Medical Mutual and our co-founding partner, Smart Business, welcome you to the 12th annual Pillar Awards for Community Service. The Pillar Awards recognize organizations and their employees that are truly connecting with their communities through their time, commitment and giving, whether it be volunteering, charitable giving, pro bono work and more.
As we all continue to face the challenges of a global pandemic, this year’s honorees demonstrate that businesses go beyond the world of commerce and are truly invested community members. As neighbors helping neighbors, they are creating ties that bind communities together.
Medical Mutual, like many of this year’s honorees, makes commitment to community part of our culture. This year has presented new challenges to our communities, but we have worked to face them. Our efforts include immunization education and advocacy, and working with partners to make COVID vaccines more available to underserved populations. These efforts went hand in hand with our continuing work to address health disparities and our commitment to fostering diversity, equity and inclusion, both within our company and beyond its walls.
One of the annual Pillar Awards is a recognition given to a company whose employees best illustrate the values of Medical Mutual’s own SHARE program. SHARE stands for serve, help, aid, reach and educate. Medical Mutual employees are at the heart of our SHARE program, which is a cornerstone of our community giving efforts. Through the dedication and generosity of our employees, the program coordinated dozens of events to support nonprofit and community groups this past year. It’s an important way that Medical Mutual connects to our communities.
All of this year’s Pillar Award honorees demonstrate that connectedness to community. We are pleased to join Smart Business to honor these companies, because we know that when we work together, we can create communities whose members have a greater opportunity to thrive and prosper.
On behalf of Medical Mutual and Smart Business, congratulations to all our 2022 Pillar Award honorees.
Rick Chiricosta Chairman, president and CEO Medical Mutual
Pillar Award Honorees
Choice One Engineering
Matt Hoying, President
When a business supports the community through the time, talents and treasure of its employees, clients and connections, it can be hard to quantify the ripple effects of that. And for a company like Choice One Engineering, which so completely and joyfully throws itself into causes it believes in, it’s almost impossible to measure the positive impact it has had.
Choice One has more than 50 employees, and while it has evolved since its founding, its core purpose has remained the same — for employees to enjoy their work, be responsive to each other and develop relationships with co-workers and client who share common goals.
One of those relationships is with Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank, which works to end diaper need in the Cincinnati area. Choice One employees don’t do anything halfway, and that includes giving back to the community. Each fall during the annual Choice One Charity Cup, vendors, clients, friends and employees come together to support Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank’s mission. The Choice One team knows and understands the volunteer power Sweet Cheeks needs to carry out its mission, and each year, employees continue to volunteers after the event. They have wrapped tens of thousands of diapers and precisely packed orders for distribution over the years. That has resulted in a ripple effect, allowing Sweet Cheeks to connect with other companies that have also become annual corporate sponsors and with grant funding at the county level.
Cullen Investment Group
Ryan Cullen, CEO
Ryan Cullen founded Cullen Investment Group after working for another investment firm, where he didn’t feel he was really serving the people who needed help.
Many investment firms and financial advisory firms have minimum asset requirements of $250,000 to more than $1 million, creating high barriers of entry for most people to get advisory assistance, and minority groups are disproportionately affected. These high minimum asset requirements not only affect minority groups and perpetuate the racial wealth gap, they also result in these groups failing to receive financial help or being preyed upon by “financial advisors” who sell them high-commission investment products that are not in their best interests.
So Cullen, at age 24, started Cullen Investment Group, a registered investment advisory firm headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. He founded the firm on the principles of no account minimums — so anyone can invest — and low fees and transparency. He began reaching out to local, predominantly black schools in Cincinnati and asked if he could teach basic financial literacy to students. And he reached to local black business owners to gauge interest in accompanying him to talk about their experiences as entrepreneurs. He also reached out to black business owners to offer free one-on-one financial literacy lessons and financial planning.
Partnering with Matthew Cuff, founder and owner of Just Q’in BBQ restaurant, Cullen began serving on the board of directors as treasurer of Cuff’s nonprofit, RENEW, which provides resources, including financial literacy, to low-income individuals.
DBL Law
Bob Hoffer, Managing Partner
DBL Law’s mission focuses on making its communities better places to live and work. While a percentage of the firm’s annual budget is dedicated to supporting local nonprofits, its impact is truly driven by its civic-minded attorneys and staff who continuously devote personal time leading and participating in fundraising activities and service.
