Leadership

Arlene de Silva - Board Chair/CEO

Arlene was born in Sri Lanka and moved to Cincinnati over 40 years ago. She has over 30 years experience as a senior executive in non-profit management and long-term services and supports both nationally and internationally. She is the founder of Cincinnati Music & Wellness Coalition, the nation’s first community-wide recreational music-making wellness coalition. She is writer/photographer of the photo/essay book “Faces in Aging” and co-writer/photographer of the photo/essay book “Life in Old Age.” In 1991, she founded Maestoso Chorus, a community-wide choir with 12 members which increased to over 50 members in six years. Arlene majored in accounting from Aquinas University in Sri Lanka and holds a Licentiate from the Royal College of Music, London, England. She’s a Remo Inc., approved HealthRHYTHMS trainer.
Read Arlene’s Bio Here

Richard Batterberry, CPA (ret.) - Treasurer

Rich is a native of St. Louis who attended Washington University at St. Louis. In the mid-1970s, Rich and his wife Julia moved to Cincinnati where he became a CPA. From 1983 to 2015, Rich was a director (partner) at Barnes Dennig & Company Limited, a large regional CPA firm. Rich headed the firm’s Not-For-Profit industry group where he personally worked with a wide range of non-profit organizations. He served on the board and finance committees of several non-profit entities and was the treasury for an area municipality.

John Albert, Esq. - Secretary

John was born in Cincinnati and has lived in Cincinnati all his life. He graduated from Xavier University majoring in political science and also graduated from Salmon P. Chase College of Law of Northern Kentucky University. He is currently licensed to practice law in the State of Ohio. A few career highlights include serving as a criminal defense attorney and Assistant Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney. John is involved in several ministries at Saint Ann’s Church in Groesbeck and played at the Cincinnati Lacrosse Club for many years. He is married to Margaret (Peg) Fitzgerald Albert for 34 years.

Jenny Hu - Director

Jenny is a Chinese-American high school senior at the Seven Hills School in Cincinnati, OH. An avid writer and political campaign organizer, she is passionate about advocacy and service as ways to create change. Also a pianist and performer of the Chinese zither, she believes in the power of music to improve mental health in vulnerable populations. Currently, she leads CMWC’s youth arts empowerment program, CREATE. Her writing is forthcoming in or has been recognized by Bayou Magazine and the New York Times, among others.

Connie Kingsbury, BA, MSW - Director

Connie is recently retired from an extensive career serving older adults. Most recently she served as Vice President of Marketing for Life Enriching Communities, a family of senior living communities and services in Cincinnati and Cleveland. A graduate of the University of Kentucky with a bachelors degree in Education and a Masters in Social Work, her early career focused on developing and operating adult day programs in Greater Cincinnati, specifically the replication of the risk-based model of long term care know as PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly). She has served in leadership roles on many boards including, the Women’s Crisis Center of Northern Kentucky and the Zonta Club of Cincinnati.

Michael Leadbetter, MD - Director

Dr. Leadbetter is a graduate of Otterbein College where he graduated with honors in the Department of Biology with a minor in psychology. He received his Doctor of Medicine Degree from The Ohio State University College of Medicine. During his medical school training, he completed a Rehabilitation Fellowship in the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Stanford University. He was awarded the WH Meiling Radiology Fellowship at the University of Munich in Munich, Germany. After medical school, he was awarded a fellowship through the Royal College of Surgeons and Rotary International to study in London, England. Dr. Leadbetter was recognized with the Top Doctor Award by Cincinnati Magazine in Cosmetic Surgery in 2000, 2003, 2004, and 2007 through 2018. Dr. Leadbetter was a founding partner of The Plastic Surgery Group in Cincinnati.

Ahmed Obeidat, MD, PhD - Director

Dr. Obeidat received his medical degree with honors from the Jordan University of Science and Technology in 2008. He then joined the graduate program in neuroscience and physiology at Wright State University (WSU), where he received a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences in 2013. He then joined the University of Cincinnati, where he completed neurology residency training in 2017 and a fellowship in Neuroimmunology & Multiple Sclerosis in 2018. Dr. Obeidat is currently an Assistant Professor in Neurology, Neuroimmunology, and Multiple Sclerosis at the Medical College of Wisconsin and the founding director of the neuroimmunology and MS fellowship program.

Hari Subedi - Director

Hari born in Bhutan was exiled to Nepal at age 9 and spent 17 years in a refugee camp due to political strife. He received a Bachelor of Bioscience degree from Tribhuvan University in Biratnagar, Nepal. In 2009, he migrated to the US- Anchorage, Alaska where he assisted Refugee Assistance and Immigration Services, a non-profit with their refugee resettlement program. Hari graduated with an associate degree from the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) as a Medical Certified Assistant. In 2013, he and his family moved to Cincinnati. In 2015, he became a naturalized US Citizen. He’s co-founder/director of the Nepali Language and Arts Center in Cincinnati. He’s worked at Home Depot since 2010 as an Appliance Specialist. He’s also owner of LOOKS Grocery & Clothing Store on Colerain Ave.

Brenda R. Morand, Pharm D - Ex-officio

Brenda was born in Puerto Rico and moved to Cincinnati to attend the University of Cincinnati College of Pharmacy. She was Cincinnati Music & Wellness Coalition’s first board chair and helped guide the early years of the organization. In 2018, she resigned from the position of chair and served as a director until September 2021. She currently serves as a member of the Grants Committee.