Who We Are

IKRON's Board of Trustees

IKRON's Board of Trustees is comprised of a team of dedicated professionals and community leaders from a wide range of professional fields who are committed to the organization's mission. The Board oversees the organization's financial and organizational structure and ensures that ethical and legal practices are in place to ensure successful implementation of our mission.

Bruce Pullens - President

Bruce joined the board in July or 2019. He received his Bachelor's degree in Sociology and his Master's degree in Organizational Management at Ashford University. Bruce is the current director of customer service at Party City. He is the previous director of customer service at Lane Bryant, Cacique & Catherines. Over his career, Bruce has been a managing director of collections, customer service, and credit-granting at Macy's Credit & Customer Service. Bruce has served on the board of advisors for the Ecommerce Operations Summit in 2018 and 2019 and won several awards for his excellent work in customer service. 

George Stricker, Jr - Vice President

George has been a Board Member since 2009 serving on the Facilities and Operations Committee and since 2015 as Board Vice President. He is an attorney who has worked for the Ohio Attorney Generals Office and Hamilton County Prosecutor handling various health care matters representing governmental agencies. Since his retirement from his government positions in 2009 he has continued to volunteer with local mental health agencies and with an educational program for seniors operated by the University of Cincinnati.

Jennifer Rulon - Treasurer

Jennifer currently works for Frost Brown Todd where she concentrates her practice in employment law counseling, including advising clients on issues related to hiring and firing, workplace investigations, employment policies, and wage and hour compliance. She joined the firm in 2014 after graduating cum laude from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law. Before law school, Jennifer served for two years as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali, West Africa, where she trained more than 60 local farmers and students in agricultural and marketing techniques. Through her service, Jennifer gained invaluable experience in project management and cross-cultural communication.

Jennifer received her history degree magna cum laude in the Philosophy, Politics, and the Public Honors Program at Xavier University. During her time at Xavier, Jennifer completed an internship at the National Endowment for the Arts and volunteered with various community organizations in Cincinnati.

Jake Stricker - Board Member

Jake has been a member of our board since 2010 and has served as President, Vice President, and Chairman during that time.  He received his Masters of Business Administration from Eastern Michigan University and has spent the majority of his career working for PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he currently is the the Director of Risk Assurance and Midwest Industry Leader.  Jake is a two time NCAA Academic Award Winner and holds CPA, CIA and CFE Certifications.

Jeff Dierker - Board Member

Jeff has been a Board Member since 2007 and serves on the Board Development and Executive Committees since 2009. He has worked at Duke Energy for approx. 33 years, and as Health & Safety Manager for the last 13 years supporting Midwest Gas Operations, Transmission & Distribution, Metering Services, and most recently Midwest Fossil & Hydro Stations, Solar and Combustion Turbines sites.

A lifelong east-side Cincinnatian, Jeff is married with two boys and two girls, and enjoys traveling with his family.

Barry Meyers — Board Memeber

Barry has been a member of the board since 2012. He is a current consultant for agencies delivering inclusion and cultural diversity training. He has been a part of the Integrity Development Corporation.  Barry was the previous executive director for The Japan American Society, building development and fundraising resources. Mr. Meyers has a unique skillset along with understanding IKRON's History and Philosophy as he is the son of the founders of IKRON Corporation, Dr. Scott and Dr. Julian Meyers.

Barb Smith—Board Member

Barb has been a board member since September of 2019. She is the President and Majority Owner of Journey Steel, Inc. founded in 2009. She is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio. Barb received her Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Technology with a Construction Specialty from Eastern Michigan University. Ms. Smith is the mother of two young men and the grandmother of one beautiful grandson. Ms. Smith has also recieved the 2016 Journey Award for Economic Empowerment and Entrepreneurship.

Joan Murray, OT/L, LICDC - Board Member

Joan, a graduate of Ohio State University, practiced Occupational therapy at local Hospitals including the Children's Convalescent and Good Samaritan Hospitals, specializing in developmental disorders.  She was director of Occupational Therapy in the Department of Psychiatry at University Hospital and the Lewis Center, specializing in Mental health.  Joan completed advanced training in Addiction Counseling, completing two years at the Cincinnati Gestalt Institute.  Her community involvement includes membership in The Greater Cincinnati Friends of Jung, as well as twenty years as both a student and moderator for OLLI (Osher Lifelong learning institute.)  She enjoys the arts, especially opera, the Cincinnati Art Museum, and Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. 

Tim Balskus—Board Member

Tim has been a board member for 1 year. He is a Managing Director in KPMG's International Tax practice. Tim has previously worked for Deloitte Tax for over 5 years. He has more than 14 years of experience in international tax planning and structuring of U.S. inbound and outboud transactions for public and privately held clients.

Kyle Broderick—Board Member

Kyle is a recent addition to the IKRON Board. He works at Merrill Lynch where he specializes in helping clients with retirement planning and investing in his role as a financial advisor. Kyle has been in the financial services industry since 2012 and is a Certified Public Accountant. He holds both a bachelor's degree in Accounting as well as an MBA from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. Kyle and his wife live in Columbia Tusculum with their daughter and enjoy traveling and running in their spare time.

Eric Tharp - Board Member

Eric is the Vice President of Debt Management Department in the department of Treasury at Bon Secours Mercy Health. He is an accomplished Treasury and Finance professional with strong leadership and management experience. Eric has his MBA from the University of Illinois and holds a BSBA from Ohio State in Accounting and Risk Management Finance. Eric is a CPA and CTP.

Neal Shah — Past President

Neal served on the IKRON Board from 2013 to 2023. Neal is also an attorney at Frost Brown Todd, LLC who specializes in employment law. He is a graduate of Emory University with a bachelor's degree in Psychology and a graduate of Boston College Law School. Neal is married  with two daughters and loves spending time coaching his daughter's soccer team. Neal is also and active member of the Greater Cincinnati Minority Counsel Program.

Avery Blaire-Wilson — Past Board Member, Development Committee

Avery served on the IKRON Board from 2019 to 2023. She received her Bachelors of Fine Arts at Ohio University and her Masters of Art in Art Therapy at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is licensed as an Ohio Certified Prevention Specialist Assistant, an Illinois Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, and a Registered Art Therapist. Over her career, Avery has worked as an Art Therapist and Trauma Counselor at various community agencies throughout Illinois and Ohio. She has experience training staff on appropriate trauma care and has also presented at conferences to inform others about the positive impact of expression therapy on clients who have experienced trauma.