In 2020, DBL Law — the largest Northern Kentucky-based law firm — provided financial and physical support to over 100 community organizations. As a result of its efforts, Managing Partner Bob Hoffer received the 2021 Walter R. Dunlevy Frontiersman Award, sponsored by St. Elizabeth Healthcare, which recognizes an individual who has a lifelong history of outstanding service to the Northern Kentucky community, exhibits outstanding service to their profession or industry and exemplifies the highest standards of personal integrity and family responsibility.
DBL Law has also been recognized for its efforts in child abuse and neglect prevention by Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky. Annually, the organization recognizes partners for going above and beyond in their work to help prevent child abuse and neglect. DBL Law received one of six 2020 Partner in Prevention awards, recognizing that it has excelled at involving its partners, associates and employees in the awareness and education critical to the prevention of child abuse and neglect, even during a pandemic.
Hoffer says the foundation of the firm rests on the grassroots work it does within its communities and that there is no more important cause than ensuring children grow up safe and healthy.
Health Carousel
Bill DeVille, CEO
Health Carousel is a total talent management company with a leading portfolio of health care staffing solutions: Health Carousel Travel Network, Health Carousel Locum Network and Health Carousel International Network. Its more than 570 administrative employees in seven offices work to deliver highly qualified health care professionals across a range of in-demand health care professions as the company works to ensure that every patient in the United States has access to a qualified health care professional, when and where they are needed.
Its higher-purpose mission is to “Improve Lives & Make Healthcare Work Better,” and since its founding, Health Carousel’s health care professionals have impacted more than 8 million patient lives across the United States.
Health Carousel’s #HCGivesBack program encompasses four main areas of giving back — philanthropy, diversity and inclusion with an emphasis on health equity, employee well-being and recognition. The company, led by CEO Bill DeVille, understands its responsibility to ensure its operating practices and initiatives are ethical, legal and profitable, and to make Health Carousel a good corporate citizen by contributing resources to local and global communities.
Its employees fulfill the company’s higher purpose mission to improve lives and make health care work better every day by placing health care professionals on assignment when and where they are needed. But it also chooses signature initiatives and opportunities each year that align with this higher purpose. Its leaders and employees infuse the values of teamwork, integrity, excellence and service through charitable giving, corporate sponsorships, in-kind donations, employee volunteerism and board service.
Jolly Plumbing | Drains | Heating | Air
Brady Jolly, CEO
For the past 40 years, Jolly Plumbing | Drains | Heating | Air has stayed to true to its promise of being honest, friendly and prompt. It believes that its business is only as good as its community and is committed to bettering the surrounding area.
As the company grows, Jolly’s community service grows, spreading throughout the Cincinnati area. Jolly is proud to be a part of outreach programs, fundraising events and sponsorships, and extends its hand to schools, charities and nonprofits. Most recently, it partnered with St. Vincent De Paul by creating a technician calendar marketing campaign, with proceeds going to St. Vincent’s utilities fund to ensure people are safe in their homes.
Jolly, led by CEO Brady Jolly, has focused on bringing awareness to the trades by showcasing its technicians in its marketing and creating a program to train apprentices and provide them with a rewarding career. Another program, Trucks and Treats, is a family-friendly event that allows people to see the equipment the company uses; the last event attracted more than 700 people. These programs embody the spirit of Jolly, a company that is involved, spirited and driven to do better for the Cincinnati area.
Jolly’s Event Center space is a tangible example of its commitment to the community. Jolly allows local charities putting on fundraisers or hosting events to rent the space free. It is a great option for these organizations to put the funds usually spent on event space back in their pockets.
KDM POP
Robert Kissel, President
KDM POP is a second-generation, family-owned, privately held company headquartered in Cincinnati, with more than 200 team members.
Providing outstanding service is a core value for KDM. Its service efforts are employee-led and supported from the top down. KDM has a history of exceptional corporate citizenship and a culture of giving that is woven into the fabric of who it is.
Led by President Robert Kissel, the company believes in taking care of the team internally, so they are empowered to serve others externally. Even during the pandemic, KDM continued its service to others, supporting the local community by hosting events and fundraisers, volunteering and providing financial contributions.
In addition, KDM employees have come together to volunteer in unique ways. The De Paul Cristo Rey Corporate Work Study Program makes high-quality, college-prep education possible for students with economic need, and KDM sponsored three students this year. In addition, KDM has taken an active role in the Princeton City School District’s Workforce Ethics Certification Program, and a team of KDM employees visited a class of 40 children at Parker Woods Montessori school during the 2018-19 school year for one hour each month.
