Community Leader May 2022

INSIDE

+ Grading Our Schools + Opportunity Opens Up + Women Leading the Charge M AY 2 02 2

Visions

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r u o Y w o r G & g i B eMAY v a2022 S 2 2 0 2 26 ni ssenisuB

CONTENTS :no stnuocsiD ecnarusnI htlaeH puorG

38

5

gniliaM/gnippiCOLUMNS hS UPFRONT

COMMUNITY

BUSINESS

5 Phoenix Rising Again

16 What Workers Want

26 Making the Grade

38 Opportunity Knocking

Meet Oberlin High School teacher Kurt Russell, a nominee for the 2022 National Teacher of the Year award.

Pat Perry, former ERC president, reveals ways companies can become an employer of choice.

Can Cleveland Public Schools rebound from COVID-19?

BY CHRISTINA EASTER

18 We Are All Ukrainians

34 Above & Beyond

Now that the Opportunity Corridor has officially opened, local leaders discuss how Cleveland can make the most of it.

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noitasnepmoC 'srekroW and Corporations 6 Engaging Organizations Baldwin Wallace University’s new office helps connect businesses and nonprofits to its services.

Lee Fisher reflects on how we can all come together and learn from people who are fighting for their freedom.

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BY BOB SANDRICK

8 Reflecting on Humanity

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John Habat looks back on 10 years of leadership as he steps down from his role at Habitat for Humanity.

BY TERRY TROY

ON THE COVER: Bird’s Eye View of CHEERS – CHEERS (Cleveland Harbor Eastern Embayment Resilience Study) proposes to reconnect East Side communities to Lake Erie and create new naturalized shorelines, park amenities and expanded parkland through the beneficial use of dredge material. The project protects critical infrastructure, increases community resilience and creates vital habitats.

BY TERRY TROY

Get a closer look at the many ways United Way of Greater Cleveland helps nonprofits succeed.

BY JILL SELL

36 Preserving History Learn more about the Cleveland Restoration Society’s plan to create a Civil Rights Trail.

BY RHONDA CROWDER

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10 Crossing the Digital Divide Craig Arnold receives the Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio’s humanitarian award.

BY TERRY TROY

44 Keeping Hope Afloat Learn how the Prayers From Maria Foundation funds global cancer research.

BY LINDA FEAGLER

DEPARTMENTS 2 From the Publisher 46 My Life 56 1000 Words

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BY ALEX EMERSON

COVER: COURTESY CHEERS PARTNERS / WRT PLANNING + DESIGN

12 Energizing Its Economy

Public and private partnerships help Painesville’s downtown district experience a surge in development.

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BY JOANNE CAHILL

14 Senior Living Made Easy McGregor breaks ground on new independent living apartments at its East Side campus.

!WON EVAS !EROM EVAS COVER STORY

BY TERRY TROY

!SPECIAL G I B ESECTION VAS

d49 n aWomen s t s o cofrDistinction uoy tuC Local leaders, including SeMia Bray, Dick Clough, Grace Gallucci, Jeff Homans, Meet decision-makers, accomplished John M. Saada Jr. is named the leaders new partner-in-charge g r o . c c a oofn .the w w w Joyce Pan Huang, n aDr. c Scudder u o y eMackey, r o mPatrick e h tNortz , e sand o oBaiju h cR. Shah, e v aand s ydoers l l a iwhose t n eimpact t o p means discuss how to make Lake Erie accessible to all of Cleveland’s communities. better things for Northeast Ohio. firm’s Cleveland office.

0 0 9 9 . 7 4 4 . 6 1 2 BY JILL SELL !evas ! s rBYaSTAFF llod fo sdnasuoht

BY LINDA FEAGLER 15 A New : t aDay s uattJones c a t nDay oC

20 Visions of u oa yFuture s m aLakefront rgorp erom ehT

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clevelandmagazine.com/cleader

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COMMUNITY LEADER 1

FROM THE PUBLISHER // BY LU TE HARMON SR .

Ohio: A Single Courageous State

I

n 2005, two Harvard professors conducted a study in which 5,000 Americans were shown a pie chart of the distribution of government money in two hypothetical countries, which were actually the U.S. and Sweden.

Participants were asked to imagine that if they joined this nation, they would be assigned a place in the distribution so they could end up being very rich or very poor.

The result in the professors’ words: “Unsurprisingly, 92% of the Americans chose to become citizens of the unnamed Sweden.”

The bad news is that since then, the gap between the rich and the poor has widened; today, the rich are richer and the poor are even more poor.

At first glance, the solution to this serious problem would include two options: move to Sweden or move Sweden to Ohio. But, there is another option. And it could change Ohio forever.

In a famous Supreme Court opinion during the Great Depression, Justice Louis Brandeis wrote that Washington can treat smaller governments and jurisdictions as policy proving grounds because “a single courageous state may serve as a laboratory and try novel and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country.”

I would like to propose that we accept the challenge to be that “single courageous state” and bring the economic and social practices of Sweden to Ohio.

To be more like Sweden means to care as much about people as we do about money. The year 1980 is the last year America achieved an economic balance between management and labor. Ironically, the Swedes will tell you that to provide the human services they do, they had to become better capitalists.

With Ohio’s world-class assets in business, education, health, arts and the announcement of Intel’s $20 billion investment in the state, there could be no better time to make this the year Ohio achieves what our federal government has not been able to achieve.

The time is right to be Justice Brandeis’ “Single Courageous State.”

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COMMUNITY LEADER is pr o duc ed i n par t ner s hi p w i t h c om mu n i ty s ta k e h o l d e rs .

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UPFRONT EDUCATION // BY CHRIS TINA E A S TER

Phoenix Rising Again National Teacher of the Year nominee Kurt Russell inspires Oberlin students.

COURTESY OBERLIN HIGH SCHOOL

K

urt Russell, a history teacher at Oberlin High School, is one of four finalists nominated for the 2022 National Teacher of the Year award. The award is part of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) program and is the country’s most prestigious teacher recognition program. Russell is a graduate of Oberlin High School and says the nomination is not just about him.

“It is about the entire Oberlin community,” he says. “The way I teach is based on my upbringing in Oberlin.” (l to r) Oberlin colleagues Denita Tolbert-Brown, Russell acquired a love for learn- Kurt Russell, David Reese and Suzanne Nock ing and was inspired to teach in kindergarten from his teacher Francine and junior class and has been the basketToss. In eighth grade, he saw his first Af- ball coach since 1996. rican American teacher, Larry ThomRecognition for education is not new as, who taught math, grasp control of for Russell. He was awarded teachthe classroom and gain respect and love er of the year by the Ohio Teacher of from every student he taught. the Year program in 2022, the NationRussell became fascinated with his- al Association for the Advancement of tory from the children’s encyclopedias Colored People in 2019 and Oberlin his parents bought when he was young. Heritage Center in 2009. He has also He went on to combine his passion for been named Lorain County Basketball learning with the memories of his favor- Coach of the Year and Northeast Ohio ite teachers.

Coach of the Year.

During the last 25 years, Russell has Russell says part of his success as a taught African American history, U.S. teacher comes from using the Socrathistory and International Baccalaure- ic method in which individuals ask and ate History of the Americas, as well as answer questions to stimulate critical race, gender and oppression at Oberlin thinking that will draw out ideas and High School. He is an adviser for the underlying presuppositions.

Black Student Union, student council “It gets students engaged and is not

just me standing there talking,” Russell says. “I ask questions and have them respond.”

Russell adds he is inspired by students and their eagerness to learn. He wants to provide students with the best education he can. He takes courses in child development at Oakland City University to continue to learn.

“A good teacher puts students first, comes to work on time and always uses appropriate language,” Russell says. “Good teachers become better by reflecting on their time as an educator, regularly taking courses, and being open to constructive criticism from students.”

Students and colleagues describe Russell as genuine, kind and humble.

“He is always engaging with students and teaches with excitement,” says Denita Tolbert-Brown, business teacher at Oberlin High School. “Sometimes, when I am down,” agrees David Reese, English teacher at Oberlin High School, “I stand near his classroom and listen to him teach.”

Russell has a similar effect on his students. “I have a father, but Russ is always there for me,” says Caleb Patterson.

Russell says since winning the 2022 Ohio Teacher of the Year award and being nominated for the 2022 National Teacher of the Year award his “goal has always been and will continue to be being the best teacher that I can be,” he says.  clevelandmagazine.com/cleader

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COMMUNITY LEADER 5

UPFRONT

BUSINE SS SUPPORT // BY BOB SANDRICK

Engaging Organizations and Corporations A new office at Baldwin Wallace brings new business services.

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6 COMMUNITY LEADER | MAY 2022

for Business Results (LBR) leadership development program, offered through the School of Business and Center for Professional Development. About 30 to 40 Sherwin-Williams employees from around the world attend the LBR program at any given time.

“LBR is at the point in the career pathway where people move from managing others to managing managers,” Kogelnik says. “Over 800 people have gone through the program since its implementation.”

Baldwin Wallace has also partnered with FirstEnergy, Swagelok, OEC, Parker Hannifin and Westfield Group on student-supported consulting projects led by faculty members. The school can perform market research for a potential new product or service, for example, or collaborate on company-sponsored research projects.

It was Baldwin Wallace President Robert Helmer who recognized the need to increase awareness of the university’s offerings to businesses and nonprofits and create a single access point — the Office for Corporate and Organizational Engagement — for those offerings.

Kogelnik was chosen to head the office because of her experience at Baldwin Wallace. She has worked at the university for 17 years and was previously director of the school’s Center for Innovation and Growth.

“I have a pretty deep knowledge of the university,” Kogelnik says. “If I don’t know the answer, I know who to call. We have faculty and staff across

Lacey Kogelnik

campus who have the knowledge, including a core group of 35 who are working with me on this initiative.”

When companies or organizations call the engagement office for one reason, let’s say recruitment, Kogelnik will talk with them to get a better understanding of their needs. Then she will assemble an engagement team to determine how to meet those needs.

Baldwin Wallace can even come up with customized solutions.

“That’s our sweet spot, customized solutions,” Kogelnik says. “We are nimble, and we have experts across the campus. If you have a need, I’m confident we have an expert to help.”

Kogelnik wants the new office to be a go-to resource for businesses and nonprofits.

“I believe in Baldwin Wallace, the institution and the people, and I believe we can make a positive contribution to the community,” Kogelnik says. 

COURTESY BALDWIN WALLACE UNIVERSITY

aldwin Wallace University in Berea has more to offer businesses and nonprofits than just talent recruitment. The problem is that many organizations, including some already working with the school, don’t realize that.

That’s why the university opened the Office for Corporate and Organizational Engagement. Business and nonprofit leaders now have a place where they can learn about all of the ways Baldwin Wallace can help them.

“Baldwin Wallace has a long track record of working successfully with companies and nonprofits,” says Lacey Kogelnik, executive director for corporate and organizational engagement. “We actually do it well.

“The point of this initiative is to make it easier and more seamless for businesses,” Kogelnik adds. “My job is to help them navigate the university so they don’t have to figure it out on their own.”

The office, which opened last fall, is housed in the existing Center for Innovation and Growth and uses classroom space the center no longer needs due to classroom expansion at other parts of the campus.

For years, Baldwin Wallace has provided a variety of services — including marketing, research and professional development, as well as talent recruitment — for companies and nonprofits.

For example, Sherwin-Williams Co., in addition to recruiting future employees at Baldwin Wallace, sends its managers to the university’s Leading

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UPFRONT

RE TIREMENTS // BY TERRY TROY

Reflecting on Humanity John Habat is stepping down after 10 years of leadership at Habitat.

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8 COMMUNITY LEADER | MAY 2022

John Habat

and identify a strong candidate while maintaining stability and continuity within the organization.

“When I first joined Habitat, we were basically on life support,” says Habat. “There really wasn’t a longterm strategy, it was a day-by-day deal just to survive. You couldn’t talk about the next three years, you had to talk about the next three weeks.”

It’s not an ideal situation when you are tasked with building houses, which often require economic feasibility studies, lengthy permits and extensive construction planning.

Habat has transformed Habitat, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, into a forward-thinking and planning organization that is approaching its 350th house.

“By the time all is said and done, I will have helped build about 200 houses during my tenure,” says Habat. “I am proud to have been able to participate in bringing housing stability to these families. I know what it means personally, and it gives me a lot of joy to know that I could be a part of it in some way.”

While most folks would think that building Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity from an organization of just five employees a little more than 10 years ago to a nonprofit with more than 60 people today as the most impactful and satisfying accomplishment of a career of community service, it’s not the most important to Habat.

“While I’m proud of what I have been able to accomplish at Habitat, I consider my most important accomplishment to be my help in passage of House Bill 378, which provides funds for families who adopt children with special needs,” says Habat. “That bill was passed in 1979, and the guy who really led the charge was [former state representative and Ohio House speaker] Bill Batchelder, which is a little incongruous because he was mister conservative back in the day. But, he was advancing a bill that would have the state pay for extra services. I think my efforts on that bill probably impacted more people of need than my community involvement at any other organization.”

So what’s ahead? Is there a fishing pole, travel or long cruises in the near future? Hardly.

“I don’t call it retirement as much as I call it reengagement,” says Habat.

“I don’t want to be the boss, but I still want to serve others in some capacity.”

So, in addition to his efforts in providing a seamless transition for the next Habitat for Humanity CEO, Habat will be exploring other community service roles — which will no doubt have a positive impact on the community for years to come. 

COURTESY GREATER CLEVELAND HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

s John Habat, president and CEO of Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity, steps down later this year, he leaves behind an organization poised for growth well into the future decade.

He also leaves behind a legacy of more than 10 years helping hundreds of families realize the dream of homeownership. Perhaps even more importantly, he leaves behind an organization that is empathetic to its core.

