October 11, 2023 - Opioid Settlement Fund Board Holds Public Meeting
The OneOhio Recovery Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization charged with statewide distribution of more than $800 million for addiction prevention, treatment and recovery efforts, held a public meeting on October 11, 2023, at the Ohio Chamber of Commerce offices in Columbus. This also served as the Foundation’s 2023 Annual Meeting, during which the Board of Directors reviewed a clean independent financial audit report for 2022.
“With our new executive director, Alisha Nelson, now at the helm and with a clean independent financial audit report achieved following our first year of operation, OneOhio is well-positioned to help our partners across the state make a strong, positive impact on the scourge of substance use in Ohio,” said Board Chair Larry Kidd. “Today, Executive Director Nelson laid out a comprehensive roadmap to guide the Foundation in the weeks and months ahead, and our Board will renew our commitment to this vital work as we enter this new phase.”
2022 Independent Financial Audit Report
The Foundation’s independent auditor, SEO CPA Group, completed and presented to the Board its 2022 Financial Audit and Report. Importantly, the independent audit found all financial statements presented fairly and in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The audit confirms that the organization established a strong fiscal foundation in its first year of operation. The independent financial audit report is available here.
Board Elections
As part of the annual meeting, the Board approved a motion to appoint additional members to its Executive Committee, with the total members serving increasing from five to seven.
Executive Committee
• Chair: Larry Kidd, Statewide Appointee
• Vice Chair: Don Mason, Non-Metro Appointee
• Secretary: Keith Hochadel, Metro Appointee
• Treasurer: Michael Roizen, Statewide Appointee
• At-Large: Greta Mayer, Non-Metro Appointee
• At-Large: Rachel Baker, Legislative Appointee (New Member)
• At-Large: Julie Ehemann, Non-Metro Appointee (New Member)
The terms of all current Foundation Officers and Executive Committee members will expire at the 2024 Annual Meeting. As such, the Board approved a motion to create a Nominations Committee responsible for drafting a slate of Officers of the OneOhio Recovery Foundation. The Nominations Committee will consist of the chairpersons of the Foundation’s standing committees.
Additionally, in order to align with the first meeting of the Foundation (held May 2022) and current Officer terms, a motion was approved to amend the Code of Regulations to move the annual meeting from September to May in even-numbered years.
Executive Director Report
OneOhio Executive Director Alisha Nelson provided the Board with a comprehensive overview of work to be done in the coming weeks and months as the Foundation prepares to launch its first round of grant funding. Director Nelson’s presentation is available here.
At its October meeting, the Board also:
• Received a welcome and update from Board Chair Kidd, including a thank you to Region 11 Director Jeanette Wierzbicki, who will be stepping down from the Board later this year. Director Wierzbicki has represented Region 11 since the Board’s first meeting in 2022. She also served as Chair of the Audit and Finance Committee.
• Honored two Ohioans impacted by the opioid epidemic, Michael and Emily Werner. Their recovery story was shared with the Board by Director Wierzbicki.
• Received and approved a finance report from Chief Financial Officer Jim Quinn.
The Board’s next public meeting will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, December 13, 2023, at offices of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, 34 S. 3rd Street, Columbus. As previously announced, the full Board is not currently scheduled to meet in November.
