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In addition to an inspector general, the Office of Inspector General is statutorily comprised of deputy inspectors general and support staff.
Staff Members:
Thomas P. Charles, C.I.G. -- Inspector General
Arnie J. Schropp, Jr., C.I.G. -- First Assistant Inspector General
Lora L. Manon, Esq. -- Chief Legal Counsel / Deputy Inspector General
Gregg B. Thornton, Esq., C.I.G. -- Assistant Legal Counsel / Senior Deputy Inspector General
Joseph R. Montgomery -- Deputy Inspector General for Bureau of Workers' Compensation and Industrial Commission
James V. Canepa, Esq. -- Deputy Inspector General for Department of Transportation
Jane M. Lengel -- Deputy Inspector General
Edward P. Waters -- Deputy Inspector General
John T. Conomy -- Deputy Inspector General
Ted Wendling -- Deputy Inspector General
Rick D. O'Claire -- Deputy Inspector General
Mark K. Bentley -- Deputy Inspector General
Robert K. Lang, Esq. -- Deputy Inspector General
Daniel R. Cline -- Deputy Inspector General
Don Petit, C.I.G., C.I.G.I. -- Deputy Inspector General
Judith A. Celnicker -- Administrative Assistant, Case Manager
Janet Jackson -- Administrative Assistant, Human Resources and Fiscal Officer
Melinda Harrison -- Executive Secretary
Sandra Davis -- Executive Secretary
Biographies:
Thomas P. Charles, C.I.G. -- Inspector General
Thomas P. Charles is originally from Hubbard, Ohio. In January 2007 he was reappointed by Governor Ted Strickland as Ohio Inspector General, having served as Inspector General since 1998. Prior to that time, he served as Executive Director of the Office of Legislative Inspector General, and spent 31 years with the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Mr. Charles is a board member and past president of the Ohio State Highway Patrol Federal Credit Union and a board member of the After School All-Stars. He is a member of the Ohio Investigators Association, the Ohio Troopers Coalition, and the Executive Board of the Association of Inspectors General. He is a graduate of Penn State's Police Executive Management School, the Secret Service's Dignitary Protection School, the Ohio State Highway Patrol Academy, and completed a program of study with the Association of Inspectors General Institute. Mr. Charles also attended Youngstown State University, Penn State University, Central Ohio Technical College, and Lakeland Community College.
Arnie J. Schropp, Jr., C.I.G. -- First Assistant Inspector General
Arnie Schropp is originally from Mansfield, Ohio. He attended Ohio State University and North Central Technical College, where he earned an associate degree in Criminal Justice. Upon graduation from the Ohio State Highway Patrol Academy, he held several positions with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, including supervising a criminal investigative unit. He is a certified police instructor and has attended numerous police and investigation related schools. He has also been awarded the designation of Certified Inspector General after completing a program of study with the Association of Inspectors General -- Inspectors General Institute. Mr. Schropp retired as Commander of the patrol's Capital Operations Unit after 28 years of service and later served as an investigator with the Disciplinary Counsel of the Supreme Court of Ohio.
Mr. Schropp is a member of the Fraternal Order of Police, Ohio Trooper's Coalition, Lions Club, Ohio Investigators Association, and serves as second vice-president of the State Highway Patrol Retiree's Association.
Lora L. Manon, Esq. -- Chief Legal Counsel / Deputy Inspector General
Lora L. Manon was born in Salina, Kansas, and raised in Bryan, Ohio. She graduated with honors from Bowling Green State University, earning a B.S. in Education. She received her J.D. from The University of Toledo College of Law. From 1997 through 2000, she served as the elected Hardin County Prosecuting Attorney. Prior to joining the Office of the Inspector General, she was a senior attorney with the City of Toledo Law Department. She has also served as an assistant prosecutor for Hardin County, Ohio, and as assistant law director for the city of Defiance. She is a member of the federal bar, admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court of Ohio, Northern Division. In 2007, Miss Manon was admitted to the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Miss Manon has received additional training at the National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina and at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia. She has conducted ethics trainings for the City of Toledo, and she has been a guest instructor for the Toledo Police, 9-1-1 and Citizens Police academies. She has also served as a faculty member for several courses at the National Advocacy Center. She is a graduate of the JoAnn Davidson Ohio Leadership Institute, and she is a past state president of the Ohio Federation of Business and Professional Women.
Gregg B. Thornton, Esq., C.I.G. -- Assistant Legal Counsel / Senior Deputy Inspector General
Gregg B. Thornton is originally from Cleveland, Ohio. He graduated with honors from Howard University receiving a B.A. in Political Science. He also received his J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law. He was an Assistant Attorney General for the Ohio Attorney General serving in the Civil Rights and Health & Human Services sections. In that capacity, he represented other state agencies and advised state investigators on the preparation of cases.
Mr. Thornton joined the Inspector General's Office in 1994. In January 2001, he was awarded the designation of Certified Inspector General after completing a program of study with the Association of Inspectors General -- Inspectors General Institute. He is also a past president of the Ohio Investigators Association.