Before he entered a professional career of community service that dates back to 1979, Habat was a victim of housing instability. Born into a family with 10 siblings, his family often had to move to flee domestic violence or substance abuse problems — challenges he doesn’t often mention when asked about his work today.

“John has been an exceptional leader and friend,” says Michael Owendoff, board chairman for Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity. “In his decade of service to the Habitat mission, John has impacted the lives of hundreds of families by helping to make the dream of homeownership a reality. His work to revitalize Cleveland’s neighborhoods will be felt by generations to come.

“While finding a successor who can match his dedication, compassion and unwavering advocacy for our mission will be no small feat, we are confident that we will find the right candidate to fill this important role,” Owendoff notes.

He adds that the advance notice Habat provided, as well as a deliberate process of succession planning, gives the organization ample time to recruit

UPFRONT

DIVERSIT Y // BY ALE X EMER SON

Crossing the Digital Divide Craig Arnold receives Diversity Center’s humanitarian award.

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10 COMMUNITY LEADER | MAY 2022

COURTESY DIVERSITY CENTER OF NORTHEAST OHIO

raig Arnold, chair“When you support our man and CEO of Eawork, you are helping a new ton, has taken home generation of students and futhe Diversity Centure leaders embrace their difter of Northeast Ohio’s 2021 ferences and become change Humanitarian Award for his agents for inclusion and diwork addressing the city’s digversity in our region,” said ital divide. The award was Arnold when receiving the presented by Peggy Zone FishCraig Arnold Fred Nance Peggy Zone Fisher award. “We are fortunate to er, president and CEO of the continue impacting the youth Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio facing education, opportunity and of Northeast Ohio alongside longtime and Cipriano S. Beredo III, executive workforce development, especially in community partners such as Eaton. board chair of the organization. the wake of COVID-19.

And your sponsorship[s] will allow Arnold is credited with helping launch “During COVID-19, and after us the opportunity to empower more an initiative that donated more than the murder that we all witnessed of than 10,000 youth and educators in 10,000 computers and other digital George Floyd, Craig called out to the 11 counties during the 2022-2023 acequipment throughout the community. business community, and he rallied ademic year.”

“The award is given to individuals them,” Zone Fisher says. “His goal Arnold also credited the Diversity who exemplify their commitment to was to address the digital divide. It re- Center when receiving the award. diversity, equality [and] fairness to ev- ally affects poor people of color who “The Diversity Center has aderybody in their work life and in their do not have access to the internet, to dressed the problems that have personal life as well … they’re individ- laptops, to many things.” plagued our city for decades. It is beuals who have done something for the The digital divide is an issue that cause of their efforts that I remain community,” says Zone Fisher.

Arnold talks about frequently, not- hopeful that one day we will create Working in partnership with the PCs ing that it has grown in severity and the diverse and equal community we for People organization, the individu- became more apparent during the deserve,” he said. “I am asking the als who work on the initiative encour- COVID-19 pandemic. business community to do more to age corporations and companies in the “Given what’s happened today in lift up others.” area to donate old computers, which are terms of remote learning and remote If you’d like to help the Diversity then refurbished and given to students work and given what’s happened more Center but don’t have an old computwho need them for remote learning. broadly in society, specifically around er laying around, there’s an event just Fred Nance, global managing partner systemic racism, this was absolutely around the corner to mark on your of Squire Patton Boggs, and Bill Lacey, an important issue to weigh in on in calendar. president and CEO of GE Lighting, also the business community and try and The Diversity Center is celebratcontributed to the program’s success. make a difference,” says Arnold. ing the 20th anniversary of its Walk, Those three community leaders are enNance points to the digital divide Rock, Roll and Run event on May 7. couraging other Cleveland area compa- as well.

The fundraiser features a 1- or 3-mile nies to become involved as well.

“In Cuyahoga County, there is a divide walk and a 5K run. It can be attended Addressing the digital divide — for those who have access to the inter- virtually or in-person at the Rock & or the lack of connectivity in under- net. When our Cleveland school children Roll Hall of Fame. Contact the Diverserved and often disadvantaged neigh- started to learn remotely, as many as 50% sity Center at 216-752-3000 or visit diborhoods — is one of the key issues did not have that access,” he says. versitycenterneo.org. 

UPFRONT

CIT Y GROW TH // BY JOANNE CAHILL

Energizing Its Economy Public/private partnerships benefit Painesville.

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12 COMMUNITY LEADER | MAY 2022

The former Chase Bank property in downtown Painesville will soon become dormitories for Lake Erie College.

Renew Partners LLC, has been a formula for success. While city council revised zoning codes to allow dormitory use within the city’s central business district, the team began moving forward on the property.

The project will be funded through a $14.5 million investment from the developer, along with several outside grants, including an American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant of $650,000 for streetscape improvements around the building.

“Once you get one project completed, you get a domino effect,” adds Lewis.

A former drug store building is another vacant facility that has been given a new purpose as the Painesville Medical Center. The new $5.5 million Signature Health facility, opening this spring, will house primary care, women’s health, dental care and a pharmacy,

as well as behavioral health services.

Doug Lewis Lewis cites a wide variety of other projects in the works ranging from an expansion at one of the city’s largest employers, Avery Dennison, to a new facility for the nonprofit organization, HOLA Ohio.

Residential growth is on the rise, as well. Encore Estates, a 168-house development by builder Ryan Homes is selling fast, and a 119-apartment facility, Clover Senior Independent Living, will be opening its doors soon.

Lewis’ message to developers is clear.

“We are willing to work with you,” he says. “We are looking at how they do business and determining what is beneficial to them as well as the city.

We have done some amazing things — we are changing the way people view the city of Painesville.” 

COURTESY CITY OF PAINESVILLE

ainesville’s quaint riverside downtown district is seeing a surge in economic development that is bringing new life back to several aging buildings. Many projects are underway or close to completion.

According to Doug Lewis, Painesville city manager, public/private partnerships are fueling much of the growth. He says the city is laying the groundwork to attract developers and help them move through the process more smoothly. This has included creating concept plans for available properties, passing more business-friendly legislation, making infrastructure improvements and establishing an economic development fund. They also have used tax increment financing, commonly known as TIFs, in several strategic districts.

“Working together benefits everyone,” he says. “My big push is putting the city in a position where we can work with developers and existing business owners who are looking to invest so that everyone is successful.

“In the 13 years I have been with the city, I have not seen as much interest in development as we have seen recently,” he adds. “If all of these projects come forward, it will represent a $60 million investment in the city.”

A former Chase Bank property prominently located in the city’s historic downtown district is one of the biggest examples. The vacant five-story building is soon to become student dormitories for Lake Erie College. Construction is slated to begin this summer.

Lewis says collaboration with the college, the city and the developer,

since

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UPFRONT

COMMUNIT Y // BY TERRY TROY

Senior Living Made Easy McGregor breaks ground at its 45-acre East Side campus.

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14 COMMUNITY LEADER | MAY 2022

Rendering of the view from the rear parking lot

Lee Ann O’Brien

Ann Conn

Cuyahoga County and East Cleveland; and $1,050,000 in grant funding from the Weinberg Foundation and Sewer District.

McGregor also made a $3 million investment to bring the project to fruition.

While new construction is expected to be completed in June 2023, the renovations are expected to be completed in September. All of the apartments have one-bedroom floor plans and include all appliances.

To age in a place means to have the opportunity to live in a place safely, with dignity and a place that you choose. One in five adults will be 65 or older by 2030.

“This grant will help us to leverage our community partnerships to build affordable housing options for our neighbors,” states President and CEO Ann Conn.

“That includes refrigerators, microwaves, stovetops, ovens, plenty of counter space and cupboards,” says O’Brien. “Obviously, residents also have access to our beautiful grounds, gardens and walking paths. They can also participate in any activities that are held on our campus.”

Perhaps more importantly, residents have access to McGregor’s entire continuum of care on its main campus, which includes senior independent living, assisted living and other supportive services that range from long-term nursing care, rehabilitation and hospice.

The main campus is also home to one of McGregor’s PACE locations. An acronym that stands for Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, PACE is a nursing home alternative that enables older adults to receive care while living at home — a major growth trend in senior care nationally — and one of McGregor’s top care priorities. McGregor is currently the only provider of the national PACE program in Ohio.

“It’s managed care that provides all of the essentials an individual would need to stay at home as long as they can,” O’Brien explains.

That includes durable medical equipment and an interdisciplinary team of physicians and caregivers who work with participants and their families to provide all levels of care, including medications. PACE also provides a variety of important nonmedical services, such as home-delivered meals and transportation. 

COURTESY MCGREGOR

t was groundbreaking — not just for the new construction, but also its funding.

Delayed by more than two years thanks to COVID-19, McGregor has broken ground on new independent living apartments that will be a part of its East Side campus. McGregor has also started restoration of 26 existing apartments, bringing the total number of new or refurbished apartments to 80 at the site.

The renovation and construction will bring much-needed affordable and safe senior living options to the area. Nestled in a wooded 45-acre site north of Mayfield and Lee roads, McGregor’s campus includes classic Tudor-style buildings that make it look more like a park than a senior living community. It accommodates lower-income residents as well as those who pay privately.

“Two years ago, we announced that McGregor was one of four organizations in Ohio to be awarded a $3 million HUD 202 grant to build and renovate a total of 80 new units of affordable apartments on campus,” says Lee Ann O’Brien, chief marketing officer of the McGregor Foundation. “When we received the grant back in February of 2020, it was the first time in 11 years that HUD had awarded any grant to an organization in the senior services industry. We were very honored to be a recipient of the grant, but also proud that we could attain the funding.”

McGregor’s leadership worked with one of its partners, CHN Housing Partners, to secure $15.5 million in tax credits through Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA); $500,000 of Federal Home Loan Funds; $550,000 in Home Funds from

LE ADERSHIP // BY LINDA F E AGLER

A New Day at Jones Day Saada is named the new partner-in-charge of the Cleveland office.

COURTSEY JONES DAY

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hroughout its storied 125-year history, Jones Day has become among the world’s most prominent law firms while also being active with extensive pro bono activity, public service and community involvement. John M. Saada Jr., a partner in the firm’s Private Equity Practice, couldn’t be more proud. Saada, appointed partner-in-charge of the Cleveland office in January, joined Jones Day as a summer associate in 1992.

Since then, he’s made it a point to ensure that clients have the firm’s full resources available without regard to anything other than what is best for the client’s needs.

Saada represents private equity and venture capital funds in their formation and governance, investors in a variety of private funds and private equity and privately held companies in transactions that include venture investments, leveraged buyouts, mergers and acquisitions, exits, restructurings, joint ventures and mezzanine financings.

“When the firm established its formal Private Equity Practice more than 15 years ago, it was with an eye toward delivering the full range of services relevant to sponsors, portfolio companies and emerging companies from lawyers located around the globe,” he recalls.

“Today, we have more than 100 lawyers worldwide focusing on private capital.”

Saada, who leads a team of approximately 175 lawyers, 90 Cleveland office staff and 330 firmwide staff supporting lawyers around the world, marvels at how Jones Day has grown to more than 2,500 lawyers in 42 offices on five continents.

“ Jones Day’s commitment to the city is well-known and well-earned.

Cleveland is very, very important to the success of our entire firm.”

— John M. Saada Jr.

“We’ve built our reputation by partnering with our clients and growing those relationships,” he says. “Many law firms focus on one transaction or one piece of litigation, and then move to the next big deal or case with a different client. We want to be with a client for the long term. Unlike many law firms where partners are compensated based on the clients those lawyers bring to their firms, Jones Day takes a different approach.

We’re compensated for the work we do, not the work we bring in the door.”

The result is client loyalty that lasts.

“Lawyers here do not use the phrase ‘my client,’” Saada says. “This approach has served us extraordinarily well over the years. The clients we serve work primarily with Jones Day lawyers throughout the firm rather than any one individual lawyer.”

He credits the deep knowledge of many governmental agencies — including the Federal Trade Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Justice — with keeping the firm at the forefront of a changing world.

The firm’s Issues and Appeals Practice is

one of the best in the country.

“Since the October 2011 term, we have recruited 71 former U.S. Supreme Court clerks, and many of our lawyers have had oral arguments before the Supreme Court,” Saada says.

“This kind of depth allows us to craft appellate strategy at the trial stage, which along with our extensive litigation depth, is a great differentiator.”

Although Jones Day is constantly evolving, it’s never lost sight of the fact it launched here in 1893.

“Cleveland is where we began,” Saada says. “There is an extraordinary heritage of community involvement that both our lawyers and staff embrace today.

“We’re so well-recognized here, and many of the firm’s clients trace their roots to our city — either because they started here or our Cleveland lawyers developed relationships with those clients and helped them grow internationally. Jones Day’s commitment to the city is well-known and well-earned. Cleveland is very, very important to the success of our entire firm.”  clevelandmagazine.com/cleader

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COMMUNITY LEADER 15

HUMAN RE SOURCE S // BY PAT PERRY

What Workers Want Has your company turned into a tourist destination?

I

n January 2020, a workplace was considered a destination where people gathered to accomplish tasks and projects to achieve individual, team and company goals. Depending on their status as full time or part time, employees spent most, if not all, of their work time at the company’s location. In a way, prior to the pandemic, work is where we “lived” during the day throughout week.

We spent most of our waking hours at the company and had a few hours left at home before we went off to bed.

Today, due to the work-from-home and hybrid work schedules in place, the definition of a workplace for many employees may be changing. Now, employees spend most of their waking hours at home working and a few (if any) hours at the company’s facilities. In many ways, business locations have now become a place to “visit” to meet with co-workers, customers and their managers. Some employees may even feel that going to their company office is a nice place to visit, but they don’t want to “live” there anymore. It’s how many of us feel when we go on vacation. We visit nice places, but in most cases do not relocate to these tourist destinations (who would want to leave Northeast Ohio anyway!)

