Lillian Leads

Cleveland Foundation’s new president and CEO offers a fresh perspective.

Wade Lagoon is an amazing body of water that has reflected the faces and thoughts of Clevelanders and visitors for more than a century. Standing atop the imposing stone stairs at the original entrance to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Lillian Kuri has a great view of the Fine Arts Garden pond, as well as a slice of the surrounding bustling University Circle.

Kuri, who became president and CEO of the Cleveland Foundation Aug. 1, describes an ideal “day off” as visiting the museum’s galleries. It’s not because she’s antisocial but because she can better immerse herself in the artwork. Then she walks around the building to the vintage stairs, descends and begins a long walk that takes her through several parts of the city. It is one of several walking itineraries in Cleveland neighborhoods.

“It’s where I can generate ideas. I see how people are living. I meet people along the way. I love it that I don’t always need my car. I can do most everything by foot,” says Kuri, who lives in Cleveland’s Little Italy neighborhood.

Ideas and progress are important to Kuri, who is the foundation’s 10th president and only woman who has held that position full time. Founded in 1914, the Cleveland Foundation is two years older than the Cleveland Museum of Art. It has assets of more than $3 billion and awards more than $120 million in charitable grants each year. Recipient projects include those in arts and culture, education, energy innovation, economic development and more.

An architect, city planner/designer, community strategist and civic leader, Kuri has been with the Cleveland Foundation for 18 years, most recently as executive vice president and COO.

“I don’t approach the work as an architect or a city planner, but all my training and experiences help me connect the dots and see across things and how everything relates,” says Kuri, who also co-leads the foundation’s financial and social impact investing strategy with its $385 million portfolio. “We cannot solve complex problems alone, we need to work with partners. I hope that a hallmark of my tenure is seeing all the great leaders of this city work together.”

Kuri, who grew up in Portage County, also believes that being a woman, a mother of two, single parent and daughter of Lebanese immigrants, allows her to bring an additional “different perspective” to her position.

“It’s hard to have work/life balance while raising a family, and I even had help from my mother,” says Kuri. “But through my work, I am hoping other women can see it is possible. Also, as a society, we need to help people age in place and respect the relationship between parents, children and grandparents.”

The CEO says the Cleveland Foundation’s move in May to its $28 million headquarters in MidTown is a reflection of its improved transparency. The building’s more welcoming environment (think community meeting spaces and a cafe) is a literal sign of the foundation’s goal to better address the needs of those residents and communities that historically have not all been recipients of foundation support.

“I really have a deep love for this city, and I have a deep understanding not just of Cleveland, but Cuyahoga County and the whole region. Cleveland is one of the most extraordinary places to live. People don’t realize the quality of life we have here with its natural environment or the cultural opportunities. I feel fortunate to live here.”

Kuri has also discovered kayaking as a unique way to see the region’s “many different landscapes, from old industrial sites to reservoirs to the lake.” But, we should add, Wade Lagoon is off limits to kayakers.

“To me, kayaking is an outlet and an extraordinary way to see how Cleveland is developing,” says Kuri.

// BY TERRY TROY