Community Leader - November 2022

Hall of Fame

Kurt Russell Sean Watterson Michelle Carandang Ramonita Vargas Ron Soeder

COLUMNS

16 Business Concepts that are Becoming Myths

Pat Perry urges readers to reconsider what matters in business.

UPFRONT

5 TUFF Gets Going

Uniform Funding Foundation provides sports gear for underserved youth teams.

BY TERRY TROY

6 Swing Clinic Offers the Right Rx

The 32nd annual LCCC Jack Nicklaus golf outing raises more than $125,000.

TERRY TROY

8 Changing of the Guard

Meet the new leader of Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity.

BY ALEX EMERSON

Spreading Joy

See You at the Top helps participants gain more exposure to the great outdoors.

CHRISTINA EASTER

Vitamix Celebrates Its Heritag e

A new museum tracks the company’s development and rich history.

BY TERRY TROY

COSE Celebrates

Years

The small business arm of the Greater Cleveland Partnership applauds its 12,000 members.

BY TERRY TROY

COMMUNITY

Find out what

TERRY TROY

Learn about

JONATHAN BEARD

Hammett’s

department.

BUSINESS

64 Learning to Earn

Discover how to make the most of your college education and prepare for the future.

BY THE EDITORS

67 High Flying Insight

Check out some practical travel advice from Sky Quest’s CEO.

BY JILL SELL

68 Growing Private Business

JILL SELL

JILL SELL

LINDA FEAGLER

TERRY TROY

HW&Co.’s services help fledgling and established businesses alike.

BY JILL SELL

70 Embracing a Nurturing Culture

See how Oswald is helping foster work/life balance.

BY THERESA NEUHOFF

A Pathway Forward

Nurses are in high demand, and opportunities abound.

BY JILL SELL

Ursuline’s Banner Year

Discover why

BY TERRY TROY

LINDA FEAGLER

JOANNE CAHILL

LINDA FEAGLER

DILLON STEWART

LYNNE THOMPSON

Something Important Missing in “Learn to Earn” Education

Undergraduate collegiate enrollment is down 660,000 in the U.S. this year. COVID-19 has not helped, nor has the high cost of getting a degree. However, according to educators who talked to us about a story on this subject (see page 64), a major reason for the decline in enrollment is the rise of what is called the “learn to earn” student. In other words, if a student cannot see a lucrative career at the end of their education, they will pass.

This should come as no surprise to educators or parents. This trend is just another example of what our country has become — a nation that cares more about making money than the people who make it.

Numerous statistics support this truth. Here are two:

In 2016, the richest one-tenth of 1% of Americans owned as much wealth as the bottom 90% put together.

Of adults born in the early 1940s, 90% of them earned more than their parents when they reached their prime earning years. For adults born in the early 1980s, that figure has dropped to 50%.

With statistics like these facing parents, it’s no wonder why our children are looking for lucrative careers

So what’s the problem? The answer is “nothing” if along the way they learn about how our country got to where it is today and the responsibility they have in making it better, not worse. It is a big problem if students know next to nothing about the values held by those who came before them.

Most economists trace our country’s rush for gold to 1980. If we accept that date as the beginning of the decline of teaching subjects such as civics, history, social studies and humanities — that means our children and grandchildren have lost 42 years of knowledge and understanding of the values for which Americans have fought and died.

When former President Bill Clinton visited Cleveland, his message to the audience was, “We need to get back in the dream business.” Today, there is no question we need to stop dreaming and, “get back in the civics business.”

If there is one lesson the study of civics teaches, it is that people are more important than money and when they join together in pursuit of common goals, they can achieve just about anything.

Executive

Managing

Lute Harmon Sr.

Troy

Jennifer Bowen Sima

Ann-Marie Vazzano

Rayanne Medford

Tom Abate

Lecia Landis

Stacy Mallardi-Stajcar Megan Rosta

Contributing

Jonathan Beard Karen Learner Beis

Joanne Cahill

Christina Easter

Alex Emerson

Linda Feagler

Rachel Hagenbaugh

Kristen Hampshire Theresa Neuhoff

Pat Perry

Bob Sandrick

Jill Sell

Colleen Smitek Lynne Thompson

Contributing

Associate

Vice President,

Senior

Ken Blaze Brian Hart Thom Sheridan

Denise Polverine

Paul Klein

Sarah Desmond

Tiffany Myroniak

Julie Bialowas

Galloway

Radish

Alyson Moutz Cowan

Cleveland

Ohio Magazine

Lake Erie

730, Cleveland, OH 44115 (216) 771-2833

781-6318

A PART OF THEbigger picture

For more than a century, Greater Clevelanders like you have supported the arts, education, health, neighborhoods, the economy and so much more. You see the bigger picture of what our community can—and should—be. Invest in the future by partnering with the Cleveland Foundation to make your greatest charitable impact. (877) 554-5054

TUFF Gets Going

It’s a popular sports witticism. But in this case, with a small change, it is quite apropos: When the going gets tough, TUFF gets going.

Founded in 2018 by Adam Shibley, TUFF (an acronym for The Uniform Fund ing Foundation) helps disadvantaged and underserved youth sports teams by donat ing uniforms and other equipment.

“During my sophomore year at Michigan, I decided I wanted to make a bigger difference in the community using the platform I had as a Division I college football player,” says Shib ley, who played linebacker for the maize and blue, as well as Notre Dame. “It sparked an idea that I had while playing for St. Ignatius. I would be driving back home from school, or I would be heading in for an early morning workout, and there would be these kids on the street trying to raise money for uniforms and equipment for their upcoming youth sports seasons. I was a kid from the suburbs who never had to worry about the money that was funding my sports program or the uniforms that were bought every year.”

Shibley also came to the realization that uniforms held an innate power to truly strengthen a team’s unity, confidence and identity. So, he founded TUFF, a founda tion with an executive team comprised of mostly student athletes who provide uni forms, equipment and mentorship to under served youth athletes playing football, as well as boys and girls basketball.

The donations have a positive impact on the morale of youth sports teams, as well as the communities in which they are located.

“We put on these events as enterprise donations for these teams,” Shibley says.

“The kids have no idea it’s coming, but their family members come out and their head coaches help bring it all together,” he says.

This past summer, TUFF helped the Slavic Village Bears and the Pal 6 Red Dogs that play in the Cleveland Muny Youth Football League, as well as other youth and high school sports teams in the area.

says. “He helped us raise and donate over $75,000 in equipment, new uniforms and a new scoreboard.”

Shibley is starting to gain recognition for his efforts. Kevin Warren, commissioner of the Big Ten Conference, saw what TUFF was doing last summer. With the inception of the Big Ten Foundation earlier this summer, Shibley joined the organization as a George and Viola Taliaferro fellow. He will meet with Warren on a regular basis to help build the Big Ten Foundation, which will also be working with underserved communities.

Shibley will serve as a project manager to research how the foundation should move forward. But he also says he will continue his work with TUFF.

The efforts of TUFF have not gone unno ticed. NFL players are reaching out with offers of donations, funds and partnerships. Major sports announcers and personalities such as Adam Schefter and Gus Johnson are also getting involved.

“Gus Johnson of Fox Sports helped fund his youth program in Detroit,” Shibley

“It’s really crazy how much success we have had in such a short amount of time,” he says. “Even though I am full time with the Big Ten, I also have plans to expand TUFF into other communities like Atlanta, Boston and Charlotte next year.”

If you would like to donate, go to gettuff.org.

The Uniform Funding Foundation provides sports gear for underserved youth teams.

YOUTH SUPPORT // BY TERRY TROY

We are continuously working to prevent equipment costs and participation fees from being the reason youth student athletes cannot play.”

ADAM SHIBLEY

Swing Clinic Offers the Right Rx

It’s an annual event that provides a ton of fun while helping a lot of deserving students. The 32nd annual Jack Nick laus Scholarship Golf Benefit held earlier this summer at the Elyria Country Club raised more than $125,000, with 136 golfers taking to the links. All pro ceeds from the event went directly to the Jack Nicklaus Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarship support to Lorain County Community College (LCCC) and LCCC University Partnership students.

“This year marked the 32nd annual Jack Nicklaus Scholarship Golf Benefit. Since its founding, the Jack Nicklaus Scholarship Fund has provided more than 1,000 LCCC and University Partnership students with scholarships,” says Lisa Brown, director of the LCCC Foundation (LCCCF). “This level of support is espe cially impactful, as we know that more than 70% of LCCC students need some form of financial assistance in order to attend college. We are incredibly grateful for the longstanding support of the com munity and dedicated golf committee, guests and volunteers that make this event such a tremendous success.”

“At Lorain County Community College, we believe that every student’s dream

The 32nd annual LCCC Jack Nicklaus golf outing raises more than $125,000.

COURTESY

LORAIN COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Left to Right: The winning team — Ryan and Kaitlin Flanigan, Greg Trenchard and Dan Gunderth (not pictured)

Philip Amos (member of the LCCCF board of directors) hits his golf ball out of a trap.

matters,” adds Marcia J. Ballinger, Ph.D., president of LCCC. “Generous scholarship support from the LCCC Foundation, including the Jack Nicklaus Scholarship, helps students overcome barriers and reach their goals.”

The presenting sponsor for this year’s event was the Tyrell Family Foundation.

“From a timing standpoint, we were in an excellent position to go ahead and fund the event,” says Tom Tyrrell, who heads the Tyrell Family Foundation with his wife, Dianne. “We believe very much in what LCCC has done and the fact that they are one of the premier community colleges in the nation. But we are also really impressed with how they work with the country to help build programs that allow students to get a degree in a shorter amount of time and with less money.

Co-chairs for this year’s event included: Kent Hageman, senior vice president at Morgan Stanley; Don Knechtges, president of Business Visions Inc.; and Todd Som mer, owner of Sommer’s Mobile Leasing.

“While the scholarship relief for the students is the most important aspect of this outing, it is really just an awesome event — especially having Jimmy Hanlin affiliated with the event,” says Hageman.

“Jimmy brought three of his co-hosts, who hit shots for each of the foursomes,” adds Knechtges. “If anyone hit inside of their shot, they received a prize. They really are great golf personalities and great golfers.”

In addition to various television chan nels featuring golf programming, Jimmy Hanlin’s Swing Clinic can be seen during rain delays for Cleveland Guardians games. Hanlin brought along Swing Clinic hosts Alexandra O’Laughlin, Claire Hogle and Caroline Collins.

“We also had a special recognition for Judge Cirigliano called our Founder’s Award,” says Knechtges. “He was the person, back in 1990, our first year, who contacted Jack Nicklaus and asked him to get involved.”

Outside of events sponsored directly by the Jack Nicklaus Foundation, the LCCC Jack Nicklaus Golf Outing is the only event that is allowed to carry the famous golfer’s name.

Left to Right: Don Knechtges, Ingrid Knechtges, (golf professional) Jimmy Hanlin, Dianne Tyrrell, Tom Tyrrell and Marcia J. Ballinger

Left to Right: Alexandra O’Laughlin (golf professional), the Honorable Judge Joseph E. Cirigliano (founder of the event), Claire Hogle and Caroline Collins  (golf professionals and hosts of Swing Clinic)

LEADERSHIP // BY ALEX EMERSON

John Litten is the new face of Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit dedicated to building and refurbishing homes. Litten took the reins as president and CEO of the organization at the begin ning of October.

He joins Habitat for Humanity after serving as executive director at the West Side Catholic Center since 2017. Previ ously, he served as executive director of the Diocese of Cleveland St. Vincent

Litten credits his leadership skills to the people with which he’s worked.

“There is, of course, John Habat, the current CEO at Habitat. We’ve become fast friends, and I’ve learned from him. A nun — Sister Rita Mary Hartwood — this gentle, small giant who probably worked 80-hour weeks at the Diocese of Cleveland and did so much to impact and help immi grant communities in Cleveland,” Litten recounts. “Father Jim O’Donnell. He was once asked how to effect change. Everyone

Litten says. “There’s a lot of opportunities in our community with things like the American Rescue Plan Act and other resources to do just that.”

The American Rescue Plan Act is a COVID-19 relief bill passed in 2021, which also allocates money to low-in come housing programs, of which Habitat for Humanity is a part.

Litten continues, “The current CEO and I have approved a 400-home plan over the next four years that includes building new homes and rehabbing homes, and that’s a plan I’m on board with and would look for ways to fund and enhance.”

Litten says he takes pride in the orga nization because of the impact it has on his community.

– John Litten

de Paul Society and was the director of Camp Christopher. According to Litten, these experiences gave him the talents required to lead an organization like Habitat for Humanity.

“I think my skills [are] on the lead ership and management side of things, and I like lending that to things that I care about — things with a good, pure mission,” Litten says. “For me, it’s just been enriching to give back to the com munity in a meaningful way and use the talents that I’ve learned from people over the years.”

got quiet waiting for a profound response, and he simply said, ‘It takes a sustained presence over time.’ You just have to be consistent, and you have to be there for people, and I feel like I’ve been able to work for places that serve as that pillar.”

Plans for the Future

Litten’s plans for Habitat for Humanity are to continue the organization’s momentum.

“The organization is on a wonderful trajectory toward building and rehabbing as many homes as possible, and that’s a trajectory I’d like to continue upward,”

“I’ve worked for some great organiza tions in leadership over the last 15 years, and I’ve always sought the means to be the most impactful — to effect the most change. What I like most about Habitat is that on the surface, Habitat looks like an organization that’s simply building and fixing up homes, but it’s really building neighborhoods and building communities. It’s connecting people with each other,” he says.

“I’m also a councilman in Lakewood, and I’ve seen the benefit of block clubs and communities where people know each other and get along — know where the old lady lives and shovel her drive way,” he adds. “All of those things are interconnected. It helps me to recognize that in Habitat, we get an opportunity to build that.”

Meet the new leader of Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity. Changing of the Guard

The organization is on a wonderful trajectory toward building and rehabbing as many homes as possible, and that’s a trajectory I’d like to continue upward.”

Spreading Joy

Spreading the joy of the great outdoors can also be an elixir for the soul, especially when you live in the city.

See You at the Top (SYATT) is a lead ing organization in Cleveland that gets youth into outdoor activities year-round in Northeast Ohio and in other states. The organization was created in 2009 by Marcia Hood and her two daughters, Erika and Ebony Hood, known as TeamHood.

SYATT has made its mission to get more African Americans to go skiing, diving, hiking, biking and camping. As a part of that mission, SYATT has established partnerships with local and national organizations and governments to facilitate exposing its partic ipants to the tops of mountains, bottoms of oceans and everywhere in between.

After starting her own family, Marcia and her husband traveled with their daughters across the country, pulling over whenever they saw a national park or monument. The tradition has passed to a third generation as her grandchildren get their national park passport book stamped at each stop along the family road trip.

Through SYATT, Ebony showcases her interest in environmental advocacy. During events and activities, she brings awareness to visible signs of failing infrastructure, discusses who pays for the maintenance and highlights sustainable solutions for which people should advocate.

“I use outdoor events as teachable moments because while people have heard

of infrastructure, they do not know what it all means,” she says.

Growing Partnerships

SYATT meets its goals by growing part nerships that work. One of SYATT’s early partners was Canalway Partners (CP), a nonprofit organization that spearheads projects and programs within the Ohio and Erie Canalway National Heritage Area of Cuyahoga County.

“SYATT and CP primarily partner to bring people to cycle along the Towpath Trail and help with the River Sweep,” says Mera Cardenas, executive director for CP.

During the pandemic, SYATT coordi nated a bike ride along the Towpath Trail in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. More than 40 people participated.

“We use our cultural connections with participants to make our engagement with them fun, relevant and something people crave,” Erika says.

However, SYATT is also aware that the U.S. National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service see meager participation from African Americans at facilities.

In 2017, SYATT partnered with the Tennessee Aquatic Project (TAP), Just Add Water in Northeast Ohio and Collective Approach to Restoring Our Ecosystem

(CARES) to get African American youth certified as scuba divers. CARES does citizen science for reef systems, which trains divers to observe what’s in the water, identify species that live in the water and understand how the ecosystem has changed throughout the years.

Just Add Water was instrumental in getting Ebony and Erika to become certified scuba divers.

“We became certified to help lead the youth here in Cleveland,” Ebony says. Since 2017, 12 participants have earned their scuba diving certifications.

In 2020, SYATT began thinking about how grassroots organizations can share resources to engage more African Ameri cans in outdoor activities. This led to the creation of a national organization called Get Black Outside (GBO), which allows these organizations to come together and share information on programming, funding and outdoor activities expertise. GBO then partnered with the U.S. Forest Service, which manages more than 193 million acres of land, and its freshwater snorkeling program.

“We looked at our network and deter mined which forests might be prepared to bring out a group of 30 to 40 individ uals to snorkel, camp and engage in other

Left to Right: Erika, Marcia and Ebony Hood

See You at the Top helps participants gain more exposure to the great outdoors.

recreational activities as part of GBO,” says Kimberly Winter, program manager for the U.S. Forest Service.

“The Forest Service also looked at its freshwater snorkel curriculum to see how to use it for different audiences,” says Antoi nette Davis, natural resource specialist at the Ocala National Forest. After learning about the partnership with SYATT, Davis “massaged the program” to get African Americans out into the forests.

Another important part of SYATT’s mission is for participants to see them selves and people who look like themselves participating in recreational and outdoor activities. Timothy McCall Jr., of Shaker Heights, wanted to join the snowboarding group in high school, but no one looked like him. Then he discovered SYATT, and the adventures began.

“I will always consider SYATT family because they were the first ones to take me out of the country,” McCall says. “We

– Erika Hood

received surfing lessons and learned about waste management while in Costa Rica.”

Gerald King began rock climbing with SYATT in 2010 at age 10. Next, he ran marathons and engaged in other activities, including bike riding, tennis and skiing.

“The first time I went skiing, I loved it,” says King, who has gone on to receive his black diamond certification, a level of skiing that allows him to ski on any slope or hill at any ski resort. Since turning 18, King also has served as a leader during SYATT events and assisted with keeping count of

participants, keeping track of equipment, mentoring and training youth to ski.

Brothers Jiovanni and Johan Rosario began taking snowboarding lessons with SYATT in 2017. They later joined the scuba diving program and became certified divers.

“They are a great trio,” says Jiovanni of the three women of SYATT. “Being able to work at SYATT while working and raising their children is amazing.”

During the next five years, SYATT plans to expand its scuba diving program by deepening its international relationships and citizen science programs, which include science, technology, engineering and math ematics (STEM).

“We have preliminary relationships in other communities where the climate crisis will become more prevalent,” Ebony says. “As we change, we want to make more youth cohorts so we can [make] those relationships with other communi ties even deeper.”

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We use our cultural connections with participants to make our engagement with them fun, relevant and something people crave.”

