Ashland City Schools Foundation to Honor Five Graduates at 12th Distinguished Alumni Banquet
ASHLAND, OH – The Ashland City Schools Foundation will celebrate the accomplishments of five exceptional alumni during its 12th biennial Distinguished Alumni Banquet, to be held Saturday, September 27, at the Ashland University Convocation Center. This year’s event will raise the total number of Distinguished Alumni honored since 2003 to 65.
The 2025 inductees represent a wide spectrum of professional and civic achievements, from groundbreaking scientific research and philanthropic leadership to educational impact, artistic excellence and community service.
Kristin Aspin, Chief Operating Officer of the Ashland County Community Foundation (ACCF), is a pillar of community leadership and innovation. Over her 27-year career with ACCF, she has helped shape and lead the organization’s growth, launching signature programs in grants and scholarships, and steering it through its recent strategic planning process.
Aspin spearheaded the Women’s Fund Childcare Initiative—a $4.5 million fundraising campaign that led to the construction of a new childcare center and a nonprofit dedicated to addressing local childcare needs. Her governance expertise helped ACCF earn national accreditation, and her community service extends to multiple boards and a gubernatorial appointment to the North Central State College Board of Trustees.
Aspin is a 1997 graduate of Ashland High School and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Ohio State University. She and her husband, Josh, reside in Ashland with their three sons.
Dr. Keisha Bahr has turned a high school biology field trip into a globally impactful career in coral reef conservation. A 2007 Ashland High School graduate, Bahr is now a tenured Associate Professor at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and Chair for Coral Reef and Ocean Health at the Harte Research Institute.
She has secured more than $6 million in research funding and led Operation Coral Rescue, a groundbreaking initiative that preserved critically endangered Staghorn corals during a Florida marine heatwave. She also serves on the council of the International Coral Reef Society and has addressed the United Nations on coral reef protection.
Dr. Bahr, the first in her family to attend college, earned her bachelor’s degree in Marine Biology and her Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Hawaii. She is also a recognized mentor and educator, having trained over 500 students through field-based marine science programs in Hawaii, Belize and Fiji.
A fixture in Ashland education for more than four decades, Connie Marble dedicated 47 years to teaching English and mentoring educators. She developed and taught Ashland High School’s first AP English 12 course and guided generations of students and teachers alike.
After retiring from AHS in 2002, Marble continued her work as an adjunct professor and student-teacher supervisor at Ashland University. Her passion for education and community is reflected in her leadership roles with the Ashland City Schools Foundation, Ashland County Community Foundation, the Ashland Symphony Orchestra, and numerous civic and women’s organizations.
Marble earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Ashland University, where she met her husband, Dann Marble. Together they raised two daughters and are proud grandparents of Ashland High School alumni.
Steve Paramore, current Superintendent of Ashland City Schools, has spent his life serving the community that raised him. A 1999 AHS graduate and state golf champion, he went on to become an NCAA All-American at Florida Southern College and earned multiple degrees in education and leadership from Ashland University.
Paramore returned to Ashland to coach, teach, and later lead as assistant principal and assistant superintendent. In 2023, he was appointed Superintendent. He also serves on several community boards and is a familiar voice as the public address announcer at local sporting events.
He and his wife, Kerre, have two daughters, both students in the Ashland school district. Paramore has been honored by numerous halls of fame, including the Ashland County Sports Hall of Fame and the Ohio Public Golfers Hall of Fame.
An internationally recognized artist, sculptor and metalsmith, Stephen Yusko’s industrial-meets-organic works have earned him acclaim across the U.S. and abroad. A 1983 graduate of Ashland High School, Yusko holds a BFA in Sculpture from the University of Akron and an MFA in Metalsmithing from Southern Illinois University.
His work—ranging from large-scale sculpture to finely crafted jewelry—has been featured in major exhibitions, magazines and books. Yusko has taught at top craft schools and served as artist-in-residence at the Metal Museum and Rose Iron Works.
A four-time recipient of Ohio Arts Council Excellence Awards, Yusko has also contributed to arts education and advocacy through board service at institutions like Haystack School of Crafts and La Caravana Escuela.
Event Details
The Distinguished Alumni Banquet celebrates the legacy of excellence established by Ashland High School graduates. The event is open to the public, with details on ticket reservations to be announced by the Ashland City Schools Foundation. Proceeds support Foundation programs that benefit students and educators within the district.
