ERA Staff Directory

Jennifer M. Graft, SPHR
President & CEO

Jennifer joined ERA as President and CEO in January 2007. Her responsibilities include the day-to day operations and management of the Association, ensuring high quality delivery of services and expert advice to members, and the sales and marketing of our services. She believes the 3 core areas of her responsibility are strategy, sales, and culture. Jennifer leads a team of over 20 staff members, in 2 offices, who provide a breadth of Human Resources services and programs to our diverse membership of over 1,400 organizations in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Jennifer has over sixteen years working in human resources and business management, in the healthcare, retail and service industries. Prior to joining the Association, Jennifer was the Managing Director for the Cincinnati office of a global career transition and organizational consulting firm.

Jennifer is active in the business community, and has served on the board of directors for the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association, Junior Achievement, and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. She is an active board member of the Southwest Ohio Workforce Investment Board. She is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources, has her Bachelor's Degree in Marketing and is working on her MBA at Miami University.

Ralph Neal, SPHR
Vice President, Educational Services

Ralph is responsible for the development and quality of all educational programs produced or provided by the association and its various instructors. Additionally, he is in great demand as an instructor, coach, and consultant. His primary training areas are employment law for managers, legal liability issues, sexual harassment prevention, and a host of leadership and management development topics, communication skills, and team building.

Before joining the Association, Ralph was Vice President and partner for a consulting firm that delivered training/consulting in career transition areas such as vocational assessment, networking, resume development, interview skills and negotiation of compensation. Before starting his own successful operation he was on staff as a Management Consultant for one of the country's largest seminar companies. There he delivered public and private seminars and training sessions throughout the country on many different topics including management effectiveness, leadership, communication skills, coaching and counseling, and other employee and operational effectiveness topics. Prior to those experiences, he was a General Manager and Training Manager for several years with a nationally recognized food and beverage company and brings from there an extensive background in developing corporate training tools, needs analysis, business operations, supervision, management development and grand openings.

Ralph has been published many times in local and regional publications on a wide variety of training and career related topics and is frequently interviewed by regional media. He is an active member in the national chapter of the American Society of Training and Development. Ralph earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Policy and Management from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.

Monique Kahkonen, SPHR
HR Learning & Development Center

Monique Kahkonen, SPHR, HR Learning and Development Consultant, is responsible for consulting with members to explore their training and staff development needs, support the design and provide the delivery of high quality educational programs to reach organizational goals. Participants in training courses have shared comments such as Monique is “a true professional and interested in solving issues that directly impact your business,” “My understanding of HR related issues has increased immensely thanks to Monique” and “she is an excellent trainer, one of the most thorough I have known and she is able to make a dry topic fun.” Monique’s primary training areas are HR and legal compliance as well as ERA’s core leadership and personal development topics. By combining her career experiences and knowledge, participants are able to walk away with solid examples and inspiring messages to implement immediately upon returning to their office.

Monique brings with her over 15 years of human resource and training experience. Before joining the Association, Monique was the Human Resource and Training Director for a national franchise system where she provided consultation and training in all aspects of human resources including employment, compensation, leadership development, wage and hour, workers’ compensation and unemployment. Additionally, within this role she was responsible for the development of the learning system and training programs for both business owners and staff level employees. Prior to her work with this national company, she held leadership positions within a regional hospital network enhancing her business and human resource background. She began her professional career in the not-for-profit world within a county social service agency supporting the underserved.

Monique volunteers her expertise currently as a Board Member for state-wide foster care agency. Previously she served for 10 years as a Board Member of a Credit Union including in the role of Past President. She has written for both local and regional publications on a wide variety of human resource related topics. She is an active member in the national chapter of the Society for Human Resources. Monique graduated summa cum laude from Wright State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling.

Jerry Yingling, B.S. Ed., PHR
Learning & Development Consultant

Jerry is a dedicated business professional that has spent the past 28 years developing his management, HR, training and sales skills.

Upon graduating from the University of Nebraska, Jerry spent the first 4 years of his career in public education. Teaching junior high and high school math and science, Jerry also coached basketball, football and baseball at Princeton High School.

