West Ohio
Bios
Nominee for President
Paula Nourse
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Member of Church of the Good Shepherd, Columbus Ohio since 1976.
Retired from Columbus City Schools, Kindergarten Teacher
Director of Good Shepherd Free Store since 2013. Retiring in December.
Member of a craft club since 1974, still meeting on a regular basis.
Has held most offices in the UMC as well as UMW/United Women in Faith.
Recently widowed, has 3 step sons, Joe, Pat Tim and Josh. 5 beautiful grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren with twins on the way.
Interests include traveling, (I have been everywhere); collecting spoons on my travels; music and time with family.
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Nominee for Secretary
Cheryl Bender (Re-election)
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Nominee for Mission Coordinator
Terry Robideau (Re-election)
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Nominee for Chair, Committee on Nominations
Nancy Argabright
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Nancy has been married to Gary for 54 years, and they have one son, Seth. She is a graduate of Ohio University with a B.A. in Sociology/Social Work. For most of her working career she was employed as a legal and administrative secretary for the Ross County Prosecutor and his private law firm, the State of Ohio Inspector General, and the 4th District Court of Appeals, retiring from the latter in 2010. She is an active member of Chillicothe Trinity serving as president of her local UWF organization, Chair of the Leadership Board, an alto in the Chancel Choir, and a member of the planning team for Trinity’s annual Women’s Retreat. In addition, she is a commissioned Stephen Minister. Nancy served 4 years on the Shawnee Valley District Nominations Committee, 2 of those years as chair.
Nominee for Committee on Nominations
Connie Hook
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I was born into a legacy of the Womens Society of Christian Service, United Methodist Women, and United Women of Faith as my Great Grandmother, Grandmother, and Mother were all members of our organization. I came to United Methodist Women at King Avenue UMC in 2004.
From the beginning, I was heavily involved in the semi annual rummage sales for which King Avenue became known. I first became an officer of our local unit in 2007, then moving on to become Treasurer and President of Capitol Area North District UMW. In 2019, I became the West Ohio Conference UMW Treasurer. I served in that position for three years.
Since that time, I've become more involved in the Resident Association where I live here at Ohio Living Westminster Thurber in Columbus.
Assistant Treasurer
Marsha Klingbeil (1-year Appointment)
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Greetings! My name is Marsha Klingbeil. I live in Toledo and am retired from Davis College where I served as registrar for 40 years. I am a life-long member of Salem UMC, which is located in East Toledo. Currently I am serving as the church’s treasurer and pianist/organist. I was introduced to United Methodist Women by my grandmother and mother; both of them were active in the organization. I have served as the local unit president at Salem for a number of years. On the district level, I have served on nominations (1 year), communications (4 years) and treasurer since 2016. I look forward to serving the West Ohio Conference United Women in Faith as Assistant Treasurer.
Mission Coordinator
Becky Ruple (1-year Appointment)
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As a former EUB member, I followed in Mom’s footsteps in WSWS by starting with their Reading Program. Through my working years as a teacher, I didn’t have much time for UMW. As a retiree, and working in my church office at Aldersgate UMC, Huber Heights, UMW became a priority. I loved School of Christian Mission, now Mission u. I served on the local team, Dayton North, Miami Valley, and now , Maumee Watershed district teams. I have been privileged to work on the Committee on Nominations for West Ohio Conference UMW/UWF for several years.
Nominee for National Board of Directors
Roxie Hutsell (Re-election)
Nominee for National Board of Directors
Janice Deal
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Janice graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She worked as a hospital nurse in Ohio and Virginia. In 1984, she started a home-based business in Virginia that provided word-processing services. After receiving certificates in editing and publishing and being certified as an Editor in the Life Sciences, she transitioned to freelance editing and provided substantive editing and copyediting for research and review articles for journals and for books. Subject areas included nutrition, cancer, women’s health, pharmacy, addiction medicine, and others. She managed projects and developed and presented several workshops about editing practices for adult education classes, a publishing company, and the American Medical Writers Association.
In 2006, Janice and her husband returned to Ohio and settled outside Zanesville. She found that locations in the county were limited for dependable high-speed Internet access necessary to continue her business. Digital disparity throughout Appalachia and rural America has improved but remains a concern. Being sensitive to energy use, the environment, and handicap accessibility, Janice and her husband researched energy efficiency and universal design. They designed and built their new home with added insulation, geothermal and radiant floor heating, and multiple handicapped accessible features that enabled her to provide live-in care for her parents.
