Covington Partners has two new board members—one with many years advocating for children’s health, education and development and the other with deep family roots in education.

Rosanne Nields, who is vice president of government relations and planning for St. Elizabeth Healthcare, has served on various boards that address early childhood health, education and development over her 35-year tenure at the hospital organization. The involvement has helped her understand the importance of organizations like Covington Partners and the role of education, after school programming and mentoring can play in addressing the needs and offering support to vulnerable children to help them achieve success, she said.

One of Nields’ character strengths is hope and “the vision of Covington Partners speaks directly to my hope all Covington children realize the promise of their full potential,” she said.

Early in Nields’ career at St. Elizabeth she was part of a reading program at Covington elementary schools. She also has worked with Charlie Schicht and Sarah Wice-Courtney, board members who have a passion for Covington Partners’ work and have kept St. Elizabeth engaged in the organization through partnerships and sponsorship support, she said.

Nields has served on the Boone County Success by Six board and has advocated for legislation and funding to improve children’s health, education and address other issues through the United Way’s kindergarten readiness work. 

“It is critical that we address policy issues that create barriers or support those that enhance learning and achievement,” she said.

Nields and her husband, Bob, a program chair and professor at Cincinnati State Technical College, live in Florence. They have three children and three grandchildren. They enjoy traveling, golfing, and spending time with their grandchildren.

Charles Schlimm works as a commercial banking relationship manager at PNC Bank, but he has had family and friends who have worked for Covington Independent Public Schools.

“I have always had a great interest in providing support and somehow giving back to the community that my family lives, works, and plays in,” he said. “I have also always had an interest in youth educational organizations just like Covington Partners.”

Through his work at the bank, he has connected with others who care about their community and youth education. After talking to a Covington Partners board member, he was hooked. “He did a great job of giving me initial information about how amazing Covington Partners is,” he said. “I quickly realized that I wanted to be a part of this great organization!”

Schlimm lives in Union with his wife, Cait, who teaches 2nd grade in the Oak Hills School District, and a 5-year-old son. They enjoy golfing, as well as watching Cincinnati Reds, Cincinnati Bengals and FC Cincinnati games, he said.

Schlimm hopes to use his finance background to make a positive difference in the Covington Partners organization.