Coffee & Conversation

Barbara Berry-Spaeth Vice Mayor Mason City Council	Diana Nelson Council Person Mason City Council

Vice Mayor Barbara Berry-Spaeth was re-elected in November 2015 to her second term on Council. She graduated from Mason High School in 1978 and went to Eastern Kentucky University for a Bachelor’s in Social Work. She holds a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Kentucky. She has been a caseworker at the Boys Group Home for the Christian Appalachian Project and a counselor at the YWCA Domestic Violence Center. During her 20 years for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, she served in a variety of positions that included field coordinator for the Foster Care Review Board, victim’s advocate, and caseworker and special needs adoption specialist. Her work has put her in contact with volunteers, judges, attorneys, doctors, nurses, social workers, accountants, educators, blue collar workers, and others.

Barbara retired as a social worker in 2005 to spend more time with her then first-grade daughter, which led her to become a room mother, PTO committee member, PTO board member, and Brownie Girl Scout troop leader. She serves as a Trustee for the Mary Ann Klingling Trust, a charitable testamentary trust established to financially assist private entities who provide services to troubled or at-risk juveniles living in Warren County, Ohio. Barbara currently works for the Mason City Schools Child Nutrition Department.

Barbara’s family includes her husband, John, who is also a Mason graduate. They have four children, Rebecca, Dan, Brittany, and Tori; a son-in-law Chris; daughter-in-law Amber; son-in-law Parmdeep; and four grandchildren. Barbara enjoys gardening and yard work, traveling to new and different places, and crafts. She is interested in making a T-shirt quilt someday.

“I appreciate the confidence given to me by the citizens of Mason,” she said. “I am honored and will work hard and do my best for all citizens. I will listen to you and ask that all citizens contact me with your concerns and questions.”

Council member Diana K. Nelson was elected to Council in November 2017. Council member Nelson was previously appointed to Mason City Council in January 2015.

Diana is a CPA with a Master’s Degree in Taxation from the University of Cincinnati and a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from the University of Texas at Dallas. She has also completed a Comparative Tax Policy and Administration program from Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government. She began an accounting practice in Texas in 1998. In 1999 she moved to Mason and continues her practice on a part-time basis. Currently, she serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Selection.com, a national background check company, a position she has held for 8 years.

Diana is a strong advocate for taxpayer rights and has traveled globally to learn and fight for a fair and just tax system. She was appointed by the Treasury of the United States to serve on a Federal Advisory Board as the only taxpayer advocate panel member to represent Ohio. She identifies taxpayer issues on a systemic level and works with the IRS to implement change.

Diana Nelson also serves as a board member of the Ohio Municipal League (OML). The OML represents Mason and other cities before the Ohio General Assembly and state elected offices. They are the liaison between the state and municipalities.

Ms. Nelson serves on the Middletown Airport Finance Committee and is also the treasurer for the non-profit charity Blue Skies for the Good Guys and Gals Warrior Foundation; a nonprofit charity that provides an exciting combination of activities meant to enrich the lives of our active-duty and veteran men and women injured in combat deployments abroad. Diana is a former Sunday school teacher at Heritage Presbyterian Church

Diana is a widow with three children Victoria Nelson, Alexa Nelson and Bella Nelson. Victoria is in the pre-med program at Xavier University, Alexa is studying communication disorders at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and Bella is in 9th grade at Mason High School.

My parents instilled in me the importance of faith, family and community from a very early age. Their words still ring in my ears. It is no accident that I have chosen Mason as the place where I want to raise my family. And when someone finds a place this special, they can’t help but to be inspired by a strong desire to give back to the community and to do what is right by family, friends, and neighbors. Mason is my home and it will always have my heart.