Makiedah Messam, Executive Director

Makiedah Messam began her role as Executive Director of ABLE in 2024, bringing with her decades of experience in public interest law, developing and implementing policy that serves and empowers underprivileged communities. Previously, Makiedah served as the Interim Executive Director of the City of Cincinnati’s Citizen Complaint Authority, where she coordinated the agency’s investigations into citizen complaints, ensuring that all claims were investigated diligently and promoting accountability in the Cincinnati Police Department. Makiedah holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Cincinnati College of Law and a Practice Certificate from the University of the West Indies Norman Manley Law School. 

Steven McGarrity, Executive Director

After serving Community Legal Aid in a number of roles for 20 years, including Associate Director, Steven McGarrity became Executive Director in February of 2017. Currently he serves on the advisory committee for OhioLegalHelp.org and is on the board of the Ohio Poverty Law Center. In 2015, he was named a Where Health Meets Justice Fellow through the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership.

A native of California, he graduated from California State University, Northridge and obtained his law degree from Case Western Reserve University. 

Mary Asbury, Executive Director

Mary Asbury has led the Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati as its Executive Director since 1988. She has shared her expertise with many community boards and workgroups, including the Supreme Court of Ohio Commission on Character and Fitness, the Supreme Court of Ohio Task Force on Pro Se and Indigent Representation, the American Bar Association Task Force to Revise Standards for the Provision of Civil Aid, the Ohio State Bar Association Board of Governors, and the Ohio Poverty Law Center. Mary was recognized as a YWCA of Greater Cincinnati Career Woman of Achievement and awarded the Ohio State Bar Association’s Nettie Cronise Lutes Award. She graduated from Trinity University and Boston University School of Law. 

Colleen M. Cotter, Executive Director

Colleen M. Cotter has been the Executive Director of the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland since 2005. Colleen serves on the Board of Directors of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association and the Saint Luke’s Foundation. She was named a 2017 Crain’s Woman of Note and received the 2017 CMBA President’s Award. Before becoming Executive Director, Colleen was a consultant to legal aid organizations and their funders, worked for Indiana Legal Services, and Pine Tree Legal Assistance in Maine, where she served as a Skadden Fellow. Colleen clerked for the Honorable Cornelia Kennedy of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. She graduated from the University of Notre Dame and Indiana University at Bloomington Law School. 

Kathleen McGarvey, Executive Director

In February 2019, Kathleen McGarvey became Executive Director of OSLSA. Prior to becoming the Executive Director, Kate served as Deputy Director of Legal Aid Society of Columbus (part of the OSLSA umbrella organization), which she joined in 2001. While there, she focused on Health and Education Law. In that capacity she served as lead counsel in the Homewood case, which reinstated Medicaid Coverage for 150,000 people across the state. A native of Ohio, she graduated from Ohio University and The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. 

John E. Schrider Jr., Director

John E. Schrider Jr. is the Director of Legal Aid of Southwest Ohio where he has over 30 years of experience in a broad range of litigation and advocacy including Fair Housing, Predatory Lending Practices, and Foreclosure Prevention. He is the recipient of achievement awards from Housing Opportunities Made Equal, the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition, and the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation. He graduated from Villanova University, and University of Pennsylvania Law School. 

Kevin C. Mulder, Executive Director

Kevin C. Mulder has been the Executive Director of Legal Aid of Western Ohio (LAWO) since 2001. Prior to joining LAWO in 1999, Kevin worked at LAWO’s partner law firm, Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc., for eight years as a senior attorney and managing attorney. He graduated from Central Michigan University (B.S.), the American University, Washington College of Law (J.D. and M.A.), and Columbia Law School (LLM). 

Katherine B. Hollingsworth, Executive Director

Katherine B. Hollingsworth became Northeast Ohio Legal Aid’s inaugural Executive Director in February 2025. Katherine previously served as the Managing Attorney of the Economic Justice Group at The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland. In addition to supervising the representation of clients with employment and consumer issues, she also led the group’s systemic advocacy efforts to secure greater economic stability and access to justice for people with low income in Northeast Ohio. Katherine is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and Middlebury College. 

Dimity V. Orlet, Executive Director

In March 2019, Dimity V. Orlet became Executive Director of Pro Seniors. Prior to becoming the Executive Director, Dimity served more than 18 years as Assistant Counsel and Director of Continuing Legal Education for the Cincinnati Bar Association. A native of Michigan, she was graduated from Michigan State University and from University of Cincinnati College of Law.