Oh Wow Hires Former Assistant Director to Lead Organization

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The announcement of a new executive director at Oh Wow! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science & Technology represented less of an introduction than a homecoming.  

During a media event Thursday afternoon, Oh Wow’s board chairwoman, Ellie Platt, named Katie Seminara-DeToro to fill the position vacated in March by Marvin Logan Jr.  

Platt, owner of Platt Insurance in Howland Township, described Thursday’s announcement at Oh Wow as “a welcome home party” rather than an introduction for Seminara-DeToro, who had served a decade earlier as Oh Wow’s associate director under the founding executive director, Suzanne Barbati.  

“So a lot of what you see today that is Oh Wow, Katie was part of laying that foundation,” she said.

“We’re going to hit the ground running for sure. As Ellie mentioned, I’m no stranger to Oh wow, definitely no stranger to downtown Youngstown, and despite the current atmosphere, I can say with full confidence that I am thrilled to be here,” Seminara-DeToro said. “If we can all look past the dust, we see that Youngstown has a tremendous and bright future, and Oh Wow will be right at the forefront of all of the improvements that will continue to go on here.”

After leaving Oh Wow, Seminara-DeToro held positions with the Youngstown Phantoms hockey team and, more recently, Pizza Joe’s in New Castle, Pa., the regional pizza chain operated by her family.

Oh Wow received 50 applications for the executive director’s position, including from “incredibly strong applicants from science museums around the country,” that were evaluated by the selection committee in an open process, Platt emphasized.

Seminara-DeToro distinguished herself among the applications by coming with a seven-page action plan for Oh Wow and brought not only proven leadership experience but “a deep love for the greater Youngstown community, especially downtown Youngstown, and we need as much of that love as we can get,” she continued.   

“She understands our mission for STEM education, but she also has the vision and strength to lead us into the future,” she said.

David Jones, son of the center’s namesake founders, said Seminara-DeToro “really made an impression” on him in Oh Wow’s early days and had kept in contact with her in the years since she left.   

“We were looking for a new director. I kind of put her name out there because I thought that she’d be perfect for the organization once again. And she said, ‘I’ll consider it,’” he recalled. “Well, here she is, and I couldn’t be happier.

Jones, joined by his wife, Caroline, provided a gift for the welcome home party, $150,000 to support operations.

“We want to make sure that Oh Wow has everything it needs to move forward and to help the organization,” he said.

Seminara-DeToro said she is particularly excited by the opportunities presented by Oh Wow’s ownership of the building where it is located, a property that now is undergoing renovation for expanded activity spaces on the upper levels, allowing it to “move into a new chapter that will serve a greater population.” She said she hopes to see several elements of her proposed action plan come about but declined to say much about its contents until she has the opportunity to meet more with staff, board members and stakeholders.  

“First and foremost, just considering all the recent happenings in Youngstown, our goals are going to really be just out of the gate to remind people that Youngstown is open, that Oh Wow is open,” she said. “The priority out of the gate is to really just meet with stakeholders, meet with the city, get a pulse on where we are and really just communicate to our members and guests across the Mahoning Valley that we’re here and we want to see you.”

Science of Brewing, the center’s largest fundraiser, is still scheduled to take place from 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 9, she pointed out.  

The event usually raises about $60,000 each year, Platt said.

“There are a lot of events that are canceling, and everybody has to make the decisions that are right for them,” she continued. By continuing to hold Science of Brewing, Oh Wow is making the statement that downtown “is open for business,” she said.

Pictured at top: Katie Seminara-DeToro, left, and Ellie Platt.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.