About the Character Council
What We Do
The Character Council, which serves Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and Southeastern Indiana, promotes and encourages character through:
community presentations and workplace training
email and social media reminders
website resources
lessons and activities for children
books and other character resources for families and professionals
engaging businesses, schools, faith organizations, and communities in processes to enhance climate and culture.
Local businessman and entrepreneur, Michael P. Daly, is the Founder of our Character Council. Football Hall of Famer, Anthony Muñoz, served as the Character Council’s spokesperson in its formative years. Mary Andres Russell served as Executive Director for 13 years. She is now our Board Chair. Jill Tomey creates most of the rich content on our 36 character qualities and persevered through Covid to ensure our organization would survive.
Michael P. Daly
Mary Russell
Jill TomeyThe Character Council’s efforts are being embraced by the business, education, faith, and government segments of our community. The result is a community-wide effort to strengthen our own character and that of our families, neighbors, and community.
Our organization is committed to the idea that by promoting good character qualities, we can help create a stronger, safer, and more unified community.
We hope that every citizen will benefit from a discovery or rediscovery of good character qualities, including children and teenagers. Our belief is that if our youth are given fundamental instruction in, and encouragement to practice these basic qualities, they’ll become better equipped to lead fuller lives and contribute more effectively to Greater Cincinnati, Southeastern Indiana and Northern Kentucky’s dynamic communities.
These qualities – gratefulness, loyalty, justice, and determination, among them – are key to every person’s well-being and sense of self. Yet often, we fail to learn and develop them when our core values are forming. Also, sometimes as adults, we find the temptation to drop our “character guard” and take the easy way out of a tough situation too great.
Every individual, family, and community shares traits that make it unique from every other individual, family, and community. We recognize and celebrate the strength that diversity brings to our community and how each individual and family contributes to our community’s rich tapestry. By reintroducing these core character qualities to Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and Southeastern Indiana through a focused campaign, every individual and family can adapt each quality to their own lives -regardless of social, economic, or religious situation. These character qualities reach out to and benefit everyone.
Our History
The Character Council which serves Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and Southeastern Indiana is a nonprofit, 501 (c) (3) organization founded in 2000. The Council is devoted to promoting good character in order to improve the lives of our residents and enrich the spirit of our community.
Our Mission
To foster character development in children and adults as a foundation for thriving.
Our Vision
We envision a Cincinnati region where people of all ages consistently practice virtues that build trust, responsibility, and strong communities.
This vision begins with everyday choices — how we listen, lead, serve, respond to conflict, care for others, and follow through on our commitments. When character becomes part of daily life, families grow stronger, classrooms become more supportive, workplaces become healthier, and neighborhoods become more connected.
By encouraging character at home, in schools, at work, in faith communities, and across civic life, the Character Council helps create a shared foundation for a more compassionate, responsible, and thriving region.
Core Values
The Character Council is built around 36 positive character qualities rooted in caring, morality, and excellence. These qualities create a shared language for character that can be practiced at home, taught in the classroom, modeled at work, and strengthened throughout the community.
Each quality gives people a practical way to grow in how they think, speak, lead, serve, and respond to everyday challenges. From Acceptance, Compassion, Empathy, and Kindness to Courage, Responsibility, Self-Control, and Wisdom, the 36 qualities help individuals build stronger relationships, make better decisions, and contribute to healthier communities.
Together, these core values serve as a framework for lifelong character development — helping people not only understand what good character looks like, but practice it in real life. The Character Council provides free resources for each of the 36 qualities to help schools, workplaces, families, and faith communities bring character into everyday conversations and actions.