Vitamix Celebrates Its Heritage

through the consumption of plant-based whole foods. Vitamix is still committed to whole food health through the continu ous innovation of next-generation blending machines that make nutrition easy, efficient and delicious for people at home or in pro fessional kitchens.

It was a celebration of everything Vita mix. This summer, the company’s employees, retirees, board members and members of its founding family came together to celebrate the grand opening of the Barnard Homestead, Vitamix Museum and new event center in Olmsted Township. With more than 600 people in attendance, it was a fitting tribute to the venerable Ohio brand, which was founded by the Barnard family more than 100 years ago.

The Barnard family’s passion for whole food nutrition started after discovering a natural solution for a family member’s chronic illness. The family became vegetar ians, cutting sugar and caffeine from their diets. After seeing the benefits from that life style change, they became believers in the power of whole foods.

By the late 1930s, the Barnard family ded icated themselves to healthy eating as a part of their life’s work. The family’s mail-order

“Our goal going forward is to tap into the vast potential of the brand by infusing creative energy and an innovative mindset into our greatest asset — our workforce,” Laserson adds. “That is how we will con tinue to grow and meet our mission of pro moting health and wellness.”

A Stroll Back in Time

The Vitamix Museum displays more than 100 years of artifacts honoring the compa ny’s roots. The museum pays homage to its visionaries and invites attendees to experi ence the company’s story firsthand. As vis itors enter the museum, they immediately begin a walk through time that starts in the original corporate building that dates back to 1948. All four galleries in the museum provide a historical view into the company’s roots in Olmsted Township, its commitment to whole food health, product and market ing innovation and a look into the future.

The Barnard Homestead, accessible to Barnard family members and Vitamix employees and on a limited basis to the pub lic, houses family artifacts and exhibits that tell the story of the Barnard family through out the years.

“Vitamix has grown to be an iconic brand with an impressive legacy,” says Steve Laserson. “It started in 1921 with one pur pose: to improve health and well-being by making it easy, fun and delicious for every one to live healthier lives. That commitment to whole food health, product development and marketing innovation continues today, as we’ve grown to serve customers in more than 130 countries.”

health and vitamin business grew into the Natural Foods Institute. When Papa Bar nard, the family patriarch, recognized that a powerful blender could make healthy foods taste great, the Vitamix was created.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Vitamix worked hard to educate the public about the differences between calories and nutri tion. Today, the Vitamix Foundation pur sues the elimination of diet-driven illnesses

The event center, with a capacity of 90-plus people, was built from the compa ny’s historic log cabin, which was the first addition to the corporate headquarters in 1950. The space features an atrium with beautifully crafted overhanging glass — it’s where modern meets vintage and is currently available for Vitamix company events only.

In addition to opening the new facilities at the ribbon cutting ceremony, employees received recognition awards, and there were tours of the Barnard Homestead and Vita mix Museum.

A new museum tracks the company’s development and rich history.

Left to Right: Robin Dieterich (archivist), John Barnard (executive chairman of the board), Steve Laserson (CEO), Greg Teed (president) and Jodi Berg (executive adviser and former president and CEO)

COSE Celebrates 50 Years

The small business arm of Greater Cleveland Partnership applauds its 12,000 members.

It was a celebration of grit, determina tion, advocacy and passion 50 years in the making. Most of all, it was an event that honored the entrepreneurship of its more than 12,000 members.

The Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE), the small business arm of Greater Cleveland Partnership (GCP), celebrated its 50th anniversary this summer at Cleve land’s Public Auditorium.

Since its founding in 1972, COSE has supported, represented and promoted entre preneurship. It offers its members network ing and educational opportunities, advo cacy on legislative and regulatory issues, navigation to small business resources and access to cost-saving programs that have positively impacted members’ bottom lines.

“COSE’s mission is to help small busi nesses succeed, and we couldn’t do that without the many volunteer leaders who have stewarded the organization over the years and our partners who have worked collaboratively with us to invest in advanc ing small business throughout our region,” says Megan Kim, executive director of COSE. “This celebration isn’t just about COSE. It’s about the small business owners — those who take the risks and pursue their dreams, those who give their time and sup port to other entrepreneurs and those who

TOP: COSE executive director Megan Kim presents a group of past COSE chairs and the current COSE chair with awards for their impact on COSE and the business community.

LEFT TO RIGHT: Megan Kim, Michael Stanek, Kevin Johnson, John G. Young, John W. Young, Keith Ashmus, Sharon Toerek, Rion Safier, Robert C. Smith, Eric Tolbert, Brad Roller, Louis Licata and Jeanne Coughlin

BOTTOM: Baiju R. Shah, president and CEO of Greater Cleveland Partnership, gives remarks during COSE’s 50th anniversary celebration.

drive us to keep working harder to ensure small businesses thrive.”

From its humble beginnings as a grass roots response to a trucker strike, COSE has grown into one of the nation’s largest and most effective business organizations.

“Our goal, as it was in the 70s, is to bring you together for support, for advocacy, for navigation, for camaraderie and for the best ways to more effectively run your business,” Kim noted in her address to the crowd of more than 300 who came to celebrate the event. “This is your community.

“Together we, and by that I mean all the businesses in this room, are powerful, and we are so important to our state’s economy. In Ohio, small businesses made up 99.6% of all businesses in 2021. And nearly 1 million small businesses employed 45% of Ohioans in 2021. Small businesses matter, and that is something worth celebrating yesterday, today and tomorrow.”

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Small Business Administration regional administrator Geri Aglipay (left) and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (middle) engage in a discussion moderated by COSE chair Tim Opsitnick (right) about the importance of small businesses in driving the economy.

MICHAEL COLLIER;

COURTESY GREATER

CLEVELAND

“It’s been my experience that groups like COSE make a difference,” says Baiju R. Shah, GCP’s president and CEO. “For 50

years, this organization’s mission has been supporting small business. The business model for success, as the founders of COSE

knew, is that together we are stronger … Small businesses employ nearly half of all Ohioans and nearly half of all Clevelanders, so growing small busi ness is essential to our region’s growth and prosperity. That’ why COSE is such a critical platform for the GCP, and why COSE members are vital to our all-in mission to create a great region on a Great Lake.”

Tim Opsitnick, COSE board chair, also addressed the crowd.

“Not everyone can be a small busi ness owner,” he said. “We are risk takers and rebels and go-getters; great passion, integrity and hard work are our mantra. I’ve been asked many times what it is like to be a small business owner and entre preneur. And I typically respond that it is like jumping off a cliff and assembling the flying machine on the way down. Every day is full of unique challenges.”

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The Spazmatics perform during COSE’s 50th anniversary celebration.

Business Concepts that are Becoming Myths

are acquired. Fast growth is fun to hear about, but it’s incredibly difficult to success fully manage. Few companies do it really well, and those that do tend to be at the top of their industry. In pursuit of great talent, organizations on the fast track are well advised to pay a lot of attention to maintain ing a terrific work culture. Otherwise, they may end up being a “one-hit wonder.”

COVID-19, social media, techno logical advancements, climate change, economic challenges, workplace related legislation and generational differences in the work place are just some of the dynamics that are affecting every size business across all industries. As a result, many traditional business practices, ideas and programs are becoming extinct, making way for new, innovative and adaptive business mod els that increase the probability of suc cess in this ever-changing environment. Long-held business beliefs are evaporat ing quickly. Meanwhile, new perspectives are evolving relative to success and work.

Here are a few traditional beliefs that are radically changing:

BIGGER IS BETTER: No longer is it a guarantee that big companies are great com panies. Small and midsize businesses have experienced an epiphany, realizing that they can be more nimble, adaptive and creative than the “big guys.”

In addition, top-performing candidates interviewing for open positions are seeking great work experiences regardless of orga nizational size, not just eyeing a “name brand” company to add to their resumes.

TITLE REFLECTS PER FORMANCE: There was a time when employees assumed that anyone with a senior corporate title was competent, a top performer and a leader. It was an era of unquestioned authority. Times have changed. Today, everything is questioned — and it should be. People occupying positions with management titles need to earn the title, not just be given a title and expect peo ple to follow their lead. Titles now equate to credibility, and if that is shattered, top per formers have little to no use for executives who do not do their jobs exceedingly well.

FAST GROWTH COMPA NIES ARE GREAT WORKPLACES: The media loves to cover businesses with high growth rates, including those that merge or

HOURS REFLECT HARD WORK AND LOYALTY: Top performers dismissed this traditional view a long time ago. They understand that hard work and loyalty equate to results regardless of the hours it took to achieve those results. Smart corporate leadership has also bought into this fact and started focusing on what really matters to the organization and employees. Enlightened leadership no lon ger correlates time worked with company commitment. The 40-hour work week, two-day weekend and traditional eighthour workday are all being questioned as hybrid work schedules are quickly becom ing the standard at many workplaces.

CUSTOMERS COME

FIRST: This may be a won derful marketing concept, but it’s not realistic. If com panies prioritize customers at all costs, they will lose great employees along the way. When that happens, customer service suffers greatly. Conversely, great work places that put employees and their

Forget what you thought you knew about business to understand what matters now.

HUMAN RESOURCES // BY PAT PERRY

families first create incredibly strong engagement between top performers and the company. That’s when customer ser vice actually skyrockets.

STRETCH PAYMENTS:

The policy of stretching pay ments to vendors is archaic.

Once looked at as smart financial management, it is now a black eye to companies that want to collect quickly and pay out slowly. More and more organi zations prefer to do business with companies that pay on time. If your company really has to stretch payments, you may have bigger operational issues that are putting pressures on your cash flow. Please do not punish your vendors due to your organization’s inability to effectively run the business.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BOTTOM LINE: This one is a tough concept to swallow. Companies that are primar ily focusing on their vision, strategy, mis sion, top-talent attraction and retention, quality and “WOW” customer service find that extraordinary financial results are the natural by-products of a well-run business. Companies still believing the bottom line is the end-all find they are becoming part of an endangered species.

EMPLOYEES NEED TO BE COMPANY LOYAL:

The tables have turned on this once traditional concept. Today, employees expect their organiza tional leadership to show employees that

management is loyal to them. Employees, especially top performers, have recognized that the organization needs them more than they need the organization.

Today’s constant change is the only thing not changing. Stubbornly hanging on to the old ways of doing things is a one-way street to business failure. Conversely, being proac tive and adapting well to change increases the odds of personal and organizational suc cess. And that is no myth.

Pat Perry is host of the national Success Wave podcast, business book author, key note speaker, former ERC president, colum nist, NEO Business Hall of Fame member and was named to the 2022 Cleveland 500

act fast, so your business can,

The Business Hall of Fame inductions started in 1996 as a Bicentennial project with the city of Cleveland designed to celebrate the achievements of the men and women who helped shape our city. Since then, we have continued to celebrate the work of the leaders among us. These inductees have achieved career success that is impossi ble to overlook. Throughout their careers they have built and supported our communities as titans of the business world.

In addition, the health of our region depends as much on the leaders running our nonprofit organizations, community programs and breakthrough initiatives as it does our corporate citizens. That’s what the Community Leader of the Year Awards celebrate. These recipients have made a significant impact in the categories of arts, education, public service/government, diversity and inclusion, environment, nonprofit organizations or sustainability.

This year, we once again honor the leaders who are making a difference one landmark decision, impactful idea or mis sion-based endeavor at a time.

NASCAR AND THE NASCAR FOUNDATION CONGRATULATE MATT KAULIG INDUCTION INTO THE NORTHEAST OHIO BUSINESS HALL OF FAME

NASCAR AND THE NASCAR FOUNDATION CONGRATULATE MATT KAULIG ON HIS INDUCTION INTO THE NORTHEAST OHIO BUSINESS HALL OF FAME

Matt’s dedication to business, his passion for sports, and his philanthropic spirit make him a deserving recipient of this honor.

Matt’s dedication to business, his passion for sports, and his philanthropic spirit make him a deserving recipient of this honor.

Matt gives tirelessly to many endeavors which include his “Trophy Hunting” in the sport of NASCAR. Matt has established his race team as a winning multi-car organization in both the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series. This passion is also evident through the many philanthropic efforts that he and his wife, Lisa, champion throughout Northeast Ohio and across the country.

Matt’s enthusiasm is contagious and leaves our community better because of his involvement.

Matt gives tirelessly to many endeavors which include his success at “Trophy Hunting” in the sport of NASCAR. Matt has established his race team as a winning multi-car organization in both the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series. This passion is also evident through the many philanthropic efforts that he and his wife, Lisa, champion throughout Northeast Ohio and across the country. Matt’s enthusiasm is contagious and leaves our community better because of his involvement.

Ready for the Win

With Matt Kaulig at the helm, Kaulig Cos. — and the man himself — have made big marks in the community.

By Dillon Stewart

Quarterbacks are almost always the leaders of a football team. Why? The position calls for certain skills: au thority in the huddle to communicate the play call, decisiveness in throw ing the ball to an open receiver, the ability to inspire when the chips are stacked against the team and a short memory when things go wrong. For the same reasons, quarter backs often make great leaders off the field too.

“When you’re on the field, you need a quick thinker and some one who is decisive, clear cut and

straightforward, and that definite ly translates into who [Matt Kaulig] is as our leader at Kaulig Cos.,” says Stacey Langal, vice president of philanthropy at Kaulig Cos. “He em powers us to go forward and do our work without micromanaging.”

Kaulig was a quarterback, playing four seasons of Division 1 football at the University of Akron. Today, as ex ecutive chairman of Kaulig Cos., he quarterbacks 142 employees and a family of five companies. Those same skills that made him successful on the football field have propelled him to

extraordinary heights as a business man and philanthropist.

“It’s all leadership,” he says. “Be ing a quarterback in college made me comfortable in a leadership role and having people follow me.”

Kaulig started LeafFilter in 2005 in the basement of his Stow home. Leaf Filter Gutter Protection is now a brand under the parent company Leaf Home, along with Leaf Home Water Solutions and Leaf Home Safety Solutions, which offers “aging in place” consumer prod ucts such as walk-in bathtubs, wheel chair ramps, stairlifts and handrails.

With a revenue of $1.1 billion in 2020 and 117 offices, the company is one of North America’s largest direct-to-con sumer home product companies.

But Kaulig Cos. has grown beyond Leaf Home. Today, Kaulig calls Hudson home, as does his single-member fami ly offices in a series of complexes along Georgetown Road. Within a series of open-concept workspaces — modern with glass-door offices, financial tick ers streaming across the wall, stocked breakrooms with full kitchens and a so phisticated multimedia space — Kaulig Cos. has tentacles in media, financial services, philanthropy, sports, enter tainment, events and marketing.

The company’s involvement in sports has probably been most notable as of late. Kaulig Racing has been #TrophyHunt ing since launching in 2015, and the team of eight drivers has racked up nearly 20 wins in NASCAR’s Cup Series and Xfin ity Series. In July, Kaulig Cos. signed a deal to take over as title sponsor of the Se nior Players Championship and keep the tournament at Akron’s Firestone Coun try Club through 2023. In June, a group of investors led by investor David Blitzer and including Kaulig bought a 25% own ership share in the Cleveland Guardians.

A rare opportunity, the ownership of the Guardians is a result of the Kaulig Foundation and Kaulig Giving, a wing of Kaulig’s company that perhaps means just a bit more to Kaulig than the rest of his endeavors.

“When we do philanthropy, we like to get involved in a big way,” he says. “Most ly because it’s fun and we care about the city. But we’re also able to help with the organization, teach them how to raise more money and run things like a busi ness. We’re not just writing checks.”

Kaulig’s relationship with the Cleve land Guardians started organically when a call about suite tickets turned into an opportunity to present the annu al giveathon. Since 2018, the weeklong fundraiser has raised more than $1 mil lion for Cleveland Metropolitan School

District and the city of Cleveland recre ation department’s youth baseball and softball programs.

“We just fell in love with everyone, from the ownership to the players to the people working in the ballpark,” he says. “Most of them have been there for years, and they like being there.”

Many, if not most, of Kaulig’s causes have some personal connection.

Akron, specifically the University of Akron, holds a special place in Kaulig’s heart. After being born in Columbus and raised in Cincinnati, Kaulig moved to Chicago. An injury during his senior year of high school limited the young quarterback’s college options, but the University of Akron’s football program took a chance on him. Not only did the school bring him back to his beloved Ohio; it introduced him to his wife, Lisa.

It inspired the couple to start Samantha’s Gift of Hope, a charity that offers mone tary support to couples in need of an IVF procedure. So far 14 babies have been born. Similarly, after Samantha spent time in the neonatal intensive care unit upon birth, Kaulig and his family par ticipated in charitable walks for the Ak ron Children’s Hospital’s NICU unit. His company also heads the NASCAR Foun dation’s Speediatrics Fun Day Festival, which raises money for children’s medical and health care services.

In all, Kaulig has given to more than 200 nonprofits. Langal, who has worked in nonprofits for more than 20 years, including 15 leading the local chap ter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, says a businesslike approach to philan thropy makes all of the difference for Kaulig Giving. When considering a phil

So Kaulig has found ways to give back to the school and community. Most no tably, Kaulig Cos. built a state-of-the-art media center at LeBron James’ I Prom ise School and bought its at-risk students school supplies. Kaulig has also funded the University of Akron’s football team and other athletic programs as a spokes man in commercials and by hiring more than 100 alumni from his alma mater.

After six years of trying to get preg nant, the Kauligs turned to in vitro fer tilization (IVF). Three rounds of IVF lat er, Lisa finally became pregnant in 2007 with Samantha, now a freshman in high school who participates in theater and band. However successful, the process was harrowing and expensive — modern procedures can cost as much as $40,000.

anthropic partnership, the company ensures it not only matches the Kaulig mission but also that donation dollars are making a difference — not just fund ing an exorbitant event budget.

“Lisa and Matt Kaulig want to stay in the space of being uplifting and provid ing hope and opportunity,” says Langal. “He doesn’t want to just write a check. He loves to be hands-on.”

Kaulig has seen how giving back has created a culture of positivity through out his company. Now, as his company’s local impact grows, Kaulig hopes that culture can permeate Northeast Ohio.

“This is where we’re from,” says Kaulig. “So since we’re here, we give back to the community and help it grow. Somebody has to step up and help.”

“When you’re on the field, you need a quick thinker and someone who is decisive, clear cut and straightforward, and that definitely translates into who [Matt Kaulig] is as our leader at Kaulig Cos.”

— Stacey Langal

Becoming Better Partners

As managing partner of law firm Thompson Hine, Deborah Read refined the practice to better work for its clients and employees.

By Lynne Thompson

Deborah Read knew from her research that clients were becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the way legal services were delivered. Gone were the days when they were content to let lawyers handle matters however they saw fit.

“The clients said, ‘Wait a minute. Nobody in the world buys anything like that,’” she says.