As one of my friends stated to me earlier this year, “The workplace I knew before COVID-19 is never coming back.

We have all changed the way we look at work, technology and company culture.

16 COMMUNITY LEADER | MAY 2022

Personally, I am never going back to my company’s office to do work. I like working from home and my flexible schedule.

If they don’t like that, I’ll quit because there are plenty of companies that will let me work remotely if I want.”

His perspective is shared by many, which continues to challenge corporate leaders relative to defining what they now call their workplace and how they will retain and attract employees. As we find ourselves at these unique workplace crossroads, this may be an outstanding time for organizational leaders to redefine what it means to work at their companies — especially if work-from-home and hybrid work schedules remain in place. In addition, it behooves businesses to develop a new equation of how to be an employer of choice, as the competition for talented individuals is as hot as the housing market. A good place to start is to gather your management team and address the following questions: ow do we keep the people we have H today?  W hat is our company’s definition of a great workplace for top talent in this new era?  What employee benefits will be needed to retain employees and attract qualified job candidates now and in the future?  Do our company’s paid medical leave, bereavement leave and vacation time policies need a makeover? 

ow will our management team esH tablish trust with employees that we rarely see in person due to work-fromhome and hybrid schedules?  How will we instill a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation at our company for employees who continue to work remotely?  What unique workplace practices, policies and/or programs do we need to institute that will give us an advantage in retaining and recruiting employees?  If hybrid work schedules or workfrom-home options continue to exist under our leadership, how will we be able to motivate and inspire employees who we will not see in person on a day-to-day basis?  How will we ensure that employees who return to the office full time are not treated any differently than those working remote?  How will we measure employee performance regardless of where the employee is working, and how often will we conduct formal reviews?  Will we support a training and development program for continuous learning? If so, will it be virtual or in-person?  What metrics or feedback will we utilize to know if we are an employer of choice?  W hat workplace issues, such as equal pay for equal worth, are prevalent in our company today that need to be eradicated? 

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Today, due to the work-from-home and hybrid work schedules in place, the definition of a workplace for many employees may be changing.

These questions should elicit plenty of dialogue and perspectives. A paradigm shift in thinking may be in order, as some business leaders may still be holding on to pre-pandemic practices and ideologies that simply are not a fit with today’s workforce.

I currently teach an MBA leadership course at Lake Erie College. The students in the evening class are all employed and bring different career and industry background perspectives to class. A few weeks ago, we were discussing the biggest

mistake a CEO could make in 2022. The majority of the class responded without hesitation — the No. 1 mistake would be attempting to return to pre-pandemic workplace policies and practices. Their response was not a surprise.

The work world has changed, and companies that seize the opportunity to adapt to meet the expectations of today’s workforce may have a significant competitive advantage in their industries going forward. It is important to point out that one thing that has not changed at

all since January 2020 — whoever ends up with the best talent in their company wins. The formula to retain and attract talent has been materially altered in the past two years. The workplace may now be a state of mind, and, if so, perhaps it is the company that provides the best work, wherever that takes place, that ends up being the winner.

We are never forced to choose where we go on vacations. Likewise, employees today no longer want to be told or forced to come back to the workplace.

Yet, if they choose to do so, it will be because their corporate leaders created an inviting work environment worth an extended visit.  Pat Perry is host of the national Success Wave podcast, business book author, keynote speaker, former ERC president, columnist, NEO Business Hall of Fame member and was named to the 2022 Cleveland 500.

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COMMUNITY LEADER 17

COMMUNIT Y // BY LEE F ISHER

We Are All Ukrainians This is a time when we can all come together and learn from the bravery of people who are fighting for their freedom.

O

18 COMMUNITY LEADER | MAY 2022

the struggle for human freedom, we are all Ukrainians.

There’s a lesson we can learn from watching the courage of the Ukrainian people defiantly defending their homeland, willing to risk their lives against unprovoked Russian aggression.

There’s a lesson we can learn from the Ukrainian woman who walked up to a Russian soldier and told him to put sunflower seeds in his pockets, so that when he dies on Ukrainian land, flowers will grow.

There’s a lesson we can learn from the Ukrainian man who stood in front of a Russian tank.

There’s a lesson we can learn from U.S. Army Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds, a devout Christian, who, as a prisoner of war in World War II, refused a German commandant’s order that he round up all of the Jewish soldiers outside of their barracks. Instead, Edmonds assembled all 1,275 American POWs outside of the barracks and told the commander, “We are all Jews here.”

The lesson is hiding in plain sight.

Watching Ukrainians fight not just for their survival, but also for their identity and soul has reminded us that we humans are at our best when we focus on something bigger than ourselves.

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ur country has never been more divided. We retreat to our partisan bubbles and ideological culde-sacs.

How do we rebuild the human bridges of a divided nation that is coming apart at its seams?

Virtually every war, every conflict, every argument, every debate and every divorce comes down to one thing — not valuing what we have in common.

So, it is rare when we Americans agree on something.

But, we Americans have been united in our support of the people of Ukraine. At this watershed moment in

thrive on sowing division, hatred and bigotry, and they have no plans to stop.

But, at least for a moment, let’s put our daily challenges, differences and disagreements in perspective.

Let’s think about those Ukrainians who are fighting for their right to be free and alive.

We are all Ukrainians. 

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Watching Ukraine fight not just for their survival but for their identity and soul has reminded us that we humans are at our best when we focus on something bigger than ourselves.

We are at our best when we focus on the values and destiny that we have in common.

We are at our best when we focus on our shared devotion to democracy, freedom and equal justice.

We are at our best when, in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we fight

Lee Fisher is dean and Joseph C. Hostetler-BakerHostetler chair in law at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University. He is the former Ohio attorney general, lt. governor, director of the Ohio Department of Development, chair of the Ohio Third Frontier Commission, president and CEO of the Center for Families and Children, president and CEO of CEOs for Cities, state representative and state senator.

injustice anywhere because it is a threat to justice everywhere.

We are at our best when we value the free exchange of ideas and, with it, difficult and necessary conversations among people of good will and good faith.

I’m not naive. I know that there are powerful forces in our country who

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COMMUNITY LEADER 19

The Habitat Loop creates a new habitat and an immersive natural experience along the shores of Lake Erie that supports birding and hiking while protecting the critical infrastructure of Interstate 90.

Creation of a new protected cove allows park visitors to directly engage with Lake Erie by walking along the shore, exploring paddle sports and enjoying the opportunity to touch the water.

20 COMMUNITY LEADER | MAY 2022

FUTURE LAKEFRONT

VISIONS OF A FUTURE

Lakefront Lake Erie is a gem. Local leaders talk about how we can make it accessible for everyone in our communities. By Jill Sell

hey know it’s there, but they have never really experienced it.”

A teacher talks about her third-graders in one of Cleveland’s elementary schools.

Many of the students have never walked along the Lake Erie shoreline looking for smooth stones or other “treasures.” Some have never taken a boat ride on the lake or stretched out on a striped towel on one of the lake’s public beaches on a hot summer day. A few have never even seen Lake Erie except for quick glances from a car window or public transportation.

But Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes which collectively provide more than 20% of the world’s freshwater, has helped shaped Cleveland’s history, economy, culture and social structure. It is as important to the city as blood is to people’s veins. Yet, for far too long, people have placed barriers around the lake in the form of

COURTESY CHEERS PARTNERS / WRT PLANNING + DESIGN

T

now rotting logs, broken concrete chunks, rusting chain-link fences and uncrossable highways. Natural shorelines have been devoured and steep surrounding cliffs eroded with time, waves and man’s poor management.

There have always been a few voices above the waves — eyes looking far across the breaker walls and minds envisioning what the lakefront could be to northern Ohioans. Individuals and groups, including Clevelander Dick Clough and his nonprofit Green Ribbon Coalition, still speak out.

Named for its concept of creating a ribbon of green space along the lakefront, the Green Ribbon Coalition includes members of the Cleveland Waterfront Coalition, the Cleveland Lakefront Parks Conservancy and other visionaries dedicated to transforming the city’s lakefront into green living space.

The coalition was off a couple of years due to COVID-19, “but we had time to reevaluate,” says Clough, who serves as clevelandmagazine.com/cleader

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COMMUNITY LEADER 21

FUTURE LAKEFRONT

SeMia Bray

Joyce Pan Huang

the nonprofit’s executive board chair.

“Now, we are back and are gearing up our advocacy efforts.”

According to Clough, the Green Ribbon Coalition is working on two major ideas for the lakefront, including the concept of creating a harbor land bridge to replace the concept of a pedestrian bridge. The Green Ribbon Coalition’s concept was created by Bob Gardin.

“We promoted the idea of extending the mall across the shoreway,” says Clough. “The Browns picked up on the concept, changed it slightly, and they have convinced the city that it is a really good idea.”

Haslam Sports Group, owner of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, has proposed its plan to extend a bridge

Dick Clough and Bob Gardin of the Green Ribbon Coalition stand with a rendering of their land bridge concept.

22 COMMUNITY LEADER | MAY 2022

from downtown’s Mall C to North Coast Harbor. Meetings are scheduled to iron out the details on the land bridge concept.

Of the lakefront projects currently on the boards, “the most widely known is the city of Cleveland’s pedestrian land bridge that connects downtown to the lakefront,” says Grace Gallucci, Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency’s (NOACA) executive director and CEO. “This project is very important, but we must maintain mobility and access and not add to transportation congestion or delay.”

NOACA has reviewed at least eight proposals from different groups, but Gallucci says there are really only three or four basic ones because others are more or less variations. As of early spring, the plans range from doing nothing to changing transportation routes, erecting a land bridge over the shoreway, using East Ninth Street as a base for a land bridge and taking down the shoreway completely. Gallucci also is intrigued by a tunnel idea that might solve concerns involving all forms of transportation.

“The Haslams want to go straight across, but the Main Avenue Bridge comes down on an angle, and it’s hard to do,” says Clough. “You would have to eliminate the west ramp, which means you would have to change traffic patterns. We went around it with our idea.”

The other vision from Green Ribbon Coalition involves relocating the freeway near Gordon Park to follow the bluffs, opening up all of the land to the north, where the CHEERS study starts.

“Which I think is a great idea,” Clough adds.

CHEERS, (an acronym that stands for Cleveland Harbor Eastern Embayment Resilience Study) is a comprehensive plan that aims to transform part of Cleveland’s East Side lakefront beginning with its first phase in 2023.

Cleveland Metroparks has led the way for CHEERS with partners that

include the Port of Cleveland, the city of Cleveland, Black Environmental Leaders Association, Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).

This past fall, Cleveland’s City Planning Commission approved the $300 million Metroparks plan (involving 150 acres of land and water) to create better lake access for several neighborhoods and better water quality.

Joyce Pan Huang, the city of Cleveland’s director of the City Planning Commission, was a resident of

“As we look at the history of how the East Side has been separated from Lake Erie, we see a legacy of equity concern. We have opportunities to change that.”

—SeMia Bray AsiaTown and vice president of community development for MidTown Cleveland Inc., during the time community input for CHEERS was being sought. It was also when the COVID-19 pandemic had a grip on the city and many indoor activities were curtailed.

“In AsiaTown, there really is no big public open green space, so residents resorted to going outside and playing in parking lots,” says Huang. “The lake is our biggest asset here and should be celebrated. But only 22% of the county shoreline is publicly accessible. We have seen that Edgewater Park is massively popular. It’s become an important place for people to celebrate nature and the community. It has also jump-started and strengthened economic activity for the neighborhoods surrounding it.”

Sharonda Whatley is a City Planning Commission’s district city planner for Cleveland’s northeast side neighborhoods of St. Clair-Superior, Glenville,

Collinwood and Euclid-Green — areas directly affected by CHEERS. Whatley assumes that “with the great job the Metroparks is doing with partners and funding, there would be no reason to think the city’s support would not continue under the new administration.”

She welcomes the proposed trails, playground, shelters and green space, part of the 10- to 30-year project.

But, some believe those amenities and lake access have been a longtime coming in some neighborhoods.

“As we look at the history of how the East Side has been separated from Lake Erie, we see a legacy of equity concern.

We have opportunities to change that,” adds SeMia Bray, co-director in the legacy of Jacqueline Gillon of the Black Environmental Leaders Association.

CHEERS has the distinction of being part of the Port of Cleveland’s long-term mission and vision, according to Linda Sternheimer, director of urban planning and development. Keeping the port open for commerce is vital. This plan, with EPA guidance, allows for clean, recycled dredged sediment from the Cuyahoga River to be used to create approximately 6 acres of new lakefront parkland between the East 55th Street Marina and Gordon Park. It will also establish an offshore isle dedicated to more open green space for residents’ use. The area could even become a tourist destination.

Dr. Scudder Mackey, ODNR’s chief of the office of coastal management, believes CHEERS can “address multiple challenges” found along the lakefront.

Mackey sees it as an example for other Ohio shoreline or coastal areas that could be improved by changing from the present gray infrastructure, often with large armour stone and concrete blocks, to a green infrastructure — “a softer, nature-based shoreline.” It’s a vision many environmentalists share.

“This is a hybrid type of project where we try to protect shoreline, create wetlands, offer fishing opportunities and more open space,” says Mackey.

The Inside View Clevelanders share their opinions about Lake Erie’s lakefront.

Patrick Nortz is co-owner of Otisco Engineering, which provides engineering, consulting and project management services that involve the environment, soil, water and underground utilities.

Nortz has been active in the Cleveland Waterfront Coalition and the Green Ribbon Coalition. He considers the founder of the latter, Dick Clough, to be a “visionary in terms of what is needed to help the lakefront in primarily Greater Patrick Nortz Cleveland.”

