Board of Trustees
Dedication. Expertise. Community-focused.
The Holmes County Foundation Board of Trustees is comprised of dedicated individuals committed to upholding the foundation's values of stewardship, sincerity, community, and trust.
Board President
Garrett M. Roach
Garrett M. Roach serves as President of the Board of Trustees and has been an attorney with Critchfield, Critchfield & Johnston, Ltd. for almost 30 years specializing in complex business matters, estate and business succession planning, real estate development, and oil and gas.
Vice President
Michael K. Taylor
Michael K. Taylor is the Vice President of the Board of Trustees. He was a CPA and partner at Rea and Associates and was instrumental in building Rea from a small firm to one of the top 100 firms in the United States.
Treasurer
Matthew W. Campbell
Matthew W. Campbell is the Treasurer and Secretary of the Board of Trustees. He is a Financial Advisor with Investment Partners, LTD. Matt is a former HCEF scholarship recipient who obtained his degree in Business Administration/Finance from Ohio University.
Board Member
Shasta M. Mast
Shasta M. Mast is Manager of the Hardwood Furniture Guild, Board Member of the Killbuck Savings Bank and former Director of the Holmes County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau. Shasta earned a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism from Otterbein College.
Board Member
Craig E. Hershberger
Craig E. Hershberger was an educator in both West and East Holmes schools and most recently retired as school counselor from Hiland High School after 37 years in education. He earned a BS degree in Education and a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Malone College and a Master’s Degree in School Administration from Ashland University.
Board Member
John R. Waltman
John R. Waltman has been with Critchfield, Critchfield & Johnston LTD for over 30 years and is a lifetime resident of Holmes County. He is a member of the Holmes County, Ohio and American Bar Associations, Fellowship with the Ohio State Bar Association, and is a Director of the Commercial and Savings Bank.
Board Member
Judge Thomas C. Lee
Judge Lee has served as Judge of the Holmes County Probate and Juvenile Courts since 1997. He graduated from Hiland High School in 1977, Taylor University with a B.A. in Psychology in 1982, earned his J.D. at Capital University Law School in 1986 and was in private practice in Holmes County from 1987 to 1997.
Board Member
Roger D. Proper, Jr.
Roger Proper, a Holmes County native, is a member of Critchfield, Critchfield & Johnston, Ltd., and chairs the firm’s Trusts & Estates Department. He has over 25 years of experience in estate planning and is certified as a specialist in Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Law by the Ohio State Bar Association.
Board Member
Julian L. Coblentz
Julian Coblentz is a lifelong resident of this community. He has been employed at Walnut Creek Foods since 2002 and currently serves as the President & CEO of the company. Julian earned a bachelor’s degree from Malone University. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Commercial & Savings Bank since 2015.
Board Member
Lisa A. Grassbaugh
Lisa Grassbaugh is a financial advisor at Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. She graduated from West Holmes High School and has a Bachelor's in Business Administration from Kent State University with a major in Finance and Management.
Board Member
Dave A. Mast
Dave Mast is a lifelong citizen of Holmes County. He has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Bluffton College where he also played baseball. After college, he married his high school sweetheart and became a journalist and a co-owner of Alonovus. He is a long-term member of Martins Creek Mennonite Church and has 3 sons and 2 grandsons.
Staff
Executive Director
Holley Johnson
Holley Johnson moved to Holmes County with her husband and children in 2008. Having grown up in an Air Force family, she knew the importance of serving others, but it was Holmes County that taught her about the value of community.
Holley has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ballet from the University of Utah. After college, she spent several years as a professional ballerina with the Atlanta Ballet and Lexington Ballet and has since found great joy in teaching ballet to hundreds of students over the last 25 years.
In 2015, Holley formed Holmes Center for the Arts with a group of community leaders with the purpose of providing more opportunities in the arts to the people of Holmes County. She spent a decade as the executive director, raising millions of dollars for the arts in Holmes County, organizing hundreds of classes and performances, and constructing a new multi-purpose arts center for everyone to enjoy.
Holley is excited to continue the legacy of the Holmes Foundation by providing scholarships for students seeking higher education and by expanding the community grant aspect of the foundation.
She, her husband Matt (a structural engineer), and her three children live in Winesburg. Holley is also a member of the Rotary Club of Millersburg, the Holmes County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and Zion Reformed Church.
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Assistant Director
Sam Kandel
Sam Kandel moved to Holmes County after graduating from Mount Vernon Nazarene University in 2023. Originally from Grove City, Ohio, Sam had always appreciated the sense of community and charm that small-town living has to offer. Her move to the area was initially prompted by her husband Damien’s marketing career at Kaufman Realty, as he was already from Holmes County. What began as a move for work has grown into a place Sam is proud to call home.
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Sam met Damien while attending college, and the two were married in January of 2024 after completing their master’s degrees in business together. Sam also holds a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education.
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Throughout high school, Sam was actively involved in extracurricular activities, playing basketball and running track. She continued her basketball career at MVNU, where she also helped launch the university’s first-ever women’s lacrosse program, creating new opportunities for student-athletes. Today, Sam continues to pursue her love of athletics through training and spending time outdoors.
After graduating, Sam began her career in marketing, spending three years gaining professional experience as a marketing manager before joining the Holmes County Foundation. She and her husband reside in Walnut Creek with their Goldendoodle, Beau. Sam has also enjoyed becoming more involved in the community through Mercy Hill Church, where she volunteers in children’s ministry and participates in a small group.
Sam is excited to bring her marketing background and passion for community to the Holmes County Foundation, where she looks forward to building relationships and finding new ways to serve and make a difference in the lives of Holmes County residents.
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