KIRSTIN WATTS
President & CEO
As President, Kirstin is responsible for defining & articulating the vision and strategy for Center Ice Foundation of Central Ohio. A proud hockey mom inspired by her 2 hockey-playing sons, Ian (16) and Connor (12), Kirstin is passionate about increasing the opportunities for ice-related sports in Central Ohio, specifically in the suburbs south and east of Columbus, and leaving the community - both of hockey and of Central Ohio - a better place.
When she's not at the hockey rink cheering for her kids or representing the Center Ice Foundation, Kirstin works full-time as a Vice President for a Fortune 10 healthcare supply chain and technology company. She has served on a number of non-profit Boards of Directors: Cancer Support Community of Central Ohio, The Michael D. Sewell Memorial Foundation, The Miss Greater Columbus Scholarship Program, and the Pickerington Central Marching Tiger Alumni Association. In her free time, Kirstin enjoys gardening, crafting, reading, traveling, and cheering for her favorite teams: the Thunderbirds Hockey Club, the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Kentucky Wildcats, the Ohio Bobcats, and the Pickerington Tigers!
An alumni of The University of Kentucky, and Ohio University (B.S., Organizational Communication; Master of Health Administration), Kirstin and her husband, Chris reside in Pickerington with their 2 boys and their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Lucy.
WILLIAM LEHMAN
Executive Vice President, Strategy
Bringing over 2 decades of sales, business development, and supply chain leadership experience to our organization, Bill serves as EVP, Strategy. In this role, Bill is responsible for planning, design, implementation, and maximization of our strategic plans, including the overall financial health & profitability of our project. Bill is an alumni of Muskingum University, where he played football for 4 years.
A native of Lancaster, Ohio, Bill serves as a Head Coach for the Gahanna Travel Baseball program, as well as Assistant Coach for the Thunderbirds U12 Hockey Club. Bill and his wife, Kelly, reside in Gahanna, with their sons, Nolan and Nathan.
SABRINA HECKATHORNE
Executive Vice President, Marketing
In her role as EVP of Marketing, Sabrina is responsible for planning & executing our marketing & branding strategy through collaborative internal and external efforts. An alumni of University of Akron, Sabrina currently works as a Senior Claims Examiner for American Electric Power.
Sabrina is no stranger to non-profits, having served for three years on the Board of Directors for the Easton Youth Hockey Association. She and her husband Steve live in Gahanna with their twin sons, Sam & Stuart, who play for Gahanna Lincoln High School.
MELISSA WILDE
Executive Vice President, Community & Legislative Affairs
Melissa brings to the Foundation extensive experience in nonprofit fundraising & program development, public service, commercial real estate, and public private partnerships.
Most recently Melissa spent six years as an elected official: 3 years as a Pickerington City Councilwoman, and 3 years as a Township Trustee, where her greatest accomplishment was the preservation of a 40-acre wooded property that included a historical lodge and banquet facilities. Through a partnership with Fairfield County Parks & Recreation, what would have become another housing development will, because of Melissa’s work remain intact as community-accessible facilities in a natural, wooded setting, for at least the next decade.
Her prior experience includes nearly a decade in the nonprofit philanthropic space, having started a 501c3 for which she currently serves as Treasurer, as well as 8 years as an entrepreneur in commercial real estate investment and property management.
A resident of Bexley, Ohio, Melissa grew up all over the world, the daughter of a US Military Officer, most notably spending her high school years in Milan, Spain. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from The University of Dayton and a MPA (Master of Public Administration) from California State University, Long Beach.
Melissa and her husband, Eric, have been married for 20 years and are the proud parents of 3 teenagers, 5 cats, a hamster and a fish. In her spare time (what's spare time??!!??), Melissa enjoys hiking, biking, kayaking, traveling and exploring, and she’s a self-described “serial crafter”.
Melissa joined the Center Ice Foundation Executive Board because, “I believe that the best way to create healthy and safe communities is by crafting spaces and places where families can enjoy one another and where youth and teenagers especially can spend time having fun, learning and creating healthy habits. Every community should have access to places like these. It is great for the kids, but it is also incredibly beneficial to communities as a whole by reducing crime and encouraging thriving business communities. I am incredibly passionate about community building and love the mission of the Center Ice Foundation.”
ANGIE LEROY
EVP, Business Development; Executive Sponsor, Funding Committee
Angie LeRoy serves as Executive Vice President of Business Development for the Center Ice Foundation, as well as the Executive Sponsor of our Funding Committee. In this role, she is responsible for identifying and building key relationships with potential donors & sponsors, strategic oversight of our fundraising & events strategy, and contributing to our marketing & branding vision.
A native of Northern Wisconsin, Angie has been around hockey her entire life. With a husband who works in the business, a son who plays the sport, and a passion for kids to be a part of a team where they can learn essential life-lessons through hockey, we couldn’t have found a better partner to be a part of our growing team.
A graduate in Public Relations from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Angie has over 20 years of experience in nonprofit organizational leadership in the roles of fundraising, event planning, grant writing, project managing and marketing.
When she’s not driving her son to hockey tournaments while working in hotel rooms and taking board meetings virtually from the car, Angie enjoys writing screenplays, scrapbooking memories, tracking ancestry and hanging with her fellow hockey moms.
KELLY LEHMAN
Treasurer
When the Center Ice Foundation was in need of someone to manage our money, Kelly Lehman answered the call! As Treasurer, Kelly is responsible for expense management and fiduciary accountability (audit, taxes, and other un-fun things). Kelly is no stranger to hockey, having grown up in Toronto, ON, Canada.
