Staff photo / Andy Gray ... Katie Seminara-DeToro is the executive director of OH WOW! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science & Technology in Youngstown.

YOUNGSTOWN — More than 50 people from across the country applied to be the new executive director of OH WOW! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science & Technology.

The person they hired didn’t need directions to get there.

Katie Seminara-DeToro, who served as associate director a decade ago under founding director Suzanne Barbati, will take over the downtown edutainment center.

“OH WOW! is still a beacon of joy for the city and the greater Mahoning Valley, and it’s an honor to be trusted to lead the organization into the next decade of life-changing education,” Seminara-DeToro said. “Our foundation is strong, our staff is talented, our board is committed, our donors are oh so generous and our visitors give us the energy to continue to do what we are going to do for a long time. Our ultimate desire to remain a driving force in the improvement of downtown Youngstown remains steadfast.”

Before joining OH WOW! as associate director, the Hillsville, Pa., native worked as a reporter for The Vindicator. She left OH WOW! to serve as director of game-day operations and community relations for the Youngstown Phantoms hockey team and later worked with her family’s business. Her father, Joe Seminara, is founder of the Pizza Joe’s restaurant chain.

She replaces Marvin Logan, who was hired in 2021 and resigned in February.

Ellie Platt, chair of OH WOW!’s board, said Seminara-DeToro came in with a seven-page action plan for the center and stood out at every phase of the director search.

“We interviewed many people with a passion for STEM education and a commitment to the OH WOW! vision, but one person truly stood apart,” Platt said. “That person not only brought 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.”

“A lot of what you see today that is OH WOW!, Katie was a part of laying that foundation.”

Seminara-DeToro wasn’t ready on Thursday to reveal what some of those future plans are, but the immediate goal is to weather this current phase where downtown road improvements and building demolition require visitors to navigate a maze to get to its main entrance.

“Our goals are going to be out of the gate to remind people that Youngstown is open, OH WOW! is open, we want them to be here and we’re here for them,” she said. “We’ll try to make it the most convenient we possibly can. We’re still having The Science of Brewing (a fundraiser on Aug. 9) … First and foremost, that will be the priority out of the gate — to meet with stakeholders, meet with the city, get a pulse on where we are, but really just communicate to our members and guests across the Mahoning Valley that we want to see them.”

Seminara-DeToro will have additional funding to make some of her plans a reality. OH WOW! recently received $1.4 million in federal funds, and at Thursday’s press conference, David and Caroline Jones announced a $150,000 donation to its operating fund. David Jones’ deceased parents, Gloria and Roger Jones, were major contributors to the endowment fund that established the center.

When asked how his parents would feel if they were alive to see the growth and changes at OH WOW!, he said, “They’d be elated. They would be incredibly impressed, incredibly happy and as much as they’ve contributed, I’m convinced they would be contributing more. This is their legacy, and as important as it was to them, it’s as important to me and Caroline as well to see that it flourishes.”

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