Board of Directors
Our Board represents the ideals we hold. Under their guiding expertise, Groundwork expands its impact and efficacy.
Carlos Jean-Baptiste
President
U.S. Peace Corps
Carlos is a Northside resident with close ties to Cincinnati. He is a two-time UC grad with a Master of Community Planning from DAAP and professional experience with the City’s Department of Community and Economic Development. Carlos’s experience within the city has been focused on housing, particularly within neighborhood and business district development, as well as contributing to municipal financing policy initiatives.
Miriam Wise
Secretary
Adventure Crew
Miriam is a marketing and development specialist with successful experience in non-profit growth from the grassroots. Her work with Adventure Crew promotes accessibility, diversity, and inclusion in outdoor recreation for city teens. Miriam excels in building strategic partnerships to serve shared goals.
Indi Ekanayake
Partner of School Design at Transcend Education
Indi is a proud board member of Groundwork ORV. He works as a Partner of School Design at Transcend Education, supporting schools in their journeys to center social-emotional learning (SEL) and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) at the core of their practice. Prior to joining Transcend, Indi was a Program Manager at Mayerson Academy in Cincinnati, Ohio, coaching schools and youth-facing nonprofits in the implementation of strengths-based SEL programming.
He was a founding science teacher and Dean of Instruction at Rainier Prep in Seattle, supporting the school in developing science curricula, implementing restorative practices, and developing protocols for everything from peer mediation to innovative nonprofit partnerships. He also has experience with teacher coaching and high school science instruction at Teach For America and Sankofa Freedom Academy in Philadelphia.
Indi has a MS.Ed. in Urban Education from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in Health Management from The Ohio State University.
Outside of work, Indi is the co-founder of Prosocial Supper Club, a monthly dinner series that raises money for local nonprofits in multiple cities around the country. Additionally, he serves on the boards of WordPlay Cincinnati and Design Impact. In his spare time he loves hanging out with his wife Jess and daughter Lucy, snuggling his cat, and running through his beloved neighborhood of Madisonville.
Katherine Keller
Treasurer
Kirsch CPA Group
Katie is a former staff member of Groundwork Cincinnati/Mill Creek who has extensive professional experience in nonprofit administration, environmental education, and youth development. She recently completed her Master of Science in Accounting and is pursuing CPA licensure. In her current role as an analyst at Kirsch CPA Group, she provides accounting support to small businesses.
Dr. Morgan Green
Children’s Hospital of Michigan
Dr. Morgan Green is a Pediatric Hospitalist at Children’s Hospital of Michigan. He is a proud mentee of Dr. Nooshin Razani, the founder of the Center for Nature and Health. During his residency at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital of Oakland, he worked with Dr. Razani and specifically helped with community engagement and resident curriculum within the SHINE program; an initiative that helps to connect patients seen in clinic from all walks of life—whether that be low income patient populations, immigrants, refugees or people of color—to the vast amount of regional parks in their community.
Kate Gille
Assistant Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio
Kate is the Assistant Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio. With a passion for parks, she was the former Creative and Communications Director from the Cincinnati Parks Foundation. Kate is a super fan of Groundwork ORV's team and mission and a fierce advocate for environmental justice. She has previously worked for Cincinnati Parks, National Parks Service, Michigan State University Department of Forestry, and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.