Staff

Michelle Budzek, President, has worked with diverse non-profit organizations that provide housing and services to low-income, homeless, and often disabled persons throughout Cincinnati and the country.  She blends a unique perspective of advocacy, policy and regulatory experience, and administrative expertise in the assistance she provides directly to non-profit providers of services and housing, to government entities she contracts with, and to HUD as a national technical assistance provider.  For fourteen years she was the developer and facilitator of the inclusive Cincinnati/Hamilton County Continuum of Care (CoC) for the Homeless process.  Michelle is a member of the Ohio Interagency Council on Homelessness and Affordable Housing, a founding member and former chairperson of several state and local Coalitions for the Homeless, and serves on multiple other boards and commissions.  Her work history also includes the development, fund acquisition and management, and administration of a non-profit service housing organization, as well as direct work with those she strives to serve as both a parish organizer and a street/community organizer.  She has worked with the community to plan, organize, and effectively change the system to better serve those in need in the community.

or call 513.891.4016 x311

David Durkalski, Senior Software Developer, began work in the non-profit technology sector in 1995.  Since then, David has: led the development of nine separate client tracking database applications and the SOPHIA information and referral databases which were shared by more than 50 non-profit organizations / collaborations; provided computer/network technical support and planning to 79 different non-profit organizations; and developed the first version of the Virtual Electronic Service Tracking Assistant (VESTA) for the Family Shelter Partnership Program (FSPP).  VESTA and the FSPP were the basis for development of VESTA:HMIS, which serves as Hamilton County's HMIS software. In addition to VESTA:HMIS, David worked on a development team to create two spin-off products, VESTA: Mercy Health Partners and VESTA: Goodwill.   His other work experience includes:  Co-oping at the NCR Corporation, which involved technical support, research and development, and software development; and software development at Sarcom, Inc. with placement at GE Aircraft Engines, which focused on statistical analysis software development for a team of six engineers.

or call 513.891.4016 x337

Mark I. McComas, Chief Operating Officer Mark originally joined the Partnership Center in 2005 and returned to the organization as its COO in July 2011 after 5 ½ years in Maine. Mark has experience working in community and economic development in both large and small communities using a wide range of local, state and federal resources and programs. He is equally comfortable helping neighbors set up a community garden or partnering on multi-million dollar development projects, but particularly enjoys working with people and organizations serving those in need. Son of a 30-year Navy veteran, Mark is fond of claiming he is not “from” anywhere, but is proud to again call Cincinnati home. Mark has Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees from Ohio University and a Master of Arts degree from the University of York, England. When he’s not at work, he enjoys traveling, exploring in the outdoors, and spending time with his wife and son.

or call 513.891.4016 x338

Andy Swift joined the Partnership Center in 2011 as the System Administrator Data Base Analyst for VESTA.  Andy is a Computer System Analyst with a broad background of Information Technology exposure dating back to 1988.  His experience includes developing multiple software applications in several different languages and providing mapping and statistical analysis.  Currently he uses Microsoft SQL Server scripts to format Partnership Center data into different reporting requirements and is working on the development of exports from VESTA to other homeless systems to help users avoid double data entry.

Sandy Goheen joined the Partnership Center in the Spring of 2009.  She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in both the information technology and non-profit sectors. Sandy has worked on a wide variety of system implementations across several industries in the business sector, including Retail, Finance, Human Resources, and Defense.  Prior to managing projects, she worked as a systems analyst and programmer with Accenture and IBM. As an advocate for foster children and at-risk kids, Sandy has also worked with local organizations to help with outcome measures and identifying ways to use data to improve services.

or call 513.891.4016 x332

Dennis Pattinson joined the Partnership Center in the Summer of 2009.  He obtained his Master's Degree in Education in 2000 and taught for 7 years in both Kentucky and Cincinnati schools.  Most recently, he worked with a property management company, obtaining his real estate license in 2007.  Dennis's job changed at PCL in 2011 from User Support to System Manager and is currently managing the meta data in VESTA needed to set up new programs, fields and forms for users.  He combines that work with HMIS monitoring to help users obtain the most positive representation of their programs and outcomes possible. 

or call 513.891.4016 x305

Jasmine Frasier joined the Partnership Center in the summer of 2010.  After receiving her Bachelors from Pepperdine University, she worked as a Domestic Violence Outreach Coordinator. In 2006, she and her husband joined the Peace Corps. During her three year service in the island nation of Vanuatu, she provided training, management support, and curriculum development within the Health and Education fields. She spear-fished, hiked fifteen miles to retrieve mail, drank kava and lived in a grass hut.  Her experiences allow her to work with a diverse group of people and remind her to find meaning in and enjoy her work. Jasmine trains new VESTA users, provides on-line telephone user support, and monitors HMIS.