BOARD APPOINTMENTS: The Autism Society of Mahoning Valley appointed Ashley Douglas, Deonna Lampley and Julie Santha as the newest members to its board of directors.

Douglas is a Youngstown native and Small Business Banking and SBA closing officer with WesBanco Bank, bringing nearly two decades of experience in financial leadership and retail management. Her extensive community involvement includes serving as president of Alta Head Start’s Policy Council and continued board service with Alta Head Start and Behavioral Health.

Lampley is a Youngstown native and licensed social worker with degrees from Youngstown State University and Our Lady of the Lake University. Her professional experience includes advocacy, clinical and crisis work, and child and adolescent development. Lampley has been a society volunteer for several years.

Santha is the accounting supervisor at Alta Care Group Inc., with more than 10 years of experience in accounting, supervision and organizational leadership. A graduate of Youngstown State University, Santha brings a strong commitment to fiscal responsibility and transparency. As the mother of a child on the autism spectrum, she offers professional expertise and lived experience to her role on the board.

The society’s 2026 board officers are Aundréa Cika Heschmeyer, president; Dr. Laura McBride, vice president; Ashley Roberts, treasurer; and ShoMoré Wright, secretary.

LAZZARI NAMED: Valley Hatchery, a nationally recognized poultry hatchery in Kinsman, named Paula Lazzari as its director of business operations.

In her role, Lazzari will oversee day-to-day business operations, including fulfillment, customer support, internal workflows, documentation, sales and marketing, and cross-team coordination. Her leadership is designed to strengthen operational foundations, improve consistency and ensure that customer experience remains a central driver of decision-making as the company grows.

“Paula and I have worked together professionally before, and I’ve seen firsthand how she brings structure, accountability and calm leadership into complex environments,” said Santino DeFalco, CEO of Valley Hatchery. “As Valley Hatchery reached a point where operations needed to be led with dedicated focus, bringing Paula into this role was a natural next step. She understands how to build systems that support people while protecting the customer experience.”

Lazzari brings experience guiding growing organizations through periods of operational transition, where success depends on clarity, alignment and repeatable processes. Her approach emphasizes thoughtful scaling, clear ownership, and strong internal communication — all essential as Valley Hatchery continues expanding its offerings and national reach.

SHIELDS SELECTED: Alta Care Group has named Donna Shields as the new director of Alta Head Start and Early Head Start.

Shields is an accomplished early childhood education professional with more than three decades of experience within the Head Start organization. She previously served as assistant director of Alta Head Start and prior to that held various roles within the Trumbull Community Action Program including teacher, center supervisor, mentor coach, PFCE manager and assistant Head Start director.

Shiels holds a degree in Early Childhood Education from Ashford University and is CLASS Certified along with having Family Development Credential.

“We are thrilled to have Donna step into her new role as director of Alta Head Start. Her deep expertise within the Head Start organization, ability to foster strong partnerships and commitment to serving the children and families of the Valley make her the perfect fit for this role,” Vince Paolucci, Alta CEO, said.

In her role as Head Start director, Shields will oversee the administration and management of all aspects of the Head Start and Early Head Start Programs while cultivating a culture of servant leadership within the organization emphasizing empathy, collaboration and leadership development.

Alta Head Start serves more than 1,100 children and families at locations across Mahoning and Trumbull counties.

AWARD ANNOUNCED: America Makes and the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining have announced that the University of Dayton Research Institute has been selected as the awardee of a recent project call funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Materials and Manufacturing Directorate totaling $450,000.

The project call, Affordable and Agile Composite Additive Manufactured Structures, will develop a comprehensive set of roadmaps and reports to inform future U.S. Department of Defense and industry investment needed to fully mature and scale continuous fiber additive manufacturing technologies. The effort will assess the current CFAM landscape, identify technology gaps limiting adoption, and define attributes required by system integrators to enable the successful deployment of CFAM in defense and commercial products. One award was anticipated under this project call.

As global competition intensifies, rapidly producing components for critical weapons and support platforms at affordable mass is imperative. The DoD has prioritized CFAM for its ability to produce robust, lightweight parts by combining plastics with long fibers such as carbon or fiberglass, delivering high performance. Fully matured, CFAM unlocks a highly flexible and adaptable fabrication process that can quickly shift production between different part types as the design cycle accelerates from concept to fielding.

For this roadmap study, CFAM includes any process capable of depositing an unbroken fiber and polymer matrix into a 3D part, such as layer-by-layer deposition, deposition onto a 3D surface, or freeform fabrication.

A-ROD TO SPEAK: Alex Rodriguez, an accomplished Major League Baseball player and business leader, will speak at the Youngstown State University Thomas Colloquium at 7 p.m., Thursday, March 26, at Stambaugh Auditorium.

Admission to the lecture is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. Tickets will be available at the DeYor Performing Arts Center Box Office and online beginning Monday, Feb. 16.

