Alison Goebel, PhD
Executive Director
agoebel@greaterohio.org
Alison Goebel is Executive Director of the Greater Ohio Policy Center (GOPC). She has been with GOPC since 2010 and has held a number of positions within the organization during that time. Today, Goebel is responsible for charting GOPC's strategic direction, directing the research, advocacy, and outreach teams, and securing resources for this work.
She is the author of a number of research reports and policy briefs related to the revitalization of weak-market, legacy cities, transportation funding, and local governance structures in Ohio.
In the 2000s, Goebel periodically lived in Mansfield, Ohio where she conducted long-term qualitative research on social relationships in a small city setting. Goebel is a graduate and board member of Leadership Ohio and was elected by her class for the 2014 "Leader Among Leaders" award. She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in anthropology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and received her B.A. from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio).
Aaron Clapper, MPPA
Director of Outreach and Projects
aclapper@greaterohio.org
As Director of Outreach and Projects, Aaron manages multiple policy projects to assist the organization in advancing and championing a statewide agenda of revitalization and economic prosperity. Aaron’s main focus area is GOPC’s brownfields policy work. Aaron also assists the organization with coalition-building and research projects, and manages the organization’s Reinvention Cities Network.
Aaron earned his Master’s in Public Policy and Administration from Northwestern University. Prior to his time in Chicago, Aaron graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in Public Affairs from the John Glenn College of Public Affairs. Throughout Aaron’s academic and professional experiences, he has worked on numerous policy issues – most recently, on human services policy work.
Aaron serves as an adviser to the Ohio State chapter of the Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity, where he was a brother during his undergraduate years.
Jahvene Davis, MSUS
Research Associate
jdavis@greaterohio.org
Born and raised in Northeast Ohio, Jahvene received a Bachelor’s of the Arts in Sociology at Hiram College, with a minor in the Classics & Latin. They have an interest in people and how groups of people create societies. To better their understanding of how those societies work, and in hopes of bringing about meaningful change to their own community, they attended Cleveland State University, and now plan to graduate with a Master of Science in Urban Studies specializing in Community and Neighborhood Development this spring.
Meg Montgomery
Manager of Accounting
mmontgomery@greaterohio.org
Meg’s primary responsibilities are the accounting and office management of the Greater Ohio Policy Center. Meg is responsible for office bookkeeping and financial reporting and analysis; corporate support and office management; and select event planning duties.
Meg is originally from Ashtabula, Ohio and has resided in Columbus since 1987. She studied Business Administration at Kent State Ashtabula Branch and obtained her Associates Degree in Accounting from Columbus State Community College.
Prior to joining GOPC, she was the Project Coordinator for a real estate development project in Panama City Beach, Florida. She also served as Office Administrator for a mid-sized law firm in Columbus for over a decade and managed all financial and operational areas of the firm. Her background encompasses the areas of law, real estate and accounting.
Erica Spaid Patras, MCP
Director of Research
espaid@greaterohio.org
At Greater Ohio Policy Center, Erica conducts research to identify realistic strategies for the redevelopment of Ohio’s small legacy cities, with a particular focus on executing equitable development within a weak-market context. Erica has completed research evaluating the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) landscape in Ohio and is actively working with the state’s CDFIs to establish a state-wide, idea-sharing and profile-raising network of CDFIs. While at GOPC, Erica has also looked at strategies for supporting more high-quality transit in Ohio as well as for promoting development around transit stops.
Before working at GOPC, Erica worked at Strategic Economics, a leading urban economics consulting firm , where she conducted many market and financial feasibility studies to understand development potential or the impact of potential public policy changes on the market. In one such study she tested the financial feasibility of different proposed height limits in Berkeley, CA. In another, she evaluated the potential for the Washington State Ferry system to promote TOD through a joint development program. Erica also worked to establish strategies for the redevelopment of an old commercial corridor in Long Beach, CA.
Erica has also worked at Famicos Foundation, a non-profit community development corporation in Cleveland, OH. In this capacity, Erica was the project manager of several LIHTC and Historic Tax Credit projects. She also served as the Director of Property Management for a time.
Erica has a Master of City Planning from the University of California, Berkeley and a B.A. from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN. She is also an event leader for Seeds of Caring, an organization in Columbus that promotes volunteer opportunities for children.
Casey Terry, MCP, AICP
Research Manager
cterry@greaterohio.org
Casey Terry is the Research Manager for GOPC, where she develops and manages research projects focused on legacy city revitalization.
Casey is an AICP certified planner with a Master in Community Planning from the University of Cincinnati’s College of DAAP. Prior to her role at GOPC, she spent three years as the Planning Project Manager at Urban Fast Forward, a Cincinnati consulting firm. Her work there focused on neighborhood business district activation, urban design, and community engagement. Casey has designed and managed a variety of planning projects including neighborhood plans, market studies, and comprehensive plans.
As a graduate student, Casey worked at Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC), a community development corporation in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. There she was part of the Development team, contributing to commercial and residential projects in Cincinnati’s urban core.
As a passionate advocate for urban development, Casey is a member of the Executive Committee for the Congress for New Urbanism’s 2024 Conference being held in Cincinnati. She is also an alumnus of Cincy Next Class 9 and a current participant in the ULI Real Estate Accelerator Lab.
Casey and her family live in Norwood, Ohio, an enclave city within Cincinnati.
Jason Warner
Director of Strategic Engagement
jwarner@greaterohio.org
As the Director of Strategic Engagement for the Greater Ohio Policy Center, Jason is responsible for representing GOPC at the Ohio Statehouse, advocating for the issues and policy positions central to the organization's mission, as well as overseeing the organization’s strategic communications operation.
Jason brings nearly 20 years of experience working in and around Ohio state government. For more than eight years, he served as a legislative aide in the Ohio House of Representatives, working on a wide array of policy matters including agriculture, economic development, and taxation and transportation policy. A former staff assistant to the House Ways & Means Committee and House Finance Transportation subcommittee, Jason also worked for more than two years addressing issues before the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR). For the past 11 years, Jason has worked as a policy advocate, working on issues including education, housing, transportation, community revitalization and brownfield redevelopment.
Jason is a 2001 graduate of the University of Akron where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree with a concentration in American Political Science. He also holds a certificate in Applied Politics from the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron. A member of the Ohio Lobbying Association since 2016, Jason is a Certified Lobbyist, possessing in-depth knowledge of legislative, executive and regulatory procedures along with the rules, regulations and ethical standards to which all lobbyists must adhere in Ohio.