As a young adult, Janice became interested in and joined United Methodist Women in Virginia where she was active at the local level as circle leader, vice-president, and president. After returning to Ohio, she started attending United Methodist Women events at Central Trinity and became a member there. She was soon asked to join the Foothills District leadership team as communications coordinator and worked to update the District Standing Rules before she became district president. For the West Ohio Conference, she served as secretary and the chair of the Conference Standing Rules Committee. At present, she is a member of the Hocking River District Committee on Nominations, president of Central Trinity United Women in Faith, and West Ohio Conference liaison to the Legacy Endowment Fund. She helped start the prayer shawl ministry at Central Trinity, serves on the Administrative Council and the Missions Committee, is a Communion Steward, and plays in the handbell choir. She has attended one LDD event and three Assemblies and given presentations and written newsletter articles about workshops she attended at those events. She has served on the Real Estate Committee of the West Ohio Conference Board of Trustees. Janice considers participating in Mission u and the Reading Program to be her favorite activities of United Women in Faith. She has received five Special Mission Recognition pins and certificates.
Nominee for Program Advisors Group
Cecelia Long
Cecelia Long is a native of Roanoke, Virginia where she lived until she graduated from Hollins University, a university with all female undergraduate program. Cecelia was active in the Baptist church when she was a child in Virginia. She became disillusioned by the male pastor who insisted that girls and women should not pray in the sanctuary and that only boys or men should pray.
This kind of discrimination against girls and women, pushed Cecelia to search for a denomination in which the gifts and graces of the females would be accepted and utilized. Cecelia has been an active lay person in the United Methodist Church since 1978. In 1998, Cecelia was consecrated a Diaconal Minister in the Northern Illinois Annual Conference. She decided to remain a Diaconal Minister even when many were becoming Deacons and thus going from laity to the ordained ministry of the United Methodist Church.
Cecelia has been President of the Fairview United Methodist Women and now the United Women in Faith in Dayton, Ohio for more than 10 years. She has been an officer on the District United Women in Faith. She is committed to ministry which empowers women, girls and youth to use their gifts and talents as God has given to them. Cecelia firmly believes that God blesses women to be a blessing to others. She believes that women who do not understand how God can use them need strong mentors who can help guide them on their spiritual journey. Cecelia’s social work degree is used to help people find resources in the their community that will help them to overcome assorted obstacles.
Cecelia spends many hours at the Fairview Pantry, facilitates an adult Sunday School class, sings in the choir, is in a weekly Prayer Circle, serves as Chairperson of the Staff Parish Relations Committee, serves on the Church Council among other ministries in her local church. She is past President of the Greater Dayton Church Women United and is a state officer. Her desire is to be of service to God and community for as long as she is able. Her main form of recreation is urban line dancing and walking with friends in the Urban Gym, playing word puzzles, reading books on various subjects, and learning the game of Majong. Her companion is Gabby Girl, a rescue cat who stays close to her but is independent and loves to visit the neighbors.
Nominee for Program Advisors Group
Linda Bales Todd
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Linda has been a member of United Women in Faith since 1972 and has served at various levels of the organization throughout the years: local, district, conference and national. Much of her professional career was spent in the United Methodist Church. In 1995, Linda began a 6-year position at the UMC General Council on Ministries serving as the Director of the Shared Mission Focus on Young People which was an advocacy effort in the general church to give voice to youth and young adults. From 2001-2012, Linda served as the Director of the Louise & Hugh Moore Population Project at the General Board of Church & Society in Washington, DC.. This initiative focused on education and advocacy for women and young people on issues such as HIV & AIDS, domestic violence, human trafficking and reproductive health both in the United States and internationally. UWF provided Linda with skills and opportunities benefiting her personally and professionally, and in her retirement, she is exploring ways to claim joy, beauty and light in all she does. Linda is a member of Grace United Methodist Church in Dayton and is the Mission U Dean in West Ohio Annual Conference. She and her husband, Dick, reside in Dayton, OH and have 6 grandchildren who bring them love and constant joy!