When Read became firm wide managing partner of business law firm Thompson Hine in 2012 — the

first woman to lead a large Cleveland law firm and one of only 10 women then in the position at the country’s 200 biggest law firms — she began changing all that.

Under her direction, Thompson Hine began focusing on project man agement. Work plans were developed. Proprietary software was created to facilitate budgeting — and lawyers, most of whom were accustomed to simply billing hours started to use it.

The system now requires 11 of the firm’s 16 practice groups to create a budget for some significant aspects of their work — those projected to bill over $50,000, for example.

“If you don’t have a budget in the system after a stated period of time of opening a matter, you can’t bill clients,” Read explains. “The system shuts down.”

Those budgets in turn instigate con versations when there’s a misalignment

in what Thompson Hine is planning to spend on a matter and the value a client attaches to it.

“Our goal here is … to be the most competent but the most cost-effective provider,” Read says.

The changes are just one example of how Read has increased Thompson Hine’s size and demand for its services. During her tenure, the firm has grown from 355 lawyers in seven locations to nearly 400 attorneys in eight offices. Gross revenues have increased from $180 million in 2011 to $250 million in 2021. Ronn Richard, president and CEO of the Cleveland Foundation, has known Read for 19 years, both as the foundation’s general counsel and a personal consigliere. He attributes her success to an unwavering dedication to her profession and the clients she serves.

“Every time I talk to her, it’s so easy to forget that she’s not a member of my staff, but she is an indispensable member of the Cleveland Foundation family,” he says. “She treats every client like she works for their firm, not just for the law firm that advises them.”

Read began her undergraduate years at Ohio University intent on becoming an investigative reporter. The Greens burg, Pennsylvania, native’s aspirations changed when a professor suggested she consider becoming a lawyer. After grad uating from Boston University School of Law, she accepted a position as an asso ciate in the corporate tax section of what is now K&L Gates in Washington, D.C. Four years later, in 1986, she followed her lawyer husband, John, to Cleveland and Thompson Hine as a tax associate.

In 1989, Read became what she believes to be the first associate placed on Thomp son Hine’s new lawyer committee, which at the time hired new lawyers.

As the executive committee’s hiring partner, she created a program that better integrated lateral hires. She ex plains that when these attorneys make the move to Thompson Hine from other firms, they bring with them clients who

can bring business to Thompson Hine lawyers with expertise in other areas. Perhaps more important to the lateral hires, Thompson Hine has clients who can benefit from their expertise.

“Nobody wants to pick up their prac tice and be a solo practitioner at another firm,” she says. “They want to relate to the other lawyers in the firm. They want their practice to grow at the other firm.”

As managing partner, Read further re fined the hiring process to reduce biases. In 2017, she implemented a behavioral interview process, blind assessment of writing skills and a blind 16-factor trait assessment. Results are compared with key traits — respectfulness — seen in successful Thompson Hine partners.

after she discovered in 2013 that one third of Thompson Hine’s client rela tionships were handled by attorneys over 59 years old. The firm enters an arrange ment with a partner in which income is based on contributions to transitioning clients to younger successors, as well as billing hours.

“If you’re not proactive in handling what [clients] fear, which is, ‘Hey, this person that I have worked with at your firm is going to retire soon, you do risk losing the client,” she says.

Her biggest challenge now: fully reen gaging the Thompson Hine workforce so they can tackle vital tasks such as brainstorming and training lawyers — things Read says she believes are best done in-person and require more time and effort to accomplish when people are working remotely. The firm has launched a Future of Work initiative designed to ensure it excels in a hybrid work environment. It includes how partners can best advance the skill development of the more junior lawyers they work with.

The Cleveland Foundation isn’t Read’s only client. She continues to practice in the tax-exempt, nonprofit corporate and health care areas, even though the firm doesn’t require her to do so. Her roster includes the Cleveland Orchestra and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

The practices have helped the firm achieve its goal of increasing diversity. The number of attorneys who identify as black or African-American has nearly doubled. In 2020, the firm began imple menting a formal diversity action plan that focuses on the hiring, development and retention of diverse associates.

“Having a diverse group of professionals really helps enrich the decision making,” she says. “I think it’s very important to have a group of professionals that mirrors the group of professionals at your clients’ [organizations] or mirrors the group of customers that your clients serve.”

Read also put a transition program for our senior lawyers in place, a move made

“I think she gravitated toward work ing with nonprofits because she loves their mission — she loves doing things for humanity, for society, for communi ty,” Richard says.

Her current charitable activities in clude board chair for Business Volunteers Unlimited, board member and executive committee member for Greater Cleve land Partnership, board member for Say Yes to Education and co-chair for the Commission on Economic Inclusion. She accomplishes it all by working 12-hour weekdays and one weekend day a week.

“I have a lot of energy,” she says. “Knock on wood; it hasn’t diminished too much over the course of this job.”

“I think she gravitated toward working with nonprofits because she loves their mission — she loves doing things for humanity, for society, for community.”

— Ronn Richard

Advocate for Business

Lee Fisher has a track record of helping to build the business community.

By Jill Sell

Lee Fisher has always loved sports, although he claims he wasn’t good enough to play on a collegiate level. That didn’t stop the politician, lawyer, educator and economic wizard from excelling in intramural sports at Ober lin College in the 1970s.

“I once saw Lee throw a Frisbee years after his college time, and I told him he could have become a professional. It’s a team sport and a specialized skill, and he was great at it,” says Terry Coyne, a vice chairman in the Cleveland office of Newmark, a commercial real estate services firm.

“I took up the Frisbee with a lot of fervor,” recalls Fisher. “I loved how

you could focus on where the Frisbee was going compared to where it was. There’s a certain excitement about be ing able to arrive before the Frisbee ar rives. You had to chart where it was go ing — and do it quickly.”

That ability to see beyond a present situation and anticipate what is needed next has served Fisher well in all of his roles, including: lieutenant governor of Ohio (2007-2011); director, Ohio De partment of Development (2007-2009); attorney general of Ohio (1991-1995); state senator (1983-1991); and state representative (1981-1983). The posi tions require, among other qualities, the superior guidance and management

of massive budgets and extraordinary fundraising efforts. Fisher is now dean of Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University.

“I am better known as an elect ed public official or a lawyer,” admits Fisher. “But I am equally proud of my time working with the Ohio and Cleve land business communities to attract, retain and grow businesses.”

When Fisher was president and CEO of the Center for Families and Children from 1999 to 2006 in Cleveland, he managed a $20 million budget and 300 team members. He led the development of a $4 million, three-year information technology plan and tripled the center’s

revenue generation. Fisher also consoli dated and moved the scattered offices of the organization to 4500 Euclid Ave. in MidTown, primarily so clients could have better access via public transportation.

“Without Lee, there would have been no MidTown Tech building,” claims Coyne, giving Fisher credit for the ini tial $21 million project developed by Geis Cos. and Coyne. “That was the first new investment in MidTown that wasn’t from Cleveland Clinic.”

Today, MidTown Tech Park Campus is a private/public collaboration of various partners that is considered a hub of the city’s business innovations.

Several other local companies that ben efited from Fisher’s involvement and busi ness guidance throughout the years in clude Eaton Corp., Alcoa Corp. and ViewRay, a cutting-edge medical device company in Oakwood Village. Fisher’s years at Hahn Loeser & Parks in Cleve land, where he was a lawyer from 1978 to 1990 and 1995 to 1999, gave him the op portunity to represent small and midsize businesses to navigate legislative and reg ulatory policies.

Fisher’s influence on the business com munity is not limited to Greater Cleve land. His negotiations have helped companies to remain in Ohio and of ten expand, including Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and Bridgestone (work ing together as TireHub) in Akron, Net Jets in Columbus and Norwalk Furni ture in Huron County. Also, one of the first state laws Fisher authored as a state senator was the Close Corporation Law that assisted closely held corporations and family businesses to better organize and succeed.

Fisher took on a different approach to the business community. According to Fisher, he started as the attorney gener al “when businesses were afraid the at torney general might come after them for either a consumer protection violation or an environmental protection violation.”

To lessen those concerns and not pun ish businesses unfairly, Fisher created

an “early warning system” that allowed businesses to correct situations before they faced fines and other actions.

“We said, ‘If you do the following things to correct this, you can avoid liti gation.’ We didn’t succeed all of the time, and sometimes we had to file legal ac tion against them,” says Fisher. “But we significantly reduced the number of cas es, and the attorney general’s office de veloped a stronger relationship with the business community.”

Fisher’s work as Ohio’s chief economic development officer included managing a $1 billion budget and a team of 400 and helping lead the creation of Ohio’s first Strategic Plan for Economic Develop ment, which included Ohio’s Hubs of In novation and Opportunity before Cleve land’s Innovation District.

causes for which he cares. Others with deep pockets admit, often shaking their heads with humor, that when they see Fisher, they always hide their checkbooks.

“I can’t even imagine anyone who would be second best to Lee as a fund raiser,” says Coyne. “Whether he is run ning for governor or just trying to help an organization in which he is involved, he’s remarkable. He’s fearless.”

If Fisher has one regret in his long and varied career, it is not “actually run ning a business” that he either owned or served as the CEO. He insists he has al ways concentrated instead on investments in communities and people. That action, Fisher notes, is sometimes questioned in good nature by his longtime wife, presi dent and CEO of the Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio, Peggy Zone Fisher, with

Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, in office from 2007 to 2011, says he and Fisher, then the state’s lieutenant gover nor, “were in office in the greatest reces sion since the Great Depression.”

“Lee was tenacious in his work ethic,” says Strickland. “I have never met anyone who was more committed to getting a job done. There were times when we would become aware of a particular company that was facing hardships or thinking of closing. Lee would get on it and work di rectly with them.

“There are people today who I believe would not be working at their current jobs if it wouldn’t have been for the work, intervention and advice that Lee was able to give them,” adds Strickland.

Coyne calls Fisher a “historic fund raiser” for civic projects, nonprofits and

whom he often shares philanthropic and social justice concerns and causes.

Fisher is not sure what kind of busi ness he would have headed. But “it would have been a business that not only made a profit for shareholders, but also provid ed a benefit to society.” He points to his college classmate, Jerry Greenfield, the co-creator of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, for having a wildly successful company that never lost its social responsibility.

Closer to home, Fisher also mentions OverDrive, a large global distributor of digital content for libraries and schools and its founder and CEO, Steve Potash, for making reading more accessible for everyone. The company’s headquarters is in Cleveland.

At 72, Fisher is still going strong, work ing and writing late into many a night.

“There are people today who I believe would not be working at their current jobs if it wouldn’t have been for the work, intervention and advice that Lee was able to give them.”

— Ted Strickland

Education

By Colleen Smitek

There was never a doubt in Kurt Russell’s mind.

From a very early time — kindergar ten, in fact — Russell could see his fu ture. It came into focus as his teach er, Francine Toss, opened book after book where Russell could see himself reflected in the pages.

“She was intentional about really making sure her students saw them selves in the curriculum,” Russell says. Then there was his eighth grade teacher, Larry Thomas.

“He was the first Black male teach er I ever had,” Russell says. “In him, I saw myself. I learned how to carry my self as a Black man. Everybody loved Mr. Thomas. He was just a kind soul.”

Together, those two experiences gave Russell a clear path. “Many peo ple say they were born to be a teacher. I would say I was shaped and molded to be a teacher.”

Russell, a veteran history teacher and basketball coach at Oberlin High

School, was named the 2022 Nation al Teacher of the Year by the Council of Chief State School Officers. As part of the award, the council is providing Russell with “a yearlong, one-of-akind professional learning and devel opment experience.”

Russell is using the time to shape his message of representation and share it with his fellow educators through a series of talks and events. “I made it a point to try to move the needle toward a more equitable soci ety and creating a solution to some problems,” he says. “We bring what is happening [in the world] into the classroom. We come up with ideas that are suitable for this nation.”

Just like the teachers who made their mark on him, Russell is always “mak ing sure that students see themselves in the classroom.”

On top of all of that, Russell layers another goal — vigorous free speech and debate.

“Many times, teachers walking by my classroom have to close my door because we get so loud,” he says. “We laugh in my classroom. We yell at one another. We cry. But it’s safe. It’s stu dent-led.”

Russell’s teaching style — and out look on life — is also informed by his parents, both of whom grew up in Al abama. “My mother marched with Martin Luther King Jr. as a sopho more in high school. I heard their sto ries of growing up in the South, living through Jim Crow, going to the doc tor’s office and being waited on last. All of those stories.”

Russell, a father of two grown sons, is a lifelong resident of Oberlin and says he and his wife, Donna, can’t imagine ever leaving.

“I’ve been here 26 years,” he says. “Oberlin shaped me and Oberlin raised me and instilled within me some values I appreciated. It’s a mind set of service.”

Teacher of the year Kurt Russell believes that representation, debate and kindness are the tools educators — and the rest of us — need to succeed.

“Many people say they were born to be a teacher. I would say I was shaped and molded to be a teacher.”

The recipe that goes into making a guy like Sean Watterson is anything but conventional.

He’s one part businessman (when pressed, he estimates he’d be making more than $1 million a year if he’d stuck with his banking job in New York City), one part foodie (he coowns Happy Dog in Gordon Square), one part enthusiast (have you been to Happy Dog?) and one part advocate.

Watterson and Sean Kilbane opened Happy Dog in 2008. The local hot spot is known for its menu of hot dogs and veggie dogs served with a choice of 50 toppings. It’s also a destination known for supporting local musicians.

Admittedly, Watterson and Kilbane had no experience in the industry. Happy Dog turned out to be a success — until the pandemic. That’s when the advocate side of Watterson kicked into an even higher gear. He’d long been an advocate for community and the arts, helping to form Art EverySpace,

By Colleen Smitek

which connects local artists with real estate developers, and taking home the Cleveland Arts Prize in 2021.

The new challenges created by COVID-19 inspired hundreds of ven ue owners nationwide — including Watterson, who led the Ohio precinct — to launch the National Indepen dent Venue Association. The group successfully lobbied the U.S. Congress for a $16 billion Shuttered Venues Op erators Grant in 2020.

Trying to help restaurants was an easy bridge for Watterson to cross.

The Fund for Our Economic Future formalized the work Watterson had been doing informally by selecting him to lead a one-year project on how to help the local hospitality industry.

“The entire model is built on low er wages, so this is something we’re going to be grinding through for a while,” Watterson says. “It’s not just a Cleveland problem. It’s a nation wide problem.”

We’re still in a period of adjust ment, Watterson counsels, and it re mains to be seen how everything will shake out. It could be that prices — and wages — will be higher. It could be that hours are shorter or less cer tain. It could mean more takeout and delivery.

Everything, says Watterson, is on the table. “Restaurants are adjust ing on the fly,” he says. “There are no magic wands and no secret sauce.

“It’s good to come up with different ways of delivering for folks, but while you’re doing that you’re not mak ing the money you were making,” he adds. “It’s a lot of stress.”

So what can customers do?

“Empathy helps,” Watterson says. “If you want your favorite local busi nesses, your favorite pub or your fa vorite restaurant to survive, show up and be generous and know they’re giving you everything they’ve got right now.”

KEN BLAZE

“If you want your favorite local businesses, your favorite pub or your favorite restaurant to survive, show up and be generous and know they’re giving you everything they’ve got right now.”

Lake Erie. “Living in Lakewood, I go to the beach a lot,” she says. “I was really frustrated by how dirty it is.”

In October 2021, Carandang launched Keep the Lakes Great. With a motto of “Protect the Turf and Ride the Surf,” the nonprofit couldn’t be simpler. Those who volunteer to help clean up a local beach receive a free surfing lesson from Carandang or one of the organization’s other members.

The group meets about 15 times throughout the year at beaches from Lorain to Mentor, picking up trash as large as old tires and as small as microplastics. “There’s plastic in the water that we can’t even see and it’s crazy,” says Carandang. “It’s actually in the water we consume.”

Carandang and her team use strain ers to find microplastics, which are defined as pieces of plastic less than 5

During one of its recent efforts held in late September at Edgewater Beach in Cleveland, Carandang says the group collected more than 50 pounds of trash.

“We had so many small bits of plas tic and Styrofoam,” she says. “Fif ty-three pounds of very lightweight plastic is a lot.”

Carandang, who works as a senior digital marketing manager for Blue Sky Bee Supply in Ravenna, learned to surf while attending Bowling Green State University. The university fund ed all student-run groups, so a group of enterprising beach lovers managed to get a paid trip to California.

“That was the first time I actually got to stand on a board,” Carandang says. When she learned after graduation that surfing is possible in Lake Erie she was all for it. Then reality hit.

is in Lake Erie does not deter her. Instead, it inspires her and her fel low volunteers to tackle it one piece at a time, while also working with local officials to help end the lake front littering that causes so much of the problem. Plastic straw wrap pers and cigarette butts, for exam ple, are two of the most common items the group finds — and they just keep coming.

“If you go [to a beach] in the morn ing, you come back at night and it’s trashed,” Carandang says.

It’s the love for the lake that keeps Carandang and her fellow volunteers going strong and continuing to grow the group and the effort.

“At the end of the day, we’re build ing connections with people who gen uinely care about the cause,” Caran dang says.

KEN BLAZE

If you love something, you want to protect it.

Congratulations to 2022 Business Hall of Fame Inductee

Deborah Z. Read Managing Partner Thompson Hine LLP

Debbie’s vision and passion for innovation have transformed the delivery of legal services at Thompson Hine and set new standards for what business clients should expect from law rms. The rm’s groundbreaking SmartPaTH approach combines the disciplines of legal project management, process ef ciency, exible staf ng and value-based pricing to better align our services with clients’ needs.

ThompsonHine.com

Diversity & Inclusion

Ramonita Vargas is the heart of the Spanish American Committee (SAC), a 56-year-old nonprofit organization that is Ohio’s first and largest Hispan ic social service agency. Vargas has been CEO since 2010. She is the lon gest-serving CEO in SAC’s history.

Next April, Vargas will celebrate 40 years with SAC. Her accounting and organizational skills, plus her passion for her heritage and work, took her to the top. She inherited a nonprofit that was $200,000 in debt and whose rep utation was far from pristine. Now, she guides a $1.1 million budget for a respected agency. More than any thing, Vargas says she thinks she has been successful because she under stands and knows the agency from the ground up.

“I grew up poor, and my moth er raised seven children by herself in a two-bedroom house,” she says. “I know what it is like to be hungry, to go to school without proper clothes.”

During her involvement with SAC, Vargas has seen waves of seemingly overwhelming need. One occurred in the early 1980s when Cuban revolu tionary and politician Fidel Castro re leased thousands of emigrants, many of whom fled to America. A number of them included people from prisons.

“We had a lobby full of Cubans who didn’t know where they were go ing or what they were going to do,” recalls Vargas.