“But at some point, we will need more people like Dick Clough who will pick up the ball from the community standpoint for the good of the lakefront,” says Nortz. “With a new administration and Mayor Justin Bibb, I hope things will speed up and there will be more changes and access to the lake.”

Baiju R. Shah, president and CEO of Greater Cleveland Partnership, says the city of Cleveland asked his organization to continue serving as a “convener and coordinator for the many stakeholders that support lakefront development.” To ensure the city’s lakefront vision comes to full fruition, Shah says an “all-in alignment” is required, as well as an “all-in sustained effort.” Then the lakefront, downtown and neighborhoods will be available, accessible and broad- Baiju R. Shah ly inclusive, he says.

“This is not a project that will be completed in two or three years. A lot of work is required before it becomes a space people will enjoy with lake connectivity and continuity to downtown. But, it will be incredible,” says Shah. “The mall vision — whether it is commercial, hotels or residential development and developed alongside this beautiful park — is a vision we want to see.”

Jeff Homans, vice president, building and places, at AECOM, an infrastructure consulting firm, says the CHEERS plan “seems to fall short on establishing better access to the lakefront from the St. Clair-Superior and Glenville neighborhoods.”

“Here again, Interstate 90 is the culprit, where vehicular passages under the Shoreway at East 55th Street, East 72nd Street and MLK Jr. Drive are less than pedestrian friendly. Jeff Homans Today, all that connects the severed remnants of the original Gordon Park is the aging pedestrian bridge crossing the Shoreway between East 72nd Street and MLK Jr. Drive,” says Homans. “With a 30-year timeline and several 100 million dollars at stake to make the plan a reality, it seems that further reconsideration of a modest land bridge to better connect East Side neighborhoods and Gordon Park to the lakefront would be worthwhile.” clevelandmagazine.com/cleader

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COMMUNITY LEADER 23

FUTURE LAKEFRONT Visionaries also say any lakefront changes must not make things worse.

Kelly Coffman, principal planner for Cleveland Metroparks, understands that in certain places “an outer layer of protection from waves that come roaring in from Lake Erie” is important. Coffman says solutions and compromises are possible. She points to part of the Metroparks’ lakefront plan to create an inner cove to support watersports and additional wildlife habitat, especially for birds and migrating insects. The CHEERS project can serve as an example of what can be successfully done to enhance lakefront opportunities for all of those living lakeside or nearby, as well as Northeast Ohioans, she says.

CHEERS is basically full steam ahead, depending on additional funding and design/planning tweaks. Sean McDermott, chief planning and design officer for Cleveland Metroparks, says the goal is

to have some aspects of the plan ready to go in mid- or late-2023, but that it “will take time to be finished.”

Of course, there are other visions for the North Coast that have merit, are pure folly, or fall somewhere in between, depending on who is doing the evaluating. Various stakeholders with assorted visions speak on record of plans complementing and enhancing each other.

But, like the waters off a Lake Erie pier at night, the cooperation and can get a little uneasy and murky at times. Still, it’s amazing how much cooperation has occurred recently, and it is a focus of the NOACA. The organization’s Lake Erie Connect Plan covers five counties “We have a cornucopia of lakefront projects in Ohio,” says Gallucci, whose powerful regional planning organization covers three lakefront counties — Cuyahoga, Lake and Lorain — and also includes Geauga and Medina counties.

You drive.

We'll help navigate.

“Our Lake Erie Connect is a Transportation for Livable Communities Initiative (TLCI). Usually those cover smaller areas, like neighborhoods. Rarely do they cover this much geography.”

TLCIs provide help to communities and public agencies for integrated transportation planning for better livability.

The far-reaching benefits for lakefront connectivity begin with identifying the assets along the lakefront and enhancing their connections to neighborhoods, says Gallucci. Then, Lake Erie Connect would link the assets of all three of the lakefront counties. The third aspect of the plan is to connect those waterfront counties with the two landlocked counties under NOACA jurisdiction.

Cuyahoga County hopes to increase access with its plan.

The Cuyahoga County Lakefront Public Access Plan, developed by Smith Group consultants, was released to the public on March 30, 2022, says James

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Sonnhalter, planning manager, design and implementation, for the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission.

The current plan notes that the county’s lakefront presently covers 30 miles of shoreline and six lakefront communities, including Bay Village, Bratenahl, Cleveland, Euclid, Lakewood and Rocky River. Public access stands at 22% of the area’s shoreline. The recommended plan would increase public access to 50% of the lakefront and add 8.3 miles of newly accessible shoreline.

“Accessibility is important, but so is the stability of the shoreline. We have a lot of erosion issues happening all along the east and west shoreline,” says Mary Cierebiej, Cuyahoga Planning Commission executive director.

“A lot of homeowners along the lake have been investing millions of dollars putting down rock and other materials to try and stabilize the area. They can’t access federal dollars to help with

private access. But we can. So, if we get public dollars to help stabilize the area, we can look at a more systemic approach to the problem, as well as a return to public access.”

“There is so much community and civic alignment building behind these efforts to embrace our lakefront now.”

— Sean McDermott The Beulah Park-Euclid Beach Connector Trail project on Cleveland’s East Side consists of two-thirds of a mile of rapidly eroding lakefront. Cierebiej calls the situation “an emergency — not something that can wait 10 or 15 years.” With an $11 million budget and cooperation from the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer

District, Cleveland Metroparks and private landowners, and supported by state and federal funding, recovery and new construction is expected to begin in 2023.

Ultimately, the adopted overall vision for the lakefront will be determined by the city of Cleveland, ODOT and NOACA, with stakeholder input, according to Gallucci.

The estimated costs for the various visions start at $200 million, but Gallucci says she is not particularly worried about where the money will come from. She says federal funding, ODOT’s Transportation Review Advisory Council (TRAC) money and local support (municipal and county) will cover it “if everyone comes to a consensus.”

As some of these ideas (and even probably some yet unannounced, newer plans get accepted, changed or discarded), the responsibility we all have to protect and respect the lakefront becomes dramatically more apparent. 

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COMMUNITY LEADER 25

COMMUNITY Making the Grade Can Cleveland Public Schools rebound from COVID-19?

By Terry Troy

REACTION TO COVID

26 COMMUNITY LEADER | MAY 2022

turnaround. True to Greater Cleveland form, there are plenty of private/public partnerships and philanthropic organizations that are determined to see our schools succeed.

But, how are our schools addressing these issues and using these partnerships?

While it seems as unfair as a pop quiz on the first day of school, let’s give the CMSD some grades, not so much on the performance of its students like the state is apt to do, but rather on CMSD and its performance on the challenges it has faced and will continue to face in the months ahead.

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et’s not sugarcoat it. The professional educators, students and philanthropic community partners of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) would not have it any other way. In terms of the challenges, the last two years were by far and away the worst in the history of our public schools.

Thank you, Mr. COVID. But, there are bright spots as well.

There is optimism that the schools can and will rebound despite the challenges and issues ahead. There are several initiatives that will help with the

By all accounts, no one could have possibly imagined that a global pandemic would impact our society, let alone CMSD. Whether or not the school district was up to the task will eventually be determined by how quickly it can make up the shortfalls in education time and the pressing issues like student, teacher and staff burnout that still need to be addressed.

However, it did respond and was able to stay the course the last two years despite being in the roughest waters that many educators have ever seen.

“The district handled the COVID-19 pandemic as well as possible,” says Meghann Marnecheck, executive director of the Cleveland Transformation Alliance, a community partner of the district that works to make sure every student is engaged in high-quality and equitable education. “Some individuals likely wish things had been different or could have been better.

“Still, throughout several focus group conversations, we have heard that parents and educators felt that the administration handled the situation to the best of its ability. It has been said many times, but unfortunately, no one seemed to be prepared for what we have lived through, so decisions were made based on the best available information and students’ best interests.”

“It has been said many times, but unfortunately, no one seemed to be prepared for what we have lived through, so decisions were made based on the best available information and students’ best interests.”

— MEGHANN MARNECHECK If you look at the data before and after COVID-19, “nationally it has been very tough,” says Lee Friedman, CEO of College Now Greater Cleveland, an organization with a mission to increase postsecondary education attainment through advising, financial aid counseling, scholarship and retention. “Nationwide, kids are not returning to school and kids are not enrolling in schools, which is terrible.

“But Cleveland has actually held its own. Yes, the numbers are worse, but we are actually doing better than our competitive sets in other cities. That’s because we have programs like Say Yes to Education and College Now, as well as philanthropic support from the Cleveland Foundation, the Gund Foundation and many other philanthropic entities. We also had the leadership at CMSD.” What did our leadership do differently? It started with open communication.

“Was the district well prepared? I don’t think we could ever say that,” admits Eric S. Gordon, superintendent of CMSD. “None of us had ever been through anything like this before.

“What we did at the very beginning was make a commitment to a communication strategy and then take deliberate action on that strategy with bounded optimism.”

Every message sent to the community, whether it was parents, students or educators, had a specific reassuring tone that was followed by deliberate, considered action.

“I have a very talented team here who are deeply committed in all layers of our organization from classrooms and schools all the way up,” Gordon adds. “We would huddle and decide what we were going to say and what we were going to do. But we always included the assurance that everything was going to be okay.”

For instance, if the district decided it was going remote on a certain date, it made sure that it didn’t change, that it followed through on that commitment.

The same was true of hybrid learning, or opening classrooms back up.

“When people are in a chaotic situation, the more normalcy you can create, the better,” adds Gordon. “[Our communication policy] created a deliberateness that was the difference between us and what other school districts did.”

LESSONS LEARNED FROM COVID What we really learned from COVID-19 is to never let it happen again. But, that is probably not the least bit practical.

There is no doubt that the last two years have been miserable, says John Zitzner, president of Friends of Breakthrough Schools, an organization that helps support Cleveland’s public charter schools, a group of kindergarten through eighth grade schools with five campuses and about 3,400 scholars. Breakthrough Schools was formed in partnership with the CMSD to provide students an opportunity for success in life.

Did the schools learn anything from the experience with COVID-19?

“Certainly, we learned about persistence,” says Zitzner. “We learned how to use technology better because we had to go remote. I would say that there is always a silver lining to every cloud. But, if you asked me if we are now better off because of COVID-19, I would say ‘NO!’ We are definitely worse off. The students

are quite a bit behind. Now, we have the challenge of catching them up and getting them back on track.

“That doesn’t mean that we didn’t learn some things. It doesn’t mean that technology hasn’t become a bigger part of our overall picture.”

Indeed, Breakthrough Schools was one of the first organizations to pivot toward technology and learning remote. As a part of its response to the pandemic and the shutdown on March 14, 2020, Breakthrough Schools had Chromebooks in the hands of every student and family in its network, as well as home internet access,

by April 8, says Zitzner.

“I don’t think anybody did that in the beginning,” he says. “However, we also know that remote learning doesn’t hold a candle to in-person education. While some students are doing okay, most aren’t.

While it’s optimistic to say we will make up for lost time, COVID-19 in no way was helpful to our schools. It was brutal.”

“I have a very talented team here who are deeply committed in all layers of our organization from classrooms and schools all the way up.”

— ERIC S. GORDON Still, out of difficult circumstances, good things often come, especially if you commit to them.

“One of the things that I am most proud of, for my community as well as our students, their families and our educators, is that we made a big commitment early on that we were not going back to normal,” says Gordon. “If we were going through this terrible clevelandmagazine.com/cleader

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COMMUNITY LEADER 27

disruption, we were going to use it to innovate.”

Teachers used technology to get through remote learning, but they also applied technology like Schoology learning management software to create, manage and share assignments. Students became more familiar with the software and learning online. There are other benefits to technology as well.

“When we had our second really bad snowstorm this year, when nearly every one of my peers called for a calamity day, we switched to remote and kept going to school,” Gordon says.

Of course, not everyone enjoyed going to school on what would have been a snow day, “but they will love it when we are not making up school days at the end of the year,” Gordon adds.

Parents are also able to access student devices and schedule video parent/teacher conferences, which makes family contact that much easier.

“If we learned any one thing from the pandemic, it’s that people are now more cognizant that the internet access is as important as electricity or gas, especially in the world that we live in,” says Friedman. “Broadband access should be thought of as a public utility.”

ADDRESSING EDUCATION LOSS

28 COMMUNITY LEADER | MAY 2022

together after-school programs, summer learning and other kinds of experiences,” says Friedman. “But, you just can’t make up time. That is very is hard.”

“It will likely take several years to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the issues associated with that will probably be the biggest challenge for the district and its students in the years to come,” says Marnecheck.

“As the Cleveland Plan states, it takes the entire community to support a child through their academic career, and addressing COVID-19’s impact is no different. This will include out-of-school time resources, classroom support and collaborative education efforts where the curriculum is aligned with the district.”

You’ll read more about the Cleveland Plan later.

ADDRESSING BURNOUT Teachers are tired. Students are tired.

Staff and leadership are tired. If there was one word to describe the personnel not only in CMSD, but also in districts across our state and nation, it would be “exhausted.” And, it’s not just teachers and students, but cooks, bus drivers, dieticians, janitors and all of the support staff who make our schools work.

“We find ourselves today in uncharted territory,” says Shari Obrenski, president of the Cleveland Teachers Union.

“The toll that the last few years has taken on our educators is something that we couldn’t have imagined. We thought that the last school year was difficult — and it was. But, in many ways, this school year has been worse.”

In large part, that’s due to the fact that teachers now find themselves in a situation where there is not a consistent supply of substitute teachers — something acknowledged by CMSD. “What we see all too often is that when a teacher is absent, there isn’t a substitute to take their place,” says Obrenski.

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To start with, there is a major difference between education loss and learning loss, according to Gordon.

