FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jennifer Rieman

[email protected]; (614) 715-8572

COLUMBUS (June 14, 2018) — The Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation (OLAF) Board of Trustees today installed three new members of the board and welcomed new officers. Joining the board are Ann Stirling Bergen, Stuart F. Cubbon and Judge Howard H. Harcha III.

“We are pleased to welcome these accomplished leaders to our board,” said Angie Lloyd, executive director of OLAF. “Their skills and expertise will be invaluable as we continue to advance our mission of ensuring access to justice for all Ohioans.”

Bergen devotes a significant portion of her Willoughby practice to representing low-income families. In 2017, she received the Legal Services Corporation Pro Bono Award for commitment to pro bono legal services. She is a past chair of the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland Board of Trustees and currently serves on the development committee.

Cubbon is managing partner and president of Cubbon and Associates in Toledo and is a Board Certified Civil Trial Advocate. He is past president of the Toledo Bar Association and serves on the board of the Law and Leadership Institute, a statewide pipeline diversity initiative for high school students from underserved communities.

Judge Howard Harcha of the Scioto County Court of Common Pleas in Portsmouth is a member of the executive committee of the Ohio Judicial Conference (OJC). He serves as co-chairman of the OJC’s committee on community corrections and on the Ohio State Bar Association Board of Governors.

Judge William Klatt, Tenth District Court of Appeals, and Joseph Mas, ‎Joseph L. Mas Attorney at Law, were also re-elected as at-large members of the board for an additional three-year term.

The following individuals were named officers of the board:

  • President: Mary Mertz, first assistant attorney general, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s Office;
  • Vice President: Kimberly Shumate, associate vice president, strategic initiatives, The Ohio State University;
  • Treasurer: Paula Boggs Muething, city solicitor, City of Cincinnati;
  • Secretary: Jennifer Day, chief of operations, Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel’s Office.

Headshots are available for download here.

The Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation was established in 1994 to fund and to enhance civil legal aid for Ohioans. The Foundation distributes revenues from the interest on lawyers trust accounts, the interest on title agent trust accounts, and a civil filing fee surcharge to ensure that Ohioans have access to justice regardless of their income. The Foundation funds lawyers who change lives for veterans, children, victims of domestic violence, and people facing foreclosure. Through the work of the Foundation, all Ohioans have access to legal information, advice and representation.