Mike is a graduate of The Ohio State University. He is a resident of North Ridgeville has been married 27 years and has three children and three grandchildren. Mike has been the owner of a local business, Forevergreen, for the last 30 years. He has been the owner of the 8820 event center since 2020. Mike has served on various boards over the last 15 years and been involved in recovery for 22 years. 

James Schaeper, upon graduating from Pickerington High School, he continued his education at The Ohio State University and Capital University in Columbus, where he earned his MBA. After a 43-year career as an IT professional with 38 years spent working at National City/PNC Bank, he retired in May of 2020. During the tax season he stays busy as a tax preparer for Gerst Tax Services in North Olmsted.

Schaeper, of Avon Lake, enjoys doing home remodeling with his wife, Terri. They recently downsized to a fixer upper and have remodeled every room in the house including two bathrooms and a kitchen. In addition to doing home remodeling, Schaeper and his wife love spending as much time as they can with their 2 granddaughters Jacey (18) and Julia (10). For the last 15 years, along with MHARS Board of Directors Chair, Dan Urbin, Schaeper has kept stats for the Avon Lake Shoremen football team.

Having been impacted by opioid addiction and mental illness, Schaeper is inspired to educate parents, schools, doctors and the community about the growing problems with addiction.

Learn more about James Schaeper’s professional history on LinkedIn.

Sandra Premura graduated from Valley Forge High School in Parma Heights. She chose Cuyahoga Community College for her Associate degree and retired from the Ohio Department of Transportation, where she had many positions including the Equal Employment Contract Coordination. She is currently a member of NAMI.

Her life has been touched by mental health, substance abuse, and gambling issues, so helping is important to her. Mrs. Premura is affiliated with many recovery groups including the Lantern Family support group, Mothers of Addicts prayer group, Families Anonymous and the Addicts Moms, The Addicts Parents United, and NAMI. She supports families and those struggling with mental health and substance abuse by helping them to find assistance and support for recovery.

Learn more about Sandra Premura’s professional history on LinkedIn.

A resident of Oberlin, David Ashenhurst attended Kenwood High School in Chicago and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in English and Philosophy. He has worked in grant writing and public policy for much of his career, where he uses his leadership, analytical, and representational skills to improve employee satisfaction, public understanding and stakeholder confidence.

Ashenhurst is the founder and president of Oberlin By Design, a nonprofit that works for the sustainability of Oberlin, Ohio. He is also the founder of Private Philanthropy Matters/Giving Advice.

Learn more about David Ashenhurst’s professional history on LinkedIn.

Tim Barfield recently retired from full-time law enforcement after 42 years.  At the time of his retirement, he was the Chief of Police in Wellington, Ohio.  He is a husband, father and grandfather who has a love for police work and police officers with a goal of helping them succeed in a great profession.  He is the former president and current treasurer for the Local Initiative Networking Compassion (LINC), an organization he was foundational in developing to help those struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues. He is a member of the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association. He is a contributing writer to Policeone.com and LawOfficer.com.  He continues to learn and instruct on subjects with an emphasis on awareness, mental health, police survival mindset, the addicted community, and ethics. Throughout his career, he observed the lack of assistance needed to ensure that he and other first responders were prepared to respond and deal with the demands and aftereffects of the trauma experienced in the demanding fields they participated in.  He has worked with many first responders to help them achieve balance and resilience in their lives and continues in that needed endeavor.

Patricia Bell is a resident of Oberlin and currently works as a registered nurse, with over 20 years experience in the mental health and addiction field.

She earned her Associates degree from Lorain County Community College.

Tim Carrion serves on the Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services (MHARS) Board of Lorain County.

A resident of Lorain, Carrion graduated from Admiral King High School, and then pursued a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Cleveland State University. He joined the U.S. National Guard as a Specialist. Now a Veteran, he is the Commander of American Legion Post #30 in Lorain.

Carrion founded and manages a real estate, insurance, mortgage and financial services agency, where he collaborates with other professionals to evaluate and meet consumer needs.

