Board of Directors
Chris Jackson
Executive Director
“Knowing how important the Bradfield is to our community, I’m ready to pour everything I’ve got to get it back to the golden days—and hopefully even better.”
Chris Jackson stepped into the executive director role at Bradfield Community Center in June 2023 after a 33-year career that included serving on the Lima Police and Lima Fire Departments as well as numerous coaching commitments, including assistant coach for Lima Senior basketball, football, Team Lima AAU basketball which originated at Bradfield, and coach of the Lima C2K Striders, the traveling track and field team.
Instead of enjoying a quiet retirement, Jackson leads the Bradfield at a critical time, as the 85-year-old organization undergoes a revitalization to better serve Lima residents. He envisions a bustling community center, with programming for every Lima community member—no matter their age, interest, or ability. “I want people to drive by and see a full parking lot and say, ‘What’s going on at the Bradfield?’” Jackson plans to tap into his strong ties within the Lima community to drum up support for the Bradfield and its programming.
It’s a mission he takes to heart, as Jackson himself benefitted from the Bradfield as a teen and young man. “When I first moved to Lima in high school, the Bradfield is where the action was. In the summertime, from 10am to 10pm, this is where we were, playing basketball,” says Jackson. More importantly, the Bradfield enabled Jackson and the other young people to create bonds that have lasted a lifetime. “We built relationships with each other at dances, through activities, sleepovers, on trips we took together. For me, this was where it was at.”
All of this ties in with Jackson’s background serving Lima’s youth—first as a coach, then also as a mentor. “When you coach and get to know the kids, you start finding out that what you thought was a ‘normal life’ for your kids wasn’t for everyone else.” Jackson began filling in as a surrogate father to varying degrees, from taking in and helping raise four young men along with his wife Frenjula, to serving as a mentor both informally and through formal programs ranging from Positive Lifestyles, 100 Men Strong, the Lima Youth Program, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, where he has served as outreach coordinator since 2020.
At the Bradfield, Jackson continues to serve Lima’s youth and the whole community, and he is aware that there are great expectations. “I’m not Superman—there’s no cape on my back—so I hope the community will be patient with me,” says Jackson. “I know a lot of people are worried about our young people and want to see kids off the street and involved in activities. They want seniors to feel welcomed and safe, and they want a place they can go to for recreation and social experiences and not be judged. That’s what we’re working toward.”
“Knowing how important the Bradfield is to our community, I’m ready to pour everything I’ve got to get it back to the golden days—and hopefully even better,” says Jackson.
Robin Frazier
President, Board of Directors
“I feel strongly about preserving the legacy and history of the Bradfield.”
As president of Bradfield Community Center’s Board of Directors, and as acting executive director prior to the hiring of Chris Jackson, Robin Frazier has had a front-row seat to the successes—and challenges—the nonprofit has faced in recent years. And despite the financial stressors that have impacted the Bradfield and many other nonprofits in the region, she strongly believes that the Bradfield’s best days are ahead.
Frazier’s industrial engineering degree from Purdue University (the institution that two of her sons currently attend) has taken her on an impressive career trajectory that has included project management for E & J Gallo Winery, over a decade of progressive leadership with United Parcel Service, and most recently, tax preparation services for H&R Block. But it was her college sorority affiliation as a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha that connected Frazier to the Bradfield Community Center. “My family and I moved to Lima about ten years ago, and I decided to join the local chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, which met at the Bradfield. I became familiar with the organization’s history and services.”
Growing up in the small town of Anderson, Indiana, where her father served on the board of the Boys and Girls Club, Frazier saw the important role the club played for youth and families. Through the years as she went back to visit, she was heartbroken to see the facility abandoned and overgrown with weeds. When former Bradfield Board President Will Cason invited her to join the Bradfield’s board in 2016, she jumped at the chance. “I feel strongly about preserving the legacy and history of the Bradfield, and my goal is to keep the doors open and the programming thriving.”
In addition to parenting four sons with husband Rodney, her work with H&R Block, and service to the Bradfield, Frazier also serves as president of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Sigma Mu Omega Chapter.
JaMesha L. Williamson
Vice President, Board of Directors
“It’s been very exciting to see how many people are invested in the Bradfield’s future.”
