The 2021 Touchstone Awards are coming up on October 21. We’ll reveal the winners of our journalism awards that night, but we are happy to begin announcing the community winners now.

Due to public health recommendations related to indoor events, we have decided to move the Touchstone awards to a virtual format. They will be held on October 21, at 7 pm, and will be free for members and non-members alike. RSVP to pressclub@bex.net for login instructions

We are happy to announce that Billie Johnson is being honored with a Touchstone Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Billie Johnson is the President/CEO of the Area Office on Aging of Northwestern Ohio, Inc. In this capacity, Ms. Johnson has served senior citizens for more than four decades. Through her leader-ship, the Area Office on Aging has evolved from a small divisional office of “four staff”, into an agency of more than 185 employees, 2000 senior volunteers, over 180 service providers and a host of advisors and professional Board Members.

During Ms. Johnson’s tenure, the Area Office on Aging has become a comprehensive regional office on Aging that serves more than 190,000 older adults living in 10 counties. The Area Office on Aging is considered as one of the premier Area Agencies on Aging in the United States. The agency has received eleven national achievement and innovation awards.

Ms. Johnson is responsible for the development of three, wholly owned subsidiary corporations. These separate corporations provide apartment living for low income senior citizens living in North Baltimore, Defiance and Napoleon, Ohio. She also organized the agency’s Foundation Board and has been instrumental in developing a senior campus of 46 acres, that provides a full continuum of care for older adults.

Ms. Johnson is a recognized leader in the field of aging and has served on numerous national boards and state committees. She has been a speaker and presenter nationally and internationally on ag-ing and women’s issues. In the 80’s she was invited to participate as a workshop leader at the World Conference on Women/Forum ’85, in Nairobi, Kenya. In the 90’s, she was a presenter at the World Conference on Women in Beijing, China.

Additionally, she is a leader in her community and serves on many local civic boards and foundations.

Further Accomplishments:

• Developed a ten county, regional non-profit corporation to promote the health, well being and safety of older adults, persons with disabilities and family caregivers to foster independence. The corporation has an annual budget of over $33 million dollars.
• Provided leadership for the Senior Services Levy Committee in Lucas County, and successfully passed six (6) levies for Senior Citizens in 1991, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2019.
• Elected by her peers to serve two terms as Vice President for the Ohio Association of Area Agencies on Aging.
• Inducted into the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame by Governor Ted Strickland in 2008.

The Press Club is proud to honor Dr. Romules Durant with a Touchstone Contributor Award. This award is given to a member of our community who has made a significant contribution to our region in the past year.

Dr. Romules Durant serves as the Superintendent and CEO of Toledo Public Schools, the fourth largest urban school district in the State of Ohio. On the afternoon March 12, Governor Mike DeWine announced the closure of all schools in the state of Ohio beginning on March 16. With just four days to plan, Dr. Durant made the decision to close the schools and pivot to a 100% learning environment. Realizing that TPS has more than 23,000 families, Dr. Durant established many innovative ways to continue to serve the students of TPS while removing barriers to learning. Some examples include using the school bus fleet to park in underserved areas for community use of Wi-Fi, distributing 8,000 Chromebooks to students who had no access to technology, leveraging partnerships to get internet access for students in need and providing grab and go breakfast and lunch daily for all children in need, not just TPS students.

As graduation approached, Dr. Durant expressed that it was important for him to do his best to make this year’s commencements memorable for the class of 2020. Not only did TPS host virtual graduations for all 10 high schools separately, they hosted 10 drive through graduations for families who were comfortable to come out and receive their diploma. Dr. Durant also learned of a graduate that would be deployed on the day of the drive through commencement, he decided to deliver the diploma to his home in a surprise pop-up at his home.

Aside from COVID related innovation, many other accomplishments occurred under Durant’s leadership in the 2019-20 school year.  TPS moved up a letter grade in the state report card, he has led and successfully passed two levy campaigns, opened Escuela Smart Academy- a bilingual school for students and the Aerospace and Natural Science Academy, Jones Leadership Academy of Business, two new STEMM Academies and established countless partnerships for the benefit, growth and development of TPS students.

Dr. Durant is a proud graduate of the Waite High School Class of 1994 and is truly TPS Proud.