SAC also provided aid to 2,960 evac uees after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017, and a year later another 500 families whose lives were devas tated by earthquakes. Today, the agen cy serves all of Latin America. Most individuals and families who come for help do not speak English and require immediate assistance with housing, employment and basic necessities.

“We are a surviving organization,” says Vargas proudly, noting that SAC serves more than 5,000 individuals

annually. “Many times we didn’t have the funding to have enough staff to service all of the people who walked through our doors. But we never turned anyone away. At the mo ment, we have homeless issues, senior issues, people who want to work but who must learn English first.”

Among SAC’s newest projects is the Latino Construction Program, which partners with trade unions, as sociations, builders and other play ers to provide training and jobs for Hispanic workers. The collaboration also helps lessen the significant labor shortage in the building industry.

“I am not going to be here much longer. I need to plan what I am go ing to do with the next chapter of my life,” says Vargas, who looks forward to more jazzercise and walking time. “But I know the committee will al ways be here if there is a need. I don’t know where the Hispanic community would go if we weren’t open.”

Many would say Ramonita Vargas is the heart of the Spanish American Committee she leads.

By Jill Sell

“I know what it is like to be hungry, to go to school without proper clothes.”

calls his 14-plus years as president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland “the most rewarding, challenging and special experience of my life other than hav ing my own kids, my own family.”

After facilitating a July 2019 merg er of clubs in Cleveland, Akron, Lo rain County and Sandusky to create the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio — the largest-ever Boys & Girls Clubs merger in the U.S. — he was ready to retire.

“I’d always had it in my mind that I would probably retire to do some thing else,” says the 68-year-old Con cord Township resident.

It didn’t take him long to find it.

In August 2019, Soeder sat down with Rick Simmons, co-founder with wife, Amy, of the telos institute, a Chardon-based firm that helps busi ness and industry leaders around the world optimize business strate gies, hone leadership skills and man age change. The Simmonses wanted

to support disadvantaged young peo ple. Soeder offered to put together a white paper describing an initiative to develop emerging leaders, ideal ly 19-to-24-year-olds who had a year of college or work experience. In Sep tember 2020, he signed on as direc tor of the telos leadership foundation.

The foundation’s 10-month pro gram, which recruits participants from the likes of the Mandel Schol ars Program and federal education al opportunity outreach programs, consists of four parts. Preparation involves completing assessments de signed to uncover strengths and de termine values. Next is a catalyst: a weeklong trip to a bucolic locale such as the Cuyahoga Valley National Park or Rocky Mountain National Park.

Integration is achieved by imple menting lessons learned into daily lives with the help of a coach, a pro cess that continues in a sustainability phase with periodic reunions, “skill calls” and implementation of a class’s

plans to develop a vacant lot into a transformational neighborhood space — a community garden, park, etc.

“As alums, they have access to a career coach, a wealth manager, a lawyer, a health and wellness coach, pro bono to them,” Soeder says. Each receives $100 to open a Van guard S&P 500 index fund so they can explore how the stock market works. “So many young people get started, and they don’t think about the long haul.”

Two cohorts — one of 10 partici pants and the other of 20 — have gone through the program. At press time, the foundation was beginning to recruit the next class of approxi mately 24 participants. Soeder talks of growing the program to include an international cohort, a time when participants become program facilita tors, coaches and fundraisers. He says he truly enjoys the work.

“It inspires me, it motivates me,” he says. “It keeps me young.”

KEN BLAZE

“It inspires me. It motivates me. It keeps me young.”

Before Sales Concepts, we didn’t have a formal system. We were just pursuing business like hamsters on a wheel.

Chris Berry Three D Metals

It may seem like a preposterous assertion to say this, but you’d better be prepared because you are going to sell more.

Paul Bishop Ice Industries

People don’t really care about what I do. They care about whether or not I understand what it is they do and what they need.

Dana Allender

Sun Management & Consulting

The bottom line is we’re simply making more money because of them.

Dan Andrews Olympic Forest Products

The real value they’ve given me is confidence.

The ability to keep things moving, to not be stopped by any negative chatter in my head.

Ben Beckman

Seaton Woods Ventures, LLC

Sales Concepts helped us rise up and become a success story for the second time.

Tony Hyland TAP Packaging Solutions

Our closing rate had averaged about 12%. My goal was to raise it to 15%. After starting the classes, our closing rate rose to 25%.

Jodi Lombardo Custom Paper Tubes

I did exactly what they told me to do. And it was like, BAM! Done! I sold a huge job!

Kelly Farrell designRoom

I don’t know what life would be like if I hadn’t met them. One thing’s for sure, I wouldn’t be as successful as I am now. That’s 100% guaranteed.

John Farren

The American Endowment Foundation

As a not-for-profit, I really didn’t think we could afford it. But at some point I came to realize we couldn’t afford not to do it.

Lynne Giacobbe Kendal at Home

INC.

STE

OH

It works so well that we quickly became the number one center in the country.

Nick Paez GolfTEC (Cleveland)

We’re glad we didn’t negotiate to give them a percentage of sales because they’ve helped us become so successful.

Jeff Stohr Trevor Stohr Conveyer & Caster

We are architects, not sales people.

Marty Strelau ADA Architects

PAST INDUCTEES: BUSINESS HALL OF FAME

Twenty-seven years ago, in celebration of the City of Cleveland’s 200th Anniversary, Great Lakes Publishing created its Business Hall of Fame, celebrating the achievements of the brave men and women who helped shape our city and society. Each year since, we have honored these unique people, who are blessed with the insight and a pioneering spirit that built the foundations of our economy.

2021

Johnson, Dr. Alex – Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) Marinucci, Joe – Downtown Cleveland Alliance Schron, Jack – Jergens Inc.

2019

Gilbert, David – Greater Cleveland Sports Commission and Destination Cleveland Lucarelli, Jason “Jay” – MinuteMen Staffing and HR Services

Lucarelli, Samuel (posthumously) –MinuteMen Staffing and HR Services Moreno, Bernie – Bernie Moreno Cos.

2018

Conway, Dan – Great Lakes Brewing Co. Conway, Pat – Great Lakes Brewing Co. Perry, Pat – ERC

2017

Berg, Jodi – Vitamix Humphries, Thomas – Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber Kahl, Jack – ShurTech Brands LLC Maron, Rick – MRN Ltd. Richard, Ronn – The Cleveland Foundation

2016

Byrnes, Marc – Oswald Cos. Heinen, Tom – Heinen’s Grocery Store Heinen, Jeff – Heinen’s Grocery Store Moore-Hardy, Cynthia – Lake Health Oatey, Gary – Oatey Co.

2015

Fowler, Chuck – Fairmount Minerals Mooney, Beth – KeyCorp Nance, Fred – Squire Patton Boggs Snyder, Barbara – Case Western Reserve University

2014

Dalton, Ray – PartsSource Howley, Nicholas – TransDigm Group Inc. Kohl, Stewart – The Riverside Cos. Morrison, Richard – Molded Fiber Glass Cos. Proenza, Luis M. – The University of Akron

2013

Albanese, Virginia – FedEx Custom Critical Falco, Art – Playhouse Square Summers Jr., William B. – McDonald Investments Thornton, Dr. Jerry Sue – Cuyahoga Community College

Bares, Jack (posthumously) – Milbar Corp.

2012

Church, Roy – Lorain County Community College Clark, Paul – PNC Bank Linsalata, Frank N. – Linsalata Capital Partners Nottingham, John – Nottingham Spirk Smith, C. Robert – Spero-Smith Investments Advisers Spirk, John – Nottingham Spirk

Congratulations, Matt Kaulig

On Your Induction Into The Northeast Ohio Business Hall of Fame!

Benesch is pleased to congratulate our client and friend, Matt Kaulig, on his induction into the 2022 Northeast Ohio Business Hall of Fame.

Matt has made a profound impact on business in Cleveland and beyond, and is so deserving of this distinguished recognition.

2011

Briggs, Robert W. – GAR Foundation

Chiricosta, Rick – Medical Mutual of Ohio Egger, Terrance E. Z. – The Plain Dealer Hambrick, James L. – The Lubrizol Corp. Harmon Sr., Lute –Cleveland Magazine Pianalto, Sandra – Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

2010

Coleman, Lonnie – Coleman Spohn Corp. Fedeli, Umberto P. – The Fedeli Group Ratner, Charles – Forest City Enterprises Strauss, Thomas J. – Summa Health System Woods, Jacqueline F. – AT&T Ohio

2009

Bishop, Paul – H-P Products Inc. Considine, William – Akron Children’s Hospital Conway, Bill – Fairmount Minerals Siegal, Michael – Olympic Steel Hyland Sr., Packy (posthumously) –Hyland Software

2008

Keegan, Robert J. – The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. Shearer, Robert J. – Shearer’s Foods Inc.

Wolstein, Scott A. – Developers Diversified Realty Corp. Zenty III, Thomas F. – University Hospitals

2007

Clapp, Kent – Medical Mutual of Ohio Connor, Chris – The Sherwin-Williams Co. Crawford, Ed – Park-Ohio Holdings Corp. Hall, Brian – Industrial Inventory Solutions

2006

Alexander, Tony – FirstEnergy Corp. Anderson, Warren – The AndersonDuBose Co.

Cosgrove, Delos “Toby” – Cleveland Clinic

2005

Covelli, Sam – Covelli Enterprises Gund, Gordon – Gund Investment Corp. Heisler, Yank – Key Bank Wolstein, Bert – Developers Diversified Realty Corp.

2004

Burg, H. Peter – FirstEnergy Corp. Cutler, Sandy – Eaton Corp. Schwebel, Joe – Schwebel Baking Co. Smucker, Richard – J.M. Smucker Co. Smucker, Tim – J.M. Smucker Co.

2003

Ahuja, Monte – Transtar Inds. Inc. Brennan, David – White Hat Management Lerner, Alfred – Cleveland Browns Smith, Clarence – Compco Inds.

2002

Loop, Fred – Cleveland Clinic Madison, Bob – Robert P. Madison International Inc. Mahoney, Bob – Diebold Inc. Meyer, Henry – KeyCorp Tod, David – Civic leader

2001

Davey, John – The Davey Institute of Tree Surgery

Lennon, Fred – Swagelok Machaskee, Alex – The Plain Dealer Nord, Eric – Nordson Corp. Ong, John – The B.F. Goodrich Co. Timken, Tim – The Timken Co. Wean, Raymond John –Wean Engineering Co.

since

2000

Beeghly, Leon – Standard Slag Co. Debartolo Sr., Edward J. – DeBartolo Realty Embry, Wayne – Cavaliers/Gund Arena Co. Firestone, Harvey – Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. Flood, Howard – FirstMerit Corp. Gault, Stan – The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. Hoover, William Henry – Hoover Co. Patient, Bill – Cleveland State University Payiavlas, John – AVI Foodsystems Inc. Tullis, Dick – Harris Corp./University Circle Inc. Walters, Farrah – University Hospitals

1999

Daberko, Dave – National City Corp. Davis, James C. – Squire, Sanders & Dempsey Reavis, Jack – Jones Day Schey, Ralph – Scott Fetzer Co. Sullivan, Tom – RPM Inc.

1998

Baker, Richard T. – Ernst & Ernst Gorman, Joe – TRW Inc. Hoag, Dave – LTV Corp. McDonald, C. Bert – McDonald & Co. Investments Ratner Miller, Ruth – Forest City Enterprises Walker, Skip – M.A. Hanna Co.

1997

Austin, Samuel – The Austin Co.

Bruening, Joseph M. – Bearings Inc. Gillespie, Bob – KeyCorp

Harrison, H. Stuart – Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co. McCartan, Pat – Jones Day Ratner, Albert – Forest City Enterprises

1996

Bell, Jess – Bonne Bell Inc. Biggar, Jim – Glencairn

Bonda, Alva “Ted” – Cleveland Indians, APCOA Brandon, Edward B. – National City Corp. Breen, John G. “Jack” – The SherwinWilliams Co. de Windt, E. Mandel – Eaton Corp. Eaton, Henry F. – Dix & Eaton Inc. Jacobs, David H. – Richard E. Jacobs Group Jacobs, Richard E. – Richard E. Jacobs Group Lewis, Peter – Progressive Corp. Malley, Adele – Malley’s Chocolates Malley, Bill – Malley’s Chocolates Maltz, Milton – Malrite Co. Mandel, Jack C. – Premier Industrial Corp. Mandel, Joseph C. – Premier Industrial Corp. Mandel, Morton L. – Premier Industrial Corp. McCormack, Mark – IMG

Mixon, A. Malachi – Invacare Corp. Miller, Samuel H. – Forest City Enterprises Inc.

Pogue, Richard W. – Jones Day

Robinson, Larry – J.B. Robinson Jewelers Stone, Irving I. – American Greetings Corp. Strawbridge, Herbert – The Higbee Co. Wain, Norman – WIXY 1260

Historical

Andrews, Samuel – Standard Oil Co.

Baker, Newton D. – Baker & Hostetler

Beaumont, Louis D. – May Co.

Boiardi, Hector – Chef Boyardee Bradley, Alva – Cleveland & Buffalo Transit Co. Brush, Charles F. – Inventor

Carter, Lorenzo – First Cleveland settler Case Sr., Leonard – Commercial Bank of Lake Erie

Chisholm, Henry – Cleveland Rolling Mill Cleaveland, Moses – Founder of Cleveland Cox, Sr., John D. –Cleveland Twist Drill Crawford, Frederick C. – Thompson Products Inc.

Doan, Nathaniel – Cleveland’s first industrialist

Eaton, Cyrus S. – Republic Steel Co.

Eaton, Jr., Joseph O. – Eaton Corp. Ernst, Alwin C. – Ernst & Ernst

Fawick, Thomas L. – Fawick Clutch Co. Flagler, Henry M. – Standard Oil Co.

Foster, Claud H. – Gabriel Co.

Girdler, Tom M. – Republic Steel Co. Goff, Frederick H. – The Cleveland Foundation Grasselli, Caesar A. – Grasselli Chemical Co.

Grdina, Anton – Slovenian Building and Loan Association

Gund II, George – Cleveland Trust Bank

Halle, Samuel H. – Halle Bros. Halle, Salmon P. – Halle Bros. Handy, Truman P. – Merchant National Bank Hanna, Marcus A. – M.A. Hanna Co./U.S. Senate Harshaw, Wiliam A. – Harshaw, Fuller & Goodwin Co. Holden, Liberty E. – The Plain Dealer Holmes, Allen C. – Jones Day Humphrey, George M. – U.S. Dept. of Treasury/ National Steel Corp. Jack, William S. – Jack & Heintz Inc. Johnson, Tom L. – Civic leader Kelley, Alfred – Civic leader Lincoln, James – Lincoln Electric Lincoln, John – Lincoln Electric Lindseth, Elmer – Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co. Mather, Samuel – Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co. Mather, William G. – Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co./ Republic Steel Corp. Metzenbaum, Howard – Sun Newspapers/ APCOA/U.S. Senate

Morgan, Garrett – Inventor Myers, George – The Hollenden Barbershop Otis Jr., Charles A. – Otis & Co. Parker, Arthur L. – Parker Appliance Co.

Pile, Lionel A. – Hough Bakery

Ratner, Leonard – Forest City Materials Co. Ratner, Max – Forest City Materials Co. Richman, Charles L. – Richman Bros.

Richman, Henry C. – Richman Bros. Richman, Nathan G. – Richman Bros. Robinson, J. French – East Ohio Gas Co. Rockefeller, John D. – Standard Oil Co. Saltzman, Maurice – Bobbie Brooks Inc. Sapirstein, Jacob – American Greetings Corp. Sherwin, Henry A. – Sherwin-Williams & Co. Shulman, Bernie – Revco/Bernie Shulman’s Smith, A. Kelvin – The Lubrizol Corp. Smith, Harry C. – The Cleveland Gazette/ civic leader

Smith, Kent H. – The Lubrizol Corp. Smith, Vincent K. – The Lubrizol Corp. Squire, Andrew – Squire, Sanders & Dempsey Stone, Amasa – Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad

Stouffer, Vernon – Stouffer’s

Strong Taylor, Sophie – William Taylor & Son Co.

Swasey, Ambrose – Warner & Swasey Co. Tankersley, Jack – Consolidated Natural Gas Taplin, Frank E. – North American Coal Corp. Taylor, William O. – Taylor Chair Co.

Thompson, Charles E. – Cleveland Cap Screw Co.

Van Sweringen, Mantis – Real estate and railroad tycoon

Van Sweringen, Orris – Real estate and railroad tycoon

Wade, Jeptha H. – Western Union Telegraph Co.

Warner, Worcester R. – Warner & Swasey Co. Wellman, Samuel T. – Wellman-SeaverMorgan Co.

Westropp, Clara – Women’s Federal Savings Bank

Westropp, Lillian – Women’s Federal Savings Bank

White, Rollin H. – Cleveland Tractor Co.

White, Thomas H. – White Sewing Machine Co.

Wills, Sr., J. Walter – House of Wills

Winton, Alexander – Winton Motor Carriage Co.

Worthington, George – Cleveland Iron & Nail Works

CONGRATULATIONS CONGRATULATIONS

OHIO

HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE

MATT KAULIG

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COMMUNITY COMMUNITY

Are We Safe?

By Terry Troy

It’s four o’clock on a sunny sum mer Saturday afternoon. I’m driving down Euclid Avenue just past Shaw High School. Up ahead, I see four po lice cruisers in the middle of the road.

Good, I think. They’ve got a DUI checkpoint, and they’re enforcing the law. I grow impatient with the car ahead. The driver doesn’t seem to want to pro ceed into the checkpoint. So I beep my horn. She turns her car around ahead of me and heads back toward my leave.

“You fool!” she shouts at me. “They got their weapons drawn!”

Ahead, I can see the situation. The po lice are standing behind their cruisers, ser vice revolvers gleaming in the sun, wildeyed with the realization that they may already be on the other side of no tomor row. But there they are, ready to make a stand with someone who is obviously a nasty perpetrator holed up in a bar.

Time for a detour.

While necessary, DUI checkpoints are largely the stuff of suburban settings. But the police in urban environments and disadvantaged neighborhoods can hard ly be bothered. They are forced to con front life and death on a daily basis.

The story above, while true, also il lustrates an important point. Anecdot al evidence is often used to make the point that crime is increasing. In many

media outlets, such stories are told with headlines like “Skyrocketing Crime” or “Shootings Explode.”

Fear sells — and so does scandal.

While crime is on the up tick nationwide, North east Ohio law enforcement is slowly gaining an upper hand. So it’s time to take an other look.

