Carolyn Wright, Andy Venters join City Foundation Board
Two active community members have joined the board of the Tipp City Foundation.
Andrew Venters and Carolyn Wright were welcomed by the board at its March meeting. During that meeting, the foundation board also saw the advancement of Richard Bender to president, replacing Jim Ranft, and Joellen Heatherly to vice president. Dr. Ranft will remain as chairman of the foundation Distribution Committee, overseeing grant making.
Wright grew up in Bethel Township. and graduated from Bethel High School in 1990. Following college, the family decided to move back to the community to raise their children.
“I value my community and want to represent Bethel by supporting innovation, creativity and connection” through the foundation’s work, she said of her interest in serving on the foundation board.
“I appreciate the value our community places on our school, and the way that neighbors take care of neighbors. I love the beauty of our backroads and the sense of rootedness I feel here,” Wright said.
A social worker, she said she thinks she brings compassion, curiosity and a systematic approach to problem solving to the foundation’s volunteer board.
She is a clinical social worker with a private therapy practice in Troy and a cofounder of the Therapy Collaborative, a group of mental health providers serving the county and surrounding areas.
Wright has been married to Todd for 32 years. They have two children, Benton and Eiliana, who graduated in the Bethel classes of 2016 and 2018, respectively. Both live in Asheville, N.C. Her mother, Mary Walsh, lives across the street from Wright and remains her biggest supporter, she said.
Wright has served as a Bethel Township trustee, Bethel varsity swim coach, created and organized the Bethel 5K from 2012-2016, has worked as a poll worker, worked on multiple school levies and is a volunteer for the National Conference of Community and Justice.
Venters and his wife, Heather, moved to Tipp City in summer 2007. Born and raised in Somerset, Ky., he attended Miami University and went to law school at the University of Kentucky.
“I've long admired the foundation as an institution that gives people an outlet for their generosity, and which helps make Tipp City a great place to live. It's an honor to be a part of it,” Venters said.
One of the first thing he and his wife noticed about the community was “what a generous and friendly place Tipp City was,” he said. “It has been a wonderful town to raise our kids in, full of people who provide great examples to them to follow. Like every town, there are things that can be improved, but those first impressions have mainly held true over the years.”
Venters said he thinks he brings to the foundation good judgment and has a good grasp on the community’s needs. “I hope to help the foundation make sound decisions,” he said.
He is a magistrate in the Miami County Probate and Juvenile Court. He previously was an attorney with firms in Troy and Sidney for about 15 years and served as a public defender in Shelby County.
Heather Venters is an occupational therapist, working for the Montgomery County Educational Service Center. She has worked through the ESC in the Trotwood school district for 11 years. They have three children, ages 14, 12 and 10.
Venters served on the Tipp City schools board of education for four years and on the board of zoning appeals. He teaches Sunday School at Tipp City Global Methodist Church.
Bender is a graduate of Columbus Business University and worked in the banking industry before joining the United Way of Troy in 2010 as executive director. After retirement, he has remained active in the community including joining the foundation board.
He and his wife, Cheryl, live in Tipp City.
Heatherly is a Tipp City native, who said an interest in local philanthropy helped lead her to service on the foundation board.
She focused her career in the area of public service, specifically adults with disabilities. She is a former member of the Tipp City schools board of education.