Our Board

Board Chair- Bev Delashmutt:

Bev comes to the Board with a passion for helping victims of sex trafficking in Central Ohio get off the streets and put the pieces of their lives back together. She has been a pastoral counselor at Xenos Christian Fellowship for 28 years. Her husband, Gary DeLashmutt, is one of the founding leaders of Xenos and together they have done church work for 32 years Through her ministry at Xenos, Bev has provided excellent leadership in connecting Gracehaven with officials and other organizations within central Ohio that are critical in the fight against sex trafficking.

Vice-Chair Deborah Simmons:

Deborah brings to the Gracehaven board her past business experience in organizational and leadership development along with her board experience with the Dublin Counseling Center. Coupled with her passion for helping young girls who are victims of sex trafficking, Deborah has been critical in the development of the rehabilitation program that Gracehaven will be using as a pilot program for other shelters around the country.

Treasurer- Alan Burkholder:

Alan is a CPA, and also serves as the Controller for Xenos Christian Fellowship. His expertise in financial matters brings high level of accountability for Gracehaven so that it’s many donors and funding organizations can know that their money is being used in as efficient a manner as possible to serve the needs of sex trafficking victims in central Ohio.

Secretary- Marian Guzzo:

Marian, originally from Avon Lake, Ohio, is currently the office manager of a dental practice in Columbus, Ohio. She has been involved in ministry and leadership at Xenos Christian Fellowship for almost 30 years. Marian and her husband Joe, have been married since 1979 and have three grown children. She supports the Gracehaven working board with her administrative skills.

Cliff Treyens:

Cliff serves as head of public relations for Gracehaven, and brings a vast amount of experience in the public arena including 11 years working on newspapers in Pennsylvania, Mississippi and Ohio during which time he was part of a team that won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Public Service for coverage of public education issues. He also worked seven years in politics as communications director for former Mississippi Governor Ray Mabus and former Ohio House Speaker Vern Riffe. Cliff has long been committed to helping children through his church, Xenos Christian Fellowship, by teaching and writing curriculum for the children’s program and operating an adoption ministry.

Paul Boyer:

Paul Boyer is a marketing and management consultant, owner of Justin-Paul LLC. Upon graduation from the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University, he worked 18 years at Accenture, a global consultancy. Paul now limits his work to part time, which has enabled him to pursue various opportunities for community involvement and Christian ministry. Paul and his family are part of Xenos Christian Fellowship in Columbus, where he and his wife, Sally, co-lead a Home Group of about 35 adults. In addition, Paul leads a weekly men’s Bible study in his neighborhood comprised of about 25 men from different churches. Paul has been involved in a number of ministries in recent years including Central Ohio Youth for Christ, Friends of the Homeless and the Columbus Stewardship Foundation. Paul and Sally provide support to several local Christian ministries, and also support missionary work in Cambodia. Paul is also an active in his community, volunteering in the Upper Arlington schools, assisting with little league coaching and serving as Commissioner for a basketball league of 800 youth. Paul and Sally were married in 1989 and are the parents of three sons.

Carla Novak Esq:
Carla Novak (Cannon) is an attorney for the Industrial Commission of Ohio.  She has experience in fundraising in the political arena serving as the volunteer coordinator and fundraising chairperson for local political candidates.  She is also a member of the Ohio State Bar Association’s Ethics Committee.  Carla has the resources to assist Gracehaven on legal matters and she has the enthusiasm for raising funds to save these girls.  Carla’s loving husband Mike supports Carla and the cause in any way that he is able or asked.

Tara Schumacher:
Tara brings to Gracehaven more than 15 years experience in public relations and a passion for serving children — particularly those who are abused, in need and neglected. She has worked in both corporate and agency settings, and also served as vice president of communications for Children’s Hunger Alliance, a statewide anti-hunger agency. Tara currently works part time as director of public relations for Cardinal Health, a position that enables her to spend more time with her two young daughters. She and her husband Chris attend Vineyard Columbus and actively serve several local non-profit organizations that are dedicated to improving the lives of children.
Advisory Board Members:

Tom Simon

Judge Everett Krueger (Kip)

Wayne Simmons

David Ervin

Carole Harvey

Kathleen Davis