Violent crime, includ ing felonious assault and homicides, are actually on a downward trend in Cleveland, according to the official Comprehensive Environmental Re view Process (CERP) data from the city of Cleveland’s Division of Police. Through Sept. 20 of this year, when comparing it to the same time frame in 2021, homicides with a firearm are down 8.26%, rapes are down 7.25% and felonious assaults (with or without a firearm) are down 16.89%.

Much of the decline is being attribut ed to Cleveland Division of Police Chief Dornat “Wayne” Drummond’s strategic plan to lower violent crime.

“That plan involves working with our partners at the federal, state and local levels, but we are also target ing hot spots in a strategic way,” says

Drummond. “Sometimes, these hot spots will just pop up, and we have to deal with them accordingly. But we also target individuals who are crime drivers — the ones who are pulling the triggers. We need to identify, research and target these individuals and remove them from our community.

“Some are gang related, and some are not. We have a group of talented detec tives who are assigned to our gang im pact unit who are really good at putting together gang-related cases.”

Gang related activity is increasing nationwide.

“Gang participation and gang violence is on the rise,” says Gregory Nelsen, FBI Cleveland special agent in charge of the crime trends impacting the na tion. “We’re seeing gangs participate in

The answer in a major urban center such as Cleveland may surprise you.

POLICE CHIEF DORNAT “WAYNE” DRUMMOND

SPECIAL AGENT GREGORY NELSEN

drug activity, violent crime such as ho micides and carjackings and white collar crime such as Pandemic Unemployment Fraud and money laundering. We’re also seeing a rise in juvenile participation in gangs. Neighborhood gangs pose the biggest threat to communities across the U.S. Each FBI field division is address ing neighborhood gangs with its part ners through the Safe Streets and Gang Task Forces in its area of responsibility.

“FBI Cleveland has assessed this as an important issue and has recently ap proved our gang task force to be a per manent fixture in the Cleveland office.”

The FBI is primarily focused on serv ing as a “force multiplier” to local, state and other federal law enforcement part ners to investigate and eradicate vio lent street gangs, adds Nelsen. Through programs such as the Safe Streets and Gang Task Force, the FBI assists part ner agencies by sharing resources, man power and gang intelligence and infor mation. Additionally, this allows for federal prosecution of gangs and their membership, which can result in more severe sentences and penalties for the entire gang. It also enables the entire criminal enterprise to be dismantled or disrupted instead of the prosecution of a few low-level members.

Although strategic partnerships with federal, state and local law enforcement are key to Cleveland’s strategy, so is tech nology — especially in Cleveland Divi sion of Police’s Fourth District, where new ShotSpotter technology is being used. ShotSpotter technology uses stra tegically placed microphones through out an area to help triangulate and lo cate suspected gunfire. Once an incident has been identified and verified as a gun shot (and not a firecracker or some other source) an alert goes directly to a squad car, which is then dispatched to the loca tion, often in under a minute.

“We received grant funding [from the Cleveland Police Foundation] to try

We are saving lives, gathering evidence for making arrests and we are recovering guns. So far, we have recovered 50 guns and made 45 arrests, which isn’t a ton, but it’s 50 guns and 45 arrests that we wouldn’t have without the technology.”

— BRANDON KUTZ, FOURTH DISTRICT COMMANDER

it out for two years,” explains Bran don Kutz, Fourth District commander. “The funding that we received basical ly covers about 3 square miles, which is about 18% of my district.”

The pilot program is centered in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood, radiat ing outward from that point.

“When we started the pilot program in 2020, that 18% of my district ac counted for 37% of shots fired, 37% of our felonious assaults and, at that time, about 45% of all my homicides,” says Kutz. “So, it was a very disproportion ately affected location.”

When tracking the number of alerts from ShotSpotter to how many calls it gets from the public, the statistics are a little disconcerting, admits Kutz. Po lice received about 15% of “shots fired” calls two years back, but that number has come down to single digits — a sign that the neighborhood has grown more desensitized to gunfire.

With ShotSpotter, “we are respond ing to a lot more gun incidents than we have before,” Kutz says. “We are saving lives, gathering evidence for making arrests, and we are recover ing guns. So far, we have recovered 50 guns and made 45 arrests, which isn’t a ton, but it’s 50 guns and 45 ar rests that we wouldn’t have without the technology.”

The technology also has helped po lice retrieve shell casings, which can then be used in other crime investiga tions using telltale ballistics markings. In addition, it has also had a deterrent impact on the neighborhoods where the technology is being used.

“I’m also tracking crime stats in the areas that compare the Fourth District to the city as a whole,” says Kutz. “In most cases, we are seeing a dispropor tionate reduction in crime when com pared to other places in the city.”

As of press time, Kutz and Drum mond were assembling data to present to Mayor Justin Bibb and Cleveland City Council to justify expansion of the ShotSpotter program across the city.

“However, I think we should just use the technology in ‘hot spots’ in other districts,” says Kutz. “I don’t think we can justify the expense across the en tire city.”

The technology doesn’t come cheap, with a price tag that amounts to about $65,000 per square mile, plus an ad ditional $10,000 for the setup for ShotSpotter analysis centers in Wash ington, D.C., and California. Howev er, it can also be used in conjunction with other technologies, such as securi ty cameras, license plate readers and, in the future, possibly drones.

“While ShotSpotter technology can give us alerts in under a minute — which is lightning fast, if you’re pulling a trig ger on a gun — it still doesn’t take very long to get out of Dodge,” Kutz admits. “Technology is not a panacea for solv ing crime — that just doesn’t exist. We have to use a multilayered approach, us ing technology, reinvestment in the com munity and the work of other organiza tions like social service agencies.”

But new technologies like ShotSpot ter will no doubt continue to help an swer the question “Are we safe?” in a positive way.

CHANGES on the Horizon

interim Cuyahoga County sheriff is looking to fill positions. By Jonathan Beard

Change is coming to the Cuyahoga County Sheriff De partment. Interim sheriff Steven Hammett, a Solon resident with 35 years of experience in law enforce ment, has big plans for the agency.

my primary objective to contin ue to put qualified people in positions where they can succeed,” he says, “and enhance the operations and services of the sheriff’s department.”

Hammett’s dream of being an officer of the law began in early childhood. He credits his mother and father, who in stilled the values of hard work and com passion, for his success in the field.

“Being dependable, doing what you’re told to do and having compassion for

people is essential to being a good po lice officer,” the sheriff says.

Hammett’s career in law enforcement began in 1987 as a patrol officer for the Cleveland Heights Police Department. He served under police chief Martin G. Lentz, someone Hammett says instilled essential values such as discipline, pro fessionalism and teamwork.

Determined to move further in his ca reer, Hammett searched for opportuni ties elsewhere. That led him to the Shak er Heights Police Department, which had more resources, including unique weapons and tactics teams and multiple investigative bureaus.

Hammett joined the department in 1990. While in Shaker Heights,

Hammett advanced four ranks to be come the deputy chief of police, mak ing him the first African American to hold that position. He also attend ed several command schools, as well as the Southern Police Institute and FBI Academy.

In 2011, Hammett was appointed to police chief of the University Heights Police Department (UHPD). When Hammett arrived at the department, he felt many policies were unenforce able and outdated. Surveys he conduct ed of officers’ opinions found a “lack in uniformity” and equipment among the sources of low morale. Hammett worked with the city’s executive assis tant to address these issues.

Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly

COURTESY CUYAHOGA COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT

“I think tightening up all of those pol icies and procedures made the depart ment much more professional,” he says.

Hammett also restructured the de partment and spent much of his time hir ing more officers, including Dustin Rog ers, the city’s current police chief.

“He was always personable, profes sional and contained a remarkable law enforcement knowledge base while em bracing teamwork, collaboration and objectivity in his administrative ap proaches,” says Rogers.

In 2018, after seven years at the helm of UHPD, Hammett retired.

“I had planned on getting out of police work all together,” he says, adding that after spending a few months at home, “I realized I wasn’t done.”

He applied for a job at the Cleveland Institute of Art as the director of pub lic safely, a newly created position. Ham mett made the most of his new role, establishing policies, procedures and ex pectations for the agency.

When Hammett joined the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office as a captain, he once again saw opportunities for change.

“It was already professional in many ways, but I thought I could improve the

department with my ideals and presence and the things I know how to do,” Ham mett says.

One goal he sought was to trans form the office from a municipal agen cy to a first responder’s department, which is more common in depart ments, and he believes better serves residents of the county.

In the meantime, Hammett has worked to restructure the agency, put ting people in positions and places where they’ll be more likely to succeed. He’s also worked on bringing in new hires in all posts who are looking for long careers in public service.

“I’m a county resident, and I want to see this sheriff’s department operat ing and performing at its maximum ca pacity because I believe that’s what the citizens of Cuyahoga County deserve,” Hammett adds.

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“ I had planned on getting out of police work altogether. I realized I wasn’t done.”

— STEVEN HAMMETT, CUYAHOGA COUNTY INTERIM SHERIFF

Decades of ACCOMPLISHMENTS

There is an engineering feat right under your feet. But you proba bly never thought about it.

“To put a massive tunnel bor ing machine underground and dig huge long tunnels beneath us while the rest of us are driving, walking, playing fetch with our dog, and for us to not even re alize it, is amazing,” says Danny Neelon, community relations specialist with the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD). “Underneath you is this massive wastewater capturing system that is keeping our lakes and rivers clean and helping to prevent flooding.”

This year, NEORSD, established in 1972 by the Cuyahoga County Com mon Pleas Court, celebrates its 50th anniversary. Created to provide waste water treatment and stormwater man agement, NEORSD serves more than 1 million Northeast Ohio residents every day in Cleveland and 61 communities.

The district began as the Cleveland Regional Sewer District, taking control of three existing wastewater treatment plants: Easterly (1922), Southerly (1928) and Westerly (1922). The name was changed to the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District in 1979.

“A lot of money went into getting those early treatment plants upgraded to meet the challenges of the day,” says Frank Greenland, director of water shed programs and a 34-year employee of the district. “We also took on the responsibility for interceptor sewers, which are like sewer highways. There

was a lot of interceptor construction going on in the late 70s and into the 2000s. The district owns 340 miles, while the communities we serve own more than 10 times that amount.”

Today, four interceptor areas, northwest, southwest, Heights/Hilltop and Cuyahoga Valley “provide more capacity to the system and prevent the basement flooding and sanitary sewer overflows that was pervasive in many areas,” according to Greenland.

During the past five decades, the NEORSD (an independent political subdivision of the state of Ohio) and some of the communities it serves have held varying and sometimes opposing opinions about costs, changes and ju risdiction. But the district continues to work with Northeast Ohioans to help them understand that. Ultimately, it is the NEORSD’s overreaching environ mental role to safeguard the region’s most precious natural resource. As a result, alliances have been formed, says Neelon.

This year’s Clean Water Fest, held in September at the Environmental Main tenance Service Center in Cuyahoga Heights, was an important part of that outreach and transparency. It was also an effective way to celebrate the NEORSD’s 50th anniversary.

Neelon says the two most impactful NEORSD-related events affecting the region during the past 50 years have been the Project Clean Lake consent decree and Regional Stormwater Management Program, both adopted in 2010. Greenland notes that creating a regional district allowed NEORSD to deal with broad, regional problems that weren’t getting tackled.

Project Clean Lake is a 25-year, legally binding agreement between the district and the Ohio Environmental Protec tion Agency, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other offices. Its goal is to reduce the total volume of raw sewage discharges from 4.5 billion gallons to 494 million gallons annually. The project consists of building seven

Peering down the concrete-lined access shaft into the depths of the Shoreline Storage Tunnel under construction. It is one of seven that are proposed. The Shoreline Storage Tunnel will be 23 feet wide and about 14,000 feet long, preventing a whopping 350 million gallons of combined sewer overflow from reaching Lake Erie when complete.

NEORSD celebrates 50 years of community service.

By Jill Sell

DANNY NEELON, COMMUNITY RELATIONS SPECIALIST AT NEORSD, ASSISTS A CUSTOMER AT THE RICHMOND HEIGHTS UTILITY ASSISTANCE RESOURCE FAIR.

large storage tunnels, treatment plant enhancements and significant green infrastructure investment. The program is expected to be completed in 2036.

“Project Clean Lake is not the first program in the country to deal with combined sewer flow problems involv ing stormwater runoff and sanitary wastewater. Many other districts have dug deep tunnels,” says Neelon. “But the approach our district takes is not only to build tunnels that would capture water, but to do it in a fiscally responsi ble manner. We knew it was going to be a big, expensive project.”

As of January 2022, 67 of 80 planned Project Clean Lake projects have been completed. That has led to the elim ination of about 1.7 billion gallons of overflow from discharging into the environment each year, according to the NEORSD. An additional 300 million gallons will be added to that reduction total by 2023.

The Regional Stormwater Manage ment Program addresses factors that are primarily caused by the overwhelming of stormwater systems. Those problems can lead to erosion, flooding and sedi ment runoff that impact the lives of fish and other aquatic life.

“This project has really grown since 2010,” says Neelon.

“I only wish that the program would have started a lot earlier,” adds Green land. “There were legal issues that were out of our control. We would have been ahead in making connections to stream networks, but we are making a differ ence. Now, we have 72 species of fish living in the Cuyahoga River, and many are pollution intolerant — a good sign. And we have nesting bald eagles along the Cuyahoga River. That’s amazing.”

In addition to those two major proj ects that have a “massive impact that the public sees,” Neelon believes “quiet, smaller pieces that are part of the larger picture” are also making a difference in the lives of Northeast Ohioans and their water needs and interactions.

“Five or 10 years down the road people will say, ‘Oh, the flooding here has been reduced,’ or ‘We haven’t had a flood in a long time,’ or ‘The water quality has really improved,’” he says.

The NEORSD also conducts other programs of which the public may not be aware. In 2020, for example, the district collected samples of wastewater for COVID-19 analysis, contributing to a statewide database to help scientists better track and understand the virus. In 2021, the first ever NEORSD Sustainability Plan was launched, with a focus on

advancing its clean-water mission and greater employee involvement.

Greenland says a crisis is looming like a storm cloud and the area is facing major challenges that are now common.

“Whether you believe in climate change or not, we know statistically that more rainfall is falling on Northeast Ohio. Add to that the challenge that our infrastructure to handle all of that is old, and you have a crisis,” says Greenland. “In the newer communities, the sewers are not that old. But elsewhere, they can be even 100 years old, built under different standards, and deteriorating.”

Complicating matters is that between 40% and 50% of the total sewer system is located on private property.

“If you let something go on your house, like the roof or gutters, you’re going to pay a lot more down the line if you don’t invest in their upkeep. The same is true if we don’t support aging infrastructure. Also, the potential for flooding will increase and the potential for overflow by sewage to our waterbod ies or surface will increase,” according to Greenland.

Neelon emphasizes that the NEORSD is “really one of, if not the only public utility that people interact with every day and that people’s actions really matter.”

“Five or 10 years down the road people will say, ‘Oh, the flooding here has been reduced,’ or ‘We haven’t had a flood in a long time,’ or ‘The water quality has really improved.’”

— DANNY NEELON

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS MAYOR KHALIL SEREN (LEFT) AND FRANK GREENLAND (RIGHT), DIRECTOR OF WATERSHED PROGRAMS AT NEORSD ATTEND A DOAN BROOK RESTORATION MEETING.

Creative Collaborations

Baldwin Wallace’s performing arts programs get a standing ovation. By Jill Sell

They take well-deserved bows on stage, build fanciful cos tumes and hit magnificently high notes. Baldwin Wallace (BW) University’s performing arts stu dents in music theater, acting, theater and dance and voice performance excel in their school’s productions. They are already part of Northeast Ohio’s pro fessional cultural arts scene, and they are making quite an impression.

Not every collegiate music theater arts program can say it “changed the face of Broadway.” But according to Victoria Bussert, director of BW’s mu sic theater program, that’s exactly what BW has done. Bussert points to some of the school’s graduates, includ ing the late Kyle Jean-Baptist, who was the “first Black and youngest actor (at 21) to play Jean Valjean in Les Misera bles on Broadway, and Ciara Renee as Broadway’s first Black Elsa in Frozen.

“When children see themselves rep resented on stage, they know change is possible,” says Bussert. “Forty-three percent of students in our music theater program are young artists of color.”

Bussert can recite a long list of other successful alumni who are performing on Broadway, as well as with nation al tours and theater companies across the country.

Learning critical theater skills on and off stage is vital to student success. BW’s curriculum includes more than 25 courses, from script analysis and make up for the stage to ballet bootcamp and audition technique. At BW, students hone their natural talents and love of theater in a scholastic environment.

Bussert says “there’s also something about that 20-minute ride from Berea to Beck Center for the Arts in Lakewood,

for example, that is wonderful and transforms these students.”

BW’s winter production is produced by Beck Center, a chance for students to experience a longer stage run than would be financially possible.

“If we did not have those relationships with Beck Center, Great Lakes Theater and Playhouse Square, we would not see our students graduating and imme diately getting national tours or being on Broadway,” says Bussert.

BW’s spring musical production is possible because of its 15-year partner ship with Playhouse Square. Instead of “making a giant leap from school to the professional world,” Bussert recognizes the “build-in steps” that working with the country’s second-largest performing arts center in the U.S. provides students.

One of the most recent seasonal col laborations enjoyed by BW’s music theater program has been the chance to be part of the Cleveland Orchestra. This fall’s production with the Akron Symphony Orchestra of The Sound of Music featured 40 BW students,

including freshman, who filled almost every role.

This is the music theater program’s second partnership with the Cleveland Orchestra, the first being the produc tion of South Pacific: In Concert prior to the COVID-19 shutdown. Addition al performing partners have included Great Lakes Theater, as well as Cain Park, Nighttown and Dobama Theatre in Cleveland Heights.

Voice and Opera

BW’s undergraduate-only conserva tory provides extraordinary opportuni ties that voice performance majors may not find at other universities that also serve graduate students. Undergrads in those environments find themselves at a disadvantage for roles in productions and meet stiff competition from higher level students.

Graduate students may be more expe rienced or developed, but not necessari ly more talented, according to Scott Ski ba, director of opera studies, Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music.

REHEARSAL FOR SOUTH PACIFIC: IN CONCERT

That graduate student advantage is never the case at BW, where voice and opera students often find themselves cast in top-notch roles and productions even as freshmen.

“With opera, it takes longer for the voice to develop,” says Skiba. “These students are not like first-year music the ater students who are probably about four years away from being a profession al on a national tour or on Broadway.”

BW is ahead of many other educa tional institutions for voice and opera students, and not just because they get a generous amount of stage time in four years. It’s also “where” they get it.

With three very different kinds of main stage productions per year, stu dents get an incredible, unique, profes sional experience. Skiba directs two of the performances, and the third is un der the guidance of a guest director. The fall opera is produced in partner ship with Playhouse Square, giving stu dents vital off-campus experience and the chance to work in a nationally ac claimed theater complex.

