PEOPLE WHO TRULY CARE ABOUT THE LIVES OF THOSE WE SERVE
Rob Shimp
BOARD PRESIDENT
Rob Shimp has served as a member of Our Daily Bread’s Board of Directors and as a volunteer since Summer 2012. He was elected board president in January 2015 and also serves as board president at the Ohio River Foundation, a group focusing on environmental education and river habitat restoration, and contributes volunteer home repair work for People Working Cooperatively.
Professionally, Rob worked for 28 years at Procter & Gamble in “product stewardship,” and retired in 2012 to do part-time consulting. Product stewardship experts help companies ensure that the products they sell are safe for people and the environment, and in compliance with laws around the world. Rob lives with his wife, Linda, in Wyoming, and outside of work and volunteering he enjoys fly fishing, hiking, tennis, biking, golf, and basketball. They have two grown sons, living in the New York City area and Atlanta.
“ODB’s staff and volunteers are intensely committed to helping address hunger and poverty in Cincinnati. But it isn’t just the institution that I value – it is the connection with our guests. They know they can come to ODB for a warm meal, and a warmer welcome. It’s that simple sense of humanity, and humility, that I experience every time I walk through the doors. I can think of no better place to pay it forward.”
– Rob Shimp, Board President
Linda Berger
VICE PRESIDENT
Linda Berger joined Our Daily Bread’s board in 2017 and currently serves on the Development Committee. She was introduced to ODB through volunteering with Nativity Parish and Busken Bakery partnership. Linda gives her time to several non-profits in the Greater Cincinnati area, but was especially drawn to homelessness and poverty through her work as board chair of the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Cincinnati.
Linda grew up in Northern KY and learned giving back by the many examples of her family. Linda lives in Amberley Village with her husband Andy and has 5 children. She attempts golf, loves Pilates, cooking and travel.
“If you want to touch the past, touch a rock. If you want to touch the present, touch a flower. If you want to touch the future, touch a life.”
– Linda Berger, Vice President
Yvan Demosthenes
BOARD MEMBER
Yvan Demosthenes joined Our Daily Bread’s board in May 2020 and currently serves on the Development and Fundraising committees. He was introduced to ODB by a former board member, Tim Vonderhaar, who invited him to attend an event in 2016. Yvan, was impressed by the life and energy ODB brings into OTR and the good work that they do. He totally believes in the mission.
Yvan is from Haiti and lives with his wife and three children in Anderson. He is the CEO of HamiltonDemo and serves on other boards including Square1 in Cincinnati. In his off time Yvan coaches youth football, is active with the Thomas More Alumni Association and likes to hang out at Dead Low Brewing where he is an investor and enthusiastic supporter.
Darlene Guess
BOARD MEMBER
Darlene Guess, MSOL, LSW has been working with homeless and mentally ill individuals for over 30 years. She has held a license in social work for more than half that time. Currently, Darlene is Director of Support Services at Tender Mercies, where she directs all aspects of resident services, supervises management staff, provides leadership and best practices for all frontline service staff.
In her career, Darlene had the opportunity to work on the front line as a Behavior Therapist for mentally ill and developmentally delayed individuals. Darlene feels that her Master’s in Organizational Leadership, which is focused on managing people, helps her to interact successfully with both employees and the individuals being served.
Darlene was honored as Distinguished Alumni from Chatfield College and Social Work Student of the Year from Mount St. Joseph University. She is currently serving as a Board member for Our Daily Bread and at Mercy Neighborhood Ministries.
Erika Meyer Judd
BOARD MEMBER
Erika Meyer Judd is a Director of Data Science and Research at 84.51°, formerly dunnhumbyUSA. Erika currently serves as the head of 84.51°‘s Corporate Social Responsibility, which is part of their Corporate Marketing team. She is also the Liaison for Kroger’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Initiative. Erika joined dunnhumbyUSA in 2007 and established their geospatial capabilities team. She led that team until 2015, expanding location-based science across their portfolio of solutions. In 2016 she moved her attention to the non-profit space, becoming the Chair of Degrees of Giving and expanding the company’s CSR work. Before joining dunnhumbyUSA, Erika worked at Whittman-Hart, leading their web analytics and Search Engine Optimization. Prior to that, Erika designed data networking solutions for Cincinnati Bell Telephone and Broadwing Communications. Erika’s corporate career began after serving as a Captain in the United States Air Force for six years. She served as an Air Weapons Controller and was stationed in Southern California, Florida and Okinawa, Japan. Erika has an undergraduate degree in Mathematics and graduate degree in Geography both from the University of Cincinnati. Beyond Our Daily Bread’s board, Erika currently serves on the Board Vice President for Tender Mercies and is on the Dean’s Advisory Board for U.C.’s college of Arts and Sciences. Erika is married with four adult children and two dogs.
John Peter Perentesis, MD
BOARD MEMBER
Dr. John Perentesis joined the Board in late 2017. He is the director of oncology & cancer programs at Cincinnati Children’s, and a practicing pediatric oncologist and researcher. A native Detroiter and Red Wings fan, he moved to Cincinnati from Minneapolis over 14 years ago, and lives in Anderson.
John was first introduced to Our Daily Bread by Board member, Shawna Langworthy, who is also a colleague at Children’s. John joined because he “was impressed by Our Daily Bread’s mission and goals, and inspired by the compassion, inclusiveness and the way Our Daily Bread takes care of those who really need it.” Since joining, John has been active in board initiatives to refine the ODB strategic blueprint and facilities plan.
Matt Roberts
BOARD MEMBER
Matt Roberts joined Our Daily Bread’s Board in 2018 and currently serves on the governance and building committees. He was introduced to ODB by a previous Executive Director in 2015. His passion for cooking and commitment to serve the community connected him to ODB’s mission. He regularly volunteers preparing meals and serving our guests.
Matt has been a small business owner for the last 10 years. He owns and operates Massage Envy franchise locations in the Dayton Ohio market providing massage and skincare services. Previously, he was with Toyota where he was responsible for various manufacturing support functions. He lives north of Cincinnati with his wife and has 2 grown daughters in the Cincinnati area.
Erin Rolfes
BOARD MEMBER
Erin Rolfes joined the Our Daily Bread board in 2020. She was introduced to ODB through her work as the corporate affairs manager for Kroger’s Cincinnati-Dayton division. At Kroger, she is responsible for driving Kroger’s purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit; by engaging with the community and non-profit partners in Cincinnati and Dayton and generating uplift through storytelling and internal communications.
Prior to joining Kroger, Erin has held several key roles in professional communications including television production, agency work at Vehr Communications, and as Manager of Public Relations & Communication for REDI Cincinnati. Erin has a long history of volunteerism and community involvement with various organizations, and real passion for the Cincinnati-Dayton region.