About Us
Helping families find the right fit for their child’s education.
Meet the School Choice Ohio Team
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Rabbi Eric “Yitz” Frank
President
Rabbi Eric “Yitz” Frank
President
Rabbi Eric “Yitz” Frank serves as President of School Choice Ohio and as the executive director of Agudath Israel of Ohio since 2013. In that capacity he is engaged in multiple projects to educate community organizations about various governmental programming, funding opportunities, and serves as a liaison to the Ohio Department of Education on behalf of Jewish day schools. Rabbi Frank was previously appointed by the Ohio Senate to serve on the NonPublic School Graduation Requirements Advisory Committee and is a member of Governor DeWine’s School Safety Working Group.
An expert in education policy and nonpublic schools, Rabbi Frank also serves as the President of the Ohio Council for American Private Education. He is a volunteer lay leader serving on the community relations committee of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland and President of Congregation Zichron Chaim, located in Beachwood. Rabbi Frank also does government relations and policy work at the federal level related to the National School Lunch Program, ESEA, IDEA, and other related issues.
As President of School Choice Ohio and its related entities, Rabbi Frank is proud to serve as the tip of the spear along with the dedicated team and grassroot activists to expand school options and empower families throughout Ohio. He firmly believes that School Choice is not only the civil rights issue of our time, but crucial to the success of our economy and Ohio.
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Ann Riddle
Director of Provider School Outreach
Ann Riddle
Director of Provider School Outreach
Ann Riddle came to School Choice Ohio from Northwest Ohio where she managed a privately funded scholarship program called the Northwest Ohio School Fund, a partner of the Children’s Scholarship Fund.
Ann joined the SCO team in 2021 after serving as both a volunteer and board member for School Choice Ohio over the previous ten years.
Ann’s passion for education, families, and students is evident to everyone who meets her. Ann travels all over the state of Ohio every week to provide support, assistance, and encouragement to schools, families, and students.
Ann and her husband Bill were blessed to have the choice to send their three grown daughters to schools that best met their educational needs. Ann works hard on behalf of Ohio families and students because she believes that all parents and guardians should have that choice for their children so that they can succeed.
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Beth Lawson
Director of Media & Communication
Beth Lawson
Director of Media & Communication
Beth Lawson worked in marketing and communication within the insurance industry for many years, serving as a sales manager and broker liaison. After leaving the industry, she felt called to a position as the Director of Admissions & Marketing at a private school in Toledo, Ohio where she served for over 8 years.
Her role in the private education sector opened opportunities for her to volunteer in educational choice-related initiatives. Beth could clearly see the need for families to have true educational choice when it comes to their student’s individual, unique educational needs.
Beth was excited to join the SCO team in 2022 as the Director of Media and Communication. The new position allows her an even greater opportunity to meet, inform, and assist families all across Ohio.
Beth and her husband Kevin have been married for 37 years. They have three grown children who attended both public and private schools for their education.
“As the mother of three very different children, I have realized that finding the right educational path for each child is critically important to each child’s individual success. It’s not about one type of education versus another. It’s about families having a true choice based on what is most beneficial educationally for each student’s learning style.”
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Cynthia Valencia
Director of Outreach
Cynthia Valencia
Director of Outreach
For the last six years, Cynthia has served as the Outreach Director at School Choice Ohio. As the organization’s Bilingual Director, Cynthia travels statewide to inform parents about Ohio’s education options available to students in grades K-12, including those with special needs.
It’s no surprise, based on her love of learning, that Cynthia enjoys informing and equipping Ohio families with information on all of the schooling options available to their students. She takes pride in assisting and equipping families with the tools to better understand those educational options and helping parents and guardians find the best fit for their child’s unique learning needs.
Cynthia holds a Masters of Science in Sustainable Development from the University at St. Andrews Scotland’s School of Geography & Sustainable Development.
Cynthia was born and raised in California by conscientious Mexican parents who believe there is nothing more valuable than a quality education that begins at home. Cynthia sees every day as an opportunity to learn something new and expand her perspectives.
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Cheryl Bowshier
Special Needs Outreach Manager
Cheryl Bowshier
Special Needs Outreach Manager
For more than 15 years, Cheryl Bowshier has served as the Special Needs Outreach Manager for School Choice Ohio.
Cheryl has traveled all over the state of Ohio in order to inform parents about Ohio’s education options available to students, including those with special needs. She is extremely knowledgeable and specializes in the area of Ohio’s special needs scholarships; the Ohio Autism Scholarship program and the Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship program.
Cheryl’s passion stems from raising her own four boys, one of whom has special needs. She works diligently to help families understand all of the school options and resources available to students in Ohio in order to help them find the best fit for each child’s unique learning needs.
Cheryl Bowshier has been a featured speaker at local conferences hosted by Milestones Autism Resources and the Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence. She is very active in the special needs community and is a member of the Ohio Association for the Education of Young Children.
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Yvette James
School Choice Counselor
Yvette James
School Choice Counselor
Before joining the SCO team, Yvette worked as a receptionist for a heavy construction equipment company headquartered in Columbus. She also worked for a community action agency on the weekends assisting with food drives and healthcare enrollment.
Yvette invests her heart into the families she gets the opportunity to meet as a School Choice Counselor. Yvette demonstrates her desire to serve others by helping families find the right educational option for their students and then guiding them through the steps to access the resources available to them.
What do you love about your job at School Choice Ohio?
“I love to work with families who want the best for the kids. To hear back from parents that they and their students are happy and doing well is one of the best parts of my job.”
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Shari Perkins
School Choice Counselor
Shari Perkins
School Choice Counselor
Shari Perkins has been a team member at SCO for a long time. She keeps very busy, working as a full time educator for Westerville City Schools as well as working for the YMCA Columbus during the summer months.
Shari’s sons used the EdChoice scholarship to attend Tree of Life Christian School in Columbus. As a parent who understands the benefits of school choice, she was asked to speak at the Ohio Statehouse. She began doing some volunteer work with SCO which led to her being asked to take a larger rold on the SCO Outreach Team and Call Center.
What do you love about your job at School Choice Ohio?
“Where can I start? I love connecting with families and being able to solve issues and problems that have families at their wit’s end. It is such a blessing to have things work out so that their children benefit from the scholarship programs. Many of the families that I have helped have become ‘family members’ and we keep in touch.”
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