“Opera tells stories about what hap pens between people, not what hap pened 100 years ago,” explains Skiba.

Bringing opera to a wider audience is a mission for Skiba, who continual ly eyes intriguing off-campus and outof-theater environments. His students have performed on the grand staircase in the historic Arcade Cleveland, built in 1890 and connecting Euclid and Su perior avenues. BW has also collaborat ed with the Music Box Supper Club on the West Bank of the Flats and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, both in Cleveland.

“One way to keep opera alive is to re alize we always need diversity in people creating it,” says Skiba.

He says “people who say they don’t like opera often have never seen it.”

But BW’s connections with professional companies, other entertainment venues and nontraditional spaces help make opera more accessible and appreciated.

Acting, Theater and Dance

One student who graduated a few years ago from the school’s acting, the ater and dance program was a talent ed costume designer. After college, she established a business building corsets and has since become well-known and in-demand for her work with the classic undergarment and its modern versions.

“We periodically ask her to come back because we do shows that need corsets, especially for period costumes,” says Jeff Herrmann, chair, department of theater and dance. “Not all of our stu dents leave us and go directly into the ater. But they learn a variety of skills, including carpentry, the ability to stand in front of an audience and to present themselves professionally.”

BW offers five educational tracks for its acting, theater and dance students, which provide a focus and more pro fessional opportunities throughout stu dents’ college careers. Tracks include bachelor’s degrees in acting and direct ing; tech and design (which includes costume design, lighting, scene design and technical direction; stage manage ment; movement; and acting.)

Students also are encouraged to ex plore theater-related classes that might not be their first interest, making them more attractive to future employers. Herrmann says a student interested in acting should know how to talk to a scene or lighting designer.

“Directors are responsible for cre ating a unified vision for productions, and students with this interest should take a class in design. What does their

production look like in terms of col ors or textures?” he asks. “Or, if an ac tor has to wear a corset, they should know how a cor set is made, how it shapes your body and how it allows you to move on stage in ways you normally wouldn’t in our time period.”

The auxiliary knowledge and skills that BW acting, theater and dance stu dents receive help set them apart from others in an audition or when they are vying for a job.

“Professional companies love us,” Herrmann says. “BW has a such a great reputation in this community. Other companies look to our students for employees.

Great Lakes Theater’s School Res idency Program has hired many BW grads as full-time, paid actor-teachers. The experience is a stepping stone for many graduates.

“I was the scene and lighting design er for Lizzie the Musical at Beck this year. I had a scene design assistant on that production with me. She helped with scenery and props and met many people in the area’s theater communi ty,” adds Herrmann. “Whenever pos sible, our faculty always takes along a student as an assistant. One of our fac ulty members teaches stage combat and has worked with the Cleveland Shake speare Festival. BW students were cast in productions he has directed.”

If we did not have those relationships with Beck and others, we would not see our students graduating and immediately getting national tours or being on Broadway.”

— VICTORIA BUSSERT, DIRECTOR OF MUSIC THEATER

JEFF HERRMANN

GRASP BREAKING POVERTY’S

United Way mobilizes people and resources.

By Linda Feagler

MARYAM KIEFER

For more than a century, United Way of Greater Cleveland has been at the forefront of helping residents in Cuyahoga County — as well as those in Geauga, Darke and Ross counties — break the cycle of poverty. The organization is a proven leader when it comes to mobilizing people and resources to create solutions designed to improve the lives of the communities it serves.

“We’re known for helping people in crisis,” says Maryam Kiefer, United Way of Greater Cleveland’s director of public policy, who leads advocacy initiatives at all legislative levels. “But

in order to really help them, you need to also be able to see whatever the root causes of those crises are and whether or not there are any strategies that can be put in place so they don’t continue on in perpetuity.”

As the world turns and slowly emerges from the pandemic, a host of new challenges has risen that also need United Way’s navigation expertise.

Since it launched a decade ago, United Way’s 2-1-1 Help Center has provided free and confidential 24-hour access to professional advisers who help callers review their options for assistance and develop a tailor-made plan for them.

The guides also serve as advocates for eliminating barriers to service.

COVID-19 led to the three-digit phone number becoming a lifeline to residents who never imagined needing to rely on it. Kiefer estimates that the help center received 200,000 calls last year alone.

“Suddenly, businesses were shutting down, people were losing their jobs and facing eviction and food insecurity,” she says. “Others were searching for child care options.”

When vaccines became available, call ers who didn’t have access to the inter net or Wi-Fi relied on 2-1-1- personnel

to help them schedule vaccination appointments.

That dose of reality also increased United Way’s dedication to devoting significant time and energy to proac tively lead and bring visibility to healthequity policies; engage with nonprofits to collaborate and collectively support common policy priorities; and monitor issues that align with United Way’s priorities by signing joint letters and communicating with public officials.

When lawmakers in the state legis lature were debating whether or not to eliminate the Step Up to Quality Pro gram, Kiefer and her team campaigned to keep it. The five-star rating and improvement system administered by the Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services promotes learning and devel opment in publicly funded child care programs that meet quality standards. United Way of Greater Cleveland’s efforts ensured the rating system, based on national research identifying stan dards that lead to improved outcomes for children, remains in effect.

“It’s a challenge for many child care providers to earn these stars,” Kiefer says. “But if the star ratings were not in place, it would be much more diffi cult for Ohio families and parents to determine how qualified the child care provider they select really is.”

United Way of Greater Cleveland has also taken a leading role in offering input on where the dollars Cleveland and Cuyahoga and Geauga counties received as part of the American Rescue Plan should be spent. The economic stimulus package, which was passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021, was created to help communities respond, recover, reimagine and rebuild in the wake of COVID-19.

“We’re closely tracking where the money is going and encourage invest ment in valuable resources, such as our 2-1-1 program,” Kiefer says. “We’re also advocating all levels of government to effectively invest these funds into programs that address the variety of issues we work on, including housing, homelessness, access to quality health care and economic mobility.”

Kiefer echoes United Way of Greater Cleveland’s affirmation that the journey to economic prosperity begins at the schoolhouse door, but too many chil dren cross that threshold unprepared for kindergarten. To compound the problem, adults without college degrees often find themselves working low-wage jobs with limited earning potential.

As a step toward allaying that alltoo-common occurrence, United Way is spearheading the creation of the Louise C. Stokes Scholar House. Named in

honor of the mother or the late Cleve land Mayor Carl Stokes and the late Ohio Congressman Louis Stokes, the 40-unit apartment complex is set to open next fall.

The project is funded by a low income housing tax credit award from the Ohio Housing Finance Agency. Other funders include the city of Cleveland, which committed $1.2 million dollars for construction. Located at 2551 Com munity College Avenue, within walking distance of Cuyahoga Community Col lege’s downtown campus and Cleveland State University, the building features a five-star day care, a computer lab, common space for parenting classes and a children’s play area.

Cleveland State University and Cuyahoga Community College will offer life skills classes and academic counseling for first-generation college students, and United Way of Greater Cleveland and CHN Housing Partners will coordinate wraparound services, including mental health counseling and financial literacy tutorials.

As it has since 1900, United Way of Greater Cleveland continues to keep a finger on the pulse of Greater Cleve land. The organization’s Community Conversations series of public forums centers on relevant news-making topics. Last year’s series of public programming — launched in partnership with the Cleveland NAACP — focused on the Cleveland Consent Decree that’s meant to enact sweeping changes in the way the Cleveland Police Department interacts with the community. This year, the sub ject was Voting Rights, Redistricting and Impact on Voter Turnout, co-presented with the YWCA of Greater Cleveland.

“The time has come to truly address long-term issues that are affecting our society,” Kiefer says. “We need to make sure the policies we have aren’t broken or ineffective so that it won’t be more difficult for people to obtain what they need to lead fulfilling lives.”

United Way of Greater Cleveland has also taken a leading role in offering input on where the dollars Cleveland and Cuyahoga and Geauga counties received as part of the American Rescue Plan should be spent.

REBUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

We’ve all seen the videos and heard the stories. Often the news is exaggerated to make better headlines. But when repeated again and again through a news cycle, it does more damage than can be imagined.

When George Floyd’s life was snuffed out by Derek Chauvin and other mem bers of the Minneapolis Police Depart ment over a counterfeit $20 bill, it set in motion justifiable protests and, in some cases, unjustified violent riots. Locally, it brought back memories of the trag edy of 12-year-old Tamir Rice. It also set back the efforts of the Cleveland Po lice Foundation, Police Athletic League (PAL) and other local police depart ments working hard to establish good community relations, often wiping out decades of progress in the process.

Now, it’s time to rebuild — to rees tablish trust among law enforcement and the local neighborhoods and com munities it serves. It will not be an easy task. But in Northeast Ohio, the pro cess is ongoing.

“When I saw everything that hap pened two years ago, I just cringed,” says retired Cleveland Division of Police Sgt. Robert “Bob” Kumazec, executive director of the Cleveland PAL. “It’s ev erything we stand against, and it really hurt me on a personal level.

“But it’s also the reason police de partments in other cities need organiza tions like the Cleveland PAL,” he adds.

Ask any prominent law enforcement officer, and they will invariably an swer the same way. Good communi ty relations are at the heart of creating any safe environment. Reaching out to younger citizens, even those ages 6, 7 or 8, is always the best way to start.

“Building those relationships when kids are really young is especially im portant,” says Dornat “Wayne” Drum mond, chief of the Cleveland Division of Police, who assumed the permanent title of chief from his previous interim status over the summer. “They need to know that we are their friends — that we are here to help. A lot of it starts with getting our officers out of their law enforcement role so younger generations can see our officers in a different light.”

“It is absolutely critical,” adds Capt. Mitch Houser, who serves with the

community services division of the Eu clid Police Department. “Without the general support of the public, no police department could ever hope to effec tively address problems with crime and public disorder.

“The Euclid Police Department deep ly values our relationship with the pub lic and works to maintain and enhance it as often as possible,” Houser adds.

“Community involvement is the first step in fighting crime,” says Lt. Dan Ciryak, public information officer for the Parma Police Department. “Our of ficers obviously cannot be all over the city and witness crimes firsthand, and that’s where the public comes in.

“The members of our community typ ically report the crimes first, and our of ficers are quick to respond to these calls for service. We rely on the public to re port these crimes, as well as follow up with tips, which help us solve crimes in our city.”

Police Foundation, PAL and local departments reach out to future generations.

By Terry Troy

IN FBI VESTS

Dick Clough, board chair and presi dent of the Cleveland Police Foundation, has been at the forefront of helping build the ties between Cleveland neighbor hoods and law enforcement for years.

“We are involved with a lot of differ ent programs,” says Clough. “We have a program that encourages conversa tions between our younger residents and police officers. We have another called Cookin’ with Cops. It’s very import ant that we create an atmosphere where our youth and younger residents are not afraid of the police.”

To that end, the Cleveland Police Foundation supports a program that promotes fishing with cops, a favorite of Drummond’s.

“They go out on a charter boat, fish all day and have lunch,” he says. “Most importantly, they talk, and not about po lice things. They engage, and the young people see officers in a more humanistic light, which is very important.”

“Next year, we are also starting a mural program called Messages with Hope, where kids and cops will work together to create neighborhood art,” adds Clough.

In fact, the Cleveland PAL’s commu nity involvement is almost legendary. It started back in 1938, when the Cleve land PAL was founded by Elliot Ness, Cleveland’s legendary safety director.

“Obviously, we have had our fair share of ups and downs across the years, but right now we are on some thing of an upswing,” says Kumazec, who has been instrumental in grant writing and fundraising for PAL across his more than two decades of service

with the organization. “We had prob lems after 9/11 due to Homeland Se curity, and then faced some challenges when COVID-19 hit. But we’re getting back on track.”

This past summer, the Cleveland PAL had a 14-team, six-week basketball league for high school students out of Cudell Recreation Center.

“We could have done it longer than six weeks, but we were limited be cause high school kids are not allowed to play any more than that during the summer,” says Kumazec. “We had four girls’ teams and 10 boys’ teams, and we’re hoping to expand that next year.”

During the recent NBA All-Star Game, Nike caught wind of PAL’s sum mer league, supplying kids uniforms as well as making a substantial donation, says Kumazec.

“They are coming back here to do a documentary on PAL,” Kumazec adds.

Other successful sports programs from the Cleveland PAL include its sev en boxing clubs and 20 football teams that play in the Cleveland Muni League at various age levels.

“Each of our boxing clubs has about 30 boxers, and we usually have about 25 to 30 kids on each football team,” says Kumazec.

While the Cleveland Police Founda tion and Cleveland PAL play an import ant role within the city, even inner ring suburbs such as Euclid and Parma are actively involved with their respective communities.

“The Euclid Police Department is constantly working to improve its re lationship with Euclid’s youth,” says

“Building those relationships, when kids are really young, is especially important. They need to know that we are their friends. That we are here to help. And a lot of it starts with getting our officers out of their law enforcement role, so younger generations can see our officers in a different light.”

— Dornat “Wayne” Drummond, Cleveland Division of Police Chief

DICK CLOUGH SGT. ROBERT KUMAZEC

PAL FISHING CLASS ENJOYING THE LAGOON

THE PAL 6 RED DOGS PLAY IN THE CLEVELAND MUNY FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Houser. “In addition to staffing a fulltime school resource officer at the high school and middle school, we maintain a presence at the city’s elementary schools with regular visits.”

Euclid also has an excellent PAL, which offers activities that include weekly sea sonal basketball, the Cross-Over Clas sic 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament, Safe ty Town, Hooked on Fishing and a soccer camp, among many other activities.

The Parma Police Department has a program called Random Acts of Kind ness, “where we accept donations and then go out and buy toys, safety equip ment, or gift cards,” says Ciryak. “Those are then given out randomly to families and/or kids within the community.

“We have a Helmet Smart Program ,which is sponsored by AAA. This pro gram encourages kids to wear their hel mets while biking anywhere in the city. Officers stop these kids and issue a ‘tick et,’ which is a voucher that entitles the

kids to stop by the police station on a giv en date to participate in an ice cream so cial with police officers and other children that were rewarded for wearing their hel mets as well.”

Along with Parma City Schools, the Parma Police Department also partici pates in Safety Town, which addresses safety issues with younger children such as stranger danger, the importance of wearing a helmet while biking, red light/ green light (stop and go and when to cross at an intersection), as well as the impor tance of wearing a safety belt.

“We have two school resource officers who interact with the kids daily through out the school year,” says Ciryak. “One SRO is at Parma Senior High School, while the other splits his time between Shiloh Middle School and Greenbriar Middle School.

“We also have an explorer program/law post that meets every third Wednesday of the month. This program is designed to

A 75-year Legacy of Nursing Leadership

give teens and young adults with an in terest in law enforcement some hands-on training while experiencing different ac tivities such as ride-alongs and gun safety training, as well as firing and K9 usage.”

Local community involvement with law enforcement is also very important with federal law enforcement.

“In addition to our programs, the FBI offers tours of the Cleveland Field Office to junior high and high school students through our classroom outreach,” says Gregory Nelsen, Cleveland FBI special agent-in-charge.

The tours are typically two hours and include an interactive mock case presen tation, a tour of the building, seeing and learning about the FBI SWAT truck and evidence response vehicle and learning how to dust for fingerprints.

“FBI Cleveland is active in the com munity year-round, giving presenta tions and sharing information at booths during school and community events,

camps, festivals and safety fairs,” Nelsen adds. “Children have an op portunity to get up close with the FBI and try on an FBI tactical vest, receive age-appropriate coloring and reading materials and take an oath to become a ‘junior’ agent where they receive an FBI sticker badge. It is a great way to intro duce kids to the mission of serving in the FBI — to protect the American pub lic and uphold the U.S. Constitution.”

The Cleveland FBI also conducts outreach with Cleveland Public Schools and invites collaborations with private and charter schools.

“We also visit classrooms year-round from elementary age through college, to edu cate students about the Bu reau, the work we do and the many career opportuni ties with the FBI, whether that is as an agent or profes sional staff,” adds Nelsen.

Naturally, such efforts are also used in recruitment and development of pos sible agents. The Honors Internship Program is an opportunity to set a ca reer in motion that is ideal for under graduate students between their junior and senior years, as well as graduate students pursuing a master’s degree or doctoral degree. The program is a paid internship and can be a direct pipeline

to full-time employment after college.

The Future Agents in Training (FAIT) program runs each June and is open to high schoolers interested in learning about the FBI. The weeklong program, held at the FBI, accepts applications in the early part of the year.

The FBI is also active with public safe ty programs such as its Think Before You Post Campaign, which serves to re mind everyone that any threat is taken with the utmost seriousness and will be quickly and thoroughly addressed by law enforcement. Hoax threats are not a joke; they are a crime.

FBI-SOS (which stands for safe on line surfing), promotes safe cyber citi zenship by educating students in third to eighth grades on the essentials of on line security. The Bureau’s Child ID app provides a convenient place to electroni cally store photos and vital information about children on a smartphone in the event a child goes missing.

PARMA POLICE LT. DAN CIRYAK

EUCLID POLICE CAPT. MITCH HOUSER

LENDING A Compassionate Hand

Since 1877, McGregor has been dedicated to improving the ex perience of aging by enabling Cuyahoga County older adults to successfully do so at home or in assist ed and independent living communities that ensure personal dignity, respect and quality of life. That commitment contin ues as the baby boomer population ages and the health care field searches for qualified individuals to join its ranks.

McGregor has launched two initiatives to increase the number of professionals who will be ready to lend a compassion ate hand. The McGregor Foundation and Judson Senior Living have partnered to offer a paid Earn & Learn program for those wishing to become state tested nursing assistants (STNAs). Additional ly, paid internship opportunities for col lege students are also available.

“We started the Earn & Learn pro gram in the summer of 2021 with the con cept of trying to bolster our workforce,” says Ann Conn, president and CEO of the McGregor Foundation, which was established in 2002 as a private grant making foundation. “Like many indus tries, recruiting has been a challenge for us. Finding individuals who have access to the training and have the ability to take time off to get the training can be diffi cult. So we decided to follow a manufac turing model with paid apprenticeships and start this program on our own.”

Clearly, the need is great. Conn cites statistics indicating that in 2010, there were 4.8 caregivers for every senior who needed care. By 2030, that number will have dwindled to 2.8.

Upon completing the three-week STNA training course, students will be fully prepared to take the state-licensing

McGregor initiatives attract caregivers to the profession.

By Linda Feagler

examination within four months of their last class. Since Earn & Learn began, 120 individuals have participated in the program, have earned their STNA licen sure and are employed by either McGre gor or Judson Senior Living.

