Chris Amorose Groomes is a life-long Dublin resident and owner of Amorose Landscape Service. She served as mayor of Dublin from 2020 to 2022 after having served a two-year term as vice mayor. Prior to her election to City Council, Amorose Groomes served eight years on the Dublin Planning and Zoning Commission – six of those as chair.

In January 2022, she was named by the National League of Cities to serve on the Information Technology and Communications Federal Advocacy Committee. She previously served on the NLC’s Community and Economic Development Committee. As a committee member, she plays a key role among a diverse group of local leaders in shaping NLC policy positions and advocating on behalf of America’s cities and towns before Congress. Council Member Amorose Groomes also serves as vice chair for the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission Executive Committee, and as an at-large member of the Central Ohio Mayors & Managers Association Board of Directors. In 2021, she was appointed to serve on the Ohio Mayors Education Advocacy Committee for the Ohio Mayors Alliance.

Her devotion to public service has included volunteering on the board of directors for Young Life Metro Columbus, coaching girls’ basketball, serving as a Big Sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio and planting flowers for the Memorial Tournament benefiting Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

In 2019, she was honored as a Friend of Public Education by the Ohio School Boards Association Central Region for her demonstrated record of supporting public education.

She is a graduate of Dublin High School, where she was a member of the student council as well as being a three sport athlete in basketball, soccer and softball.  She then went on to The Ohio State University, studying horticulture and agricultural business.

Amorose Groomes and her husband, Kevin, reside in Muirfield Village with their sons Tyler and Tucker.

Known for his tremendous success on Wall Street, Michael Blaugrund graduated from Dublin Coffman High School in the class of 1996.  He is Chief Operating Officer of the New York Stock Exchange, a wholly owned subsidiary of Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE). He is responsible for the NYSE’s equity and options trading and data businesses, including the NYSE, NYSE American, NYSE Arca and NYSE National Exchanges. 

Also at the NYSE, he oversees the NYSE/FINRA Trade Reporting Facility and NYSE Bonds fixed income exchange, as well as the Securities Industry Automation Corporation (SIAC).  In addition, he serves on the Board of Directors of tZERO, a leading digital asset platform.

Blaugrund has been Chief Operating Officer for the NYSE for three years, which is a position he worked his way up to. While with the NYSE, he also served as Head of Transactions for a year and Head of Equities for two years.

Before his work with the NYSE, Blaugrund was Director of Business Development at Tower Research Capital, where he focused on expanding the firm’s global market access and developing strategic assets. Prior to that role, Blaugrund led U.S. Equity Product Strategy at NASDAQ and held product management roles at Thomson Reuters.

Before beginning his career in finance, Blaugrund moved to New York City to work at RCA Records while pursuing his own musical recording and performance ambitions with his brother, Jordan (DCHS ’99).  This came after launching an industrial design firm in Providence and joining an internet start-up in Boston during his college years.  Blaugrund graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Goverment, where he was a member of the lightweight crew team, and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). 

Blaugrund was very involved in high school, including being a member of the band, competing in rowing and participating in National Honor Society. He was  a member of Student Senate and also a National Merit Semifinalist.

He lives outside New York City with his wife, Julia, and four children: Jack, Henry, Ava and Rye.

Melissa Carlson is a Dublin native, having attended Indian Run Elementary School, Dublin Middle School, and finally Dublin High School as a member of the Class of 1991.  She went on to attend Ohio University, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Hearing and Speech Sciences.  This led her on the path to become a substitute paraprofessional at her former Elementary School Indian Run stretching from 2012-2015.  

In 2016, she started her own business working with and supporting the community affected by Parkinson’s disease.  This business was rebranded two years later in 2018, to form pDNextSteps.  PDNextSteps is an exercise and wellness program that helps people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease to surpass their limits and be fully able to live their lives.  The programs offered by PDNextSteps not only serve people in the central Ohio area, but all around the globe.  Since 2016, PDNextSteps has grown by over 250% while relying solely on the word of mouth and satisfaction from its customers.  

The success of the programs offered by PDNextSteps has been proven through many examples, including a story revolving around a 71 year old who relied on a walker as an assisted device while having Parkinson’s disease.  Through the help of the PDNextSteps programs, by age 74 he was no longer in need of an assisting device of any kind and is able to work out all 7 days of the week!  All this success whilst beating cancer throughout that time as well!

Melissa still lives in Dublin to this day, where she has raised three children.  Nick, Amara, and Alex have all gone through and graduated from Dublin City Schools as well.  

Theresa (Hopkins) Dearing began her teaching career 35 years ago in Columbus City Schools working as an English as a Second Language educator. Her love of   languages was inspired by Dublin City Schools’ Spanish teacher, Elizabeth Harris, whose teaching style was creative, innovative, and unique. Students were required to speak Spanish-only during class time, with no required reading or writing for two years. It was this experience of connecting with another culture that kick-started the desire and passion to become a teacher.