KDM has also created opportunities for team members. It partners with DeVry University to extend company-paid skills gap and leadership training to associates to develop or refresh a skill. And the KDM Dream Makers program sets aside funds to provide financial assistance for qualifying dreams to allow associates to pursue their goals and dreams.
Leadership Excelleration, Inc.
Diane Egbers, Founder and CEO
Diane Egbers has served the community and the region’s top business leaders for more than 25 years as the founder and CEO of the Cincinnati-based executive leadership consulting firm Leadership Excelleration Inc. Servant leadership is at the heart of how she leads her company, and it’s truly who she is.
But her spirit of generous service became exponentially amplified in the wake of personal tragedy. In 2015, she lost her 15-year-old son, Grant, to suicide. Through her grief, Egbers became determined to transform her pain into purpose by launching a movement and creating vital resources to prevent other families from having to pick up the broken pieces of their lives. She narrowed her focus to become an irrefutable force for good through her groundbreaking work as founder and board chair of the suicide prevention and mental wellness nonprofit she named after her son, Grant Us Hope.
Founded in 2016, Grant Us Hope serves thousands of students, parents and schools through its implementation of a peer-to-peer program called Hope Squad. It has enacted Hope Squads in hundreds of schools across Ohio, with a demand for more.
Thanks to her leadership, Grant Us Hope’s approach is becoming a national benchmark for preventing teen suicide, while combating and addressing related issues that can lead to suicide. It’s creating a buildable bond between youth and their parents by opening the lines of communication in fresh and needed ways. This strategy is becoming a proven model for averting teen mental health crises and saving lives nationwide.
Powernet
Alli Stevens, CEO
Powernet and its employees place community service at the forefront of everything they do. When the team brings new products to the market, it asks how it can use them to make a real difference in the community.
This has been Powernet’s philosophy year after year, driving its involvement in the community. It contributes high-end technology, such as tablets and Wi-Fi, to low-income communities and nonprofit groups working to create better outcomes for members of the community who are less fortunate than others. The goal is to give those less-fortunate community members an opportunity to experience what their peers take for granted as everyday commodities. Powernet strives to erase this social barrier known as the digital divide.
Led by CEO Alli Stevens, Powernet’s philosophy isn’t just to give back to organizations and communities but to make an impact that will be felt for many years to come. For example, donations of free Wi-Fi, like 2018’s donation to Avondale, gives citizens in low-income communities access to the internet to apply for jobs, pay bills, do schoolwork and complete other tasks. This donation has helped residents with day-to-day tasks and will continue to do so, as Powernet has completed expansions to the Wi-Fi network. The extensions enable it to provide Wi-Fi to hundreds more families and reach and engage users with community resources regarding COVID. And when its products can’t make a difference, Powernet makes financial donations to deliver valuable support to both community and national organizations that drive change in the areas it serves.
The Gorilla Glue Company
Mark Mercurio, President and CEO
The Gorilla Glue Company’s mission, The Gorilla Way, is rooted in giving back to the community. Community is one of the four pillars of that mission, and the company truly believes that is critically important to be invested in and connected to its community.
Gorillas Community Committee plays a huge role in keeping Gorilla Glue connected. There are several ways in which Gorilla Glue employees, led by CEO Mark Mercurio, can give back in a meaningful way. For example, the entire organization, including satellite offices, participates in its annual Community Day, where employees have worked with Keep Cincinnati Beautiful to clean up and improve an area of the city.
In addition, employees have selected six local organizations that they can voluntarily donate to through payroll deduction or on their own — 4 Paws for Ability Inc., Joseph House, Matthew 25 Ministries, Habitat for Humanity, People Working Cooperatively and ProKids — and its first annual Gorillas Give Back Golf Classic raised over $100,000 that was divided among the six Gorilla Glue charities
It also partners with the Cincinnati Zoo to aid in its efforts to care for and support gorillas worldwide. It has also hosted drives including a canned food drive and clothing drive to support Matthew 25 Ministries to aid hurricane victims in Haiti and New Orleans and a warm-up drive to provide coats to St. Vincent De Paul and items to the SPCA. It also held a toy drive to support St. Vincent De Paul’s Angel Toy Drive.
Towne Properties
Neil Bortz, CEO
Towne Properties founder and partner Neil Bortz has been creating “Great Places to Live, Work, Shop, and Play” since 1961. Beginning in the Mt. Adams neighborhood of Cincinnati, he saw that quality housing provides a strong foundation to creating a community and adding value to a neighborhood.
