Board of Trustees

Board of Trustees

John Bentley 

John is the Treasurer of Green Umbrella. John is in active practice and is principal with Bentley Keopke Inc., Landscape Architects.He is a member of ASLA, American Society of Landscape Architects and was inducted into the ASLA’s distinguished Council of Fellows in 2008, honoring his extraordinary work, leadership, knowledge and works of landscape architecture throughout his 45-year career. He serves as consultant to Indian Hill Green Areas Program and as an advisor to the Cincinnati Preservation Association.  He is a Board Member of Civic Garden Center and Lunken Airport Advisory Board.  He is a member of The Cincinnatus Assoc. and No Child Left Inside (NCLI). John received his Bachelor Degree in Landscape Architecture from Pennsylvania State Univ. in 1962 and his Masters in Landscape Architecture from the Univ. of Michigan in 1964.   

Sherry Carran 

Sherry is serving her second term as Covington City Commissioner and represents the City on the OKI Board of Directors. She is the Chair of Banklick Watershed Council, serves on Vision 2015’s Licking River Greenway Project, and is a member of the Northern Kentucky Urban & Community Forestry Council.  She represents the Forestry Council on the Brent Spence Bridge Replacement/Rehabilitation Project – Aesthetics Committee.   Sherry received her Bachelor Degree in Architecture from the Univ. of Cincinnati in 1974.   

Jim Godby 

Jim currently works for the Cincinnati Park Board as Land Manager.  His duties include supervising the two Parks Tree Crews, trail maintenance, habitat restoration, Phase One assessments for property acquisitions, and leading volunteer outings.  He is also heading up the deer management efforts for Cincinnati Parks.  He has been a Certified Arborist since 1991, has worked in the tree care industry since 1977 and is a member of member of the International Society of Arboriculture. Jim graduated from Cincinnati State with an Associate Degree in Landscape Horticulture, and also attended Hocking College for Wildlife Management.  He attended the Burn Manager workshop in 2001 and is a Certified Burn Manager.   

Stanley Hedeen

Dr. Stanley Hedeen is an emeritus Professor of Biology and a former Dean of Arts and Sciences at Xavier University. At the university he taught courses in ecology, his field of specialization. His B.A. in Biology is from Augustana College, where he also was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. He earned a Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Minnesota, where he studied as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow. Dr. Hedeen has authored books on Mill Creek, Little Miami River, Big Bone Lick, and the natural history of the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area.  He has published several papers on population ecology, animal behavior, water pollution, ornithology, herpetology, animal diseases, habitat destruction, and the teaching of biological subjects.

Bill Hopple

Bill is the Executive Director of the Cincinnati Nature Center.  He also serves as Board Chair of the Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum, is a member of the Association of Nature Center Directors, and is a Trustee of the Valley View Foundation. 

Sue Magness

Ms. Sue Magness has been working in the field of environmental education, recycling, and solid waste management for over 20 years.  Currently, the recycling coordinator for the City of Cincinnati, she is expanding and enhancing the curbside recycling program by re-bidding the hauling contract, adopting new technology, and proposing an exciting new incentive program called “RecycleBank”. Additionally, she is charged with the task of developing/managing a comprehensive recycling program for approximately 400 city facilities and departments.  Ms. Magness serves as Policy Board Member for the Hamilton County Solid Waste Management District, Regional Director for the Environmental Education Council of Ohio (EECO), and Board Member for Leave No Child Inside of Greater Cincinnati. She was honored in 2001 as EECO “Non-formal Environmental Educator of the Year” and in 2005 by Ohio Project Learning Tree as "Ohio Outstanding Educator".  Ms. Magness has a Bachelor of Science from Northern Kentucky University in Psychology with an emphasis in Environmental Psychology and minor in Marketing. 

Jim Rahtz  

Jim is the Deputy Director of the Hamilton County Park District.He is a member of both the National Parks & Recreation Association (NRPA) and the Ohio Parks & Recreation Association (OPRA) and has been a "Certified Park & Recreation Professional" (CPRP) since 1992. He is also a member of the Colerain Township Greenspace Committee, Outdoor Writers of Ohio and United States Canoe Association.  He holds an Associates Degree in Environmental Science from the University of Cincinnati and a Bachelor's Degree in Public Administration from Northern Kentucky University. 

Bill Scheyer

Bill has been appointed the new President of Vision 2015, Northern Kentucky’s 10-year strategic plan, launched in 2005. Prior to this appointment Bill served as Director of SouthBank Partners and before that served for more than 18 years as city administrator for the City of Erlanger. He has served as president of both the Northern Kentucky and statewide City/County Management Associations. Bill is a graduate of Northern Kentucky University and an alumnus of both Leadership Northern Kentucky and the Greater Cincinnati Regional Leadership Forum.   

Dr. Jon L. Seymour, Ph.D

Jon is President of Oxbow, Inc., Treasurer of Indiana Land Protection Alliance, and serves on the Board of Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment (TERA).  He is a retired manager from Procter & Gamble Co..

Tim Sisson

Tim is President of Western Wildlife Corridor and Vice President of Green Umbrella. He is a retired engineer with his BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering.  During his Engineering career he helped consulting companies in Ohio and Michigan with the development of methodologies for performing assessments. He has led many activities for the Hamilton County Park District, Delhi Township and Cincinnati Parks related to restoring meadows and forests (1992 to present).

Robert D. Temple

Bob is the President and Secretary of the Green Umbrella. He is a retired manager from Procter & Gamble Co.