He is active in diverse community organizations, sharing his policy and leadership skills for the betterment of Lorain County.

Learn more about Tim Carrion’s professional history on LinkedIn.

A native of Memphis, TN, Wanda holds a degree in Chemistry (Natural Science) from Shelby State Community College (Memphis, TN), graduated from Northwestern University (Chicago, IL) with a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management and Business, and, in 2024, received an Honorary Doctorate in Entertainment and Arts Management from Harvest Christian University (Dallas, TX). Wanda has served on the Board of Governors Grammy Chicago Chapter from 2010-2014, and is currently serving on the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio, and UMADAOP of Lorain. In 2011, Wanda was officially licensed as an Ordained Elder to preach and teach the gospel. She is currently a resident of Sheffield Lake.

Mike grew up in Columbus, Ohio attending public school, after graduation he went on to attend the University of Steubenville currently named Franciscan University of Steubenville where he earned a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Accounting and Business Management.

Mike is currently a resident of Avon, Ohio and has been married to his wife Tangja for 39 years. They have two son’s Micah and Tyler along with four grandchildren.

Mike’s professional career spans over more than 30 years working as a Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Controller and Accounting Manager for various non-profit organizations primarily within the healthcare industry serving predominately underserved communities. He recently spent the majority of his professional career working as a Controller and CFO for Morehouse School of Medicine and Community Action Against Addiction.

Mike is a sports enthusiast and enjoys spending time outdoors fishing, traveling and attending various sporting events.

Mike is committed to the MHARS mission, vision and goals. He is dedicated to helping serve people within the community who struggle from mental health and substance use disorders.  He would like to see the elimination of healthcare and other disparities among people living within underserved communities.

Michele Flanagan has been working as a Licensed Social Worker and Mental Health Therapist since 1990. She has worked for Lorain County Children Services, the WG Nord Center and in private Practice. She has volunteered as a Coach for several sports through the Cleveland Catholic Diocese for many years and was the Chair for the Hot Meals Program at the Salvation Army, Elyria for 10 years. She and her family are rooted in many volunteer programs in Lorain County and have a strong commitment to Service. She enjoys being a member of the Avon Lake Historical Society, golf, and pickleball. She is grateful for the opportunity to serve on the Lorain County MHARS Board.

Pat McGervey is married to Cleta Marie since 1987. They have five adult children. Mr. McGervey has been a resident of Lorain County since 1976. He is a Hospice Chaplain. Pat received his M.A. in Theaology from St. Mary Seminary in Cleveland and M.Ed. in Counseling from Cleveland State University. He is also a member of the Lorain County Fair Housing Board.

John is a PCC-S with over 20+ years’ experience in behavioral health in roles with both provider and payer organizations. In his experience, John has been a clinical and administrative leader in Ohio and in other states. His career in behavioral health began working with children in residential treatment. He then went on to become a Clinical Supervisor with Cenpatico, serving Buckeye Community Health Plan, the Director of Outpatient Services with Bellefaire JCB, and the Enterprise Director of Behavioral Health Payment and Reimbursement Strategy and Ohio Senior Director of Behavioral Health with CareSource. John has competency with both mental health and substance use disorder treatment and related program development/maintenance/compliance, including subject matter expertise in ICD-10/CPT behavioral health service coding, the Ohio Administrative Code (OAC), and Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) and Ohio Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) service and program requirements. John’s personal professional interests include: children’s health, integrated physical and behavioral health, program development/maintenance/compliance, and quality outcomes (value-based) health service reimbursement models.

Clifton Oliver is an Elyria, Ohio native, proud Marine Corps veteran, and alumnus of The Elyria High School. After honorably serving in the Marine Corps, he pursued his education and obtained a business degree from Lorain County Community College. Mr. Oliver has an extensive successful background with assisting veterans, and members of the community in need. He is passionate about utilizing his skills and experiences to contribute to make a positive impact in our community.