“The way we respond is a part of how we understand the problem,” he says. “Those who identify the problem as learning loss often think of the child as having a deficit; that we have a broken child we have to fix. So, we use that deficit in our responses. But, if we recognize that there was a loss of learning time, which is education loss, then we respond very differently.”

CMSD has a summer program that is deliberately designed to help students with unfinished learning, says Gordon.

“That is why we are so aggressive about getting our students into it,” he says.

The district has also tried to expand the length of the learning day with additional programming before and after school, as well as out of school tutoring programs.

“We have to take a long view of this because it has been two years. It’s not going to be fixed after school or across a summer,” Gordon says. ‘We have to make sure we stay the course and close those gaps over time. If you have a third grader who is reading at a first-grade level, and you put a third-grade book in front of them, they are not going to close that gap just because you put the book in front of them. But, we do know from our data that they will accelerate and close those gaps over time.”

So, you really have to look at the problem from a philosophical standpoint: The child is not the problem.

“The school has to respond to where the students are and not have the students respond to where the schools are,” says Gordon. “It is also very important to understand that communities of color and poorer communities were impacted incredibly hard. So, we are still going to see big differences between communities like Cleveland and middle to upper income communities that have a lot of other support systems in place around them.”

“I will give Eric Gordon and his entire team tremendous credit for putting

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“So teachers are taking portions of another teacher’s class, or even a full class.

They are not getting any planning periods or lunch periods, and they are not getting any breaks for anything else.”

Yet, they are still doing evaluations, student testing and the extra work that comes with presenting a lesson plan.

“In short, they are doing all of the things that were required of them under normal circumstances,” says Obrenski.

“And, they are exhausted.”

But, Obrenski does not blame the district, nor its leadership.

“I truly believe that the district and our leaders definitely empathize with our members,” she says. “But, there are some things we could have done over the course of this year, which we should do moving forward, to take some of the burden off of our teachers.”

For instance, the first year of the

pandemic, when the district was remote, teachers were allowed COVID-19 leave, something that didn’t happen once the schools came back to live learning this year, according to Obrenski.

lunch periods. Giving people some of that time back would be helpful.”

Looking for way to eliminate some of the burdens of the profession is not a district issue, but a larger issue that

“It has been said many times, but unfortunately, no one seemed to be prepared for what we have lived through, so decisions were made based on the best available information and students’ best interests.”

— SHARI OBRENSKI “We should also cut people some slack, whether it is time for teachers to do their report cards or if there is time for professional development,” she adds. “But, that is hard to do when we have folks who haven’t had planning or

runs across the entire education system nationwide.

“It is a larger issue,” says Obrenski.

“We need to do more in terms of mental health support, not just for our adults, but for our students as well.

SUPPORT

THE ZOO

IN 2022 Give to the ZooFund at ClevelandZooSociety.org The Cleveland Zoological Society secures sustaining philanthropic support for Cleveland Metroparks Zoo through outstanding donor relations and advocacy.

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COMMUNITY LEADER 29

30 COMMUNITY LEADER | MAY 2022

On a recent National Dietician’s Day, the district used the opportunity to thank all of its dieticians. During a recent National Educator’s Week, the district sent every educator a $25 Grub Hub gift card as a way of thanking its teachers and their families.

“So, there is a lot of effort that goes into messaging our gratitude,” says Gordon.

“They are mostly small tokens that are responsible from a taxpayer point of view.”

But, they are kind from an employer point of view.

While there is a crisis in education of staffing challenges and not having enough people, CMSD did a good job of retaining teachers compared to other school districts.

“We only had 82 people notify us that they would not be back teaching next year,” says Gordon. “That compares with the year prior to the shutdown, when 60 or so teachers left. So, there has not been a massive change.”

It also demonstrates that teachers are buying into the superintendent’s vision.

There is some help on the horizon.

Knowing that its educators have not had real time off for more than two years, teachers will get some this summer.

“When we went into shutdown, we worked all through the summer creating television programs for our students,

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“This is not something the district can do on its own; it’s something that will require a much larger effort not just by the schools, but also the community at large.”

Teacher burnout is being addressed in many ways by the district, but is it enough?

“It is a very real problem,” says Gordon. “This is my 30th year in the field, and it has been the hardest of my professional career — not by a little, but by a long shot. The worst of it was this school year in November, December and January. It was dark, cold and wintry. And, Omicron was raging.”

Much of what the district has done comes in the form of self-care and appreciation of its employees and educators, says Gordon.

“We do a lot internally to say ‘thank you,’ and it goes a long way,” Gordon says.

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mailing packages to homes and even feeding some of our kids,” says Gordon.

“But, we can’t do that this summer. We are having a three-week break where we will run camps with the city, libraries and Metroparks. Then, we will have five weeks of our summer programming, followed by another three-week break, which should mitigate some of the burnout problem as well.”

PARTNERSHIP AND LEADERSHIP Every source contacted for this story was quick to give Gordon high marks for his resiliency and leadership during a time of crisis. Teachers also complimented the way the superintendent addressed social issues, like indoctrination in “woke” policies and teaching of critical race theory.

“Of course, my community is 86%

people of color, and 100% people who work in a community of color,” says Gordon. “They want the entire history taught. They want all of the literature taught. So, it is not as big of an issue with us.

“School districts do not teach critical race theory. It is a master’s or advanced level degree, a 40-year-old theory that is not something you teach in K-12. It is taught in academia.

“Many people don’t want to talk about the bad parts of history. Well, every country has bad parts to their history, and not just the U.S. If you don’t want to talk about the bad parts of history, you have to take American history and world history out of the curriculum. While you’re at it, if you don’t want to teach the full canon of literature, if you only want to include old white men and not people of color, then

you might as well take literature out of the curriculum as well.”

Perhaps most importantly, Gordon has led CMSD by doing a great job of working with its community and philanthropic partners. He will no doubt continue to do so.

Since 2012, CMSD has operated under the Cleveland Plan, a blueprint for education and reform in the city. The plan, developed by the community and written into state law, applies to both district and charter schools and is intended to ensure that every student receives a quality education, regardless of the provider.

The Cleveland Plan is designed to give every neighborhood access to quality schools; shift authority to individual schools; invest in innovative, equitable best practices; ensure accountability through the Cleveland Transformation

Celebrating 150 years

of transforming students for service, leadership, and professional excellence.

ursuline.edu/150

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COMMUNITY LEADER 31

CMSD BY THE NUMBERS SCHOOLS

DEMOGRAPHICS

CMSD also has partnered with 63.9% African American PreK to 8 Schools ph i l a nt h ropi c , 17.2% Hispanic nonprofit workHigh Schools force development 14.5% White organizations K to 8 Schools and employers to Other 4.4% launch the PlanPreK to 6 School CHARACTERISTICS ning and CaRemote School Options reer Exploration Special Education 21.2% (K to 8 and 9 to 12) (PACE) curricuLimited English 13.1% lum. PACE beGENDER Proficient gins with career Economically 51.4% Male 100% awareness and Disadvantaged exploration at an 48.6% Female Homeless 4.2% early age, then Sources: 2019 American Community Survey, Ohio Dept. of Education, CMSD Student Information provides guidance System, CMSD Charter Schools Office. and workplace Alliance; and embed organizational and experiences to every student to develop a educational principles that are able to be pathway to living-wage, in-demand jobs. replicated and measured for all public disCMSD and the community started trict and charter schools.

Say Yes to Education Cleveland in 2019

62 31 2 1 2

for those students who choose to go on to postsecondary education after graduating from high school. Say Yes provides scholarships that pay up to the full value of tuition, minus federal and state aid, to all public colleges, universities and Pell-eligible training programs in Ohio and more than 100 private colleges and universities across the country.

To qualify, students must be continuously enrolled in a district or eligible charter high school and live in the city of Cleveland or district from ninth grade until graduation.

“We have been a long-time partner in both the development and implementation of Say Yes to Education,” says Helen Williams, program director for Education for the Cleveland Foundation.

“We also participate on the scholarship board and manage the scholarship fund for Say Yes to Education.”

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The Cleveland Foundation supports Say Yes to phase in wraparound services for students and families in all CMSD and partnering charter schools.

The Cleveland Foundation also was a co-convener of the planning process that resulted in the development of PACE, described above, and most recently the launch of the Greater Cleveland Career Consortium, which is designed to support the implementation of PACE in CMSD and the expansion of robust career exploration and planning programs in other school districts.

“CMSD is unique in its ability to collaborate with the community in standing up large-scale strategies like Say Yes and PACE that are laser focused in improving the future of Cleveland’s children,” says Williams.

This collaboration makes CMSD an engine for workforce development.

“There will be short term wins,” says Gordon. “But as we build this out, it should be very exciting. I don’t know of anything this comprehensive in the nation.”

But Gordon is also a HELEN WILLIAMS LEE FRIEDMAN JOHN ZITZNER realist.

There are social determinants that determinants have not changed.” are still prohibiting CMSD from reThe No. 2 issue during the recent alizing each student’s full potential. mayoral campaign was “Have the These include poverty, hunger and dig- schools improved enough?” ital connectivity.

“I suppose that is good news because “We still have the highest child- it might have been, ‘Have the school imhood poverty rate in the nation, and proved at all?’” Gordon says. “We have the worst digital connectivity in the improved, but not enough.” country,” says Gordon. “We are also And, we will likely never realthe ninth most racially segregated ize long-term educational goals uncity in the country. We have had a 30 til those underlying sociological ispercentage point gain in graduation sues and determinants are addressed rates despite the fact that those social communitywide. 

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COMMUNITY LEADER 33

GOING

ABOVE & BEYOND United Way of Greater Cleveland helps nonprofits with a lot more than just funding.

By Jill Sell DANIELLE CRAWFORD

community barbershop is often a hub of interaction. Patrons and staff are often wellknown to each other and discuss topics that range from world events to local politics, sports, television shows and who is back in town. Barbershops can be places of trust and friendship.

So, a few years ago, when social workers and health experts looked for effective ways to reach out to those who often avoid formal health facilities, the barbershop was a natural.

Medical professionals say that many men, especially older men, are often reluctant to seek preventive care or treatment for conditions and diseases that they may already have.

“We knew there was a national barbershop model that was being used to reach young men,” says Ella Thomas, executive director of Thea Bowman Center in Cleveland’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood. “But, we wanted to create a Barbershop Program for African American men, 60 years and older. We knew barbershops would be one place they would be hanging out.”

34 COMMUNITY LEADER | MAY 2022

Thea Bowman Center, with roots going back to 1966, is a nonprofit organization helping the community in which 65% of families live near or below the poverty level. Its goal is to promote health and well-being through education and resources.

Thomas says her organization has hired “the perfect person” to help implement the program. The mental health counselor also has experience helping others with substance abuse and is also

care at a barbershop is not a new idea.

America’s red, white and blue poles are throwbacks to centuries past when, first in Europe and then in America, barbers were known for not just snipping hair, but performing medical procedures, including surgeries.

The Barbershop Program has been made possible by United Way of Greater Cleveland. As a new Grantee Partner, Thea Bowman Center will receive funds not only for the barbershop model, but

“We will reach out to seniors for computer literacy and to help them get connected to health providers and resources about things that include health conditions and exercise programs.”

— ELLA THOMAS a former salon owner. The barbershop liaison will be talking with men about a variety of topics, including diabetes, high blood pressure, changes in eating habits and “all of those other things men don’t want to talk about,” says Thomas.

History buffs know the idea of health

also for another program to bridge the digital divide in the community.

“We will reach out to seniors for computer literacy and to help them get connected to health providers and resources about things that include health conditions and exercise programs,” says Thomas.

COURTESY UNITED WAY OF GREATER CLEVELAND

COMMUNITY

Thea Bowman Center, with roots dating back to 1966, is a nonprofit organization helping the community in which 65% of families live near or below the poverty level. Its goal is to promote health and well-being through education and resources.

In 2020, United Way began preparing for its new, current grant-making process, and it became the perfect time to also expand its service to the community, including official partners and the local nonprofit sector as a whole, according to Danielle Crawford, director, evaluation and learning.

United Way encourages all nonprofits to participate in its Center for Excellence in Social Services. By providing specialized tracks and activities, this United Way effort allows nonprofit organizations to connect and learn more about nonprofit management topics. One of the 2022-2023 United Way Center for Excellence in Social Services’ goals is to dedicate 58% of its grants to directly support Black- and Brown-led organizations serving Black and Brown communities.

“While organizations, especially the ones we work with, do need dollars, they also need capacity building,” says Crawford. “We decided to pivot our Center for Excellence in Social Services.”

The result has been Center for Excellence — LIVE, “quarterly sessions for any nonprofit in the community open to having a discussion that is relevant,” explains Crawford. Sessions are virtual at this point, but they are also recorded for those not able to attend in real time.

Upcoming sessions include: Ohio Medicaid Managed Care Training, April 19, presented by the Center for Community Solutions’ Center for Medicaid Policy; Interpreting and Building Your Financial Statements, June 7, presented by Business Volunteers Unlimited in partnership with a nonprofit consultant; Uncovering the Nonprofit Landscape, Sept.

13, presented in collaboration with the Funders Collaborative on COVID Recovery and Leading Equity; and Continuing Our Conversation on Race, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Dec. 6, presented by Equius Group.

Thomas attended the Center for Excellence ’s first session of the year, Build and Engage a High-Impact Board, held in March.

“I have a good board, but I found the group be fascinating and so refreshing in so many ways,” says Thomas “To be able to look at the characteristics of the

United Way encourages all nonprofits to participate in its Center for Excellence in Social Services.

By providing specialized tracks and activities, this United Way effort allows nonprofit organizations to connect and learn more about nonprofit management topics. board and what we are doing is helpful.

It was good to validate what we are doing right, but of course, there are things we need to work on,” says Thomas, whose current board has nine members, with a capacity to hold 15.

