08/03/2026

OACB Leads Strategic Planning Retreat for NOWAC

OACB Director of Health, Safety, and Wellness, Willie Jones, traveled to Defiance to facilitate a full-day strategic planning session for the Northwest Ohio Waiver Administration Council (NOWAC). The morning session brought together NOWAC staff and board members representing the county boards of Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Paulding, Van Wert, and Williams counties to review key findings from recent surveys, highlighting common themes of funding uncertainty, increasing compliance demands, and workforce challenges. The afternoon session focused on establishing strategic anchors, identifying future direction, setting strategic priorities, and defining desired outcomes to guide the organization's long-term planning.

Pictured left to right: (front row) Casie Sprow, Andrea Hammond, Amy Rohdy, Megan Howard, Robin Shepherd; (back row) Laura Ellis-Kruse, Rob Elston, Heidi Hull, Linda Reineck, Ashlie Thomas, Wiilie Jones, Cody Bowersock, Melanie Flory, Emmi Johnson, and Kelly Rieke