Favor Announces 16-Member Transition Team including community leaders, expert legal scholars, and youth-focused practitioners.

Posted on 1/28/2025

Defendant:

Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney Shayla Favor today announced the transition team that will help develop recommendations for current operations, identify critical issues, and build around her key priorities during her time in office.
 
“My aim with this transition team was to assemble a diverse group of people who have been
effective in addressing different aspects of public safety and community support,” Favor said. “From former police officers to nonprofit leaders working directly with youth, I have invited my team members to bring their unique perspectives in hopes that we can create a justice system that has the power to both heal and uphold accountability.”
 
As the county’s first Black and first female prosecuting attorney, Favor has launched a new era of accountability and transparency to restore trust in the county justice system. Her vision is to create a safe community where everyone, no matter their background, can live, work, and thrive — by addressing the root causes of crime, disrupting cycles of violence, and taking a transformative approach to prosecution.
 
Chaired by Janet Jackson, her team includes prominent community leaders, expert legal scholars, and lifelong civic volunteers. The transition team will work for 12 to 18 months to help develop a blueprint for the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office to build upon.
 
The transition team members are:
 
Janet E. Jackson, chair, former Columbus city attorney and Franklin County Municipal Court judge. Jackson was also the first woman and the first Black person to lead the United Way of Central Ohio, where she served for 14 years as president and CEO. Among her many awards and recognitions, she was inducted into the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame in 2001 and the City of Columbus Hall of Fame in 2017.
 
David A. Ingram, co-chair, senior associate general counsel, The Ohio State University’s Office of Legal Affairs. Ingram provides legal advice and strategic support to the Department of Public Safety, Office of Research, and Student Conduct Office. He has served in executive leadership roles at the county and state levels and has achieved several notable professional accomplishments, including becoming the first African American first assistant prosecutor in the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office.
 
Christie Angel, managing partner, BroadView Talent Partners. Named three times as one of Columbus Business First’s “Power 100,” Angel has professional experience that spans the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. She previously founded Halo Partners, a leadership coaching firm, and served as CEO of YWCA Columbus.
 
Bishop Timothy Joseph Clarke, senior pastor, First Church of God. In addition to 40 years at First Church, Clarke has also served in Christian leadership positions at the local and national levels. He is also the founder and senior bishop of the Berean Fellowship, an international assembly partnering with pastors of small to mid-size churches, young pastors, and those new to pastoral ministry.
 
Scott B. Clinger, retired Columbus police officer. Clinger served as a U.S. Marine from 1981 to 1991. Following his military service, he worked as a federal police officer at the Defense Supply Center and later as a Columbus police officer who collaborated with community groups and business organizations on the northside of Columbus. He retired in 2021.
 
Rob Dorans, Columbus City Council president pro tempore and chief legal counsel for ACT Ohio. Elected in 2019, Dorans seeks to be a voice for working families and an advocate for increased economic opportunity. He has been active in the legal and civic community in Columbus and has volunteered with the Legal Aid Society of Columbus and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio.
 
Steve Dunbar, assistant Columbus city attorney. On behalf of Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein’s office, Dunbar is the section chief of the city attorney’s Property Action Team, which works closely with the Division of Police, Code Enforcement, and other city departments and community organizations to abate nuisance properties that blight Columbus’ neighborhoods.
 
Terry Green, founder and CEO, Think Make Live Youth. A graduate of Franklin County YouthBuild, Green also serves as CEO and lead consultant of social justice consulting firm Breaking Statistics LLC and as founder of the Social Justice Awards, a celebration event dedicated to honoring outstanding professional and community leadership.
 
Emmett Kelly, partner, Frost Brown Todd. Emmett serves as bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel, developer’s counsel and purchaser’s counsel for various taxable and tax-exempt project and revenue bond financings. He recently concluded 21 years on the board of directors of The Buckeye Ranch. Since 2011, Emmett has served the public on the Ohio Tax Credit Authority as the governor’s appointee. He also currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Franklin County Convention Center as a Franklin County Board of Commissioners appointee.
 
Chenelle A. Jones, public safety programs chair and director, the Franklin University Center for Public Safety and Cybersecurity Education. Jones also serves as the national director of research for the Teen and Police Service Academy, an international program designed to reduce social distance between teens and the police. She was instrumental in developing the Columbus Division of Police Community Immersion Training, a 192-hour training that teaches new officers about the Columbus community and its residents.
 
Kris Long, deputy county administrator, Franklin County. Long oversees areas including public facilities management, human resources, purchasing, fleet management, the Board of Revision, the Office of the Clerk to the Board of Commissioners and Boards and Commissions, the Sanitary Engineering Department, public affairs, government affairs, and other special projects.
 
Diane Menashe, partner, Menashe Law Group. Menashe has tried more than 150 criminal and civil cases to jury verdict and focuses on high-level felony and death penalty cases in state and federal courts, complex civil litigation, internal investigations, parole hearings, judicial release motions, and juvenile criminal defense. Menashe is invited annually as a faculty member of Harvard Law School’s Trial Advocacy Workshop, where she teaches alongside some of the best trial lawyers and judges in the country.
 
Denise Robinson, President and CEO of Alvis, Inc. Denise is also the 108th President of the American Correctional Association (ACA), the oldest and largest association of corrections professionals in the world.
 
Jocelyn Rosnick, policy director, ACLU of Ohio. Rosnick oversees the development and execution of the ACLU of Ohio’s legislative, administrative, and public education policy efforts on everything from voting rights to criminal justice and LGBTQ rights. She is also an adjunct faculty member at the Mandel School for Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University and previously coordinated the Ohio Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild.
 
Dave Thomas, partner, Taft Law. A fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers and a leading lawyer in white-collar crime and government investigations, Thomas works in Taft’s Compliance, Investigations, and White Collar Defense practice group. He advises and represents companies, executives, public officials, health care providers, and other professionals who are the subject of state and federal investigations and prosecutions.
 
Janica Pierce Tucker, partner-in-charge, Taft Law. Leading Taft’s Columbus practice, Tucker focuses on representing clients in all aspects of employment and labor law including sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful discharge matters. Tucker is a member of Taft’s executive committee and serves as co-chair of Taft’s firm wide Diversity & Inclusion Committee.