2020 Excellence in Leadership Recipients Announced

 

Dr. Randall’s speech: https://youtu.be/f00xf2quf58?t=2369

Mark Priebe’s speech: https://youtu.be/f00xf2quf58?t=2009

Dr. Kubilus’ speech: https://youtu.be/f00xf2quf58?t=1616

Ashley Powell’s speech: https://youtu.be/f00xf2quf58?t=812

Dr. Shewbridge’s speech: https://youtu.be/f00xf2quf58?t=2098

Ron Stollar’s speech: https://youtu.be/f00xf2quf58?t=1060

The Leadership Medina County Board of Directors announced the Celebrating Excellence in Leadership Recipients at the Awards Celebration on Monday, December 7, 2020.

The recipients for each category are as follows:

Excellence in Medina County Leadership

• Linda Randall, DVM, is the owner of One Smart Dog! A donation will be made in her name to Project Learn. Despite many roadblocks, in 1991, Dr. Linda Randall was the first Black woman to open and run a successful veterinary hospital practice in Medina County. Even as each challenge unfolded, Dr. Randall invested over 30 years of her time and energy in Medina County serving on multiple boards, fighting domestic violence, supporting victims of rape, improving access to health, mentoring, and cultivating leadership. She is devoted to Medina County. Her vision has always been larger than just having a successful business. Her quiet leadership may go unnoticed by many, yet she is known by area students, Leadership Medina County alumni and her colleagues as passionate and wise. She has encouraged and built-up countless leaders in her field and our community which is a priceless commodity. Having sold her veterinary hospital, Dr. Randall has started a new business and continues to volunteer promoting agriculture and teaching about animal behavior.

Excellence in Business Leadership

• Mark Priebe is the President of Proximity Marketing. A donation will be made in his name to the H2O Foundation. Let’s play a game of Where’s Waldo, but instead looking for Waldo in his tell-tale red and white striped outfit, let’s search for Mark Priebe and listen for his tell-tale laugh. You could start by searching Proximity Digital Marketing in Brunswick where he and his business partner and wife, Alison, work at the business he started 25 years ago. Anyone who knows Priebe, knows that his second home is really Kelley’s Island, so why did his choose Brunswick for a headquarters? “You’re not going to find a stronger advocate for Medina County than me,” he says. It’s not an unfounded boast, either. From his service on a multitude of local boards, to being an open source for marketing best practices for anyone who asks, he has a passion for helping businesses. By the way, don’t get tired of us telling you that communication is the key to great leadership. Priebe regularly spends his time meeting with business people, from entrepreneurs to well-established Medina County leaders. He just loves business, and advising on business matters, and discussing social media strategies for businesses. And he loves celebrating. For almost a decade, he has promoted an annual gathering of the Brunswick businesses located in the two business parks near him with an executive social where business owners or leaders come together meet and learn about what each other does. With no agenda, other than a casual meet and greet (possibly involving a beverage or two), Priebe has found the natural comradery results in a sharing of resources, streamlining common objectiveS, and even referring each other to customers. And you can bet there is a lot of laughter going on as well.

Excellence in Education Leadership

• Daryl Kubilus Jr., Ed.D., is the Superintendent of Cloverleaf Local Schools. A donation will be made in his name to the Cloverleaf Schools Food Pantry. Educational opportunities should be made available to all students. That seems like a simple enough statement, but when Dr. Daryl Kubilus took the position of Superintendent for Cloverleaf, he found that students with multiple disabilities could not be given the services that they needed and had to be sent to neighboring districts. He also found that his district was in fiscal emergency. Putting a plan in place, he added units by leveraging state funds and finding other creative ways to apply money. Cloverleaf now has the ability to allow all of its residents to attend their home school. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Kubilis sought to expand the gifted and talented program. Collaborating with Ashland University, he coordinated efforts to create teacher coaches that help implement higher learning courses into the high school program that go even beyond College Credit Plus, allowing students to obtain an associate’s degree from Ashland before they even leave high school. In his words, he is the first to admit, QUOTE “This is all not Daryl. This is the result of our administrators and teachers all working diligently toward what they feel is in the best interest of our kids… and I am proud of that legacy.” END QUOTE But we know, it takes a strong leader to stand back and let good people do good things.

Excellence in Emerging Leadership

• Ashley Powell is the Practice Manager at Evanko Dental Group of Medina. A donation will be made in her name to Sister Circle Medina. Ashley Powell could be a comic book superhero. By day, she is organized and efficient and all about process of quality improvement in her role as office manager for the Evanko Dental Group. But upon clocking out, she transitions to super mom and community support activist. She leads many groups in the county from youth leader at her church, to role model in Ward 1 of Medina, an area where the pockets of poverty hide in plain sight. Believing that education is the forefront of any success, she tutors individuals out of her home and has led programs to encourage younger women interested in STEM careers. She has invited in the police department and the fire station to Ward 1 to help promote positive relationships, and organized fall festivals for the residents. Powell says her proudest moment involved putting on an event in the Medina Square called, the Unique Boutique, to help young women develop self esteem and celebrate their beauty on the outside and as well as the inside. Her view of leadership is someone who gets into the fray and stands shoulder to shoulder with those she is leading. With so much energy and enthusiasm, who knows what she is going to accomplish next?

Excellence in Health Care Leadership

• Richard Shewbridge, MD, is the President at Cleveland Clinic Medina Hospital. A donation will be made in his name to the Medina Hospital Foundation. Dr Richard Shewbridge came to Medina County as a practicing endocrinologist in 1996 and became president of the Cleveland Clinic Medina Hospital 3 years ago. Prior to the pandemic, Dr. Shewbridge helped promote things like Healthy Medina, that worked with groups to reduce employee’s insurance costs. He enjoyed speaking at many events around the county about healthy habits and initiatives. He oversaw the partnering of the hospital with the Medina County Health Department and the Medina County schools to help fight things like teen suicide and childhood obesity. But of course, all that pales in comparison to what he faced this year with the onset of the pandemic. Month after month, he has not let up in ensuring that the hospital stays at the forefront of its safety protocols. He sees himself and his staff as ambassadors to the community who need to “walk the walk,” leading by example in taking the pandemic seriously, even when not at work. Like many great leaders, he finds that communication is key and makes himself available to his staff, patients, and care givers. Post pandemic, he sees the hospital focusing on providing more outreach and health screening, addressing things like heart disease and diabetes, as well as things that are not often on a hospital’s radar but impact on health all the same, like systemic racism.

Excellence in Public Service Leadership

• Ronald V. Stollar, is the Superintendent at the Medina County Juvenile Detention Center. A donation will be made in his name to the Friends of the Juvenile Detention Center. While in most communities, “Juvie” is just a holding tank for kids who make bad choices, Superintendent, Ron Stollar, has worked tirelessly for 15 years to make the time he has with numerous children who have been under his care both valuable and meaningful. Many laughed at Stollar’s innovative techniques initially, like the positive behavioral level system, art therapy, yoga, mindfulness lessons, and music therapy. But then they started seeing the results. Less violence toward other children and guards. Less rule violations. More cooperation with teachers. And the numerous cards and letters that he receives after they are released. Because good news should always be shared, Ron started involving individuals from the community who are a part of his “Citizens Excellence Committee” and created a new position called, “Youth Fulfillment Coordinator.” He admits that all this innovativeness requires a lot of work, but knowing that all of our children are the future, even the ones who have passed through the doors of the Juvenile Detention Center.