Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio New Board of Directors Transformation Underway

CINCINNATI — Cincinnati leaders from the ranks of well-known Cincinnati civil rights attorney, to former US District Court judicial clerk, to a local physician are stepping up to make change in Southwest Ohio’s reproductive health care space. 

The Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region is thrilled to announce that six incredible board members stepped up into leadership positions for the 2022 cycle. This year’s Officers include Rickell Howard Smith, Chair; Kiana Trabue, Vice Chair; John Theobald, Treasurer; Beth Mandel, Secretary; and At-Large members Sarah Bartlett, M.D and Jaasiel Chapman.

“The Board of Directors is one of our biggest sources of pride at Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio,” said Kersha Deibel, President and CEO. “This group is focused on bringing access to reproductive health care and sexuality education to Southwest Ohio with fresh eyes. This year, the board elected a truly impressive, diverse slate of Officers to lead us though what is sure to be one of the most challenging in Planned Parenthood history.” 

Read more about our new Directors here:

Rickell Howard Smith, Chair, is a civil rights attorney and policy advocate specializing in criminal and juvenile justice policy reform. She currently serves as the Executive Director for the Center for Social Justice at the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio.  

While dedicating her career to advancing social justice, Rickell built a successful track record of impactful civil rights litigation aimed at systemic change, policy reform, and cross-sector advocacy.  Her experience taught her that policy reforms must center the voices and solutions developed by communities directly impacted by injustice.  

In addition to her service on the local Planned Parenthood Board of Directors, Rickell is co-chair of the Cincinnati Bar Association’s Criminal and Social Justice Committee.  Rickell holds a B.B.A from Howard University and J.D. from Temple University School of Law.   

Kiana R. Trabue, Vice Chair, Kiana R. Trabue currently serves as Vice President, Strategic Partnerships for bi3, a philanthropic initiative to transform the health and well-being of all people in Greater Cincinnati.  In this role, Kiana uses a deeply collaborative approach to cultivate bi3’s internal and external partnerships and co-design innovative initiatives to achieve bi3’s goal of solving Greater Cincinnati’s deep-seated health issues.   

Kiana was recognized by the YWCA of Greater Cincinnati as a 2017 Rising Star. She also received Lead Tribune Media Group’s 2017 Healthcare Leadership Award.  She is a graduate of the Urban League of Southwest Ohio’s Urban Leader's Institute, YWCA’s Rising Stars Leadership Program and Center for Clinical and Translation Science and Training’s Community Leaders Institute.  

In 2018 she was one of four alumni who were selected to be inducted into Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health at Wright State University. In addition, she was honored as one of Cincinnati’s 2018 Forty Under 40 by the Cincinnati Business Courier and was honored by Princeton City Schools with the Distinguished Alumni award.

In December 2019 she received the Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training’s Community Advocate Award. In January 2021 she was recognized as a part of the Class of 2021 Women of Impact by American Heart Association. 

Kiana has been a Council Member for the Village of Woodlawn since September 2018 where she works on behalf of her neighbors to keep “Beautiful Woodlawn” beautiful. In 2022 she was appointed to her second term as Vice Mayor. Kiana is also a Board member for the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati and Produce Perks Midwest.  

Beth Mandel, Secretary, is an Associate at Thompson Hine in the Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation practice group and the Cincinnati Co-Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Initiative. Prior to going into private practice, she served for eight years as a judicial clerk in the US District Court for the Southern District of Ohio for the Honorable Susan J. Dlott, and she was an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. Beth has been a Board Member of Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio since 2018, has been a member of the annual gala committee since 2016, and has been an avid supporter and active volunteer of Planned Parenthood for most of her life. She was the founding co-chair of ProKids Young Professionals and served in that position from 2011-2013. She received her JD from the University of Cincinnati College of Law and received her BA from the Univeristy of Michigan in 2002. 

John Thomas Theobald, Treasurer, a US Navy veteran, spent 28 years in public service before leaving to work for the Wildness Agency.  Originally from Sarasota, FL, John moved to Dayton in 1968 where he worked for Dayton-local manufacturer Gosiger, Inc. John earned a dual degree in Political Science and Philosophy from Wright State University and moved into public sector work.  Most recently, John served as the Commission Assistant to Montgomery County Commissioner Debbie Lieberman for 16 years before moving to the Wilderness Agency. 

In his role as a Commission Assistant, John led the creation of an Ex-Offender Reentry program that culminated in the creation of Montgomery County’s Office of Reentry in 2010. John co-chaired the county’s Women in Reentry subcommittee and co-chaired the EveryOne Reach One taskforce. John was president of the board of trustees of the Suicide Prevention Center of Greater Dayton and currently serves on the Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio. 

Dr. Sarah Bartlett, At-Large, is a native of Northern Kentucky and has enjoyed practicing women’s health care in Cincinnati for the past 13 years. She is an ally to issues related to women’s health and joined The Christ Hospital Physicians in 2021 where she focuses specifically on care outside of pregnancy. She completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center where she served as Administrative Chief Resident.  She earned her medical degree from the University of Louisville School of Medicine after graduating from Saint Louis University Honors Program.  She was previously named one of Cincinnati’s “Top Docs” and is a former president of the Cincinnati ObGyn Society. She was previously on the board of directors for the Patty Brisben Foundation for Women’s Sexual Health. 

She enjoys public speaking and is active in women’s health policy.   She feels strongly about women’s right to choose and empowering women to have control over their bodies and their health, while having access to affordable and comprehensive health care.   This is evidenced by her two decades of work to elevated issues in women’s and transgender health issues, which includes numerous visits to Washington, D.C. to advocate for policy changes. 

She has a passion for quality health care and spends her days committed to direct patient care. She considers it a privilege to perform the full range of gynecologic services from adolescence through menopause including all forms of contraception and hormone management.  She has a special interest in comprehensive women’s wellness, weight management, and preventive care.   

Jaasiel Chapman, At-Large, is a native Cincinnatian who is dedicated to finding a cure for HIV/AIDS. Currently, he works at Hamilton County Public Health as the HIV/STI Program Coordinator overseeing the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative. His work there focuses on engaging and empowering community partners with resources and tools to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the greater Cincinnati area. Previously, Chapman worked with IV-CHARIS, the only minority-run HIV/AIDS organization in the area and as a community educator for University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Infectious Diseases Research Center. Jaasiel attended the University of Cincinnati.  

Also joining the Planned Parenthood Board of Directors this year are the following dynamic local leaders: Camille Hall, Stephanie Klump, Aimee Lunde Maruyama and Lauren Tudor.  See here for the full Planned Parenthood Board of Directors list. 

“A strong commitment to providing equitable and inclusive care starts at the top,” said Deibel. “We need these highly capable leaders in the fight for abortion access now more than ever.