A graduate of The Ohio State University, Kelly works as a 2nd Grade Teacher in the Southwest Licking Local School District. She and her husband, Bill, live in Gahanna with their sons, Nolan and Nathan, both multi-sport athletes.
Kelly is a proud hockey, football and baseball mom, and when she's not taking her kids to sports practices or watching their games, she enjoys traveling, reading, and fitness.
WENDY HUX
Vice President, Fundraising & Events
Energetic, competitive, caring & loyal. That's how folks describe our VP of Fundraising & Events, Wendy Hux. In her role, Wendy is responsible for leadership and strategic oversight of the Foundation's fundraising efforts, as well as resource allocation & coordination of our events.
Wendy is a recently retired Hockey Mom, a role in which she served for over a decade. Her sons, Devin (21) and Brandon (18) played for Easton Youth Hockey Association and Newark Ice Hockey Association, as well as 4 years of Varsity hockey for the Prowler Hockey Association. Both of her sons are currently attending The University of Cincinnati.
In addition to her volunteer work in youth and high school hockey, Wendy has worked on numerous community campaigns, is active in the Ohio Guardianship Association, and has served as President of her sons' school PTO. In her free time, Wendy enjoys cheering for her favorite sports teams, the Buckeyes, Notre Dame, the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the Prowlers!
Wendy is a graduate of Wright State University (B.A., Social Work) and is a licensed social worker in the State of Ohio. She currently works as a Case Manager for the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging.
A native of Paulding & Coldwater, Ohio, Wendy and her husband, Nate, have lived in Pickerington since 1995, where Nate owns the Pickerington Community Pharmacy and Freedom Pharmacy.
LINDSAY CUVO
Director, Marketing
Lindsay Cuvo joins the team with over 15 years of marketing and management experience. Currently, she is the proprietor of Never Made It Pro Stock, The Hockey Dojo, and her own small marketing business.
As a native of Eastern PA, Lindsay relocated to Pickerington in 2016 with her husband (Chad) and two children, Logan and Zoe. Logan was drafted into the OHL by the Oshawa Generals and is spending his first season in the NCDC with the Boston Advantage. Zoe is a sophomore at Bishop Hartley, where she plays basketball and lacrosse.
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MATT "MATTY" SEXTON
Director, Media Relations
Matt "Matty" Sexton joins The Center Ice Foundation as Director of Media Relations. In this role, Matt oversees our social media content and owns our external branding strategy. An entrepreneur & branding aficionado, Matty is known locally as the DJ for the Columbus Blue Jackets. He owns a successful entertainment business, serving a myriad of clients in the sports & music industries.
An alumni of THE Ohio State University, Matty enjoys cheering for his favorite sports teams (in order): the Buckeyes, Cincinnati Reds, Columbus Blue Jackets, Notre Dame Irish, and Nashville Predators. In his spare time, he also enjoys fitness & cooking.
Matty was brought to our organization by a strong desire to give back to the community, as well as a passion about helping to grow the sport of hockey in Central Ohio.
Originally from Newark, Ohio, Matty & his trusty sidekick Pitbull, Gage the Bully currently split their time between Dublin, OH, and Nashville, TN.
ROB ADAMS
Director, 256 Athletics
A self described, “dad just trying to find a geographically and financially accessible summer lacrosse option for his kids”, Rob was first introduced to lacrosse in 2018, when his oldest son decided to give it a go, and he has been a big fan ever since. Rob has a wide experience with a variety of sports having been an OHSAA varsity head soccer and head tennis coach. Rob also coaches lacrosse for a local lacrosse recreation organization.
Rob is a graduate of Valparaiso University (B.S. Human Biology and Psychology), The Ohio State University (M.Ed Secondary Science Education), and Clemson University (M.S. General Biology). Rob is currently a high school science teacher in the Southwest Licking Local School District and adjunct professor for Shawnee State University.
A native of Mundelein, IL (north of Chicago), Rob resides in Pickerington with his wife Alison and their son Everett (12), Edison (10), and Mara (6).
JACOB MARQUARDT
Marketing & Project Coordinator
Jacob Marquardt serves as Marketing & Project Coordinator for the Center Ice Foundation. In this role, Jacob is responsible for event planning and event-day logistics, collaborating with our team on a variety of projects, as well as advocating for athletes with all abilities as we continue to define our vision for the athletics complex in the Columbus Southern Corridor.
Born and raised in Chicago, Jacob was diagnosed with an epilepsy condition known as Infantile Spasms as a result of having multiple strokes prior to birth. Despite the Cerebral Palsy condition, he has worked hard and persevered and is a proud alumni of Pickerington North High School.
An avid fan of all Chicago sports, he particularly enjoys going to Loyola Chicago Basketball games. Jacob has also enjoyed participating in Special Olympics track, basketball, and bowling. He is a youth hockey superfan and enjoys watching his younger brother play Bantam hockey, and when he’s not at the rink he enjoys watching his sister swim for the Pickerington Central Tigers.
BRIANNE HIRSCH
Board Member-At-Large
Brianne Hirsh, comes to the Foundation with ideas, passion, and an uncanny ability to get things done!
A native of Toledo, Ohio, Brianne graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Special Education from Old Dominion University in Virginia, while living a military wife's life; her husband David served in the US Air Force.
Brianne and David moved to Pickerington (David's hometown) in 2016, and Brianne currently works as an elementary school educator in Pickerington Local School District. Their son, David (11), is a Goalie for the EYHA Ice Dragons Travel Team, and a Black Belt in TaeKwonDo, and she & her husband just welcomed a newborn daughter, Jane.
When she's not at the rink or the dojo, Brianne is an avid crafter, and she and her family love to cheer for the Buckeye Hockey Team!