Marla is a nurse and mother of 4 grown children. She has lived in the Oxford area her entire life and cares deeply about creating a diverse and inclusive culture for all people. She loves to read and travel. She hopes to take up scrapbooking again now that she has an empty nest.
Diane Ruther-Vierling is a long time member of Oxford Area PFLAG. She is a social worker and has worked with and advocated for many groups including LGBTQ+, the homeless population, women and low income families. She is currently the Clinical Director of the YWCA Hamilton Goodman Place housing program. She is a mother of four and a grandmother of seven and loves to spend time with her family, and enjoys cooking, traveling, gardening and reading.
Sabrina Jewell is a founding member of Oxford Area PFLAG and has been the treasurer since 2015. She is an advocate for many groups including LGBTQ+, elderly and low income to name a few. Her paid position is with Oxford Seniors as the Outreach Coordinator. In her free time, Sabrina enjoys gardening, kayaking, biking, and hiking with her dogs or traveling with her family. Fun fact: she has worked for two circuses!
Kim Ogle earned her Ph.D. from Miami University in the Department of Sociology and Gerontology, studying end of life issues for older adults. After graduating with her Ph.D., she was awarded a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Scripps Gerontology Center, located at Miami University. During that time she developed curriculum regarding end-of-life care for Certified Nursing Assistants who work in long term care facilities. In 2019 Kim earned the certification of Death Doula from the Conscience Dying Institute in Boulder, Co. Additionally, she is certified as a thanatologist from the Association of Death Education and Counseling and was a funeral director for over 20 years. She and her life partner live on 40 acres with six goats, 3 dogs and six cats.
Mark Radlinski is an Upper Elementary and Middle School teacher at the McGuffey Montessori School. He is married with one daughter and has lived in Oxford since 1992. Mark enjoys riding and fixing scooters and is the Membership Director of the Vespa Club of America.
As a retired teacher and 38 year resident of Oxford, I have always been a proponent of equality, justice, and acceptance for all people. I’ve worked with the Family Resource Center, helped start the Oxford Community Choice Pantry (now TOPSS), am on the leadership team of the Oxford Coalition for a Healthy Community, and am past president of the Oxford PFLAG chapter. My original interest in PFLAG arose as a proud parent of a gay daughter.
Kathleen Veslany joined the Oxford Area PFLAG board in 2017. She has lived in the Rust Belt, the Sun Belt, and on the Mediterranean coast before settling in Oxford with her family. She is currently an editor for the Farmer School of Business, an intervention learning specialist for Miami Athletics, and owns an online shop that sells vintage housewares. In her spare time, she likes to read novels, travel, and watch movies.
Chip Rogers joined PFLAG this year and is the Assistant Coach of the Miami University Women's Field of Hockey Team. With his help, the RedHawks have captured the MAC regular season championship and the MAC Tournament championship each of the past three seasons and have totaled 10 championships during his tenure. As a passionate advocate for the sport, Rogers is a national consultant for schools adding field hockey, having helped over a dozen schools successfully reinstate or add the sport to their athletic departments. He has presented at a number of conferences and is one of the national authorities on the development of new programs.
Kate joined the PFLAG Oxford Board in 2018 and is a faculty member in the Department of Family Science & Social Work at Miami. She is from the east coast and has been involved with LGBTQ family issues since her mom came out in the 1980s. She studied family science at the University of Maryland, and has been advocating for and with LGBTQ families for 25 years. Her current research focuses on families with transgender and nonbinary children. She also enjoys trying to cook like a vegan, reading, and body surfing (when home in Rhode Island in the summers).