As an up-and-coming young professional, Lima attorney JaMesha L. Williamson has already made quite an impact on the community where she was born and raised. On top of her service as vice president of the Bradfield Community Center’s Board of Directors, Williamson also serves on the board of the United Way of Greater Lima and chairs the organization’s Community Impact Cabinet; is a member of Millennial Action Pact; and runs a successful expungement clinic through her J. Williamson Law Firm that has helped numerous Lima residents improve their quality of life.
Williamson has been an attorney advisor for the United States Social Security Administration since 2017; previously, she served as associate attorney for the Lima-based firm Siferd & McCluskey, LPA. Williamson earned her JD from the University of Dayton and her BS in political science from Ohio Northern University.
Since joining the Bradfield’s board in 2016, Williamson has seen the board become more proactive in the organization’s daily operations. “It’s been gratifying to see the board and staff build a more trusting relationship to jointly benefit the Bradfield. It’s been very exciting to see how many people are invested in the Bradfield’s future.”
Growing up in Lima, where her grandmother lived two blocks from the Bradfield, Williamson credits the Bradfield with helping her grow into the person she is today. “My mom and dad went to the Bradfield as kids for afterschool and social functions, and when I was a kid, they’d sign me up for programs to keep me busy. The Bradfield was an important part of my development as a young person.”
Board Members
Angel Cowan
Shea Ingram-Pinn
LeAndra Johnson
Janis Sunderhaus
Patricia Wall
Lorenzo White
Mary Williamson
Greg Williamson
Pilate Bradley
Staff Members
Tesha Banks
Program Coordinator
After 15 years working with Lima’s children in afterschool and daycare programs, Tesha Banks joined the Bradfield Community Center in 2016 to become a wellness mentor for youth. In 2018, she was promoted to program coordinator, helping to implement and grow the Bradfield’s current slate of programs and assessing new programs to ensure they fit within the organization’s mission.
Her favorite part of the job? Networking with people, inside and outside the Bradfield. “I pretty much know every person in our programs by name,” says Banks. “I make sure I know them and try to be personable, because you feel important when somebody knows you by name.” And the Bradfield’s participants give that energy right back. When she stops by the volleyball class to say good morning, participants chant one of her nicknames: “Way to go, Sweet T, way to go!”
Banks doesn’t just oversee the Bradfield’s programs; she also teaches the popular Drum Fun Cardio class. With participants ranging in age from their 40s to 93, the high-energy class draws a diverse range of Lima residents who enjoy the music, movement, and the sense of fellowship that Tesha has helped to cultivate within the group.
Banks is proud of the Bradfield’s history of serving Lima’s Black community when residents had nowhere else to go for recreation—but she admires how diverse the Bradfield has become in the decades since its founding. “It’s a very diverse atmosphere, where people interact with other cultures and get to learn from each other.”
In addition to her Bradfield responsibilities, Banks has raised two sons, now young adults. Her oldest son attended the Bradfield’s afterschool programs, where he met his closest friends. “It’s full circle that I’m back at the Bradfield,” says Banks.
Vicki Glenn
Cook
Before volunteering—and then being hired on—at the Bradfield Community Center, Vicki Glenn had retired from her 22-year factory job, where she inspected tire rims. Now, as the cook for the Bradfield, she is excited to come to work, where she and her colleagues collaboratively keep the organization running. “We all help each other out,” says Glenn. “We’re all down there working together. However we can help, whether it’s filling in for the receptionist or going outside to sweep, we all do it together.”
In her youth, Glenn attended dances at the Bradfield and hung around with her older cousin who worked as a Bradfield receptionist. She is thrilled to be back at the Brad, cooking hot meals for the community—including breakfast and lunch for the youths at summer camp, the young men attending the MBK mentorship program, the adults who participate in wellness programming, and even repast meals for community members whose loved ones have passed away. “I do a total package where I set up everything for the family. All they have to do is sit down and eat a hot meal,” says Glenn.
It’s an immensely satisfying job that helps her connect with others in the community. “I just enjoy seeing people with a smile on their face,” says Glenn. “That’s what I like. And when they see me on the street, people say, ‘You’re the lady from the Bradfield!”
One of her most fulfilling roles? Connecting community members who pop in to the Bradfield with other helpful resources—similar to the role social workers traditionally play in a nonprofit. “We’re in a central location and people come to us for different resources,” says Glenn. “We’re able to help them, and if we can’t, we let them know where they can go to get help. The Bradfield does a lot for the community.”
