RAVENNA − After a nearly yearlong vacancy, Main Street Ravenna has a new executive director.
Trisha Schum began her duties at the non-profit on Aug. 3. She succeeds Arasin Hughes, who held the post from 2022 until she resigned about a year ago.
Schum is the third executive director to operate Main Street Ravenna. Julie McLain, the first executive director of the organization, served from 2018 until 2022.
Schum, a native of Kent, holds a bachelor’s degree in advertising and marketing from the University of Akron and a master of business administration in marketing and marketing management from Kent State University’s graduate school of management.
She entered the workforce as a marketing analyst for American Greetings. She also worked in marketing with Newell Brands, which operates Rubbermaid, Ball Jars and Foodsaver brands. She was a brand manager for Glidden Paint with PPG Industries, where she also served in other roles.
Most recently, she worked in the non-profit sector as development & communications director at Verland in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, an organization that provides services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She also worked at City Mission in Washington, Pennsylvania, on a team securing funding for a new $7.5 million women’s shelter in 2024.
William Barber, president of Main Street Ravenna’s Board of Directors, said the board is excited about Schum’s experience in both marketing and areas such as grant writing and fundraising.
“Her background is going to give us the lift we need in order to move us forward,” he said.
Board operated Main Street temporarily
Main Street Ravenna started in 2018. The organization, nationally accredited through Heritage Ohio and the National Main Street Program, has an office at 267 W. Main St. in Ravenna.
Hughes, who had been executive director of Main Street Ravenna since 2022, resigned in fall 2025 to take a job with Ravenna School District. The organization’s volunteer board then took, running programming until Schum was hired.
Ravenna City Council recently gave the organization $60,000 to meet expenses.
One of those programs, Fourth Fridays, includes music and activities throughout downtown Ravenna on the fourth Friday of each month. The plan originally was to stop in October, but it is expected to continue year-round, Barber said.
Schum, who said she’s been busy getting to know Ravenna and its businesses, is looking forward to bringing people together to show “the best of Ravenna.”
“It’s not just Main Street Ravenna,” she said. “It’s all of us, working together, to make this happen.”
Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at dsmith@recordpub.com
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Main Street Ravenna hires new director after yearlong vacancy
Reporting by Diane Smith, Ravenna Record-Courier / Record-Courier
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By Diane Smith, Ravenna Record-Courier | USA TODAY Network