His business career spans 24 years in human resources and sales management and he has worked for small privately held companies as well as fortune 100 organizations. In his 7 years of human resources experience, he held positions such as Manager of Training & Development, Corporate Recruiting Manager, Employee Relations Manager and Director of Human Resources. His 17 years of sales management includes experience in manufacturing, service, retail and technology sectors. The success he has enjoyed in his sales career is due primarily to the commitment he made to the training and development of his employees.

Jerry has extensive experience in developing and presenting seminars on topics that include: business-to-business sales, retail sales, and a host of management and supervision topics. He has also earned certifications in several commercial training programs. Jerry holds a B.S. Ed. from the University of Nebraska where he attended on a baseball scholarship.

Brandi Helton
Training Coordinator

As the Association's Training Coordinator, Brandi is responsible for the daily operations of the Association's training department, serving as the liaison for all training arrangements between member companies and our training instructors. Brandi also handles questions about program content, as well as registration. Additionally, she is highly involved in the preparation and editing of all marketing and training materials for the department. Members may also contact Brandi for room rental information.

Patti Grogan
Training Assistant

As the Training Assistant, Patti provides support to the Training Coordinator, trainers and the Vice President of Educational Services. Patti assists with the scheduling and preparation of all ERA program marketing materials. She handles course registrations, prepares training materials and sets the rooms for all ERA events. Patti’s efficiency and communication skills make her a great asset to the training team, as well as to ERA as an organization. Patti offers her assistance to the receptionist greeting members and answering phones.

Dan Chaney, SPHR
Director HR, Advisory Services

As the primary Association contact on our HR Hotline, Dan is responsible for researching and responding to member requests, providing HR guidance and counsel, managing our HR Solutions Center, facilitating roundtables and overseeing the expansion of information services. Dan joined us after spending 11 years as human resource manager for a construction products company. Prior to that he was an Industrial and Manufacturing Engineer. He brings a varied background that is directly applicable to his role at the Association. Dan earned his Bachelor's degree in Management from Xavier University.

Terry Henley, CCP, SPHR
Director, Compensation Services

Terry has over 35 years of management, consulting and executive experience in Human Resources. Terry worked in manufacturing, printing, insurance, and banking; in small, medium and large organizations; and in both profit and non-profit settings. He has been a featured contributor to several SHRM articles, in HR Magazine, HR Tools, and Workforce Benefits, and earned both his B.A. and M.A. from the University of Illinois. His primary focus at Employers Resource Association is establishing pay and performance management systems for member organizations.

Douglas Matthews, PHR
Survey Manager

Douglas Matthews serves as the association's Survey Manager. In this role he is responsible for conducting, analyzing and compiling over 20 annual wage, salary, policy, practices and employee benefit surveys for members. This gives him access to the latest trends and compensation levels for over 400 job titles. Douglas also conducts custom wage and benefit surveys. Douglas attended Indiana University where he earned Bachelor of Arts and an Associate of Science Degree, and a Master's Degree from Xavier University.

Carol Reubel, SPHR
Vice President, HR Consulting Services

Carol is responsible for providing a variety of HR services to member companies, including employee engagment surveys, affirmative action plans, on-site HR assistance and HR training. Carol joined the Association with a solid HR background with over 20 years in corporate retail, manufacturing and service environments and as a self-employed consultant. Carol received her bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Missouri, Columbia.

Lori Hall, SPHR
Manager, HR Consulting Services

As Manager of HR Consulting Services with Employers Resource Association, Lori is responsible for coordinating and administering Employee Engagement Surveys, Affirmative Action Planning, HR Audits, Hotline Advisory Services, Roundtable Facilitation and HR On-site Services for approximately 300 member companies in the Central Ohio area.

Lori is a versatile human resources professional with over 20 years of combined experience in the manufacturing, service, and healthcare industries – including a home health care company and a cardiology practice. Lori is well-versed in employee relations, benefits administration, policy development, affirmative action plans and employee engagement surveys. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wright State University, and Senior Professional in Human Resources certification from the Society for Human Resources Management.