In addition to those sessions, United Way of Greater Cleveland also offers

Peer Group Learning for its members who are selected to receive grants from its Community Hub for Basic Needs.

The 2022-2023 Peer Groups include: Building Evaluation Capacity; Building a Culture of Race, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Lifting Up Your Leaders of Color; and Board and Leadership Development.

Crawford says United Way’s focus has increasingly become more centered on what nonprofit organizations request and need to help them flourish and meet their goals and missions. The open sessions and peer group sessions both answer those requirements.

“It’s all about being able to differentiate the learning so everyone is able to take something away from the sessions, whether you are just getting your 501(c) (3) off of the ground or are a seasoned nonprofit professional,” says Crawford.

Crawford emphasizes that it is imperative for strong nonprofits to work alongside government, the corporate world and other community interests.

“At United Way, we can assist in making our nonprofits stronger, whether they are safety-net nonprofits like those that help with basic needs, or they are niche nonprofits that assist with more specific needs. It is our responsibility to do so,” says Crawford.

To expand that aid and make it more convenient for its partners as well as the community, United Way is making some physical changes to its offices.

“As part of United Way of Greater Cleveland’s commitment to strengthening our community’s nonprofit sector, a dedicated space for virtual and in-person learning is being designed in our offices at 1331 Euclid Avenue,” says Crawford.

“The studio will open this spring. Nonprofits will be welcome to use this studio on a space-available basis.”

For more information about any of the sessions or the studio, visit cfe.unitedwaycleveland.org.  clevelandmagazine.com/cleader

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COMMUNITY LEADER 35

PRESERVING

HISTORY The Cleveland Restoration Society helps develop new Civil Rights Trail.

By Rhonda Crowder

36 COMMUNITY LEADER | MAY 2022

moment to mark sites that have been underrepresented in our field of historic preservation.”

Formally called “In Their Footsteps: Developing an African American Civil Rights Trail in Cleveland, OH,” the project involves the installation of 10 Ohio Historical Markers at the top 10 sites in Cleveland associated with the struggle

for civil rights for African Americans between the years 1954 to 1976.

Crowther describes the markers as “huge” and “beautifully cast in bronze.”

She says the markers are really popular and attract motorists, who will stop and get out of their car to read them. “It signals something happened here,” she says.

The message with this project, Crowther continues, is a need for civil rights in today’s world.

“Civil rights didn’t just start and end,” she adds. She also wants people to know civil rights activities were not exclusive to the South. “It led to some important legislation even in the North.”

Seven of the sites have been identified. The first three announced were Cory United Methodist Church, Glenville High School and a location in the Hough neighborhood near East 79th Street and Hough Ave., where the Hough Uprising was initiated.

Three other locations include: Greater Abyssinia Baptist Church, which served as headquarters for

ISTOCK / COURTESY THE CLEVELAND RESTORATION SOCIETY

ince its beginning in the early 1970s, the Cleveland Restoration Society (CRS) has focused on preserving commercial and residential historic buildings. But with the support of a $50k grant from the National Park Service and generous donors, they’ve taken up the task of preserving history — African American history to be exact — as the organization has embarked upon the development of a Civil Rights Trail here in Cleveland.

CRS is the largest non-governmental, regional historic preservation organization in Ohio and a National Preservation Partners Network member. With an engaged board of trustees, a professional staff and active programs, the organization is recognized nationally as a leader in the American preservation movement.

Kathleen Crowther, 65, president of CRS, is ecstatic about the project. She notes that the trail is essential to Cleveland because of the city’s role in what is known as the Modern Civil Rights Movement.

“We’re doing it because it hasn’t been done,” says Crowther. “It’s a good

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the United Freedom Movement and was essential in grassroots organizing under the leadership of Rev. E. Theophilus Caviness; the Olivet Institutional Baptist Church, which served as home base for Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. whenever he visited Cleveland; and a location near the former home of Dorothy and John Pegg on Corby Road in the Ludlow neighborhood.

“We’re ecstatic to be a part of the Civil Rights Trail,” says the 93-year-old Rev. Dr. E. T. Caviness, senior pastor of Greater Abyssinia Baptist Church, who came to Cleveland 61 years ago in the height of the Civil Rights Movement.

The Pegg house was the site of a racially charged bombing in 1956 that became the catalyst for the formation of the Ludlow Community Association, setting a national example as a neighborhood development model created to counteract prevailing prejudice against Black buyers in white neighborhoods.

The seventh and most recent site announcement is the marker in honor of the late Carl B. Stokes, the 51st mayor of Cleveland and the first Black mayor of a major American city, expected to be installed at Cleveland City Hall this summer.

“That marker is an indelible symbol of his efforts to secure Black political power, votes and turn over an administration. It shows where Blacks were able to progress,” says Carl’s son Cordell Stokes.

Crowther calls the project “a pretty heavy lift,” further explaining that there were different aspects of the project, such as securing the markers and commissioning scholars, which required an additional $30 to $50k to be raised.

Additionally, funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities allowed CRS to secure a fellow. Ph.D. candidate Aaron Fountain is currently studying American History with expertise in youth movements at Indiana

University. Fountain will conduct oral histories to fill in the content on the companion website. QR codes will be placed on the markers to link back to the website.

“We are not experts in the Civil Rights Movement. That’s why we need The Greater Abyssinia Baptist Church served as the the scholars to put things headquarters of the United Freedom Movement. in perspective,” she says.

CRS commissioned Dr. Thomas ByIn addition to the marker installanum and Dr. Donna Whyte of Cleve- tion, Cory United Methodist Church reland State University’s Black Studies De- ceived $500k for exterior preservation. partment and Attorney James Robenalt CRS applied to the National Park Serof Squire Patton Boggs to provide the vice to do an external envelope stabilizascholarship. Robenalt is also the author tion on Cory. The entire exterior will be of Ballots and Bullets: Black Power Pol- analyzed inch by inch and buttoned-up itics and Urban Guerrilla Warfare in where needed with these funds.

1968 Cleveland.

“It’s important that we are better able “My hope is to leave a mark with the to document our history, to have that markers and the website, giving some- language on file about Cory,” says Rev. thing to the community by telling these Gregory Kendrick Jr., 33, the senior passtories and giving something for future tor at Cory. “For us to have this marker, generations,” says Fountain. for as long as we can imagine, that legaThe first marker has been installed “It’s a good moment to mark sites that at Cory Unithave been underrepresented in our ed Methodfield of historic preservation.” ist Church in the Glenville — KATHLEEN CROWTHER Com mu n it y.

Cory is wellknown for hosting Dr. Martin Luther cy will be out in the world. I’m grateful.”

King Jr. and Malcolm X. In addition to Crowther hopes the markers serve as a being a historical landmark constructed unifying activity and wishes to raise adin 1920, it became an ideal first site for ditional dollars to install more. several reasons, says Crowther.

“There are more than 10 places that de“They had the facility — a huge build- serve these markers,” she says. “The trail ing to host speakers and large activities,” will never be finished. That’s why it’s imshe says. portant to develop a companion website CRS has a sacred landmark commit- to provide more information. The goal is tee that provides pro bono technical as- to make it relevant for today.” sistance to religious institutions over 50 As a local job, there are no national years old. They help them identify ways or state representatives working on it. to keep the building operating properly “It’s our job to narrate our own history,” and with repairs. she says.  clevelandmagazine.com/cleader

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COMMUNITY LEADER 37

WHERE BUSINESS GOES TO GROW

BUSINESS Opportunity Knocking Can we make the most of the once forgotten triangle?

O

pportunity Corridor officially opened last November to a massive ribbon-cutting ceremony that included all of the fanfare of a transformational city-wide project.

There was a presentation of colors by the Cleveland Division of Fire Honor Guard, the Cleveland Division of Police Pipes and Drums band and a singing of the National Anthem by Pat Harris.

Representatives of the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) welcomed guests and thanked all of those involved with the project, including District 12 Deputy Director John Picuri and ODOT Director Jack Marchbanks. Former Mayor Frank Jackson, County Executive Armond Budish and Grace Gallucci, executive director and CEO of the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) all spoke about the future and how the roadway would eventually transform the half-dozen neighborhoods surrounding the boulevard.

38 COMMUNITY LEADER | MAY 2022

All of the stakeholders and participants of the roadway construction project deserved to take a bow. The strategic location of the corridor and its access to what are clearly disadvantaged neighborhoods gives it an upward potential not seen in Cleveland in years.

Now the real work starts. How can this corridor be turned into true opportunity?

There are three major initiatives that need to be addressed: taking advantage of the corridor’s location in terms of the access it offers; dividing the corridor into different zones to afford maximum economic and job creation; and focusing on community reinvestment in the disadvantaged neighborhoods surrounding the area to promote workforce development and improve the quality of life for area residents. All three will require public/private partnerships of the major companies, nonprofits and government organizations of the community.

BY TERRY TROY

Location. Location. Location.

The Opportunity Corridor’s benefits are already being felt.

“The corridor creates access to developable and sizeable land parcels that are proximate to major hubs (downtown and University Circle) and to our transportation infrastructure,” says Baiju R. Shah, president and CEO of Greater Cleveland Partnership. “Given its location, there has been significant interest in developing land along and nearby the corridor, as demonstrated by the recent food business expansions.”

Chris Ronayne

Baiju R. Shah

The Opportunity Corridor stretches from East 105th to a nexus of highways, rail and public transportation at East 55th, making the latter perfect for logistics companies.

COURTESY ODOT DISTRICT 12

Three Distinct Miles

“The future is bright for this area of Cleveland because of its location to major interstates, University Circle, Downtown Cleveland and as a connector to our southern suburbs and Akron,” says Chris Ronayne, former president of University Circle Inc., who stepped down last year to run for Cuyahoga County executive.

“But, I think the long-term vision is one of extraordinary community reinvestment.

The roadway is really just the beginning.”

Commuter traffic is already heavy, but flows well. Head south down East 105th, and the massive Cleveland Clinic campus is to your immediate right. Turn left on any one of four major thoroughfares, and you’re in University Circle in minutes.

Continue south past Quincy, and there are major “main street” intersections at arterials that include: Quincy, East 93rd, Woodland, Buckeye, East 79th, East 75th and Kinsman. Drive farther on, and you come to East 55th, with immediate access to Interstate 490 and Interstate 77 and access to southern suburbs, western neighborhoods, Interstate 71 and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. The enhanced access to University Circle from the south and western suburbs, as well as neighborhoods like Tremont, Clark/Fulton and Brooklyn is already having a positive impact, especially on University Circle.

“The one thing that I have noticed in particular is that the Opportunity Corridor is making a giant difference to the thousands of people who come to work

here every day,” says Gary Hanson, interim president of University Circle Inc. “We can’t just think of it as ease of access for visitors to University Circle or patients to our medical facilities, it is making a gigantic difference for the employers and employees in the circle.”

According to a spokesperson from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), the “Opportunity Corridor speeds travel between I-490 and University Circle, which expands possibilities for people to work and visit in the nation’s No. 1 arts district.

As economic development continues and accelerates along its path, our faculty and students can contribute to ongoing planning and community engagement, while our graduates may well contribute to the area’s growing workforce.”

“The corridor creates access to developable and sizeable land parcels that are proximate to major hubs (downtown and University Circle) and to our transportation infrastructure.”

— Baiju Shah

Incredible access to key arteries is also key to future economic development along the 3-mile corridor, which is a boulevard of three distinct economic development personalities, each having its own mile.

It starts with health care and high tech to the north on East 105th.

“The Opportunity Corridor will drive significant economic and commercial growth in communities around our main campus,” says William Peacock, chief of operations for Cleveland Clinic. “Additionally, the roadway will be an important connection for the recently announced Cleveland Innovation District, a public-private partnership aimed at transforming Northeast Ohio into a $1 billion economic engine for biomedicine.

“Cleveland’s health care and education institutions have partnered with the state of Ohio and JobsOhio in this significant initiative, which supports research, education and bringing new jobs and corporations to the region.”

Unveiled by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted last year, the Cleveland Innovation District is a public/private partnership that includes the city of Cleveland, Ohio Development Services Agency and JobsOhio, along with Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, the MetroHealth System, CWRU and Cleveland State University. Its goal is to bring together the area’s worldclass health care providers and educational institutions to create a pathogen center with global reach, improving the lives of millions of people and generating more than 20,000 Ohio jobs.

With its location in close proximity to clevelandmagazine.com/cleader

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COMMUNITY LEADER 39

BUSINESS

Gary Hanson

William Peacock

the city’s four major health care providers, including MetroHealth across I-490 and Veteran’s Administration’s hospital on East 105th, the Opportunity Corridor is seen as a focal point for the Innovation District, a Medical Mile if you will.

“The section of the Opportunity Corridor along East 105th up to Cedar Avenue presents itself as an obvious Medical Mile,” says Ronayne. “It’s right in between the Clinic and UH. You have the

Taussig Cancer Center right there and Explorys right around the corner.

“There are a large number of companies that want to be within easy reach of our health care leaders. But, you are also close to CWRU, with its innovation and research centers and lab space, and that has to present a great opportunity.”

Located at the convergence of I-490, and I-77, the mile to the very south and west of the Opportunity Corridor represents a great location for companies involved with logistics, be it rail or roadway, especially with its ease of access across town to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

“This bodes well for companies involved with transportation, freight or heavier manufacturing,” says Ronayne.

“You have the convergence of four major highways right there, as well as access to the Central neighborhood.

“There is really a distinctive character to each mile of the Opportunity Corridor,” adds Ronayne. “I think the mid-section might play off of the existing land use in the area, where you already see companies like Orlando Baking and Miceli’s. This could be a home to other kinds of light manufacturing as well.”

This mid-section might also hold the most promise for residents of surrounding neighborhoods.

