President's Message
Welcome to BRIDGES for A Just Community’s website. As you browse through the many pages of our site, you will find that BRIDGES continues to offer a unique array of programs, research and activities that are designed to strengthen our communities and our region.
In an often challenging atmosphere surrounding us, BRIDGES is teaching young people – and many community leaders – that our core values of respect, inclusion, justice, collaboration, responsibility and integrity make our region stronger, more vibrant and successful in achieving a better quality of life for all.
No one else in our region is doing this work on the scale or with the impact of BRIDGES for a Just Community.
We appreciate your interest in BRIDGES, and ask for your support so that we may continue our mission. Please invest in our community’s future by making a gift today. We will be a better region because of you.
Sincerely,
Lynnette M. Heard, M.Ed.
President & CEO
BRIDGES for a Just Community
Biographical Overview
Lynnette M. Heard, President& CEO, BRIDGES for a Just Community (Cincinnati, OH)
Lynnette M. Heard, M.Ed., President & CEO of BRIDGES for a Just Community in Cincinnati, brings more than two decades of higher education experience to the post.
As President & CEO, she leads the organization’s fund raising efforts in the community, provides high quality programs that are responsive to the needs of the community, represents BRIDGES in all major public forums and acts as the voice on the key and central issues of ethnicity, interfaith, sexual orientation/identity and other dimensions of human relations as a partner and convener, partners with associates to enhance the quality of civic life, works closely with the board of directors to maximize the individual and collective strengths of governance, manages the fiscal and human resources of the organization, serves as the primary spokesperson in interfacing with the media, and provides ongoing leadership for translating the vision and strategy formulated by the board into action.
Previously, she served as Executive Director of the University of Dayton’s president’s office, where she assisted President Daniel Curran in strategic planning, diversity initiatives for the university, represented him on task forces, coordinated work with the board of trustees and managed all aspects of the president’s office, including hiring staff and controlling budgets. She served on both the President’s Council and President’s Cabinet, comprised of vice presidents and other key administrators who help decide University policy and advised the president.
Prior to her work at the University of Dayton, she served as Executive Director of the Southwestern Ohio Council on Higher Education (SOCHE). While at SOCHE, a 23-member non-profit consortium of higher education and business partners in Southwestern Ohio, since September, she oversaw a $5.2 million student cooperative education program employing more than 70 college students at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and managed numerous collaborative projects between universities and colleges across the region and the state.
For 11 years prior, she worked in various administrative positions at Wright State
University including Executive Assistant and Secretary to the Board of Trustees for President Harley E. Flack, Assistant to the Vice president for student affairs and Enrollment Services and several positions in the public relations office, including interim director of public relations.
Nationally in higher education, she has serves as a board member for the Board Professional staff of the Association of Governing Boards. She also serves on the board of the National Association of Presidential Assistants in Higher Education where she currently chairs its national conference, and previously chaired the Nominating Committee.
Her community volunteer work is extensive and has focused on the arts, youth,
women and people-of-color for such organizations as the National Conference for Community and Justice where she serves as the vice chair of the board of directors; immediate past president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. (Trotwood Chapter); member of the Great Lakes Region Leadership Team for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; member of the Queen City Chapter of The Links, Incorporated; and the American Heart Association Executive Leadership Team.
She is a graduate of Julienne High School, and the University of Cincinnati with a bachelor's degree in education and a bachelor's degree in communications. In addition, she holds a master's degree in Student Affairs in Higher Education Administration from Wright State University. A graduate of the 1997 Leadership Ohio class, 1991 Leadership Dayton class and the 1984 class of the Black Leadership Development Program, has been involved in a number of other professional and civic organizations including the Junior League of Dayton, Queen City Women’s Club, and the Lakota New High Schools Steering Committee. She also has been a member of the Vestry of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Cincinnati, and is a former member and president of the Board of Directors of the YWCA of Dayton, and the West Area YMCA/YWCA Advisory Council.
She has been recognized with the YWCA Lifetime Achievement Award, the YWCA Women of Influence Award, AACEO Ten Top African-American Women’s Award, Dayton Daily News’ Ten Top Women Award, Up and Comer’s Award, Woman of the Year from Metropolitan Women’s Club and YWCA African-American Women’s Achievement and Pathfinder Awards. In addition, she is the 2000 recipient of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority's Educational Advancement Foundation "Woman of Excellence," 1996 Outstanding Graduate Student Award, WROU-FM Radio - 1996 Black Achiever Award Recipient, 1996 SuccessGuide Black Achiever Award, "Up & Comers" award; Who's Who of American Women 1994; 1993 President's Award and PRism Award - Public Relations Society of America; Dayton Chapter; Gold Award Winner - National Admissions Marketing Advertising Report - 1993; Gold Award and Bronze Award Winner - United Way of Dayton Communications Program -1993, the YWCA African - American
Women's Achievement Award - 1992, the Black Leadership Development Program "Outstanding Community Service" Award -1992 and the Dayton Black Family Coalition Outstanding Family 1992.
A Dayton native and former resident of Trotwood, she and her husband, Gregory, reside in West Chester, OH. They are the parents of three adult sons, and have two grandchildren.
9/20/11