“State tested nursing assistants provide an essential and revered role in our indus try,” Conn says. “They are the caregiv ers who help older adults with their activi ties of daily living — from getting up from bed to bathing and dressing to eating — to make sure they are well cared for.”

McGregor and Judson Living, in con junction with Eliza Jennings (a retire ment community and nursing home), have also initiated a monthlong training program for STNAs wishing to move up the career ladder to become certified medication administrators (CMAs), and earn a certificate that qualifies them to dispense medication.

“We’re excited about the work we’re doing, and the fact we’re expanding it to include other nonprofits,” Conn says. “The leadership of these organizations knows each other really well and has de veloped a strong trust that enables us to work together to train future generations of caregivers.”

College-rising seniors also interested in pursuing a career in the health care field are invited to apply for a 10-week paid internship in the McGregor Foun dation’s summer internship program, which also began in 2021.

Since its inception, students have gained a variety of a hands-on experiences in many facets of aging services, and learned about the multitude of careers avail able that support McGregor’s delivery of care in departments that include finance, marketing, communications, human

resources and case management. They’ve assisted with updating the organization’s website, sat in on interviews with poten tial grant recipients and interviewed resi dents about their life experiences.

Internship opportunities are posted on LeadingAge, Handshake and Indeed. Lee Ann O’Brien, the McGregor Foun dation’s chief marketing officer, says she couldn’t be happier with the respondents who’ve been chosen.

“When it comes to our interns, we caught lightning in a jar,” O’Brien says. “They truly help us with our mission. Al though our primary emphasis is on those over age 65, we’re now also focusing on a younger generation who’ll have to think about their future and how they’re go ing to help their parents. The experienc es our interns participated in on the job and the perspective they gave us during their time here has been a learning expe rience for us and for them.

“The internships,” she adds, “help bridge a little bit of the generation gap.”

ANN CONN LEE ANN O’BRIEN

“We decided to follow a manufacturing model with paid apprenticeships and start this program on our own.”

— ANN CONN

Spreading Its Wings

By Joanne Cahill

Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity is extending its mis sion of helping people realize the dream of homeownership into Lorain County. One of its first pri orities is to reopen its popular ReStore home improvement center and thrift store in Amherst.

The Lorain County store is one of three ReStores operated by the non profit — the others are located in North Randall and on Cleveland’s near West Side.

Habitat for Humanity’s outgoing president and CEO, John Habat, got the expansion off to a good start before officially stepping down Sept. 30. He is remaining in an advisory role to assist with the transition through the end of the year. New president and CEO John Litten took on the leadership position Oct. 1 as the organization celebrates its 35th anniversary.

Before expanding, Habat and the board of directors wanted to ensure the change would not impact the nonprof it’s efforts in Cleveland. He explained that all fundraising for Lorain County will be done separately and all proceeds raised will stay in that community.

“My first question was, ‘Will this im pact our mission of serving Cleveland ers?’” Habat says. “The need in Cleve land is great, but so is the need in Lorain.”

Each local affiliate under the Habitat for Humanity umbrella coordinates its own construction and selects local home buyer applicants. Many also operate lo cal ReStore home improvement centers. Lorain County Habitat for Humanity, in cluding its ReStore, closed in March due

to management issues and was not pre viously affiliated with the Cleveland out fit. Habitat for Humanity International asked if Cleveland was interested in filling the role in the neighboring community.

“Our board will be watching this carefully,” Habat adds. “We have many checks and balances in place to ensure good management.

“When I started with the organiza tion 11 years ago, we were building one house a year,” he continues. “Last year, we built or rehabbed 26.”

Habat sees the potential for this type of future progress in Lorain, too.

“We believe in the power of the Hab itat brand and in people’s belief in do ing good for others,” he says. “A house is permanent.”

He also notes that the Lorain ReStore is in a fantastic location. The ReStores provide a significant source of revenue

for Habitat, generating $2.7 million in sales in Cleveland last year. They are stocked with an array of home-relat ed goods, including large and small ap pliances, cabinets, doors, wood tables, dressers, couches, housewares, tools, plumbing and wood salvage. Anyone who wishes to donate can drop off goods at one of the three locations or request a free home pickup.

Among the 26 houses completed by Habitat last year, homebuyers paid an average of $114,800, along with many hours of sweat equity. The average monthly mortgage ran $601 and was pro vided at 0% interest by Habitat.

As Habat departs the organization, he leaves it in the top 25 local affiliates for house production. Last year, its two Re Store locations ranked 13th nationally.

“Here’s to the next 35 years,” Habat says.

We believe in the power of the Habitat brand and in people’s belief in doing good for others.”

— JOHN HABAT

Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity expands into Lorain County.

RESTORE LOCATIONS ARE STOCKED WITH AN ARRAY OF HOME-RELATED GOODS.

DONATIONS ARE ACCEPTED AT ANY ONE OF THE THREE RESTORE LOCATIONS.

A TRAINING Triple Threat

Tri-C’s Corporate College offers education options.

By Linda Feagler

For two decades, Cuyahoga Com munity College’s (Tri-C) Corpo rate College has been a leader when it comes to offering profes sional training and development to indi viduals in a variety of vocations.

As Greater Cleveland recovers from COVID-19, Suzanne Ortiz, Corpo rate College’s director of open enroll ment programs, has seen a definite up tick in interest on several new fronts at the college’s locations in Warrensville Heights, Westlake and Brunswick. In addition to offering traditional on-site classes, courses are taught online, vir tually through Webex or a combination of all three.

“COVID-19 has definitely led to a re ality check for many of us,” she says. “Some professionals come to us because the industry they’ve been in for many years isn’t doing well, and they want to shift to another vocation. Others simply

want to do something else and are look ing to upskill because they can.”

As the workforce continues to dwin dle, companies are also signing on for Corporate College teambuilding sem inars designed to cross-train their em ployees for multitasking.

“Employees can no longer be siloed in their own domain,” Ortiz says. “In stead, they’re counted on to master a variety of duties. There’s so much tech nology out there that many of us don’t understand. The benefit of Tri-C and Corporate College is that you can start from the bottom with caring faculty members and staff who are experts in their respective fields. They’re dedicat ed to spending extra time with you to teach you what you need to know. Stu dents who opt to take our classes online will not be alone in cyberspace. They’ll always have a mentor to reach out to when they need help.”

Ortiz likens the Corporate College model to a three-legged stool comprising a trio of distinct services: facility rental, open enrollment and customized train ing and consulting.

From meeting design to selecting a menu, Corporate College’s conference services team guides businesses to en sure board meetings, staff retreats, train ing sessions, lectures, conventions, trade shows and symposiums run smoothly. Amenities include 100,000 square feet of meeting and event space, 28 state-ofthe-art meeting rooms, interactive tech nology that’s easy to use, internal and external telepresence capabilities, com plimentary Wi-Fi and free parking.

“You tell our staff what you want, and they’ll plan your entire event from cater ing to design, aesthetics and technology,” Ortiz says. “If you don’t have virtual tech nology at your location, you can come to us, and we’ll take care of it. Our locations

are also in tranquil, wooded settings that make a retreat truly a retreat.”

Corporate College’s open-enrollment professional development programs in corporate personal discovery activi ties tailor-made to increase self-aware ness, real-world business challenges to improve application skills and support tools to keep learners engaged on the job. Other certificate programs that can be taken individually or as a cohort in clude: front line and project manage ment; Lean Six Sigma; American Soci ety for Quality (ASQ); ISO standards and quality management; accounting, fi nance, tax and payroll; real estate pre-li censure; digital marketing and design, and health industry solutions.

Certificate programs in diversity, eq uity and inclusion (DEI) are also key components of the curriculum Corpo rate College offers. The courses provide a broad overview of cultural intelligence and help participants gain insight into unconscious biases, the impact of mi cro-messages and how utilizing individ ual diverse experiences can lead to be ing a more inclusive employee or leader. Courses in the series include adapting cross-culturally with emotional intelli gence; embracing generational diversity; overcoming conflict in a diverse work place; inclusive leadership; understand ing unconscious bias; women in leader ship; and valuing differences.

Another popular offering these days is the mindful leadership certification.

“What worked yesterday is no lon ger working today due to the volatility, complexity and ambiguity of our times,” Ortiz says. “With our new normal, the

name of the game has changed, causing a shift to a different style of leadership — that of a mindful leader.”

The program will help participants find increased balance, clarity, focus, compassion and creativity; make bet ter and meaningful decisions; increase productivity and improve time manage ment; cultivate emotional literacy to re duce conflict; understand the power of habits; and lead more mindfully.

“In addition to an employee paying for courses, other options include payment on an installment basis and third-par ty pay tuition reimbursement by the em ployer,” Ortiz says. “We also have schol arships available for qualifying students, and businesses that register three or more employees receive a 10% discount.”

As the world shifts to flexible work ar rangements, Corporate College is ready to help businesses handle the transition with ease.

“Our expert teams not only custom ize training to meet a business’ needs,

they also help companies determine what they need to succeed,” Ortiz says. “Let’s say your company needs SWOT [strengths, weaknesses, opportuni ties and threats] analysis. Or maybe you need a process map or an auditor. We’ll actually come to your location and offer consultative services in what ever you need, and develop a custom ized plan for you to follow. Then, we’ll follow up two months later to see how things are progressing.”

The college’s consultants design per sonalized interactive and virtual class rooms for remote workforces; provide virtual or on-site support for instruc tional design, ISO; QMS and EMS au dits; system implementation; Lean Six Sigma project coaching; manager, ex ecutive and sales coaching, and virtual classroom development.

“Corporate College is with you every step of the way to make sure you’re suc cessful,” Ortiz says. “With us, you’re getting the best of the best.”

“

Students who opt to take our classes online will not be alone in cyberspace. They’ll always have a mentor to reach out to when they need help.”

— SUZANNE ORTIZ

“What worked yesterday is no longer working today due to the volatility, complexity and ambiguity of our times,”

Ortiz says. “With our new normal, the name of the game has changed, causing a shift to a different style of leadership — that of a mindful leader.”

BUSINESS

Learning to Earn

Is a traditional college education worth the investment?

BY THE EDITORS

We see the stories and portray als on television and the in ternet nearly every day. Lib eral arts professors in ivory towers teaching subjects that are more societal than practical. Woke culture pundits steering the youth of to morrow toward ideals and beliefs that run contrary to capitalism and business. Often, these stories are braced by anec dotal evidence of often bizarre collegiate majors that could never be used in a prac tical way.

With tuition costs at an all-time high, it’s leading to a great new national educa tion debate: Is a college education worth the investment? For many, it all depends on whether you get a job upon graduation.

“One of the aspects of the modern world that is difficult for individuals to grasp is

that students will not have a single ca reer,” says Stephen Stahl, provost of Bald win Wallace University (BW). “The latest estimates are that the typical graduate will have between three and five careers.

“As daunting as that is, the projec tions are that two to three of these ca reers have not yet been invented. This is where the liberal arts become extreme ly important,” Stahl explains. “They in still the discipline in students to examine new areas, become comfortable with dif ferent worldviews and see issues from dif ferent vantage points. These skills provide the foundation for the liberal arts-trained individual to find meaning and relevance in frontier circumstances and move soci ety forward.”

“One of the best ways students can en sure they are marketable is to participate

in various types of experiential learning while in college that help develop trans ferable skills that are applicable to a broad set of employment opportunities,” says Laura Carey, director of career ser vices at the University of Akron (UA).

“Experiential learning can help stu dents evaluate companies, industries and prospective career paths while providing them with relevant work and learning ex periences related to a major,” Carey adds. “Another way to impact marketability upon graduation is for students to seek jobs that are in-demand. If students are unsure of a major or career path, UA’s ca reer services helps them explore the ‘hot jobs’ in Ohio or other regions.”

“Surveys of employers consistently rank skills such as problem-solving, an alytical skills, ability to work in teams

and communication skills as their most desired attributes in new college gradu ates,” adds Nikki Marzano, MA CPRW, director of career services at John Carroll University. (JCU) “John Carroll’s liberal arts core curriculum prepares students to make a difference in the workplace and in society with its focus on high-level trans ferable skills — including communica tion, evidence-based reasoning and prob lem solving.”

Those arguments fall on deaf ears when it comes to television and social media pundits on both sides of the aisle. They often argue that a college education is simply not worth the investment, espe cially if you have to go into debt to ob tain it. That perception is having a neg ative impact on both enrollment and the nature of the programs finding their way into college curricula today. And the facts speak for themselves.

According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center’s Over view of Spring 2022 Enrollment Esti mates, collegiate enrollment is dropping at an alarming pace. Total postsecond ary enrollment, which includes both undergraduate and graduate students, fell 4.1% nationwide, with undergrad uate enrollment making up much of the decline down 662,000 students — or 4.75% in spring 2022 from spring 2021. This is only slightly less than the latter’s yearly loss of 4.9%. As a result, the un dergraduate student body is now 9.4% lower than it was in 2020, or nearly 1.4 million students less than it was before the pandemic.

We can’t blame all of this on COVID-19. However, we may have the solution here in Ohio. It’s an elegant solution that has been touted by economic development or ganizations and businesses for decades: developing partnerships between aca demia and businesses to ensure gradua tion leads to a gainfully employed career.

Colleges in Northeast Ohio offer a va riety of resources dedicated to the future

employment of their students. Some of fer programs that connect students to em ployers as soon as they graduate or even during enrollment. In Northeast Ohio, schools that have educational programs with the goal of getting students em ployed or connected to employers include the University of Akron (UA), Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C), Cleveland State University (CSU) and Kent State University (KSU).

UA has a federal work-study program, a student aid program that provides parttime employment while its students are enrolled. This program is helpful to stu dents that need income, but it also helps them build career relationships.

Employment rates at UA are a case in point. At six months post-gradua tion, 95% of spring 2021 graduates who earned an undergraduate degree were em ployed full time, part time or continuing their education, says Carey. And 85% of students who earned a bachelor’s degree participated in at least one experiential learning experience before graduation.

Tri-C’s Corporate Campus also provides employment opportunities right out of its trade programs. Its steel-working program offers “on-site paid training at ArcelorMittal,” ac cording to the college. Tri-C’s IT de partment is also making an effort to give students career opportunities. The program offers paid internships, and the department has a plan to help employ more women specifically.

Laura Carey

KSU has an employment program in partnership with Delta Air Lines. The university’s aeronautics program allows students to complete their required pilot training and then pursue a career with Delta Air Lines.

KSU is also playing a key role in ed ucation and workforce development through Intel’s Ohio Semiconductor Ed ucation and Research Program. KSU is one of eight collaborative programs being

KSU’s aeronautics students prepare for a rocket launch.

“One of the best ways students can ensure they are marketable upon graduation is to participate in various types of experiential learning while in college that help develop transferable skills that are applicable to a broad set of employment opportunities.”

— Laura Carey

funded by the chipmaker, which has in vested more than $20 billion in new man ufacturing facilities in Ohio.

In Northeast Ohio, JCU is among 13 local collaborating colleges and univer sities whose semiconductor research and education will be part of KSU’s efforts. Other local colleges and universities un der KSU’s umbrella include: BW, Tri-C, Hiram College, Lake Erie College, Lake land Community College, Lorain County Community College, Malone University, Mount Vernon Nazarene University, No tre Dame College, Walsh University and Wilberforce University.

Each of these institutions will leverage existing research, curricular and experi ential learning assets, capabilities and ex pertise within the region and grow the collective capacity to support the domes tic growth of robust semiconductor and microelectronics innovation and supply chain ecosystems.

“What this opportunity brings to JCU primarily focuses on multiple student ex periential learning opportunities related

to semiconductor manufacturing via a summer institute, hybrid immersive ex periences, internships and building virtu al reality experiences to supplement and scale the work,” says Jeff Dyck, Ph.D., a professor in JCU’s department of physics. “The program aims to forge better cur ricular pathways and alignment between JCU and two-year technical programs at KSU and/or local community colleges.”

That is good news for those who are seeking to justify college education as an expense. People should never lose sight of what a true liberal arts education has to offer or become too dependent on work force development initiatives to attract students to higher education.

“While we are involved in the Intel Workforce Initiative through our KSU partnership, manufacturing computer chips is not our strong suit,” says David Haney, president of Hiram College. “Ev erybody is interested in that workforce ini tiative, so we are peripherally involved.”

So how does a traditional liberal arts college like Hiram compete?

“We have found that what employ ers really want is students to know what they have been educated to pursue,” says Haney. “For example, they want stu dents with accounting degrees to know accounting. However, they also want stu dents who can think creatively in teams and students who can solve problems — those are the traditional things that you get from a liberal arts education.”

Approximately 95% of Hiram’s graduates get employed after gradua tion, “which is not that big of a deal when you have 3% unemployment,” Haney concedes.

“Students who receive a broad-based liberal arts education are prepared for the widest array of career opportuni ties,” says Mitchell McKinney, dean of the Buchtel College of Arts and Science at UA. “The skills obtained from a lib eral arts degree — such as written and oral communication, analytic and critical thinking skills, creative expression and global understanding — are the top skills and knowledge that employers look for and the abilities that characterize those who achieve leadership positions in their chosen careers.”

A liberal arts education also contrib utes to establishing a common socie tal belief system, which is sorely lacking in today’s society. Still, traditional liber al arts schools and education continue to come under attack.

“One of the problems with the news these days is that a [negative perception] is convenient from an entertainment point of view,” says Haney. “People find it en tertaining to get mad at other people. An other thing that makes it easier for us to be a target is that liberal arts education uses the word ‘liberal.’”

Many people equate that to left-wing politics. But the word ‘liberal’ in educa tion actually goes back to the Greek and Roman days, says Haney.

“Back then, the word ‘liberal,’ meant ‘liberating,’ as in an education would ac tually set you free,” Haney says.

“Colleges like Hiram serve a wide vari ety of students. We have liberals, conserva tives and students engaged in those kinds of dialogues. We make an effort to support and evaluate diverse points of view.

“We also realize that our values have to be based on research and faith in science. You won’t pass a political science class if you deny the facts of history.”

JCU professorJeff Dyck works with students.

Stephen Stahl

David Haney

COURTESY JOHN CARROLL UNIVERSITY

High Flying Insight

Sky Quest CEO offers some practical travel advice.

BY JILL SELL

If you are the type of business or per sonal traveler who enjoys numerous delays and canceled flights, strang ers encroaching on your seat and lost luggage, then maybe a char tered plane is not for you — stick with big commercial airlines.

Chartered flights are expensive and not for everyone, says Corey Head, president of Sky Quest, an aircraft management and charter aircraft service focused on Cleveland. But he says the convenience and safety they provide is priceless. Sky Quest was founded in 2001 and became a full-fledged charter service in 2004. To day, the company has 125 employees, 24 available state-of-the-art jets and a repu tation that soars above the clouds.