In the decades following, he found ways to expand that value through land development, condo management, recreational and commercial facilities and, most important, by giving back. Bortz is consistently recognized for his efforts to create quality communities. He does this not just in building value through physical spaces but also in partnering with and supporting organizations that, in turn, bring positive impact to the communities where Towne Properties are located.
Bortz has inspired a spirit of giving within Towne Properties that most companies dream of achieving. Its efforts to create Great Places to Give include working with ArtsWave, United Way of Greater Cincinnati, A Kid Again and Adopt a Class. In each of these annual fundraising drives, associates pledge donations and volunteer their time for activities with local schoolchildren.
While the pandemic has thwarted the fundraising activities of many organizations, Towne Properties associates continue to push forward with new and innovative ways to find support and donations for meaningful causes. Company culture starts at the top, and with Bortz as a shining example of community service and giving, Towne Properties has raised over $1 million and donated countless volunteer hours in support of creating a better community in Cincinnati.
Medical Mutual Share Award
Finit
Rob Cybulski, CEO
Finit is intentionally different, putting people before profit.
Finit is a consulting firm serving some of the world’s largest organizations to craft, deliver and sustain Corporate Performance Management (CPM) technology solutions, enabling them to use their financial data to make better business decisions. The value that Finit adds stems from its values, founding principles and the passion its team members have to put people first, advocating for the Finit family, its clients and its communities.
When CEO Rob Cybulski and Angie Apple founded Finit, every decision stemmed from the principles of putting people before profit and being in service to others. They established a culture that makes it easy for partners and employees to embody it. This foundation directly aligns to the success and well-being of the members of the Finit family, clients and communities.
Finit has been involved with a number of organizations, and its efforts and contributions have made a big impact on the communities the company serves. And while some companies select a single foundation, cause, or philanthropy in the community where it is headquartered, Finit’s culture promotes individual expression, as it believes it is important to allow individuals to support what is meaningful to each person. Its philanthropic policy is to support the communities local to employees and corporate events. This approach allows to it impact countless people and organizations in cities across the country.
Employees’ efforts have positively impacted organizations and communities in Cincinnati and in more than 25 states, many of them smaller, lesser-known community organizations and some of which rely solely on charitable donations. Each year, Finit offers employees an opportunity to donate sweat equity to nonprofits that impact their lives in meaningful ways. Finit provides opportunities to donate their time both individually and through corporate volunteerism programs.
For example, Cincinnati-based Finitians mentor students at a school in a challenged community through the Adopt-A-Class program. After three years working with a class at one elementary school, this year it began working with a fifth-grade class at another elementary school, creating and sharing lesson plans tying math concepts to the real world and careers. Volunteers open students’ eyes to the world and opportunities outside their community.
In early 2021, when volunteers were unable to attend in person, staff outside of Cincinnati enthusiastically participated remotely. Today, employees are back to in-person sessions, and the company often has more volunteers than are allowed in the classroom.
Cincinnati-based employees support their Adopt-A-Class school outside of mentoring by collecting donations to provide students with winter hats and gloves. Donations that exceeded the cost of items for the class went to the school’s “Madhatters Closet,” where students can select shoes and clothing items at no cost.
Nonprofit Board Executive of the Year Awards
Donna Bloemer
Vice President of the Redwood Board of Trustees, director ex-officio of the
Redwood Foundation Board of Directors, attorney, Redwood Foundation
Donna Bloemer’s contributions to the community and to Redwood Foundation have been stellar and unwavering. She works with many nonprofit organizations, and Redwood is just one of them.
Bloemer started working with Redwood — which guides children and adults with severe and multiple disabilities to achieve independence and reach their highest potential with enriching education, vocational and therapy services — as a volunteer in high school. And when she had a child with a disability, she became an involved parent. Since then, she has become an active, dedicated volunteer.
Bloemer’s engagement has helped ensure the long-term viability and sustainability of the organization. She has served as president of the board and is in line to become president again. She has also been a member of the Redwood Foundation Board of Directors for nine years, providing leadership and offering both a parent’s perspective and business acumen to every strategic decision.
Bloemer has served on numerous committees and has been an active member of the board. And she led the planning and execution for the 2021 Redwood Express in July, one of the top-grossing events in Redwood history.
Bloemer is accepting, caring, kind, sensible and pragmatic, attributes that serve her well when working with others and leading committees. Over several years, her perspective as a Redwood parent has been incredibly valuable, providing a much-needed balance when the board is faced with making business decisions.
