset, Calphalon, and All-Clad Cookware, where she was Vice President of Sales. In 2008, she guided a specialty food start-up in reaching $18M in five years. Currently, she is CEO and President of Your Product Sherpa, a product management agency. She is the Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Ed Keating Center. Stacey earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Cincinnati, and completed her MBA from Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. She and her husband have three grown sons and live in Rocky River.
Eric Smith has spent more than 30 years leading highly effective teams both in uniform as an Officer in the United States Army and as a Special Agent and senior executive with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In his current role of Global Security Leader at Eaton Corporation, Eric focuses on the safety and security of the company’s nearly 100,000 employees. Eric received his Regular Army commission in Military Intelligence in 1991 from Eastern Kentucky University. He retired from the FBI in April 2022 to pursue a career in the private sector. Eric resides in Avon Lake, Ohio with his family.
Gareth is the President & CEO of The Albert M. Higley Co., providing strategic leadership establishing AM Higley's structure, direction, and plan to achieve its vision. He is extensively involved in the community with organizations such as Drink Local, Drink Tap; MetroHealth Foundation (Past Chair); Burning River Foundation; Construction Diversity Initiative - A GCP Program (Past Chair); and more. Gareth graduated from Nottingham Trent University in the United Kingdom with a degree in Civil Engineering. He and his wife, Carrie, live in Rocky River and have two grown children.