“If you look back at Cleveland’s history, there was a time when the people who worked in the steel mills actually walked to work from neighborhoods like Tremont,” says Ronayne. “We might be seeing the same thing all over again along the Opportunity Corridor. We could see a situation where neighborhoods and businesses develop and grow together. We could see the development of dynamic mixed-use

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communities and neighborhoods with job centers next to housing centers and social opportunities.”

Reinvestment in the Forgotten Triangle Bringing us to what many consider both a key to the development of the 3,000-plus acres along the 3-mile corridor, as well as the future economic vitality of the entire city: reinvestment in the disadvantaged neighborhoods along the boulevard.

“There is a reason this area got the name the ‘Forgotten Triangle,’” says Ronayne. “Quite literally, there were decades of disinvestment. But, I think long term, the future is bright for this area.

There is Fairfax, Buckeye-Woodhill, Broadway-Slavic Village and Central to the north. The roadway sets the table for development at key intersections, which

will have a direct impact on the half-dozen neighborhoods along its path.”

Despite the change of mayoral administrations, development is already underway and moving forward, especially in the Fairfax neighborhood.

“At the corner of E. 105th Street or Opportunity Corridor and Cedar Avenue, the mixed-use Fairfax Meijer Market is underway,” says Denise Van Leer, executive director of Fairfax Renaissance Development Corp. “It includes an urban Meijer Grocery Store and 192 apartments above.

“The project is a partnership between the city of Cleveland, Cleveland Clinic, Fairfax Renaissance Development Corp.

(FRDC) and Fairmount Properties, the developer.

“South of the market on Opportunity Corridor, FRDC and McCormack Baron Salazar will develop a mixed-income

82 unit apartment building scheduled to break ground in May 2022. Single-family new construction housing is underway in the area, as well with Knez Homes.”

The grocery store and other developments will create an opportunity for residents to walk to work, walk to a grocery store and have access to fresh foods at affordable prices. So much for the food desert.

“FRDC already has a workforce development program that connects residents to jobs not just in the Fairfax area, but also in the city of Cleveland,” Van Leer adds. “The economic investments will also generate intern opportunities for area youth, construction jobs, contracts for minority/female businesses and opportunities for training residents interested in technology/research for jobs that will be available in the Fairfax neighborhood.”

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COMMUNITY LEADER 41

BUSINESS

Chris Alvarado

Jeff Epstein

CWRU has helped lead a collective effort to secure a $35 million federal grant to revitalize the Buckeye-Woodhill neighborhood, and it is continuing to engage in the project as it progresses. Buckeye-Woodhill’s proximity to the corridor creates additional possibilities for neighborhood residents to secure jobs in the area — and to travel more easily to employers in other locations.

Earlier this year, a cold storage facility secured final funding to allow

construction to begin at a site along the corridor; the building process itself creates jobs, and opportunities will only increase when it opens.

The project could create as many as 70 new jobs at Orlando Baking, which would use 50,000 square feet of the proposed 150,000-square-foot facility.

The remainder would be rented to local grocers and others in the food industry.

The cold storage infrastructure makes it easier for food service companies to relocate to the area.

The most ambitious project, and one that is a demonstration of the city’s dedication to the area, is Cleveland’s new police headquarters. The city has broken ground at a site on the corner of East 75th and Opportunity Corridor. It’s expected to be completed in 2026.

The new headquarters will have 180,000 square feet of office space. It

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will house police leadership and the Real Time Crime Center, where police officers monitor live video feeds from across the city. It will also house special units, including homicide. The ground floor will include a community plaza at the public entrance, as well as community meeting rooms and public records.

Opportunity 2.0 While the new Opportunity Corridor and the construction along its path will build the infrastructure to allow for revitalization and economic growth, there are fundamental changes that need to take place at the neighborhood and personal level. With the incoming mayoral administration, there has been something of a reset.

“This is actually a good thing,” says Chris Alvarado, executive director of Slavic Village Development. “The

new administration is looking at doing more than just placing things like the new police headquarters in these neighborhoods.”

So is anyone reaching out?

“As a matter of fact, yes,” says Alvarado. We already have meetings scheduled with Jeff Epstein with the city of Cleveland. But, to be honest, it is going to take a lot of coordination between the city and the CDCs (community development corporations) to make this work. But, the city is being proactive by reaching out and asking about what we want to do.”

“I think it is really important for all stakeholders to work collaboratively on the strategy and priorities for the Opportunity Corridor if we are going to make it work,” says Jeff Epstein, chief of Integrated Development for the city of Cleveland. “We are getting substantial interest in development along the corridor, and it

is the type of development that will benefit the surrounding community and create jobs. We need to make sure we are taking advantage of this.”

While buildings and infrastructure will support growth, true transformational change only happens when people change.

“That will come by making sure the folks who are living in our neighborhoods have the training they need for the jobs that will be available,” says Alvarado. “That means skills matching people with the jobs that are available.

“We will also need to provide the support that many folks will need to get through their first 90 days of employment.

So, many things can happen in those first 90 days, like health issues, child care issues or issues around transportation. But, once you get past those first 90 days, you are pretty much set in employment.”

That means providing the kind of wraparound services that allow people to be prepared for employment.

“It’s not just enough to put up a corridor with buildings and employers. It’s not enough to have job fairs and people applying for jobs,” adds Alvarado. “We need to have long-term planning on a regional basis when it comes to getting these folks prepared for the new jobs.”

“We have done great work as a community to land and develop the Opportunity Corridor,” says Ronayne. “It has been a great partnership with the Ohio Department of Transportation and the state of Ohio to create not only a neighborhood connector, but also a regional connector, a job development and economic development opportunity. Long term, it will also require an extraordinary amount of community reinvestment.

“But, I think our best days are ahead.” 

GE T C AP I TA L F I N A N C I N G, M & A, AN D R I S K M A N AG E M E N T EX P ERT I S E A L L F RO M O N E T E A M Financial and industry expertise from The Truist OneTeam Approach®.

TO LEARN MORE, CONTACT: Jim Geuther Market President, Northern Ohio Region 440.829.6109 • jim.geuther@truist.com Or visit: suntrust.com/growyourbusiness © 2020 SunTrust and Truist are federally registered service marks of Truist Financial Corporation. Truist Securities is a trade name for certain corporate and investment banking services of Truist Financial Corporation and its subsidiaries. Securities underwriting and M&A advisory services are provided by Truist Securities, member FINRA and SIPC. Lending, financial risk management, and treasury and payment solutions are offered by Truist Bank. Deposit products are offered by Truist Bank, Member FDIC. © Truist Financial Corporation.

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COMMUNITY LEADER 43

BUSINESS

Keeping Hope Afloat The Prayers From Maria Foundation funds global cancer research.

T

44 COMMUNITY LEADER | MAY 2022

more than $12 million for the fight against childhood brain cancer, including numerous promising research studies across the U.S. “While Maria was still alive, we felt the urgency to do something,” Megan McNamara says. “After her death, we knew we had to keep going to help other children.”

A picture of rosy health, Maria was a cheerful child who enjoyed the role of being a big sister to her three brothers, taking dance classes and playing dress-up.

“She loved to tell jokes,” Edward recalls. “She loved to laugh all of the time.

Maria was a dream. I can’t describe her any other way. She was perfect.”

That sunny world changed in 2006 when the little girl began having trouble walking and seeing. She also exhibited physical changes that were initially

attributed to Bell’s palsy, a neurological condition that causes partial paralysis of the face.

“A neighbor who’s a doctor didn’t agree,” Edward recalls. “He said, ‘You know, this is something a little different.

Why don’t you bring her in tomorrow for some tests?’”

A CT scan the following morning detected fluid in the brain, and an MRI was ordered.

“At the end of the day,” Edward recalls, “the doctor came in and said it’s the worst of the worst.”

On April 1, 2006, Maria was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, a highly aggressive and difficult-to-treat tumor. The glioma family of tumors accounts for almost 45% of all tumors. They’re the second-highest cause of cancer deaths among young people,

ISTOCK

reat others as you wish to be treated. Do small things with great love.

To Edward McNamara, president and CEO of Cleveland-based insurance brokerage firm Armada Risk Partners, these timeless maxims aren’t strictly business. They’re personal.

In 2007, after their 6-year-old daughter, Maria, was diagnosed with brain cancer, McNamara and his wife, Megan, co-founded the Prayers From Maria Foundation. The nonprofit is dedicated to funding global research into the causes, prevention, treatment and cure for pediatric glioma brain tumors.

Maria lost her 14-month battle with brain cancer on July 14, 2007, but the Avon Lake couple’s work continued. To date, the foundation’s efforts have raised

BY LINDA FEAGLER

and 85% to 95% of children diagnosed with a malignant glioma die within five years. Those with the worst of the gliomas — the kind from which Maria suffered — die within three years.

“Megan and I called every possible doctor throughout the country looking for treatment advice,” Edward says. “We discovered that currently, childhood glioma research is grossly underfunded. One doctor advised we try something no one has ever done before because nothing has worked in 30 years.”

After two months of radiation and chemotherapy at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, Maria’s condition improved. Her tumor had shrunk by 99%, and she began to gain strength and facial movement.

During this time, the McNamaras started Prayers For Maria, a blog designed to keep family and friends updated about her condition. It included a photo of their daughter happily standing amid a field of sunflowers. Within weeks, the blog had thousands of followers.

Over the ensuing months, Maria’s condition ebbed and flowed but, Edward recalls in a voice choked with emotion, her concern for the children she met at St. Jude’s never wavered. She told her dad she wanted to pray for them.

“At first I was angry,” he recalls. “I thought, ‘Why should she spend so much time praying for other kids, when she should be praying for herself?’ Maria’s selflessness was a very humbling experience. We knew we had to do more for all of the kids out there.”

The McNamaras launched the Prayers From Maria Foundation on Jan. 11, 2007, Maria’s seventh birthday. As it should be for any nonprofit, Edward explains, the name was meticulously chosen to exemplify the universal compassion and hope the foundation exudes.

“Megan and I didn’t start the foundation in memory of our daughter,” Edward says. “We started it in memory of

our daughter’s prayers to help other kids.

That’s why we chose Prayers From Maria, rather than Prayers For Maria.”

The couple created an advisory board made up of renowned pediatric oncologists and researchers from around the country who established stringent guidelines for grant applications the foundation receives. Edward adds that the medical professionals also provide the specialized knowledge that’s a crucial component all nonprofits need to succeed.

“After we raised our first $50,000, we began accepting grant applications,” he says. “Megan and I are not biochemists or nuclear researchers. We had no idea what institutions we should award dollars to. Now, we leave it to our board of experts to make the decisions.”

“ While Maria was still alive, we felt the urgency to do something. After her death, we knew we had to keep going to help other children.”

— Megan McNamara That know-how is also a point patrons should keep in mind before making a contribution to any nonprofit.

“Most donors don’t think about following the funding to see where the money goes,” Edward says. “They feel good simply because they’ve contributed. But, you should ask yourself, ‘Did I give to an organization that offers the best chance for success to the cause I’m interested in?’”

As a result, Prayers From Maria recipients include Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University’s Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Washington University.

Edward McNamara

Megan McNamara

Throughout the years, Prayers From Maria has continued to blossom in a variety of ways. Two Fields of Hope filled with sunflowers — a 42-acre garden in Avon and a 9-acre plot along the Cedar Point causeway — help spread the word about the foundation’s mission. They’ve become a destination for people from around the world who’ve lost loved ones of all ages to cancer or are dealing with the disease themselves. Visitors are invited to leave notes about what the garden means to them. There’s no admission fee, but donations are gratefully accepted.

“We love to visit the fields and talk with those who come,” Megan says.

“They share their stories of joys and sorrows with us. We don’t ask for a donation, but they give out of the goodness of their hearts. I can’t help but think there is a bigger plan at work here.”

On-site and online gift shops are filled with apparel, jewelry and home decor items emblazoned with images of Maria’s favorite flower, which has become the bright yellow beacon of hope for so many, and special events are held around Cleveland throughout the year. All proceeds support the foundation.

“What applies to a nonprofit business also applies to a for-profit one,” Edward says. “If you’re trying to build your company just by selling something, you won’t get loyalty, you won’t get dedication, you won’t get consistency. But, if you focus on the betterment of others, your company will grow naturally. It’ll be an organization that people want to be part of.”  clevelandmagazine.com/cleader

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COMMUNITY LEADER 45

My Life

By Lynne Thompson

How to Go Low-Flow

A

low-flow shower head that delivers the relaxing, refreshing experience of one manufactured before the implementation of gallons-per-minute restrictions? Anna Salerno, sales manager at Edelman, a home supply store with locations in Bedford Heights and Westlake, swears they exist. Here are a few of her favorites: Speakman Icon Shower Head (Model S-2252, $94). Salerno has the 2.5 GPM model (it’s also available with 1.75 GPM and 2.0 GPM flow rates) in her guest bathroom. It’s one of her go-to housewarming gifts for friends and relatives. “When the water comes through [the sprays], it intertwines and it mixes,” she says. “So there’s never a gap in your showering.”

Moen Four-Function Shower Head (Model 3638, $117). Salerno couldn’t tell if she was using the 1.75 or 2.5 GPM version while at a Chicago-area Aloft 46 COMMUNITY LEADER | MAY 2022

hotel. “But, it was remarkable,” she gushes, singling out the targeted or invigorating-spray setting as “sturdy” and “strong.”

Delta Universal Showering Head (Model 52687, $193). Salerno was “overwhelmingly surprised” by the blast this three-setting, 8-inch-wide rain shower head delivered at 1.75 GPM — particularly when set on the drenching spray — during a boutique-hotel stay.

“I have hair longer than my shoulders, and I had absolutely no trouble rinsing shampoo from my hair,” she says.

