Executive Profiles

Marilee Chinnici-Zuercher

CEO/President

Ms. Chinnici-Zuercher has directed the operations and policy management for this $2.5 million nonprofit agency since 1991. Prior to FIRSTLINK, she served as Deputy Director of the Ohio Department of Youth Services, Correctional Services Division, where she managed 1,500 employees and a $100 million budget.

Ms. Chinnici-Zuercher has had a lifelong dedication to community service at all levels, including national commitments for the Points of Light Foundation. She has also been active around the globe through the International Association for Volunteer Efforts; in the past 15 years, she has conducted volunteer and nonprofit organizational trainings in a dozen countries, including South Africa, Romania, Japan, Cyprus, Slovenia, Spain, Ukraine, China, Chile, Canada, Korea and the United States.

Involved in a leadership capacity on numerous community boards and initiatives, she currently serves as Mayor of Dublin, Chair of the Volunteer Center National Network Council. She serves on the boards of the Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission; the Joint Columbus and Franklin County Housing Advisory Board; the Central Ohio Transit Authority Legacy Council; the Central Ohio Municipal Council, the Community Research Partners; the Juvenile Justice Coalition of Ohio; the Ohio Citizen Corps Council, and the Ohio Volunteer Center Association. Commitments to United Way of Central Ohio include Vice-Chair of the Basic Needs Committee, member of the Public Policy committee and Community Impact Leadership Council.

Awards include: 2005 Woman of Achievement YWCA, Dublin Chamber of Commerce Spotlight Award; 2006 first Woman in Municipal Government Leadership Award of the year by the National League of Cities.

Marilee holds a B.S. in Political science from Miami University and pursued graduate studies at Xavier University.

A. Elizabeth (Beth) Eck, Esq.

Vice President of Training and Volunteer Services

Ms. Eck directs a division that builds the capacity of individuals and nonprofit organizations. Volunteers are mobilized through targeted volunteer recruitment efforts and the extensive Volunteer Opportunities data base available by phone or on line. The capacity of the nonprofit professionals and volunteers is developed through training and consultation services including board development, volunteer administration, grant writing and nonprofit management.

Since arriving at FIRSTLINK in 1996, she has played a prominent role in educating professionals and volunteers locally, statewide, nationally and internationally. Her expertise includes board development, volunteer management, grant writing and volunteers in disaster response. Internationally, she has worked with nonprofit professionals and non-governmental organizations in developing the culture of volunteer engagement in Japan, Slovenia, Moldovia, and Chile.

After receiving her Juris Doctor from Capital University Law School and gaining admittance to the Ohio Bar in 1977, Ms. Eck worked as the Legal Services Developer for the Ohio Department on Aging and was active in the private practice of law for a number of years. Ms. Eck was admitted to the Federal Bar in 1988. From 1980-1982 she chaired the Ohio Bar Association's Elder Services Committee and co-authored Legal Issues for Older Adults. Her current community commitments include board service with the Columbus Landmarks Foundation and the Mentoring Center of Central Ohio.

Bridget M. Wolf

Chief Operating Officer

Ms. Wolf serves as the chief financial officer and oversees the daily operations of the agency. She possesses an extensive background in financial management, forecasting, and fundraising. Employing her additional knowledge of political issues, she has previously directed financials for the successful election campaigns of several state politicians.

Ms. Wolf assists with implementation of 2-1-1 for Franklin County and is Vice President of OHAIRS. Ms. Wolf is also the Chair of the 2-1-1 Ohio Collaborative responsible for assisting 2-1-1 implementation throughout Ohio. Ms. Wolf's leadership assisted FIRSTLINK with the ability to implement 2-1-1 in November, 2003 and expanding services to cellular service in March, 2006.

She has been a member of the Board of Trustees for the Columbus Landmarks Foundation and a former member of the Junior League of Columbus.

Mark Sutton

Vice President of 2-1-1

Mr. Sutton is the Vice President of 2-1-1 for FIRSTLINK, Inc., serving as the chief operations manager of the call center division. He is a Licensed Social Worker with the State of Ohio, and has Bachelor of Arts and Associate degrees from Ohio University in Athens. He is also a Certified Information and Referral Specialist (CIRS) through the national Alliance of Information and Referral Systems and a certified Crisis Worker through the American Association of Suicidology. Prior to coming to FIRSTLINK, he was the Executive Director of the Meigs County Council on Aging, Inc., in Pomeroy, Ohio, and served over nineteen years as Director of Hotline Services, CareLine, for Tri-County Mental Health and Counseling Services, Inc. of Athens, Hocking and Vinton counties. Mark was a recent member, past Treasurer and President of the Ohio Council of Information and Referral Providers Board of Trustees, being actively involved for over ten years. Mark is a member of the 2-1-1 Ohio Collaborative, was a founding member and Chair of Neighbors Helping Neighbors of Athens County, Inc., and has served on numerous other committees and boards. Mark's efforts as a social worker range from direct service and advocacy, to developing collaborative initiatives designed to stretch scarce resources, close service delivery gaps and increase access to services. Mark's years of involvement in the mental health, victim assistance, aging, volunteer and social welfare arenas reinforce his strong commitment to the field of Information & Referral, and the importance of maintaining professional standards of service in the development of the 2-1-1 dialing code locally, statewide and nationally.

Jan Leibovitz Alloy

Vice President of Resource Management

Ms. Alloy oversees FIRSTLINK's research and special projects department and produces the agency's annual human services directory. She is a Certified Resource Specialist through the Alliance of Information & Referral Systems (AIRS).

As principal of JLA Communications she has produced business communication pieces in the nonprofit, education and corporate arenas and has won both writing and publishing awards. Her books include Human Services Management that Works.

She is a longtime volunteer with the Columbus AIDS Task Force. Her other volunteer commitments include To Life Columbus! and Hadassah's Check It Out, which she also served as acting executive director.

She has a master's degree in journalism from Ohio University.