New Chief of Staff, Katy Crosby

Katy Crosby, executive director of the City of Dayton Human Relations Council, will be the new Toledo chief of staff, Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz announced Friday.

“Katy has myriad experience that she will bring to Toledo to help continue our strategic improvement,” Mayor Kapszukiewicz said. “Her arrival will continue the theme of change. Among the things Katy will be doing is working with neighborhoods and the economic development team because of her unique skills. She will be stoking development on the neighborhood level.”

“I am very excited about this opportunity to use my diverse experience to implement the mayor’s ambitious plan for Toledo,” Ms. Crosby said. “Toledo has a lot of similarities to Dayton, including a welcoming community, minor league baseball, booming downtown development, and a great waterfront. I am looking forward to making new friends and playing an important role in Toledo’s continued growth.”

Ms. Crosby’s first official day as chief of staff will be March 5. She will be in Toledo periodically before that date to meet with officials and community members.

“Catherine Crosby has been a tremendous leader for the city of Dayton. She has the unique talent to fight for the best interests of the community while understanding the needs of the city organization,” Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley said. “Dayton’s loss is Toledo’s gain.”

The City of Dayton Human Relations Council conducts civil rights enforcement on behalf of residents investigating and adjudicating discrimination complaints in the areas of housing, employment, public accommodation, and credit. The Council oversees the development of the city’s Fair Housing Assessment and provides education outreach programs to address issues that could lead to intergroup tension. The Council also provides business and technical assistance including certifying minority, women, and small disadvantaged companies; administering the City’s HUD Section 3 program, ensuring diversity and inclusion on city funded projects, and hosting the Minority Business Assistance Center to build the capacity of small disadvantaged companies.

Ms. Crosby’s community involvement has earned her a number of recognitions including being named a BizWomen Power 50 by the Dayton Business Journal three years in a row. She was also named a 2016 DBJ 40 Under 40. She currently serves as Board Secretary to the National Community Reinvestment Coalition. As a board member of NCRC, she worked with local groups across Ohio to negotiate community benefit agreements with banks in order to increase access to capital, mortgage lending, community and economic development projects and philanthropy for low- to moderate-income communities. She is also a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Ohio Advisory Committee. This was an appointment by U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown.

Ms. Crosby, 40, is a member of the Miami Valley Urban League Advisory Committee. She also serves on The Dayton Foundation’s Minority Inclusion Steering Committee. As a MISC member, she is on the design team to begin developing a strategy for a regional racial equity plan. Committed to developing talent, Ms. Crosby serves as a mentor connecting young professionals to individuals that provide insight on career development. Ms. Crosby invests in her team to ensure they are prepared for their current roles while developing skills to pursue advancement opportunities.

She is a native of Cleveland and lives in Dayton. She has a Bachelors of Science in accounting from Wilberforce University and a Master of Public Administration from Wright State University. Her daughter Eryn – a senior at Stivers School for the Arts in Dayton – is planning to enter college in the fall to study business administration.

Abby Arnold and Karen Poore, deputy chiefs of staff, will serve in a co-management team with Ms. Crosby.

Ms. Arnold directly oversees the city’s public service, public utilities, and information and communication technology departments. Ms. Poore directly oversees the neighborhoods, economic development, and human resources departments, and the plan commission. Ms. Poore will continue in her role as city safety director.