Joseph R. Montgomery -- Deputy Inspector General for Bureau of Workers' Compensation and Industrial Commission
Joseph Montgomery is originally from Wintersville, Ohio. He attended Mt. Union College and earned an associate degree from the Jefferson Technical College. He has also taken undergraduate courses at Ohio University, and is a graduate of the Northwestern University Traffic Institute's Police Administration Training Program. Mr. Montgomery has served as a city police officer and retired from the Ohio State Highway Patrol where he held a variety of positions to include academy instructor, human resource management, post commander, purchasing commander, and chief fiscal officer.
Mr. Montgomery joined the staff of the Inspector General in 2003 and served as the team leader on the State-Federal Task Force investigating the investment practices of the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation which has resulted in a number of convictions in federal and state courts.
Mr. Montgomery is a member of the Ohio Investigators Association.
James V. Canepa, Esq. -- Deputy Inspector General for Department of Transportation
James V. Canepa is originally from Berea, Ohio. In 1985 he earned a B.S.B.A in Business Pre-Law from Bowling Green State University. In 1989 he earned a J.D. from Capital University Law School. From 1989 through 2000, Mr. Canepa served as an Assistant Franklin County Prosecutor in both the Appellate and Felony Trial Divisions. From 2000 through 2007 he was with the Office of the Ohio Attorney General, where he served as the Capital Crimes Section Chief, the Criminal Justice Chief Deputy and then First Assistant Attorney General. Mr. Canepa has served as a Special Assistant Prosecutor in the following counties: Cuyahoga, Hamilton, Vinton, Hocking, Meigs, Athens, and Scioto.
Mr. Canepa co-authored Ohio’s DNA legislation and is a frequent guest lecturer and instructor on Criminal Justice and Trial issues. In 1995 he received the Governor’s Resolution of Recognition, the Ohio Prosecuting Attorney’s Association Merit Award and the Department of Corrections Gold Star for his works as a Special Prosecutor in the Lucasville riot cases. In 1998 he received the Caulley Award for Outstanding Crime Victim Service. And, in 2004 he received the National Association of Government Attorneys Award for Outstanding Service.
Jane M. Lengel -- Deputy Inspector General
Jane M. Lengel is from Findlay, Ohio. She graduated from The Ohio State University with a B.A. in Political Science/Public Policy and from the Columbus Police Training Academy. She held various positions with the Columbus Division of Police and served as a detective in the Intelligence Bureau, Economic Crime Unit. She has more than 30 years of public service in government, including serving as a Special Agent in the Office of the Ohio Attorney General, Health Care Fraud Section. Lengel has completed numerous investigative and military schools, including the U.S. Army Inspector General School.
From May 2004 to November 2005, she served as the Inspector General for Task Force Falcon KFOR 6A, a multinational task force deployed to Kosovo, and as the Inspector General and Team Chief at NATO Headquarters in Sarajevo, Bosnia. Lengel was an advisor to the Inspector General of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and successfully worked to incorporate the Office of Inspector General into the BiH Law on Defense.
She is a member of the Ohio Investigators Association, the Ohio National Guard Association, and the Governor's Advisory Committee on Women Veterans.
Edward P. Waters -- Deputy Inspector General
Edward P. Waters is originally from Columbus, Ohio and has been a life-long public servant. He began employment with the State of Ohio in 1976, graduated from the Ohio State Highway Patrol Academy in 1979 as a trooper, and retired at the rank of lieutenant in 2003. During the last 14 years of his career, he served as an Assistant Post Commander, as well as Assistant Commander of the Division's Administrative Investigations Unit.
Mr. Waters has completed numerous courses concerning investigative and interviewing techniques. He has attended Sinclair Community College, Franklin University, and the Police Executive Leadership College. Mr. Waters was a certified police instructor and he continues to provide investigative training to public agencies throughout Ohio.
He is a member of the Ohio Investigators Association and an Ohio High School Athletic Official.
John T. Conomy -- Deputy Inspector General
John T. Conomy is originally from Moreland Hills, Ohio. He received a B.S. degree from the University of Maine. He also earned an M.B.A. from The Ohio State University, and a M.S. degree from North Carolina State University. Mr. Conomy served with the Ohio State Highway Patrol for seven years, attaining the rank of Sergeant. His assignments included a tour in the investigations unit and the patrol academy, as well as training as a Police Instructor. Mr. Conomy has also worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and several consulting companies performing environmental and information technology functions. He holds several professional IT certifications and is a member of the Ohio Investigators Association.
Ted Wendling -- Deputy Inspector General
Ted Wendling is originally from Detroit, Michigan. He graduated with honors from the University of Michigan, where he obtained a B.A. in English literature. Before joining the Inspector General’s Office in March 2007, Mr. Wendling was a reporter in Ohio for 28 years. From 1979 to 1985, he worked for the Columbus Dispatch as a general assignment, federal courts and investigative reporter. Between 1985 and 2006, he worked for the Plain Dealer in Cleveland and was a member of the paper’s investigative team for 10 years before returning to Columbus in 2000 to join the Plain Dealer’s Statehouse bureau. He was the bureau’s investigative reporter and later served as Statehouse bureau chief before retiring from the paper in December 2006.
