Leadership

Robert L. Bell, Director

In January 2018, Robert Bell was appointed by County Commissioners as Director of Economic Inclusion for Hamilton County, Ohio. His initiative called BOLD - "Building Opportunities by Leveraging Diversity" is being implemented County-wide to ensure inclusion and diversity becomes a priority in county operations (hiring and staffing) as well as in county procurement and purchasing practices.

Robert brings significant inclusion experience to Hamilton County. He headed the HUD mandated Section 3 Jobs and Economic Inclusion Programs for the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) for over seven years.

He brings additional experience in program management, service effectiveness, economic development, teaching and training, and contract compliance from previous positions at Beech Acres, the United Way of Greater Cincinnati and the University of Cincinnati. Robert was named the "Economic Inclusion Advocate of the Year" in 2016 at the Midwest Regional Environmental Sustainability Summit. In early 2017, he received a National "Merit Award" for helping residents lift themselves out of poverty through the National Sherwin Williams Painter Training Program; and later that year, his "Building for the Future" program was nominated as a "National Best Practice" by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, and was awarded the "National Award of Excellence" by the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials for his success in helping minority and women-owned businesses grow and prosper.

Robert has an MBA from Xavier University and an undergraduate degree in Sociology from Edgecliff College.

Very active in the community over the past 20 years, Robert has volunteered his services in strategic planning, continuous improvement, workforce development and board leadership training with many non-profits and other public institutions throughout Greater Cincinnati.

Travina Adams, 513Relief Program Manager

Travina Adams recently joined the Economic Inclusion and Equity Department as the 513Relief Program Manager. She previously served a 22-year career at the Hamilton County Department of Job & Family Services (HCJFS). During her tenure at HCJFS, Ms. Adams worked in Child Support Enforcement, Pregnancy Services, Children's Services-Program Support, and Adoption and Foster care.

Travina coordinated many successful adoption recruitment events that helped facilitate increased adoptions at HCJFS and was rewarded for her efforts in 2016 with the Blacksmith Award by the Public Relations Society of American for her creation and execution of the first Hamilton County, Adoption and Foster Care Heart Gallery, a traveling photo exhibition featuring children needing adoptive parents. Travina was also critical in the development and facilitation of Hamilton County's Youth Advisory Board, a support and mentoring group serving teenage and young adult foster children.

In her new role, Travina is responsible for the Hamilton County Equity and Resources Mobile Tech Bus Program (513 Relief Bus) which provides community-based COVID-19 and other health services, economic relief, and a variety of social services directly to Hamilton County citizens.

Having served as an elected official for the city of Forest Park, Travina has a Bachelor's degree in Organizational Leadership and Professional Communications, a Master's degree in Public Administration, and a Certification in Project Management.

Gabrielle Woehler, Small Business Utilization Coordinator

Gabrielle Woehler joined the Economic Inclusion and Equity Department as the Small Business Utilization Coordinator in the fall of 2022. Gabrielle previously participated in research projects with the University of Cincinnati evaluating ways in which incorporating artificial intelligence into government systems can perpetuate systemic inequities. In addition, her research at UC also evaluated policies, practices, and programs adopted by local governments that impact policing of marginalized communities. Her prior research has focused on uncovering the root causes of inequitable practices and evaluating their implications.

Gabrielle previously completed a report to the Economic Inclusion and Equity Department evaluating the barriers and best practices to implementing the Government Alliance on Race and Equity's strategies to create equity in government in Hamilton County.

In her role as Small Business Utilization Coordinator, Gabrielle monitors and reports on the utilization of small, minority, and women-owned businesses and recruits and provides development and support. Additionally, she assists in implementing new economic inclusion and purchasing software, policies, and systems related to small and diverse business economic inclusion initiatives. Lastly, Gabrielle maintains Hamilton County's BOLD Directory, a list of certified small, minority, and women-owned businesses seeking to do business with Hamilton County.

Gabrielle received her Master's in Public Administration and Social Justice with a specialization in Public Management and her Bachelor's in Political Science from the University of Cincinnati.