Corporate Information
The Valley View Foundation is an Ohio Corporation not-for-profit that was incorporated on April 19, 2002 under Ohio Revised Code Chapter 1702. Valley View Foundation is also a tax exempt organization and, depending upon your personal tax situation and the nature of your contribution, you may be able to deduct some or all of the contribution from your individual income taxes.
On April 19, 2002, Bob Laudeman, our first president and founding director submitted the paperwork to the Ohio Secretary of State that was necessary to create our organization. Below you will find copies of that submittal along with our articles of incorporation and bylaws.
Leadership Team
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Vanessa Hannah, Executive Director - Vanessa is a resident of Milford and a parent at Pattison Elementary School, which is located adjacent to Valley View. Vanessa volunteered with Valley View for several years and then became a member of the Board of Directors. In November 2008, she resigned her position on the Board to become our first Executive Director. Vanessa is serving this role largely in a voluntary capacity. Vanessa holds degrees in advertising and has also worked as a consultant with several Fortune 500 companies to increase effectiveness in the areas of leadership, customer care, and team effectiveness within their organizations. Her professionalism, enthusiasm and personal touch to her work make her the ideal person to fill a much-needed role at this stage of Valley View’s evolution.
Valley View began with a five member Board of Directors with Bob Laudeman serving as president. Today we have the following members on our Board.
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Chris Habel, President - Chris was instrumental in the founding of the organization and our efforts since 2002 to raise over $2 million to purchase and secure the land. He serves many roles for the organization. Chris is an attorney with a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Chris is a partner in the Environmental Practice Group at the law firm Frost Brown Todd LLC in Cincinnati, Ohio. He lives in Mt. Lookout.
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Andy Dickerson, Vice President - Andy was involved in the efforts to protect this land long before Valley View was formed. Andy is a resident of South Milford and has extensive experience "putting conservation on the ground" through land protection, prairie and wetlands restoration projects. He serves as Co-Chair of our Land Management Committee. Andy received a B.A. in Zoology from Miami University and a Masters of Environmental Science and Policy- Ecosystem Management from the University of Wisconsin. Andy works as a private consultant on habitat and conservation issues across North America, with a particular focus on migratory birds.
- Dave Liles, Treasurer - Dave and his wife Jen became involved in the efforts to protect the land long before Valley View was formed. At that time, Dave and Jen were involved in teh leadership of the South Milford Neighborhood Association, the neighborhood adjacent to Valley View. Dave is an avid outdoorsman and Jen is our main link to Pattison Elementary School. Dave serves on our Finance and Development Committee. He lives in Milford and works for Fidelity Investments.
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Cathy Gatch, Secretary - Cathy's ancestors have lived in Milford since the early 1800s. As a resident of South Milford, Cathy was active in efforts to protect the land for many years before Valley View was formed. Cathy is passionate about growing Valley View to serve many needs in the community including educational programming. She also knows many people throughout Milford and Clermont County and is active in the League of Women Voters and several other organizations. She serves as Co-Chair of our Outreach Committee. Cathy owns The Milford Pottery which operates out of a historic barn on land overlooking Valley View.
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Bob Laudeman - Bob is our immediate past president and founder. He represents the sixth generation of his family to live and work near Valley View. His ancestors farmed a large portion of the Valley View site and built the historic barns. Before his family was forced to sell the farmland for financial reasons in the early 1960s, Bob worked the farm with his father and grandfather. He has a vivid memory of how the farm was operated and an extensive collection of family photos, memoirs and artifacts that have been passed down for generations to document the activities on the land for almost 200 years. Bob recently retired from General Electric Aircraft Engines after almost 30 years of as a purchasing and contract manager.
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Mark Pohlman - Mark is a resident of Indian Hill and volunteer with Valley View. Mark first became interested in Valley View when he drove by teh property and stopped for a hike. Mark Joined the Board in 2009. Mark is a business development executive with BHE Environmental, a full service environmental consulting firm in Cincinnati that specializes in traditional environmental site assessment and remedial work as well as solar, wind, habitat restoration and sustainability projects.
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Tom Wagner - Tom has been an important donor and volunteer with Valley View for many years. In 2006 he joined our Board. He lives adjacent to Valley View and is passionate about improving the property through proper management techniques. While he has currently conceded defeat to the deer and groundhogs that have devoured his crops in years past, Tom is committed to helping create an area of our property where a community garden or small farming operation could be realized.
We also have an Advisory Board of past Board Members and community experts and supporters of the orgainzation including:
- John Hauck - John was also involved in the efforts to protect the land before Valley View was formed. John is a resident of South Milford and active throughout the Greater Cincinnati philanthropic community. John has been instrumental in securing over $300,000 in private grant funds from local private foundations and donors. John is an attorney in solo practice at the Law Offices of John W. Hauck in Cincinnati, Ohio.
- Tim Langner - Tim became involved in the efforts to protect the land shortly before Valley View was formed. At that time, Tim was the president of the Milford Gun Club, an organization that has existed since the 1930s on land near Valley View. Tim is an avid outdoorsman who retired from decades of work as a sales executive (or as Tim describes it a "peddler") for a logistical software provider to the transportation industry. Tim provides the wisdom of his years and business experience to help guide the Foundation. He previously served as our Treasurer and as Chair of our Finance and Development Committee. He lives in Milford.
Corporate Documents
For purposes of transparency and access to information, about our organization, below are copies of various important Corporate related documents concerning our organization.
Initial Articles of Incorporation
2002 Ohio Secretary of State Certificate of Existence
2007 Ohio Secretary of State Certificate of Continued Existence