Stephanie M. Elton
President

Stephanie M. Elton is an award-winning marketing communications leader with a special focus on multimedia content strategy in the digital space. Over her 20-year career, she has worked with record labels, art museums, performing arts organizations and libraries throughout the United States, with a particular focus on content development and data marketing communications.
She is a communications strategist at the Toledo Lucas County Public Library. In addition to serving as a board member for the Press Club of Toledo, Stephanie serves on the board for Leadership Toledo and volunteers with Girls on the Run Northwest Ohio. She previously served on the boards for AAF Toledo and Courageous Community Services.
Meghan Cunningham

Meghan Cunningham is the Vice President for Marketing and Communications for The University of Toledo.
Meghan strongly believes in the power of higher education to change lives, especially at UToledo, and appreciates her awesome responsibility to tell the University’s story. She is proud of the talented team in the Office of Marketing and Communications that is committed to sharing the wonderful value of a UToledo education with prospective students and celebrating the successes of our incredible students, faculty and staff.
Prior to joining UToledo in 2010, Meghan was a reporter at The Blade newspaper. She also has reported for The Flint Journal and The County Press newspapers in Michigan. She has a master of business administration degree from UToledo and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Michigan State University. She lives in Sylvania with her husband and two children.
Nicki Gorny

Nicki Gorny is a media relations specialist at The University of Toledo.
She previously worked as features editor at The Blade, where she began as a staff writer covering features and religion in 2017.
Nicki holds a bachelor’s degree in newspaper and online journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, where she double-majored in Spanish language, literature, and culture.
She started her career as an intern and copy editor for the New York Times News Service in Gainesville, Fla., before transitioning to cover crime and criminal justice for daily newspapers in Ocala, Fla., and Sandusky, Ohio.
Marcus Harrison

Marcus Harrison is the Creative Producer and Supervisor for Buckeye Community Arts Network (BCAN). He is responsible for the development of BCAN as a premiere arts and humanities media authority in Toledo and the surrounding region. BCAN is the sister network to BCSN and represents the artistic expression of northwest Ohio through education, performance, and exhibition. Marcus has 20 years of experience in media development and production through his time at WGTE Public Media, WBGU-TV, and BCAN. Marcus holds a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications and marketing and a master’s degree in technology education, both from Bowling Green State University.
Marcus serves his local community through volunteerism on boards and consistent advocacy for the arts and youth education. As an adjunct professor at BGSU and The University of Toledo, Marcus has devoted his life to being a lifelong learner and uplifting his community through servant leadership. In his spare time, Marcus is a real estate investor, as well as football and baseball coach. He currently resides is Point Place with his wife, Adriana, and their four children, Adelei, Phillip, Marcus, and Andrew.
Erin Holden

An award-winning freelance writer, Erin Holden has been published in 008 Magazine, FACE Magazine, Lifestyle Indy, Toledo City Paper, Ann Arbor Family, eCurrent, Findlay Area Family, MLiving News, Deep South Magazine, Rougarou, The Louisiana Review, Roux, MAPP Magazine, The Current, and Renaissance Review. She is also an experienced proofreader and editor who provides communications services for companies across the country, including blogs, press releases, social media content, and website copy.
Erin holds a B.A. in mass communications with a focus in print journalism from the University of Louisiana at Monroe and an M.A. in English from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where she studied creative writing while working at the Moody College of Business Information Systems & Multimedia Laboratory.
After defending her creative thesis, Erin completed her M.A. in 2013 and began freelance writing on the side as she focused on her teaching career. She began teaching English composition and early American literature, followed by an adult education teaching position at South Louisiana Community College. After realizing a passion for working with students whose second language is English, she taught at UL Lafayette’s Intensive English Program, where she also served as interim coordinator and ESL specialist. During her time as a teacher, Erin presented both scholarly and creative work at conferences and enjoyed doing fieldwork for the Louisiana Folklore Society.
In 2018, Erin moved to Toledo and soon began working for Adams Street Publishing Company, first as a freelancer, then as a full-time staff writer. She worked as assignment editor for Toledo Area Parent from 2021-2023. As mom of a three-year-old boy, Townes, she still loves keeping local parents informed about the latest news and facilitating helpful conversations on the joys and tribulations of parenting. In addition to her freelance writing projects, Erin is currently working on both a novel, Whirly Girls, and a children’s book, Mommy, What’s in the Basement?
Jessica Hover

