Rick Baltzersen- Co-founder of Women Are Gold 

Rick’s love for international travel and culture began when he joined the Peace Corps right out of college and taught English and math to high school students in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Since then, he’s been on a quest to see the world, and has traveled to nearly 30 countries. Although he enjoyed them all, his favorites (so far) are Nepal, Belize, Indonesia, and of course, Cambodia. Rick first joined the fight against human trafficking as an outreach volunteer for End Slavery Cincinnati in 2015.  From there, he went on to work for Destiny Rescue, an international human trafficking organization, serving for two years as the Country Manager in Cambodia, and then as the Director of Corporate and Foundation Partnerships in the U.S.  Prior to that, Rick had a corporate career, serving as a business development executive for companies in the publishing, technology and financial services industries. In his spare time, he enjoys running, listening to audio books, cooking, and exploring new places. 

 Jen Baltzersen- Co-founder of Women Are Gold 

Jen’s heart for missions opened when she took her first church missions trip at the age of thirteen. But it wasn’t until 2009 when she heard about the horrors of human trafficking that she began to research the issue. After countless hours of research, volunteer hours and conversations with victims and survivors, Women Are Gold came into formation. 

Jen has a Bachelors Degree in Physiology from the University of Cincinnati. After receiving her degree, she worked for 14 years in the social services field; focusing on assisting adults with disabilities find successful and sustainable employment in the community. 
As avid plant and animal lover, Jen also spent several years working at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens in the Department of Fun and Adventure. 

While volunteering in Cambodia with Destiny Rescue, Jen lead team trips through the country as she held the role of Team Trips Leader and she assisted in the rescue of many young girls during her role as a Community Partnership Specialist. 

Jen enjoys the simple things life has to offer. Coffee, Dogs, Pure Barre, Contemporary Christian Music and traveling the world.

Dave Eyrich- Board Member 

David Eyrich is a retired attorney. He practiced law in Cincinnati, Ohio for over 45 years. He has served on numerous boards for both profit and non-profit corporations. In his retirement he continues to assist a variety of charities.

Julie Hogan Tolbert-Board Member 

Julie  has been interested in other cultures and countries for as long as she can remember. She graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in Geography with a focus on Cultural Geography. While she was at the University of Cincinnati, she had the opportunity to work in Yucatan, Mexico at an international resort near the ruins of Chichen Itza. She lived amongst a rural Maya population and little did she know she would spend much of her career with the Mayan population in Cincinnati years later.

She has a huge heart to help people reach their fullest potential and is currently pursuing her doctorate in performance psychology. People can unleash their fullest potential when they have people around them that support and love them. She believes in the mission of Women are Gold and honored to be on the board. 

In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her two sons, her parents, and her friends. Nothing like a good conversation over a good cup of coffee. She enjoys the outdoors,learning a language, knitting and crocheting,practicing her cello, and cooking foods from around the globe.

Jazz-Support Assistant 

Jazz has been with Women Are Gold from the very beginning. She has sat through the early days of tossing ideas around, to the planning process, to the many sleepless nights of questioning our decisions and the many moves that we have made in between. Jazz has been a real trooper and a wonderful support assistant. 

In her free time she enjoys long walks with her dad, belly rubs, snuggles with mom, looking out the window, car rides, trying different table foods, rolling on her back on grandma’s carpet, meet-ups with other furry friends and lots of love and affection for anyone she can get. 

Jazz has never met a person who hasn’t fallen in love with her. She’s the sweetest, most lovable and gentle dog ever. People fall in love with her within seconds after they meet her. 

Jazz is a rescue dog and she understands the work her parents are doing. 

She also understands that if her mom could have all the dogs in the world, she would, and Jazz would be happy to “share the love”.