During his reporting career, Mr. Wendling won numerous state and national awards for investigative reporting, including the Investigative Reporters & Editors Gold Medal, the national Sigma Delta Chi Award and the Heywood Broun Award. He also was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in 1993.
Rick D. O'Claire -- Deputy Inspector General
Rick O'claire is originally from Franklin, Pennsylvania. He was appointed to the position of Deputy Inspector General on July 19, 2007. Mr. O'Claire joined the IG staff after serving four years as an investigator for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Office of the Chief Inspector. He retired from the U.S. Army after 27 years of service. His military experience includes three years as the Inspector General for the 10th Mountain Division, Joint Plans Officer for South West Asia, and two tours in Viet Nam. His honors and awards include the Distinguished Service Cross, Purple Heart, three Meritorious Service medals, and two Army Commendation medals. Mr. O'Claire graduated from William Carrey College and was named as Who's Who among American College Students.
Mark K. Bentley -- Deputy Inspector General
Mark Bentley, originally from Columbus, Ohio, began his public service career in 1976 and since has over 29 years of investigative experience. During the last 17 years of his career, he served as a Special Investigations Department Supervisor with the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Special Investigations Department where he was responsible for developing and leading the department’s first investigative team that specialized in health care fraud investigations. Prior to joining our office in September 2007, Mr. Bentley was assigned to the Office of Inspector General Joint Task Force that investigated Toledo area coin dealer Tom Noe. Mr. Bentley has attended Columbus Technical Institute and has attended specialized training in the areas of financial crimes and health care fraud.
Robert K. Lang, Esq. -- Deputy Inspector General
Robert K. Lang is originally from Ironton, Ohio, but has lived in central Ohio most of his life. He graduated from the Ohio State University with a B.S. in Business Administration and earned a J.D. from Capital University Law School. Mr. Lang served as an Assistant Attorney General from December 1996 through June 2001. He investigated securities fraud cases from June 2001 through September 2007 as an Enforcement Attorney and as the Attorney Inspector with the Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Securities. From June 2005 through September 2007, Mr. Lang served on the Inspector General’s State- Federal task force that investigated the investment practices at the Ohio Bureau of Worker’s Compensation. On October 1, 2007, Mr. Lang joined the Inspector General’s Office.
Mr. Lang is a member of the Ohio Bar and the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio. He is also a past chairman of the Securities Law Committee of the Columbus Bar Association.
Daniel R. Cline -- Deputy Inspector General
Dan Cline is originally from Columbus, Ohio. He began his employment with the State of Ohio in 1992 when he was commissioned as a trooper with the Ohio State Patrol. During his tenure with the Patrol, he attended numerous courses on investigation and investigative technique. He was assigned to the Office of Investigative Services where he worked for nearly eight years. While there he was trained and certified as a polygraph examiner and a police instructor. During the last five years, he was the primary instructor in the area of interviews and interrogations at the Patrol’s academy. He was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 2004 and served as a supervisor in investigative operations within the section. He joined the Office of the Inspector General in October, 2007.
Don Petit, C.I.G., C.I.G.I. -- Deputy Inspector General
Don Petit is originally from Doylestown, Ohio. He began his service with the State of Ohio in 1995, and has served several agencies, including the Governor’s office and the Office of Criminal Justice Services, as well as six years of service with the Legislative Inspector General’s office. He is a graduate of Kent State University, and has been awarded the designations of Certified I.G. Investigator and Certified Inspector General following the completion of courses of study with the Association of Inspectors General.
Mr. Petit is a member of the Association of Inspectors General and the Ohio Investigators Association, for which he currently serves as vice president.
Judith A. Celnicker -- Administrative Assistant, Case Manager
Judith A. Celnicker is originally from Buffalo, New York. She received a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Colorado and has taken graduate courses at Georgia State University. Ms.Celnicker has many years of experience in office and program management, including work as a legal secretary and paralegal. She came to the Office of Inspector General in 1996 from the Worthington City School District where she worked with the public in the utilization of the District's facilities.
Janet Jackson -- Administrative Assistant, Human Resources and Fiscal Officer
Janet Jackson is originally from Columbus, Ohio. She has many years of experience in the public service area and has attended a number of seminars and special training classes in the area of office procedure. She has over six years with the Ohio State Highway Patrol at the Training Academy and Columbus District Six Office. She is currently working on an Associates Degree from Columbus State Community College in the area of Computer Information Technology.
Melinda Harrison -- Executive Secretary
Melinda Harrison is originally from Tacoma, Washington. She has completed several computer and accounting courses. She has served over sixteen years with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, with thirteen years as the secretary at the Office of Investigative Services.
Sandra Davis -- Executive Secretary
Sandra Davis joined the Inspector General's office after working in Ohio's public school system as a Library-Media Specialist for eleven years. She attended Columbus Paraprofessional Institute where she studied Secretarial Science. She has attended the Ohio School Net Conference for several years and has participated in a number of computer-related workshops. Sandy is a resident of Circleville, Ohio.
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