Our Team

Dr. Ken Schneck (he/him) is the editor of The Buckeye Flame, Ohio’s LGBTQ+ newsroom. For this work, he was honored with the Sarah Pettit Memorial Award for National LGBTQ+ Journalist of the Year. He is the author of “Seriously, What Am I Doing Here? The Adventures of a Wondering and Wandering Gay Jew” and three LGBTQ+ Ohio history books. He is a graduate of the Executive Program in News Innovation and Leadership at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York.

H.L. Comeriato (they/them) is an award-winning multimedia journalist living and working in Ohio.

Ben Jodway (he/him) is a staff writer for The Buckeye Flame covering the LGBTQ+ community in rural Ohio. Hailing from Livonia, Michigan, he previously covered education for the Midland Daily News. While studying history at Central Michigan University, he worked part-time at WCMU Public Media as a student reporter covering attempts to remove LGBTQ+ literature from both public and school libraries. He reports for The Buckeye Flame as a Report for America corps member.

Anna Malefatto (she/her) joined The Buckeye Flame as their first Development Director in June 2025. Anna has spent nearly 15 years working in nonprofit fundraising and communications, with a focus on reproductive health, rights, and justice. She is passionate about resourcing organizations that lead with their values and operate with integrity, and she strives to follow the principles of Community-Centric Fundraising. Originally from South Florida, Anna has made Northeast Ohio her home since 2014. 

Laura Putre (she/her) is a National Press Foundation fellow and multiple recipient of Ohio SPJ, Cleveland Press Club and Folio awards. She is senior editor at IndustryWeek, and as a freelancer has written for Slate, the Chicago Reader, the Root, and many other publications. She was a co-founder of Belt Magazine, editor of the Chicago Journal and in the early 2000s, a staff writer for Cleveland Scene. She lives in Lakewood with her teen daughter, boyfriend and dog, and plays the flute very okay-ily in the Cleveland Pride band.

Dr. Jasmin ‘Jas’ Bradley, BSBM(MD) graduated from Brighton and Sussex Medical School in 2016, prior to her medical training she worked with populations disproportionately impacted by stigma and prejudice in Oakland, CA.  This formative experience inspired her pursuit of medical training, and in particular a passion for building equitable systems of care that center optimal health. Jas has over 21 years’ experience of working in social work and healthcare related fields. She served as the Executive Director for LGBTQ+ Spectrum of Findlay for 3 years.  In her current role as Director of Health Center Programs at Equitas Health, she continues to live out her passion for providing inclusive and affirming healthcare and social support services to underserved populations.

Kim Burroughs graduated from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in 2016. Kim is currently a member of the law firm Cooper Elliott, where she represents people seeking justice after enduring catastrophic personal injuries, workplace discrimination, and other civil rights abuses. Before joining Cooper Elliott, Kim prosecuted felonies at the Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office, represented indigent criminal defendants at the Ohio Public Defender’s Office, assisted Delaware County Common Pleas Judge James P. Schuck as judicial staff attorney, and led the Columbus office of Equality Ohio’s free LGBTQ+ legal clinic. Through this broad experience, Kim has learned that storytelling is a powerful way to change hearts and minds. In her free time, Kim convinces her wife and friends to join her in one of her many rotating hobbies, including tabletop board games, Legos, woodworking, 3D printing, home improvement projects, and photography. Who knows what might come next?

Ron Clemons is a retired Social Worker, Educator and long time community activist based in CIncinnati. His passions are Photography, Writing and Story Telling. He considers himself a Grio. Ron is a Board Member at The Buckeye Flame.

Jan Davis is the President of Noble-Davis Consulting, Inc.  She specializes in helping small businesses find and maintain their ideal retirement plan for themselves and their employees.  A true math lover, Jan has degrees in both accounting and mathematics from the University of Akron.  Noble-Davis Consulting, Inc. hired her in 1994 almost straight out of college.  She has since worked her way up the ladder from a junior administrator to the President of the firm – weaving her way through many different positions and having varying responsibilities along the way.  At this point, she has functioned in every role in the firm.  In addition, Jan has earned credentials in the retirement plan field from the Internal Revenue Service (ERPA), the Association of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (CPC, QPA, QKA) and the National Institute of Pension Administrators (APA, APR).