Graduating from Dublin High School in 1968, Theresa headed to the West Coast and attended UCLA, later transferring to the University of Northern Colorado, majoring in Sociology. Mr. Glenn Hill, Dublin City Schools’ Sociology, World Geography, and American Government teacher introduced topics and curriculum that brought life to education, and most of all, brought ownership in student interests despite all the obstacles placed in the way. The experience of being in those classrooms created the desire to study Sociology.

Theresa returned home to Ohio, earning both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Ohio State University majoring in Education. As her teaching career began, the enjoyment of working with kids, and the respect received from parents and the community fulfilled a great appreciation and respect for educators.  

Theresa then began to work with the Depp Settlement, or “Lucy Depp,” located in Southern Delaware County. Lucy Depp was home, filled with family life, picnics and bus rides with school bus driver, Mr. Anderson, who made the ride to school and back home both joyful and safe. 

The Depp Settlement was discovered to be an Underground Railroad Station. Identifying and researching the settlement culminated with the installation of two historical markers, “Lucy Depp” in 2015 and “Abraham Depp Freedom Station” in 2016.  With the aid of many organizations and individuals, the park was established as a historical site.

In the fall of 2020, Dublin City Schools opened its 14th elementary, Abraham Depp Elementary, in Jerome Village. A replica of the “All Call” (Liberty Bell) is housed at the entrance of the school. Students from Depp Elementary have taken field trips to the Barn, located in Lucy Depp, to tour and view the historical markers.

Stephanie (Dixon) Tersigni, Dublin Jerome Class of 2009, is the owner and founder of Jolie Occasions, a women’s clothing, accessories and gift boutique here in Columbus. 

Currently in its fifth year of business, Jolie has made a name for itself as a fashion destination for shoppers in central Ohio. The feminine flair, affordable price point, visual merchandising, and inclusive shopping experience are just some of the reasons Jolie has been voted a top local retail store in Columbus Monthly Magazine, Columbus Underground, and 614 Magazine.

Tersigni has a well-rounded background in the fashion industry and credits her first job while in high school, Forever 21 at Tuttle Crossing Mall, as the reason she wanted a career in retail. Her experience there led her to working at a boutique during college where she fell in love with the idea of opening her own store. Upon graduating from Miami University in 2013, Tersigni landed a job at EXPRESS doing merchandising for women’s outerwear. After a few years at the company, she decided to open her own store, Jolie Occasions.

Tersigni started the business out of her and her husband’s apartment before finding a space to lease on High Street in the Short North Arts District. The storefront opened in August of 2017, and after less than two years they moved to their current location, tripling in size. Each year, the team at Jolie puts on a Fall Fashion Show featuring a mix of ready-to-wear items for sale, and one-of-a-kind pieces designed and made by Tersigni herself.

Over the last five years, Tersigni has made strong efforts to have her business be known as more than a store. Her and her team take time each year to give back to the local community through volunteering, partnering with local non-profits, and being an advocate and supporting other small businesses. Tersigni is also an active member in the Short North I.D.E.A Council (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access), the Short North Small Business Council, she is a CTA (Certified Tourism Ambassador) for Columbus, and received the U.S. Small Business Administration “Neighborhood Champion” award in 2018 for her work in the community.

Tersigni currently lives in Columbus with her husband, Mark, and their son, Giovanni.

Lynn May has volunteered with Dublin City Schools for the last 30 years.  For the last 16 years, she served on the District’s Board of Education. She served several terms as President and Vice President within the Board of Education Leadership.  

After moving to Dublin, she began volunteering in her children’s classrooms to help with their transition to a new school district. As they grew, she continued to volunteer by  working on bond and levy campaigns, her favorite was the one to build Bailey Elementary.  She then started Bailey’s PTO with the help of 65 wonderful parents. Lynn felt a bit responsible for the millions of dollars she helped raise for the District. Hence, she ran for Dublin City Schools’ Board of Education to continue to be a steward for the community’s tax dollars.  

Advocating for students is near and dear to her heart.  Lynn has a strong track record of advocating for each and every student in the district, no matter their race, color, gender or sexuality. She encouraged the hiring of appropriate personnel to meet students’ needs for diversity and equity. After working with fellow board colleagues and administrations to guide local education policies, one of her personal favorite responsibilities was advocating for our students’ educational needs.  She served on the National School Boards Association’s Federal Advocacy Network representing Ohio’s 12 Congressional District each year in Washington DC. Advocating for IDEA and Title III resources frequently felt like an uphill battle, but she knew it made a difference. Lynn has served on the BOE’s Finance Subcommittee, Business Advisory Council, Policy Subcommittee, Liaison to the City of Dublin, Operations Subcommittee and Athletic Council. Dublin City Schools is consistently ranked among the top schools in Ohio and the US. 

Lynn is also proud of the BOE’s collaboration and the negotiations with Columbus City Schools to end Win-Win, the partnership with the Columbus Metropolitan Library for the new Dublin Library, the establishment of the Emerald Campus and its Academies and programs, and the partnership with the City of Dublin on the Bridge Park development. She is proud of what these partnerships have meant for our community.

Lynn is happily retired from work and the BOE and still resides in Dublin with her husband, Tim. They frequently travel with their adult children, Ryan, Kelly and Hannah and their families.  Family is everything!