Aswad Mack
Board president, Rosemary’s Babies Company
Aswad Mack is board president with Rosemary’s Babies Company, a teen parent and family support organization. Mack is a founding member and has been key to taking this mission from a startup to a successful 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving hundreds families every year.
Five years ago, when Aswad and Rosemary were teen parents, they heard the calling to offer support to teen parents so they could change the trajectory of their lives and create a legacy. They understood the barriers to success as teen parents and brought their faith and experience to the table. It is a uniquely difficult challenge to embrace every teen and what they may be facing, including homelessness, poverty, domestic violence and more. Five years later, RBC is celebrating healthy babies, high school graduations, jobs and independence for many who never thought it was possible.
Mack has served for three years as board chair, leading the organization to thrive and position it for expansion. Creating opportunities for STEM learning is a key passion, and under his guidance, RBC has created a play area with STEM toys, sponsored a “Trampoline Tap Out” STEM fundraiser and earned grants to support computers and learning materials. He is currently working on a state-of-the-art STEM lab for the new Holloway House and Resource Center that will advance learning for babies and parents.
Mack is a loving father, a dedicated employee and a servant leader at Rosemary’s Babies. His impact is changing lives today, and far into the future.
Eric Hamberg
Board chair, Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank
Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank (SCDB) Board Chair Eric Hamberg is dedicated to serving and giving back to the community that he grew up and was raised in. Giving back to the community that has given him and his family so much, both professionally and personally, is an integral part in “making the world/city a better place than when you found it.”
Hamberg’s impact on the organization is both broad and far reaching and has been a major factor in its growth, overall health and future vision. His strong, hands-on leadership-by-example style is a stabilizing influence on his board members and the CEO. His words and actions bring confidence to the members and allow them to function at levels not always seen in organizations of SCDB’s size and type. That higher level of overall function allows for more opportunities to meet and grow its mission.
In 2018, SCDB moved into a new 15,000-square-foot facility, made possible in large part by Hamberg and his Finance Committee’s work to make SCDB financially strong and fit. The organization’s expenses and budget had grown tremendously, and Hamberg helped SCDB successfully navigate this leap.
He always steps in when help is needed, and he leads the board with integrity. And during a difficult environment, when volunteers and board members were unable to meet in-person, Hamberg volunteered to make sure that diapers got out the door to partner agencies, wrapping diapers, organizing fundraising events and making sure SCDB didn’t miss a beat.
Jenny Berg
Executive director, Leadership Council for Nonprofits
Under the leadership of Executive Director Jenny Berg, Leadership Council for Nonprofits has grown exponentially. From a small human services association providing services to help reduce members’ overhead, it has grown into a strong, large nonprofit network providing leadership development programs and member benefits such as compensation and benefits surveys.
The network now includes nonprofits from all sectors, and the successes from Berg’s focus on growth and improvement can be seen in two ways — the growth of Leadership Council for Nonprofits and the personal growth of its member organizations and their leaders.
Over the past nine years, membership has more than tripled, and the Leaders Circle program has grown 75 percent in five years. And recognizing the need for increasing opportunities to educate and connect board members to nonprofits, LC took on the BOLD (Board Orientation + Leadership Development) board training program from United Way, with the aggressive goal of increasing participant diversity to 50 percent for each class. Over the past two years, LC has graduated 260 BOLD learners who are deploying their newfound knowledge and experiences into the nonprofits they serve.
One of the most impactful initiatives Berg has brought to Leadership Council, and a theme that runs through all aspects of her leadership, is an unwavering focus on promoting diversity and an inclusive environment in the nonprofit sector. She has committed to increasing diversity within the top leadership at nonprofits, both in staff and board member positions, and worked with experts to conduct research to figure out how best to increase diversity.
Michelle Otten-Guenther
President, Literacy Network of Greater Cincinnati
CEO, Queen City Book Bank
The Blue Manatee Literacy Project and the Literacy Network of Greater Cincinnati both champion the development of literacy and serve as catalysts for literacy efforts in the community. By working in tandem on the creation of the Queen City Book Bank (QCBB), the organizations provide a comprehensive, multifaceted, community-focused approach that will not only drastically transform the way they engage with their community but radically improve book access and enhance literacy outcomes.
The mission of the QCBB is to provide 10 books per year, every year, to students who otherwise would not have access to them. QCBB’s work is targeted toward the 35,000 K-6 students in the Greater Cincinnati area who have little or no access to literacy resources.