Barb England
Human Resource Consultant

Barbara England is a seasoned HR professional with thirty years of experience in Human Resource Management in both the public and private sectors. With a Bachelors degree in Sociology, Barbara spent almost 20 years directing the human resources function for a regional transit system with responsibility for employment, compensation and benefits, training and employee development, policy and program development, employee and labor relations, safety and workers compensation and strategic planning. Her responsibilities with ERA include fielding a wide variety of HR questions on ERA’s hot line, coordinating and facilitating Roundtables and handling special projects for ERA members, including handbook review and preparation, development of job descriptions and HR procedures. She has been with ERA almost three years. Barbara has been active in the community and is currently a member of the Pickerington Personnel Advisory Board. Throughout her career she served on the Boards of the Columbus Area American Red Cross, Salvation Army, YWCA and Directions for Youth. She has been a member of SHRM for 30 years.

Jeff Lucas, PHR
HR Services Consultant

Jeff provides supports on various projects including Employee Engagement Surveys, Performance Review, Customer Service Satisfaction Surveys and Exit Interviews. Jeff is also in charge of web design and maintenance as well as internal IT support.

Carolyn Potter, J.D.
Human Resource Consultant

Carolyn joined ERA in October 2007 as a Human Resources Consultant in our Cincinnati office. She worked in-house as Senior Corporate Counsel and then as a legal consultant with a large corporation for nearly 10 years with experience in a broad range of HR issues including hiring, discipline, firing, discrimination, litigation management, harassment and wage and hour. Carolyn's primary focus with ERA includes affirmative action plans, employee opinion surveys, back-up hotline assistance, handbook review and HR training. Carolyn has a B.A. and J.D. from University of Toledo and is licensed to practice law in Ohio and Kentucky.

Peter Landesman
Director, Marketing and Membership Development

Peter joins the Association as Director, Membership Development & Marketing. In this role, his responsibilities include managing new membership growth and membership retention, as well as business development and strategic marketing. He brings over 20 years of experience in sales management, business development, and marketing. Most recently, he designed and implemented new business development, sales support and marketing programs to facilitate customer acquisition and customer retention initiatives. His general marketing experience includes branding, direct marketing, loyalty marketing, advertising, marketing communications, strategic planning, marketing research and new product development. Prior to joining the Association, Peter has been involved in a variety of industries including healthcare, professional services, consumer packaged goods, retail, non-profit, and aviation. Peter holds a BA in Liberal Arts from Northern Illinois University.

Jim Carter
Manager, Membership Development

Jim joined our staff as Manager, Membership Development in 2003. A University of Cincinnati graduate in business administration, Jim brings over 25 years of business sales and sales management experience to the Association. He has served as both a District Sales Manager and a Major Account Manager. Jim's knowledge of area firms and his familiarity with the local tri-state market make him a great membership representative.

Monica Zoerner
Manager, Membership Development

Monica Zoerner joined ERA as the Manager, Membership Development covering Central Ohio. Her professional career includes significant business development, sales and marketing experience in the Human Resources, Financial and Healthcare sectors. Monica holds a MS degree in Marketing & Communication from Franklin University. Monica's knowledge of the Central Ohio area makes her a great resource.

April Risen
Manager, Administration

April works closely with the President, serves as office manager, handles all of the accounting functions and supervises the support staff. She has served in a number of capacities at ERA. April started her career with the Association as the receptionist quickly moving to the position of training assistant. She was then promoted to Administrative Assistant and served as Training Coordinator prior to her current role. These various positions have given April a complete knowledge of the various departments at ERA and thoroughly prepared her for her current position of Manager Administration.

Janiece Mason
Receptionist

Janiece brings her considerable customer service experience to ERA’s front desk position. In addition to professionally handling busy phone traffic, Janiece makes sure everyone visiting the association and attending classes is cheerfully welcomed and directed to the correct location. Janiece is responsible for maintenance of the membership database, and assists the President and Manager, Administration with administrative tasks. She also assists professional staff members with projects.

Miranda Neike
Administrative Assistant

Miranda Neike joined ERA as the Administrative Assistant for our Columbus office. Miranda provides administrative support to all of the professional staff and Columbus members. She is also responsible for managing the reception function for the office. Her professional career includes 5 years of experience for a global marketing company, in the customer relations department. Miranda provided extraordinary customer service to all company clients, and received many awards for her service. In addition, she also has several years of experience as a sales associate and administrative assistant for a small local employer.