Jessica Hover is the Director of Public Relations for Communica, where she focuses on strategic communications, public relations, and social media. She has a particular niche in effectively communicating complex issues to diverse audiences.
Her varied background, predominantly in the non-profit sector, includes development, administration, and education, which has allowed her to hone expertise in project management and strategic planning. Jess is devoted to utilizing a variety of tools to best drive a client’s revenue and reputational goals.
Jess joined Communica in fall 2021 after serving as the Senior Public Relations Specialist for ProMedica. Prior to her work at ProMedica, she spent several years as the Development Director at the American Heart Association of Northwest Ohio. Her career started as an elementary teacher for five years and then moved to school administration, where she was the Associate Director of the Montessori School of Bowling Green for nearly eight years.
She holds a bachelor of arts degree in English from The Ohio State University and a master of education from Bowling Green State University.She is a lifelong resident of Bowling Green, where she lives with her husband and three children, two cats and two dogs.
Sheila Howard

Sheila Howard joined The Blade in 2023 as a general assignment reporter and multimedia journalist covering several newsbeats, with a passion for health and highlighting issues of underserved communities. She is a recent recipient of The Blade’s Eddy Award for significant contribution to paper. Sheila is originally from Detroit, Mich., where she studied journalism and communications at Wayne State University. She holds a Bachelor of Science in community development from Central Michigan University.
In 2013, Sheila relocated to the Toledo area and became a contributing writer for the Interfaith Gazette. She has authored three books that focus on weight loss and juicing, and manages a Facebook community of over 1,800 members that provides content on health, fitness, diet and juicing.
Sheila is a wife, mom and Mima to 21 grandchildren. She is also a church organist and choir director. When she is not reporting or writing, Sheila enjoys word games, spending time with her family, working out and playing with her fur babies, Nia and Nigel.
Heather Pacheco

Heather Pacheco is the Senior Events Manager at The Blade. She is responsible for growing revenue while executing successful and well-attended events.
Before coming to The Blade almost five years ago, she held various management positions in marketing and development with Michigan.com, the business arm of The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press, and K12.
Heather’s journey in the marketing field spans 25 years, during which she has honed her skills identifying lucrative sponsorship opportunities and cultivating meaningful relationships with key stakeholders. Whether orchestrating large-scale conferences, product launches, community events or marathons, her commitment to excellence, coupled with her adaptability, has earned her a reputation as a go-to expert in the event marketing realm.
When Heather is not navigating the evolving landscape of event marketing, she enjoys golfing and traveling to Florida.
Linda Parra

Linda Parra is founder-president of Nuestra Gente Community Projects Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of Toledo’s under-served communities. Founded in Toledo in November 2008 to serve the Hispanic/Latino community, Nuestra Gente has since expanded its mission and objectives for the inclusion of all community members in need. Nuestra Gente, which translates to “Our People,” is a champion for education, health, and the overall enrichment of life in Lucas County.
Linda also is founder-president and host/producer on FM-96.5, Nuestra Gente’s spanish-speaking radio station. Linda is a past board member of the Toledo Lucas County Health Center and the City of Toledo Youth Commission. She is a 2016 graduate of the University of Toledo.
Jenni Roder

Jenni Roder is the corporate public relations specialist at SSOE Group, an internationally ranked architecture and engineering firm. She is responsible for public relations and media relations for all SSOE offices worldwide.
Jenni received a bachelor’s degree in marketing from The University of Toledo in 2001 and shortly thereafter, started her now 20-year career with SSOE. In addition to serving as a board member for the Press Club of Toledo, Jenni serves on the board for the Anthony Wayne Athletic Boosters. She is a proud resident of Waterville where she lives with her husband Tim and daughter Tatum, who will be heading to Bowling Green State University next year. Her son Ty resides in Fairborn, Ohio and is a student-athlete at Wright State University.
Riley Runnells

At Adams Street Publishing Company, Riley is the editor of the Toledo City Paper, Mature Living Magazine and Findlay Living Magazine. She also spearheads the company’s podcast and video efforts and is the co-TikTok manager.
Riley has worked as a professional writer/editor throughout her college career and beyond. She was the editor in chief of Thread Magazine, a fashion and culture publication on Ohio University’s campus. She also was the editor in chief of Southeast Ohio Magazine, and the Culture editor at The Post newspaper, Ohio University’s premier college publication. Outside of her editorships, Riley interned with PAPER Magazine and Los Angeles Magazine.
Riley has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Riley obtained a dual minor in Entertainment Journalism and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies during her time at Ohio University, as well as certificates in Diversity Studies, LGBTQ+ Studies, and Strategic Leadership.
Heather Schramm

Heather Schramm is the assignment editor at WTOL 11. She came to the station in 2011, shortly after graduating from the University of Toledo. Before moving to the news desk, she was a nightside newscast director who focused on consistency and creative showcasing in the station’s storytelling.
Heather is an alumna and board member of Toledo School for the Arts, and is passionate about the importance of arts education. She plays French horn. She was also a board member for the Central Great Lakes chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 2022.
Serving her hometown through journalism is a privilege to Heather, and she loves introducing the city to the young newsies who move here. She currently lives in the historic Beverly neighborhood with her sheepdog.