Hansgrohe Raindance Select (Model 26469001, $560). Salerno installed this two-setting marvel of German engineering, available in 1.5, 1.8 and 2.5 GPM options, in her own shower. She especially likes the RainAir setting.

“It’s very soothing, very calming, but yet strong enough to kind of relax your muscles,” she says. “I work out a lot. I use that feature every single morning.”

Be Proactive on Pests Spring has sprung — and a multitude of winged and multilegged pests have emerged, looking for a home to make their own. Associate certi- Bill Kirchner fied entomologist Bill Kirchner, president of Cleveland Chemical Pest Control, suggests taking some simple measures outside to make your house a less-accessible option.

Caulk and seal cracks and crevices. Doing so in early fall is particularly helpful in deterring what Kirchner calls “overwintering insects” such as Asian lady beetles, brown marmorated stink bugs and cluster flies. “In the spring, there’s a lot less ways for them to get inside,” Kirchner says.

Trim any branch overhanging or touching the house. “You can have carpenter ants in the tree, and they can walk right on the roof and get in the house,” he says. “It gives squirrels and raccoons a highway right onto the house.”

Plant flowering trees and bushes away from the house. “They may attract bees and wasps,” he warns. Subsequently, trying to mitigate the problem by sprayingan insecticide, he adds, may kill beneficial bees.

Store firewood away from the house.

Kirchner warns it can be a haven for insects such as carpenter ants. Treating it with any chemical is a no-no. “You can’t spray the firewood — you’re going to burn it,” he says.

Mulch sparingly. Kirchner advises putting down a layer no deeper than onehalf to three-fourths of an inch. “Anything heavier will hold moisture,” he says. “Then, you get all sorts of bugs.”

ISTOCK

Don’t Ignore a Bump on the Noggin Personalize Palate Pillars A muttered curse, a howl of pain, maybe a few tears — that’s the way most people respond when they hit their head. That seemingly insignificant bump, however, may require more attention than a comforting rub. It could cause a concussion, according to Dr. Michael DeGeorgia, director of neurocritical care at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. He defines the injury as “a disturbance in brain function caused by a direct or indirect blow to the head.”

“As a general rule, the higher the speed of the impact, then the greater the chance that you can have a serious underlying complication from that impact,” he says.

In rarer instances, the blow can cause a subdural hematoma, an injury in which blood accumulates between the patient’s brain and its protective covering, the dura, or an epidural hematoma, an injury in which blood accumulates between the dura and the skull. The resulting pressure compresses the delicate brain tissue.

“Either the brain herniates, and then they die,” DeGeorgia says. “Or, if they can get medical attention, then we can evacuate

those hemorrhages and pull [them] through.

That is the scariest thing Dr. Michael because, right DeGeorgia after the accident, they seem like they’re OK.” DeGeorgia recommends heading to the emergency room if you experience any of the following symptoms: persistent or severe headaches, dizziness, vision problems, clear discharge from the nose or ears, trouble with balance or gait, slurred speech, numbness, weakness on one side of the body or the other, nausea or vomiting, mood swings, trouble concentrating, amnesia, confusion or disorientation, seizures or loss of consciousness.

The best place to begin improving eating habits is the grocery store — that’s the idea behind the Personalized Nutrition Center by Heinen’s, a facility led by a medical doctor located in the supermarket chain’s Mayfield Village location. According to program manager Jamie Cole, Heinen’s Club Fx offers paid and free services focused on helping people optimize their health through whole foods/ whole food supplements and advanced vitamin therapies.

She recommends the seven “Fx pillars” that almost anyone can use as guideposts.

“Our approach is to add foods to your diet, not to take things away,” she stresses. “Your body wants to be healthy. If you start adding healthier foods, your cravings will change.”

Eat your greens, as many as you can, every day. According to center literature, they’re “highly alkalizing and detoxifying due to an abundance of chlorophyll.”

Eat the rainbow, at least one fruit and two vegetables, every day. Doing so provides a diversity of phytochemicals that “promote antioxidant activity that may reduce risk of chronic diseases: diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers,” center literature says.

Dose with omega-3 fats every day. According to center literat u re, Jamie Cole the omega-3s in specific nuts such as walnuts, seeds such as chia, their butters, animal proteins such as salmon and grassfed beef, and grass-fed dairy and plant-based nut milks “manage inflammation and are essential for brain and eye health.”

Pick your protein.

“Our recommendation is to choose plant over fish over fowl over grass-fed beef,” Cole says.

Choose whole grains, preferably sprouted. “Studies have shown that the vitamins and minerals in sprouted grains absorb better in our systems,” Cole explains.

“They’re easier to digest and lower glycemic.”

Remember functional foods: fresh herbs and fermented foods (think apple cider vinegar, miso and kombucha).

“They reduce inflammation, they support energy and mental clarity and resilience,” Cole says.

Watch your sugar and salt.

“If you follow all of the other pillars, it’s pretty easy to satisfy pillar 7,” Cole says. 

clevelandmagazine.com/cleader

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COMMUNITY LEADER 47

12,000+ BUSINESSES. STRONGER TOGETHER. We have the potential to be a Great Region on a Great Lake. All of us rowing together in the same direction to attain a shared vision. Accelerating growth, prosperity, and opportunity for all.

At the Greater Cleveland Partnership, we are all in. Are you? greatercle.com I vip@greatercle.com I 216.592.2370

As

the

popular s a y i n g goes, “Women rule the world.”

To that we say — you’re darn right. We see it around us and in the community every day.

They

are

decision-makers,

accomplished leaders and doers.

Many also balance being mentors, cheerleaders and confidants. From the front office to the front lines to the family front, they inspire us. Read on to learn more about some of the women who are making their own marks at business and at home. Their impact has and will mean better things for Northeast Ohio, and we can’t wait to see how they keep leading the pack.

clevelandmagazine.com/cleader

Photos by Angelo Merendino Hair and makeup provided by The Studio

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COMMUNITY LEADER 49

“ I’ve been able to give back to others by teaching, training and providing guidance in a very specialized industry. Ultimately, we are able to provide suggestions to clients to improve their businesses and allow them to become more successful, which benefits all of their employees.”

Embracing the all-encompassing philosophies of always acting in the best interest of her clients and being a good steward of her firm, Michelle Buckley, a mom of three, seized the opportunity to expand her professional talents MICHELLE BUCKLEY, CPA

and build a strong practice group for Benefit Plan audits. Shepherding that exponential growth during the last decade has always centered on the story behind the numbers. “People think its just an audit of a benefit plan, and it is

Vice President, Practice Leader

a commodity, but at the end of the day, its about the lives of the people those

Benefit Plan Group

numbers represent. If you have 300 people in a plan, you want to be sure that

Meaden & Moore

those 300 peoples’ funds are there for them when they retire.”

“ I have a tremendous amount of gratitude for the people who believed in me or were kind enough to give me an opportunity. With that in mind, this is a quote from Henri Frederic Amiel that I try to live by: ‘Thankfulness may consist merely of words, gratitude is shown in acts.’”

Angelina Milo and her family moved to the U.S. from Sicily when she was a young girl.

They brought their rich Italian culture and belief that the community was their extended family. “There were so many people who were just so gracious and helped us transition into the culture. My family members are strong believers in paying it forward,” says Milo, a proud mother of two who credits everything she’s accomplished to her upbringing.

Descending from a long line of entrepreneurs — and growing up working in her family’s garden center business — she learned to think like a business owner. “I’ve been a part of the entrepreneurial process growing up, and that’s what drives me professionally. How can we help solve a problem or help you sleep at night?”

50 COMMUNITY LEADER | MAY 2022

ANGELINA MILO, CPA

Vice President Tax Service Group Meaden & Moore

“ O ne thing that has always been really important to me is giving back to students and universities to try to help them find their path into opportunities in public accounting.”

An accomplished career mom of four boys, Kelli Bernstein is an inspiring cheerleader for the field of public accounting. She splits her efforts between reaching out to universities and schools in the area to expose college and KELLI A. BERNSTEIN, CPA

high school students to the widespread opportunities as a CPA, as well as mentoring young moms at her own firm who might be struggling to find the balance between the demands of work and home. “That’s something that’s

Vice President

been really important to me is to be able to stress to the younger moms —

Assurance Services Group

you can have both. It has its challenges sometimes, but as long as you stick

Meaden & Moore

with it and find that balance, it can work. It got me to where I’m at today.”

“ Everyone says, ‘Don’t sweat the small stuff,’ but I think a lot of trust is earned in some of the small stuff rather than the big-ticket items.”

It’s a team first perspective rather than individual achievements for Sarah Lynch, whose humble, collaborative nature has been the key to her success spending more than 20 years devoted to public accounting at the same employer. “It’s really the people around me who have made me successful,” she says. Embracing the philosophy that “leaders don’t create followers; they create more leaders,” Lynch has led by example and with intention. She’s on the firm’s founding Diversity,

SARAH LYNCH, CPA

Equity and Inclusion (DEI) committee and supports causes such as Girls on the Run and gives back to St. Joseph Academy and Kent State University, which were her formative learning grounds. “I have a daughter who’s going to be 16. So empowering girls and women — that’s really what drives me.”

Vice President Assurance Services Group Meaden & Moore clevelandmagazine.com/cleader

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COMMUNITY LEADER 51

“ You just look to build a coalition of the smartest, most collaborative, hardworking people, and then you get the hell out of their way.”

LEE FRIEDMAN As a young woman who wanted to make a difference in her community, Lee Friedman was fortunate to have a very broad group of mentors and civic and corporate leaders who helped her along the way. “I’ve been willing to listen and take advice. And, I was always willing to take risks,” says Friedman, who

Chief Executive Officer College Now Greater Cleveland

has run four not-for-profit organizations since 1991. Thriving on challenges, she embraced the work of building an organization, mission and business plan that resonated with the civic and philanthropic sectors, as well as corporate, government and political communities. Her other key to success? “Work with the best people in the community. Cleveland is a very, very special place to work collaboratively.”

CREDIT

52 COMMUNITY LEADER | MAY 2022

“ R alph Waldo Emerson’s quote, ‘There is no limit to what can be accomplished if it doesn’t matter who gets the credit,’ is very true.

Real leadership is servant leadership. It’s about all of us working together to accomplish a goal.”

BRENDA CALLAGHAN Brenda Callaghan does not credit just one thing to her success, but Executive Director

the work ethic instilled in her by her parents is at the top. She adds that

Home Builders Association

hanging in her office is a sign with the words, “Every Accomplishment

of Greater Cleveland

Starts with the Decision to Try.” Being a visionary who can step out of her comfort zone to leverage opportunities has also been a key to her achievements in the homebuilding industry. “I’m fortunate to work for an organization that is made up of a lot of entrepreneurs — they inspire me. Working in the housing industry for more than 25 years has been great — I still look forward to coming to work every day. I’m very passionate about this industry and about the people I work with, I think that makes all the difference in the world.”

clevelandmagazine.com/cleader

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COMMUNITY LEADER 53

“ My mother, who was a highly touted and respected educator, taught me the value of hard work, self lessness, the importance of having values and integrity and also to be both brave and courageous.”

LEE ANN O’BRIEN Chief Marketing Officer The McGregor Foundation

The first business affiliate member to become president of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Foundation, Lee Ann O’Brien has always had the ability to bring people and organizations together in a creative and innovative way. “That has led to some of the successes in my career, whether it was the hospitality industry or nonprofit organizations or what I’m doing now with the McGregor Foundation, in the realm of senior resources and services to the community.”

O’Brien also credits her good fortune of being surrounded by strong and inventive women and men throughout her life and career. “They’ve always encouraged me to continue lifelong learning lessons and to consider my own ripple effect — not just a personal legacy, but a professional legacy as well.

Whatever you agree to support or commit to, do it well and interface with others successfully because you’ll be remembered for that.”

“ I love leading my team of fundraisers by creating a culture of kindness with a strong set of goals.

We are driven by the idea that raising money for the zoo is both fun and serious work.”

Under Leta Obertacz's leadership, the Cleveland Zoological Society's advancement team has raised more than $11 million for capital projects throughout the past few years. A former performer with the elite Nets dance team and transplant from New York, she embraced Cleveland as her new "wonderfully philanthropic" hometown where she could make a big impact and get involved in the community quickly. She currently lends her talents to two nonprofits. "I love STEM education and our motto of "fail up," says the founding president of Motogo, which teaches kids confidence and problem solving through DIY motorcycle maintenance. She's also the co-vice president of EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute, which offers the formerly incarcerated opportunities in the culinary and hospitality industries. "It is important for me to serve in my community and to show my children that I believe in a life of service. It all begins with passion and building relationships."

54 COMMUNITY LEADER | MAY 2022

LETA OBERTACZ, MPA

Director of Advancement Cleveland Zoological Society

“ A s administrators, we sign a lot of documents and push a lot of paper. But, it’s really about the lives that we touch. How do we do that better?

How do we help more? No matter how much we do, there’s always more to do. You have to have the right heart to do this work.”

After graduating college during a recession, Alicia Booker struggled to find a job and fell into a temporary receptionist position at a workforce agency — the same agency she would lead as its CEO years later. Throughout that remarkable accession, Booker has never lost touch with her deep connection to the people she serves as a workforce

ALICIA BOOKER

development professional of 30 years. “I don’t know how you could do this work and not feel for the people who you work for, and that’s kind of what I’ve carried with me

Vice President

throughout my career. When you change someone’s life for the better, it will impact

Manufacturing Center of Excellence

them and their children. We can really see change happen over time, and I think that’s

Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C)

critically important to the work that we do, especially at a community college.”

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COMMUNITY LEADER 55

The Reflecting Pond at the Cleveland Museum of Art

By Thom Sheridan

56 COMMUNITY LEADER | MAY 2022

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