At the Queen City Classic Simul Reception, CCPF presents the annual Shining Knight Award, which was created in 2010 to recognize deserving individuals for their commitment to their communities. Over the years, we have recognized a diverse group of people who share a common passion: improving the lives of others and being a positive role model to the children they serve.
2025 SHINING KNIGHT AWARD WINNER:
Nancy Costello
Nancy Costello grew up in Wyoming, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati, and has dedicated her life to giving back to her community. A lifelong volunteer, Nancy has been deeply involved with numerous nonprofit organizations, driven by her passion for supporting youth and education. Her father, Ed Berg, founded Saturday Hoops in 2004, a program that provides vulnerable inner-city youth with positive outlets and role models. Both her parents inspired her deeply as “urban missionaries” in service to Cincinnati’s Over-the Rhine neighborhood. After her father’s passing in 2010, Nancy stepped into a leadership role at Saturday Hoops, continuing his mission and working to expand volunteers, participants, and community partnerships.
A core initiative she spearheaded is the Reading Room program at Saturday Hoops, where she collected donated books and partnered with local literacy organizations to promote reading. Through this program, thousands of books have been donated, many going directly to youth, helping them build home libraries and foster a love of reading. Saturday Hoops now has four physical sites serving over 1000 youth per year-and each site has an imbedded reading program along with art, basketball, yoga, lunch and character development initiatives.
In addition to her programmatic role at Saturday Hoops, Nancy serves on the Leadership Board of Saturday Hoops and the Board of We Mentor Cincy, a collective impact group dedicated to expanding and promoting mentorship opportunities in the Cincinnati area. She has personally mentored several young women through Saturday Hoops, helping them grow both personally and professionally.
In recognition of her dedication to community service and mentorship, Nancy was honored as a 2023 Cincinnati Enquirer Women of the Year.
Professionally, Nancy initially worked in corporate human resources at several multi-national corporations including Great American Life Insurance and Chiquita Brands in Cincinnati. She has a BA in Psychology and Sociology from Miami University and an MLIR in Human Resources from Michigan State University. In 2010, she transitioned to the non-profit sector supporting health, education and workforce initiatives In Northern Kentucky. In 2018, she established Costello Community Solutions, a consulting firm focused on expanding overall strategic impact of education, non-profit and public sector organizations. She currently is employed at EducateNKY, an education non-profit with a mission to expand and improve overall educational outcomes in the River City communities of Northern Kentucky.
She and her husband Kevin (who is also a regular volunteer leader with Saturday Hoops) are long-time Northern Kentucky residents and live in Dayton, KY. They have two adult daughters.
Past Recipients
2015 – Mike Brown, Owner of the Cincinnati Bengals