Dr. Andrea Guice
Consultant
When it comes to grant writing and management, the Bradfield Community Center benefits from the expertise of Dr. Andrea D. Guice, CEO and Principal Consultant at GUICE Consulting Firm, LLC. Dr. Guice is a consultant, facilitator, grant writer, and grants manager, with a passion for education, leadership development, organizational change, social justice, cultural competency, school reform, and racial equity and inclusion. She holds a Doctor of Education from Bowling Green State University, a Master of Business Administration from Tiffin University, and a BA in organizational management from Bluffton University.
Dr. Guice first joined Bradfield’s Board of Directors in 2010 and wrote a Community Development Block Grant on behalf of the Bradfield. When the grant received funding, she stepped down from the board to manage the grant, now in its ninth year of delivering health and wellness programming. She has enjoyed seeing the program flourish, continuing to grow each year by word of mouth, serving more than 200 individuals annually. “It’s not just an exercise class,” says Dr. Guice. “There is a fellowship among participants. They come together for monthly luncheons, to hear speakers, and more.”
She points to success stories—such as a reduction in the amount of Tylenol that was used per day for arthritic pain, which was alleviated through exercises and stretching, and another who gained increased mobility in her knees as a result of the classes. “This has been most rewarding, knowing that we’re making a difference,” says Dr. Guice.
Contributing to the thriving of the Bradfield Community Center is personal to Dr. Guice, who frequented the Bradfield often as a child for summer and after school recreation and karate, as well as weekend dances and pageants. When she was in elementary school, her father worked part-time as a custodian at the Bradfield on the weekends and played in the Bradfield’s baseball league after having briefly played for the Chicago Cubs. She is pleased that Bradfield continues to serve as a gathering place and resource for the community. “The Bradfield is accessible, affordable compared to other recreational facilities, and has one of the longest standing histories of Lima community centers.”
Bliss Hairston
Business Liaison
In her role as the Bradfield Community Center’s business liaison, Bliss Hairston does most of her work behind the scenes. However, her fingerprints are all over many of the Bradfield’s signature programs and partnerships.
Hairston advances the Bradfield’s mission by engaging a wide array of community partners. For example, she helped bring Rhodes State College to offer phlebotomy training at the Bradfield, and Central State University to give STEM lessons through the afterschool program. In the wide-ranging “other duties as assigned category,” Hairston also coordinates the Bradfield’s contractors, volunteer program, room rentals, and the organization’s calendar. “I enjoy the outreach with community partners. The Bradfield is a staple of the community, but it’s important for us to continue to partner not only for visibility, but also to let the community know that we’re here and interested in meeting their needs.”
Hairston first joined the Bradfield in 2016 as a teacher in the afterschool program. During the day, she worked at Lima City Schools, then headed over to the Bradfield to continue to work with students. “I worked with students during the day and saw what they lacked at school, then tried to bridge that learning gap with my work through the afterschool program,” says Hairston. She also offered private tutoring services through the Bradfield—helping students master subjects that ranged from reading to high school trigonometry. She has also worked with the Bradfield’s summer Freedom School program, in partnership with Children’s Defense Fund.
Like many Bradfield employees, Hairston has fond memories of coming to the Bradfield in elementary and middle school to play basketball and do other activities. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Ottawa University and an associate degree in mortuary science from Mid-America College of Funeral Service.
Phyllis Minor
Receptionist
For the past two years, Phyllis Minor has been welcoming people to the Bradfield Community Center in her role as receptionist. After retiring from her job in the medical field, Minor spent about six months at home before realizing she needed to keep herself busy; her part-time job at the Bradfield gives her the opportunity to do just that.
“I love dealing with the public and the community, and the people here are like one big, happy family.” This comes naturally to Minor, who describes herself as a “people person.” Minor likes to stress the word “community” in the name of the Bradfield Community Center, noting that the Bradfield hosts numerous events with community partners and Lima residents—from baby showers to conferences to repast meals when community members experience a death in the family.
The Bradfield played an important role for Minor and her friends when they were teenagers. From her vantage point at the front desk, she gets to see how young people today continue to benefit from the Bradfield’s programming. “The Bradfield still has the same impact on youth today as it had on me as a teenager,” says Minor. “I think the Bradfield is doing an excellent job of reaching people in our community.”