Rachel is the Community and Special Projects Editor for Signal Cleveland. She works with Cleveland Documenters and Signal staff to report those stories for wider understanding and accountability. She also serves as the contributing editor for The Marshall Project – Cleveland where she focuses on including residents’ voices in criminal justice reporting. Rachel has reported in Cleveland for more than two decades on stories that have changed laws, policies, hearts and minds. She was part of the team that helped launch Cleveland Documenters in 2020, and she was a John S. Knight Community Impact Fellow in 2021. Dissell is a two-time winner of the Dart Award for Excellence in Coverage of Trauma for narrative stories about teen dating violence and systemic failures with rape investigations.

Daniel Dudley is a founding partner at Iatro Advisors, a specialized advisory firm for high-growth technology businesses in healthcare and life sciences. He is a serial entrepreneur with over a decade of leadership experience in venture capital-backed startup companies. They are also the founder of Out In Tech Cleveland, the local chapter of a national non-profit LGBTQ+ networking group focused on equity and belonging for all underestimated groups working in technology and related fields. He is a graduate of Oberlin College and proud coparent to four mischievous cats.

Brenna Griteman is the Communications Specialist for United Way of Hancock County, where she is passionate about connecting people to the resources they need. Prior to this role, she spent nearly 20 years working in the newspaper industry, most recently as editor of The Findlay Courier. She’ll be the one with the iced coffee!

Emma Henderson is an award-winning journalist, most recently serving as a reporter at WKYC Studios in Cleveland. Previously, she worked for three years at WTOL in Toledo. There she focused on covering local politics, the LGBTQ+ community and neighborhood issues with a special focus on gun violence and youth programming.

Rev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp (he/they) is the Executive Director of LOVEboldly, a faith-based Ohio nonprofit creating spaces for LGBTQIA+ people to flourish in Christianity, and the Pastor of Blue Ocean Faith Columbus, a progressive congregation committed to social justice. He sits on the Board of The Buckeye Flame. He is an openly Queer Christian, public theologian, author, and activist. He earned degrees in philosophy, higher education, and leadership and wrote his dissertation on the leadership of LGBTQIA+ people in the Church. You can learn more about his work at www.benhuelskamp.com.

Courtney Johnson-Benson (they/she) is a sexuality educator, certified sexuality counselor, and relational wellness advocate whose work centers intersectionality, equity, and liberation. A PhD Candidate in Human Sexuality at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), they serve as Student Trustee on the CIIS Board of Trustees while researching Black sexuality, pleasure, and the impacts of hypersexualization, pleasure, and adultification. Courtney is the Founder and Principal of The Cognition Collective, LLC and Seasoned Sexuality, where they lead culturally responsive consulting, counseling, and education that bridges advocacy, healing, and justice. Their scholarship and advocacy interrogate the erasure of Black sexualities in media, healthcare, and education, while championing reproductive justice, health equity, and inclusive, trauma-informed care.

Taren is a longtime advocate and community organizer with over two decades of experience supporting LGBTQ+ communities. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the Toledo Queer Black Collective (The Collective) and is a dedicated member of the Toledo Pride Committee, bringing deep passion for equity, visibility, and creating inclusive spaces.

Mae (they/them) is the community impact coordinator for the Community Foundation of the Mahoning, working to build relationships with nonprofit organizations in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana Counties, as well as develop capacity-building programming. They also volunteer with Mahoning Valley Queer Action, a grassroots organization focusing on building community and safety for the Valley’s LGBTQ+ community. Prior to arriving at the Community Foundation, they spent seven years at The Business Journal and was managing editor of The Jambar, the student-run newspaper at Youngstown State University. A native of Flint, Mich., Mae graduated from YSU in 2014 with a bachelor’s in journalism and has since made the Mahoning Valley their home. In their free time, Mae is a nerd who enjoys playing tabletop roleplaying games, listening to podcasts about off-the-beaten path history and thinking about the tattoos they want to get.

Liam Strausbaugh is a licensed social worker in Ohio and works as the Practice Associate at the Ohio chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. Liam enjoys using their professional voice to advocate in support of marginalized and queer communities. In his free time, Liam participates in queer-centric sports leagues, loves playing board games, and spending time with his spouse and fur-babies.

Michael Wilkos is Senior Vice President of Community Impact at the United Way of Central Ohio.  His team develops effective strategies to improve our community and invests in programs provided by funded partners to implement these strategies. Prior to joining United Way, Michael was Director of Community Research at The Columbus Foundation. During his tenure at the foundation he initiated, led, and managed more than $9 million in competitive grant-making to support holistic community revitalization in Weinland Park, an effort to stabilize and revitalize a mixed-income community near The Ohio State University.