The professional staff at GAR Foundation is dedicated to meeting the needs of the community through charitable giving.
Our offices are located at the Andrew Jackson House, 277 East Mill Street, Akron, Ohio 44308. Our business hours are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. For information about the Foundation, please contact us by phone at 330-576-2926 or via email at info@garfdn.org. Visit our contact page for additional details.
Christine Amer Mayer
President
330-576-2911
cmayer@garfdn.org
Born and raised in Akron, Christine Amer Mayer has deep ties to the Foundation's base in Summit County. She received her Bachelor's degree in English from Duke University in Durham, N.C., and her law degree from The Ohio State University.
For eight years after law school, Christine practiced commercial litigation and business law with Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs. She has worked with GAR Foundation since 2001. Mayer has a special interest in regional economic development and has been heavily involved in The Fund For Our Economic Future – a philanthropic collaboration focused on improving the economic trajectory of Northeast Ohio. She presently serves as vice chair of the Fund and the chair of its Grantmaking Policy and Partnerships Committee. Christine also serves on the boards of United Way of Summit County, Leadership Akron, and Milestones Autism Organization. Christine and her husband Richard live in Solon with their three young children.
Candace Campbell Jackson
Consulting Program Officer
330-972-7709
candac7@uakron.edu
Candace Campbell Jackson has worked with GAR Foundation since 1998. In recent years, she has served as a Consulting Program Officer for GAR, dedicating the majority of her professional time to her role as Vice President and Chief of Staff at The University of Akron. Formerly, Jackson was in the public law and corporate departments of law firm Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs LLP. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Journalism from Howard University in Washington D.C. and a law degree from The University of Akron. She and her husband, Mark, have four children.
Kirstin S. Toth
Senior Vice President
330-576-2917
ktoth@garfdn.org
Kirstin Toth joined GAR Foundation in 2007. Previously Kirstin served as the consulting project director for the Great Lakes Environmental Finance Center at Cleveland State University's Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs. Kirstin has also worked in the private sector at Bank One and in the public sector as an aide to the president of the Board of Cuyahoga County Commissioners. She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Ohio University, and a Master of Public Administration in economic development from Cleveland State University.
Currently, Kirstin serves as chair of the Summit Education Initiative and on Summit County's First Things First advisory committee. She is a member of the national Grantmakers for Education, and is active in the education advisory group of Philanthropy Ohio (formerly Ohio Grantmakers Forum.) She lives in Hudson with her husband, David, and their two sons.
Brittany G. Zaehringer
Program Officer
330-576-2913
Brittany Grimes Zaehringer joins the GAR Foundation with several years of experience in non-profit management. Most recently she was the Director of Operations for the Delta Research and Educational Foundation in Washington, D.C. Formerly, she held several non-profit and government positions in Akron and Philadelphia, including COO of the Girl Scouts of North East Ohio, Equal Employment Opportunity Compliance Officer for Summit County and Director of Advocacy, Quality Assurance and Staff Development for CGFNS International. She was an associate attorney with Buckingham, Doolittle and Burroughs, LLP.
Brittany received her JD and Master of Science in Social Administration from Case Western Reserve University and a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Michigan. Brittany is a 1991 graduate of John R. Buchtel High School in Akron. Over the years, Brittany has been active in her community through several non-profit boards and affiliations. Brittany lives in Akron with her husband Peter Zaehringer.
Christian A. Turner
Communications & Event Associate
330-572-2908
cturner@garfdn.org
Christian Turner CC C CChjoins GAR Foundation having recently graduated from The University of Akron with a B.A. in Business and Organizational Communication, Public Relations. Christian was a Social Media and Marketing intern with Sterling Jewelers in Fairlawn where she created content, conducted research and monitored various social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest. Christian served as Public Affairs Officer and President of the Military Veterans Association at the University of Akron where she planned and hosted various events and meetings for the betterment of the 200+ student veteran organization on campus. Christian also served as treasurer to the UA Chapter of Public Relations Student Society of America.
Christian is a six-year U.S. Army veteran currently serving as a medic with the 256th Combat Support Hospital out of Twinsburg, Ohio. She completed one tour of duty to Baghdad, Iraq with the 322nd Medical Company in 2010, where she operated an Immunizations Clinic and served as a Public Affairs Officer Assistant.
Julie A. Watson
Grants Manager, Program Assistant
330-576-2915
jwatson@garfdn.org
Julie Watson is GAR Foundation's Grants Manager and Program Assistant. She has been with GAR since 1998. Previously, she served for 20 years in several roles with the former Roadway Services Inc. (now Caliber Systems Inc., a part of FedEx Corp). including as Administrative Assistant to the Vice President of Corporate Planning. Ms. Watson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Bowling Green State University. She resides in Cuyahoga Falls.Falls.Falls
Lisa M. Yates
Operations Coordinator
330-576-2916
lyates@garfdn.org
Lisa Yates recently joined the foundation as Operations Coordinator. A long-time employee of Roadway Express and YRC, Lisa worked as the Office Manager in YRC’s Akron Legal Department and was Executive Assistant to the Deputy General Counsel. She earned a Master of Arts in Technical Education from the University of Akron. She and her husband, Brad, have one daughter and reside in Cuyahoga Falls.