Surveys of first and second-grade teachers in Cincinnati Public Schools, where the majority of students are considered economically disadvantaged, indicate that 90 percent of students have just one book or no books at home. And children in poverty are 13 times less likely to graduate high school than their more affluent peers, who average 13 books at home. The arrival of COVID further exposed educational disparities for children in the most economically challenged neighborhoods.
QCBB’s 20,000-square-foot facility will become a hub for book distribution and volunteers, empowering volunteers of all ages to play an active role in fostering literacy. The digital portal will enable teachers and partners to access, review and make book requests based on proficiency, theme, languages, backgrounds and interests.
Catrena Bowman-Thomas
Executive director, Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission
Catrena Bowman-Thomas is the first African American executive director of Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission (NKCAC), and in her three years, she has made a huge impact — not only on the agency but also in the Northern Kentucky community.
When she started, there was no diversity in the executive or leadership team of the organization and little diverse representation on the board. Staff and volunteers did not reflect the racial or cultural makeup of the families served. Through her leadership, the board adopted a Diversity and Equity Statement, and the agency uses the Awake, to Woke, to Work framework to align organizational priorities and practices with its recommendations. NKCAC now has a more diverse executive and leadership team, its board is more diverse, and it uses the diversity matrix in hiring positions based upon the population served.
Bowman-Thomas also undertook a brand refresh, updating messaging to position the organization for growth. In just three years, the agency’s budget has doubled, and it has launched six new programs and 15 new full-time equivalent positions to implement those programs. As the number of the agency’s programs increased, Bowman-Thomas took steps to ensure the infrastructure was in place to support them.
Bowman-Thomas also successfully led the organization through the pandemic. When most businesses were shutting down, Community Action Commission was needed more than ever. Staff continued to work to ensure assistance was available, and the number of families helped by NKCAC doubled during 2020, with no increase in staffing.
Lauren Merten
Executive director, Social Venture Partners
Lauren Merten joined Social Venture Partners Cincinnati (SVP) as executive director in 2015. The board had just finished creating its first strategic plan and felt it was important to take its time to find a proven leader with business-building acumen, a passion and hands-on experience within the nonprofit community.
Merten not only had significant community and board experience but also a strong management and business development history with large corporations. She is the longest-tenured executive director and has taken the organization to a new level. In her first year, SVP increased the number of engaged philanthropic partners by more than 50 percent, including significant increases in its corporate partner program. This allowed it to collectively support more innovative nonprofits, not only with more money but with more consulting projects that build capacity for nonprofits to serve more citizens and increase their community impact.
Upon her hiring, Merten jumped in to manage SVP’s Fast Pitch event, doubling the number of attendees and tripling the number of sponsors over her first two-year period. She spearheaded the reimagining of this important event for 2020 to a virtual platform, where the organization showcased the nonprofit pitches to more citizens and created donation collection webpages for them until the end of the year.
Finally, Merten has simplified the organization’s Investment Committee application to be less time-consuming and restrictive for nonprofits and enhanced the process to identify appropriate nonprofits for annual investment to be year-round. This has resulted in it receiving progressively more diverse applications each year.
Dr. Joseph Rieman
Medical director, The Children’s Home
Dr. Joseph Rieman is chief medical officer for The Children’s Home and New Path, formerly St. Joseph Orphanage. The two organizations combined serve nearly 20,000 clients in multiple counties across four states, with a continuum of services including crisis stabilization, day treatment, autism services and more traditional outpatient mental health care.
“Dr. Joe,” as he is referred to by his clients and the colleagues he serves alongside, is triple board certified and oversees the behavioral health operations of both organizations in partnership with the leadership team. He has direct oversight of all clinical providers, who provide psychiatric services and prescribe medication, and sets the tone, leads the culture and advances the practice expectations around clinical and pharmacological services.
Rieman’s talents as a doctor are a force multiplier when factoring in the tangible and contagious passion he illustrates for his profession and the children and families he serves. He is often the first beacon of hope for the underserved children and families the organization helps, diagnosing, triaging and strategizing the best treatment options for those in his care.
Rieman embodies innovation, as his leadership ensured the children and families served by The Children’s Home did not lose continuity of care through the pandemic. He quickly adapted the organization’s mode of mental health delivery. When 2020 began, no services were delivered via distance technology; when the 2020-2021 fiscal year ended, over 56,000 services had been delivered via telehealth to children and families who would have gone untreated.