Rodriguez is the chair and CEO of A-Rod Corp, an investment firm that partners with world-class startups and industry-leading companies across real estate, sports, media and entertainment. Widely known for his legendary baseball career, including 14 MLB All-Star selections and a 2009 World Series championship, Rodriguez has spent more than 25 years building and scaling high-growth businesses, leading a team that enhances the value of more than 40 companies in the A‑Rod Corp portfolio.

In 2025, Rodriguez became majority owner of the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and their WNBA counterpart, the Minnesota Lynx, serving as co-chair alongside partner Marc Lore. He is also a strategic adviser to the Professional Fighters League, an investor in Blue Crow Sports, and founder of A‑Rod Media, which produces original content and multiplatform media storytelling.

Outside the boardroom, Rodriguez is an Emmy Award‑winning MLB analyst for Fox Sports, a former judge and investor on ABC’s “Shark Tank” and a mentor to athletes on CNBC’s “Back in the Game.”

 CONSUMERS DIVIDEND: The board of directors of Consumers Bancorp Inc., the holding company for Consumers National Bank, declared a quarterly dividend on the outstanding shares of the corporation’s common stock in the amount of $0.21 per share on Feb. 12. The dividend is payable on March 13 to shareholders of record at the close of business on Feb. 236. This quarterly dividend reflects an annualized dividend of 3.18% based on a closing price of $26.40. on Feb. 11.

Headquartered in Minerva, Consumers National Bank operates 23 full-service bank branches and one loan production office throughout Carroll, Columbiana, Jefferson, Mahoning, Stark, and Summit counties.

YSU AT ECON GAMES: A team of five students from Youngstown State University’s Williamson College of Business Administration will represent the university at the Econ Games competition March 26, marking YSU’s first appearance in the national economics and data analytics challenge.

Competing under the team name Penguin City Analysts, the YSU team includes Sauda Hossain, Jan Harter, Nathaniel Huynh, Nabayt Kibreab and Surangana Rijal, a diverse group united by a shared interest in economics, analytics and real-world problem-solving.

At the Econ Games, organizers design experiential learning events that connect students with real-world opportunities to apply classroom knowledge in practical settings. Undergraduate participants engage in a data analytics and research competition focused on solving real-world economic and business problems, gaining hands-on experience with challenges they may encounter in their professional careers.

From the first week of the semester, the team has worked intensively to prepare for the competition, applying classroom theory to practical, data-driven challenges under the guidance of faculty advisers Miri Chung and Yogesh Uppal.

“From the first week of the semester to the competition on March 26, we train, prepare and grow. We are grateful for the guidance of Dr. Chung and Dr. Uppal,” the team shared. “We are confident, ready and excited to give our best at the competition.”

TECH INTERNSHIP PROGRAM OPENS: The Ohio Department of Development and the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation announced the opening of a new internship round for Ohio students and businesses looking to make an impact in technology fields.

The High School Tech Internship Program offers Ohio employers wage reimbursement for hosting high school interns in tech-related roles, helping businesses establish a recruitment pipeline while providing students with valuable work experience at an early age.

“By helping employers create technology-based internship opportunities for Ohio’s youth, this program gives businesses the opportunity to work with and nurture emerging talent while also giving young people hands-on experience as they prepare to enter the workforce,” Gov. Mike DeWine said.

Interns will perform job duties similar to those of entry-level employees in technology roles, including AI, software development, data, and IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, broadband/5G, and other tech-focused fields. Employers can be reimbursed up to 75% of the wages paid to interns, with a cap of $5,000 per intern, to encourage businesses to hire high school students for these positions.

To participate, businesses, schools, and students interested in applying should contact their regional intermediary. Learn more about the program, including contact information for intermediaries, at workforce.ohio.gov/hstechinternshipprogram.

REPRESENTING YSU: Four Williamson College of Business Administration students gained industry experience this spring by representing Youngstown State University at the 2025 Pittsburgh Supply Chain Management Academic Case Competition at Duquesne University.

Aidan Gray, Quentin Pew, Rosetti Johnson and David Shannon were selected through a competitive application process to participate in the regional competition, where teams analyzed a real-world supply chain challenge presented by Helmet Aerospace, a Weathersfield Township-based manufacturer.

The team evaluated the company’s sourcing strategy for a high-purity binding agent used in aerospace manufacturing, developing data-driven recommendations to improve supplier selection, cost efficiency and long-term sustainability.

“It was the first time I really saw what supply-chain problems look like in the real world,” said Gray, a senior majoring in supply chain management who is also pursuing certificates in business analytics and enterprise resource planning.

The students examined global sourcing options, political and ethical considerations, shipping timelines and long-term cost projections. Faculty mentors Alina Marculetiu and Jeong Hoon Choi helped prepare the team for the competition.

“There was no coaching during the competition — it was completely on us,” Gray said. “That was intimidating at first, but it pushed us to really trust our preparation and our teamwork.”