Q. Why choose a charter flight and Sky Quest in particular?

A. It’s still the safest way to travel. Air lines have HEPA air filters that remove 99% of germs from filtered air. But if the guy in the seat behind you coughs… In a charter, you’re flying with your fam ily, the business associates you know and meet with in the boardroom or your golf buddies.

Sky Quest offers something for every one. If you call one of the big-name char ter players, they want a $250,000 up front buy-in and you need to sign a big

contract. With Sky Quest, you can fly one or two trips a year, pay with a credit card and forget about everything else. We also manage and maintain planes for compa nies and individuals.

With us, you have availability, an ex ceptional safety record, cleanliness, re liability and privacy. We have 11 times more options for airport access than com mercial airlines in the continental U.S., so you get as close to your destination as possible. And you don’t have to put your pet under the plane.

Q. What’s up with business and leisure travel?

A. Business travel saw a depression be cause of COVID-19, and some people believe anything can be accomplished with Zoom. But I think that’s more for internal business. If you want to buy a company or you really need to shake hands with someone, you need face-toface interaction.

Personal travel is still elevated. Right after COVID-19, we saw 100 new clients in six months who fly only once or twice a year. We thought after COVID-19 sub sided, 90% would go back to flying the airlines. But 60% to 70% are still flying with us. If you have the means, flying in a charter makes traveling part of the vaca tion. You can depart Cleveland and land

at Marco Island in two hours and 30 minutes for lunch with little or no stress.

Q. How do you save your partners money?

A. We reduce the total cost of owner ship by chartering out their plane to our Cleveland client base that we know. It’s a win-win for our airplane owners and our charter clients.

Q. What is the company’s growth plan?

A. We have about 30% year-over-year or ganic growth. We are not out there buy ing companies, but slowly calculating our growth. We pick the right partners and the right employees to make smart deci sions even if it slows our growth a little bit. I am really not interested in finding a pilot out of Dallas who might relocate to Cleveland for only two years. I want high ly trained, great people who grew up here and want to raise families here.

At Sky Quest, you can work what I call a 9-to-5 pilot job and average only five to eight overnight trips a month in a ho tel. We want pilots who understand the work/life balance. We can’t pay as much as Fed Ex, but we promise you a better quality of life.

Q. What’s the future of charter flight companies?

A. More fuel-efficient engines, more sus tainable fuel. In 10 or 15 years, there may be all-electric, short-hop airplanes. Cleve land is a nice central location. You can get to lot of different metro places in a short time. Now, fuel costs my company more than $1 million a month. If we can save money by using reliable, sustainable fuels, that is an obvious decision for the future.

“If you want to buy a company or you really need to shake hands with someone, you need face-to-face interaction.” — Corey Head

Corey Head

Growing Private Business

BY JILL SELL

But several of the accountants in that office are part of a family farm busi ness. They grew up on farms and this is near and dear to their hearts. These are close-knit communities, and this has become a niche for us.”

Additional HW&Co. offices include Cleveland East (Beachwood), Cleveland West (Middleburg Heights), Columbus and Willoughby.

Zagar says her firm’s formal PBA ser vices department, which she heads, was partially established to help in situa tions that initially required a great deal of general knowledge and the ability to connect clients with the right advisers in the firm.

Those of us who live in Ohio’s urban areas tend to forget how much of our state is agricultural. According to the Census of Agri culture, Ohio ranks fifth for the number of farms in the states and racks up more than $9 billion in annual total sales.

That’s a lot of hay or, in Ohio’s case, soybeans and corn.

For the most part, these aren’t little red barns with a cow or two on a hill, but large agricultural businesses. Some are highly successful, while others have aban doned fields. When owned and operated

by families, financial and legal complica tions can arise when the scenario chang es on a farm. That’s where HW&Co.’s Private Business Advisory (PBA) services can help with family farm succession and estate planning.

“These are large complex struc tures with a lot of people involved,” says CPA Kim Zagar, a principal with HW&Co., an accounting and assur ance, tax planning/strategies and con sulting firm. “These agribusiness clients really came in with our Mansfield of fice. Before that, we had only one farm.

Technology experts, agribusiness lead ers and nursing home operators/owners — all important niche clients for HW& Co. — can sit down with HW&Co. to begin their collaboration on the road to success and growth. Other clients repre sent additional health care services and the construction and real estate indus tries, as well as professional service firms. The companies are almost all sizes and types and are looking for the right direc tion. Zagar says the in-house joke is that her department consists of the “kind of people who know a guy.”

“We were doing all of these things be fore the PBA department was formally created in 2022, but more as an ancillary position instead of one with its own fo cus,” explains Zagar.

HW&Co.’s services help fledgling and established businesses alike.

The PBA department generally assists privately held, private-equity funded or nonprofit organizations.

“We were formed to backfill the gap, especially for small or midsize compa nies. They don’t have a full bench of ac counting team members. They may have a couple people in their accounting de partment, but they don’t have 10 or 12. We can fill in where there are holes. We also do a lot of startups because they don’t have the internal resources.

“With larger companies, we find they just want to outsource certain things be cause of a labor shortage or they have a special project that requires a skill set they don’t have in-house. Or maybe their internal people just don’t have the time to do it,” explains Zagar, who has been with HW&Co. for two years.

Advisory services “seem to be the fastest growing area in accounting right now,” according to Zagar. Startups, particularly new technology endeav ors, have seen a “big burst in the world of COVID-19” and HW&Co. is there with its PBA services.

“Those companies tend to be own er-managed. A lot don’t even have any employees yet. So, they come in, and we advise them about the tools and skills and help them get started. We can help with initial cash flow forecasting and budgeting. If they have to hire, they will have the money they need,” says Za gar. “A lot of these clients are either go ing for bank financing or some sort of

investment. Sometimes, they will have seed funding so they need to know how to budget their money when it runs out.”

In addition, the PBA department can help with basic compliance. For exam ple, a newly founded company may have a lawyer, but not a designated banker. Or the amount and kinds of insurance they need to protect themselves and sat isfy their business needs must be deter mined. Also, payroll regulations must be followed.

“Tax changes are also coming. During the past few years, we have been helping clients on the business side deal with the Paycheck Protec tion Program and the Employee Reten tion Tax Credit,” says Zagar. “On the personal side, there are child tax cred its and other things that came about as a result of COVID-19. We helped cli ents apply for refunds. But, at the same time, we made sure they didn’t run into a situation where something that was to be forgiven or tax-free wasn’t.”

Zagar and her colleagues watch devel opments in the tax world and translate the speculation and fear some clients ex perience into advantageous information.

“We watch tax bills coming up before they become law,” she says. “That way, we can prepare our clients ahead of time and tell them they have options. We say, ‘Here’s what you might want to do. We have plan A, plan B and maybe plan C. So depending on what happens to that bill or law, we will be prepared for it.’

“Everything we do is to help people sleep better at night by eliminating some of their pain points. Uncertainty is as bad as change for some people.”

Kim Zagar

“Everything we do is to help people sleep better at night by eliminating some of their pain points. Uncertainty is as bad as change for some people.”

Ultimately, Zagar says the PBA depart ment’s mission is to understand the busi ness owner’s goals. What are the longrange plans? Who do you need to hire and when? How do you identify and cap italize on opportunities? Do you want to pass the business on to a family mem ber or sell to an outside investor? Do you need to upgrade your company’s finan cial system and processes? Is a merger the best move? How much is the company really worth?

“Our goal is to look at all of the moving pieces. We are like a quarterback or a gen eral contractor, pulling in other resources someone might need,” says Zagar.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean more cost to the client. Because of HW&Co.’s impressive resource net work, it can suggest level-based ser vices. If a company needs basic book keeping help, that can be handled by one of the firm’s general bookkeepers. Those services can save a client, espe cially a nonprofit, a significant amount of money. But if the bookkeeping situ ation is complex or specific to a partic ular type of business, a specialized ac countant can be deployed. Letting a specialized individual handle the situa tion from the beginning can save clients from a more complicated and expensive fix down the line.

Above all, Zagar says a holistic ap proach is imperative when working with clients. Each company is unique, and each business owner and CEO deserves personalized attention. The PBA’s holis tic philosophy and attention to detail al low it to stand apart.

HW&Co. was founded in 1990 by Mel Howard and Harvey Wershbale and others as Howard, Wershbale & Co. in Beachwood. Today, HW&Co. is a “Top 300” CPA firm with 120 employees.

— Kim Zagar

Embracing a Nurturing Culture

BY THERESA NEUHOFF

Facing a future in a wheelchair, Sharon Cormiea desperately searched for alternative treat ments when she learned her health insurance may not cover some expenses for her primary progres sive multiple sclerosis (MS) condition.

Cormiea, along with her husband, Scott, found a hospital in Mexico that performs hematopoietic stem cell trans plants (HSCT), a cutting-edge treat ment for MS that is not approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA). The cost for treatment and the

trip was more than $50,000, and the couple planned to raise funds to cov er the cost.

An unexpected series of events, which included insurance approval with the help of Oswald Cos., led Cormiea, a teacher at Mayfield City School District,

Oswald’s “Drive our Thrive” culture focuses on individuals.

to seek treatment in her own backyard at Cleveland Clinic.

Cormiea, who was diagnosed with MS four years ago, shared her good news with her colleagues in an email. She credited Oswald Cos., whose cli ents include Mayfield City School Dis trict, her neurologist (who pleaded her case to the world neurology committee) and others for giving her hope for the first time in four years.

John Fasola, executive vice president and managing director of group benefits at Oswald Cos., heard of Cormiea’s plight through his daughter, Jayme Fasola Guy, who is also a teacher at Mayfield City School District. He was touched by the heartfelt message that reminded him of the importance of his work at Oswald, which utilized its resources and contacts with insurers and vendor partners to effect outcomes in a positive way on Cormiea’s behalf.

“The wonderful people at Oswald helped changed this woman’s life trajec tory,” Fasola says. “This is why we do what we do. We do it in a manner that makes it enjoyable and fun. It is not mo notonous. It truly impacts the people in our communities.”

Fasola says when he started with Oswald nine years ago, leadership of ten discussed programs it could put in place that would positively impact in dividuals in the organization and their surrounding communities. Now, the programs that were once just ideas have evolved and enhanced a work place destination that employees don’t want to leave.

In its “Drive our Thrive” culture, Oswald is adapting to changes in the post-pandemic workforce that values work/life balance. Recognized as one of the nation’s most successful and ad mired insurance brokerage and risk consulting firms, Oswald has numerous programs in place that help foster a sol id work/life balance.

Signature Oswald programs include: the Common Ground Alliance, focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI); Workforce Development Cooperative with Olivet Housing & Community De velopment Corporation; a growing intern ship program; OswaldCLIMBS for young professionals; Women’s Leadership Ini tiative; OswaldCARES, a community en gagement initiative; and Oswald Thrives.

Melanie Myers, organization devel opment specialist, assists in leading the Oswald programs, which she says help drive ownership and accountability.

appreciated? Do you feel respected? Are you empow ered to do good things?”

“If you feel strong in these ar eas, you are thriv ing,” Jung says.

“This is the way our leaders can un derstand the pulse of our team. It gives our leaders direction. It allows them to connect and communicate. We want to give our employees a safe space to say whether or not they are thriving.”

Although feelings are unmeasurable, Jung and the senior leadership team are doing their best to measure what she calls thrive analytics.

“We are asking our employees, on a scale of 1 to 10, how much are you thriv ing in our CARE model,” Jung says. “If our thrive scores are low, we will go in a different direction. We will do what we can to drive our thrive.”

“It’s our due diligence as an organi zation to continue to grow and devel op our long-term legacy to give people a sense of belonging,” Myers says. “We don’t want to just check a box; we want to do things well. These are not tasks — these programs are embedded in what we do. It’s part of our culture.”

Oswald Pride, the latest DEI initia tive at Oswald, started in October. On the horizon is BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color). According to Myers, everyone has a place at Oswald.

Jessica Jung, who is in her first year as president of Oswald, says the employ ee-owned company’s leadership team is working to meet employees where they are at in their lives. The acronym CARE is used to describe what it means to thrive. CARE translates to, “Are you positively challenged? Do you feel

As the conversation continues to move forward and younger leaders begin to emerge, Jung’s hope is that her employ ees ultimately feel connected.

“We have raised the bar,” Jung says. “We are inspiring one another, which makes us better every day.”

In her journey to daily betterment, Cormiea is sharing her story on her In stagram account @scormiea. On July 24, Cormiea shared that the “stars must have aligned because this is happening. I am terrified, yet excited and hopeful for the first time in more than four years since I was diagnosed.”

Fasola is proud Oswald assisted in Cormiea’s hopeful journey.

“Every company wants to say it has a good culture, but we really do,” Fasola says. “The culture is woven into the fabric of what we do. It is evident in how we treat our clients and one another. It makes me proud to be an Oswald employee.”

Recognized as one of the nation’s most successful and admired insurance brokerage and risk consulting firms, Oswald has numerous programs in place that help foster a solid work/life balance.

Jessica Jung

A Pathway Forward

Despite myriad educational opportunities, nurses are still in high demand.

BY JILL SELL

Nursing is the most trusted profession in the world, ac cording to Jason Pirtz, chief nursing officer for Universi ty Hospitals (UH) Cleveland Medical Center, citing 2021 studies to back up his claim. People look to nurs es more than anyone else in the medical world or in any other profession to be honest, do their best to provide medical care and treat patients as individuals.

“We’ll take that recognition,” says Pirtz, who holds a master’s degree in business administration and has been a registered nurse for 22 years. “It’s been a couple of rough past years.”

We know why — the COVID-19 pandemic, long hours at work,

understaffed facilities and even vio lence against nurses. But nursing stands firm as one of the careers that matter in several ways.

For many nurses, it’s the fulfillment and satisfaction that they make a dif ference in the lives of patients and their families that attracts them to the pro fession or keeps them in the game. What’s more, being able to command a better than average salary and often a flexible schedule, as well as work in a variety of environments in an infinite number of locations means nursing can be a lifetime choice.

“The nursing profession pays solid wages, which is critical — and rare — for a profession that disproportionately

employs women,” according to the Cen ter for American Progress, an indepen dent, nonpartisan policy institute.

Greater Cleveland, with its amazing medical and health care facilities, is a hot bed for opportunities. The nursing partnerships and affiliations between educational facilities and employers in the region are among the best in the country, according to local experts. Op portunities also exist for Cleveland area nurses in corporations, professional and amateur sports teams and facilities, edu cational institutions, assisted living and skilled nursing home environments, cor rectional institutions, entertainment venues, the lodging industry and more.

“Nursing programs in Northeast Ohio have the opportunity to partner with internationally, nationally and/ or regionally recognized agencies,” says Penni Rolen, president, Greater Cleveland Nurses Association. “Within the city, there has been a long history of collaborative efforts to bring practice and educational leaders together. Not only are outstanding clinical experiences provided, but collaboration has led to innovative curriculum strategies to better prepare students and graduates.”

Positive Partnerships

The MetroHealth Department of Nursing provides student nurses from Case Western Reserve University, Chamberlin University, Kent State Uni versity (KSU), Cleveland State Univer sity (CSU), Lakeland Community Col lege, Cuyahoga Community College

Nursing students at Tri-C test medical techniques on a patient simulator as a part of their training.

(Tri-C), Notre Dame College and oth ers, with clinical and practicum expe rience. A nurse intern position allows participants to learn and provide funda mental care for patients while they are still in school.

“Working hours are very flexible. The goal is to help students transition to their first nursing opportunity at MetroHealth once they are ready,” says Katrina Kelley, manager, nursing education and profes sional development. “For experienced nurses coming to MetroHealth, we have resources to help them increase their certifications, as well as professional development opportunities.”

a nursing assistant and LPN, ultimately earning an associate degree in nursing to sit for RN licensure. Tri-C’s agreement with CSU for advanced studies offers tu ition reduction and scholarship dollars to support earning a bachelor’s degree.

A nurse educator for 20 years, Batch-Wilson says Tri-C’s multiple cam puses across the county make it conve nient for students to attend classes and for employers to find nursing interns and employees nearby.

She urges Northeast Ohio employers to give nursing students the opportunity to be employed while they are still in school to “get exposure to nursing while getting

TAKING THE TEMPERATURE

n Registered nurses (RNs), of which there are 3 million, make up the largest number of health care practitioners and technical occupations in the U.S. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses consisted of 641,240 individuals. These groups represent 6.2% of the total national employment. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS); Occupational Employment and Wages May 2021; released 2022.)

n According to Employment Projections 2019 - 2029, registered nursing is the top occupation in terms of job growth through 2029. The RN workforce is expected to grow to 3.3 million in 2029, an increase of 7%. There will be 175,900 openings for RNs each year through 2029 based on projected nurse retirements and workforce exits. (BLS)

Kelley says MetroHealth System’s commitment to the community is espe cially attractive to nurses who hear that calling. The system has school-based health partnerships with Cleveland Metropolitan School District to meet the needs of students, as well as a com munity nurse/family partnership to as sist mothers who are expecting.

Wendy Batch-Wilson, dean of the nursing center of excellence at Tri-C, praises her school’s “full career lad der” approach to nursing education as a huge advantage for nursing students. Its structure allows students to “step out” at several points in their educa tion and sit for state exams to become

paid.” She also suggests employers offer flexible schedules so students have time to attend classes and study, leading to their successful program completion.

KSU is one of the “largest and most re spected nursing schools in the country,” according to Versie Johnson-Mallard, dean, professor and Henderson En dowed Chair of the College of Nursing. The school boasts almost 16,000 alumni worldwide. KSU’s “key players” in clinical partnerships include UH, Summa Health System, Cleveland Clinic and MetroHealth. Eighty percent of the school’s freshman nursing class are Ohio residents, 19% are non-Ohio residents and 1% are international students.

KSU’s five campuses annually offer about 3,000 nursing students courses at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels. For the third term, the National League for Nursing named the college as a Center of Excellence in the cate gory of advancing the science of nurs ing education. The designation extends from 2022 to 2026.

n Based on school of nursing survey responses, 41.4% of hospital and other health care settings are requiring new hires to have a bachelor’s degree in nursing, and 82.4% of employers expressed a strong preference for BSN program graduates. (American Association of Colleges of Nursing/AACN)

n The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is the highest level of nursing practice and was initiated in 2004. From 2020 to 2021, the number of DNP students increased from 39,530 to 40,834. (AACN)

n The average Ohio RN salary is $71,640, ranking 34th among all states. Highest paying cities for RNs in Ohio include: Cleveland-Elyria, $74,900; Columbus, $73,270; and Cincinnati (Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana area), $72,400. RNs in the U.S. earn an average salary of $82,750. (BLS)

Average salaries for other nurses include: nursing assistants, $31,3330; LPN/LVN, $48,030; nurse midwives, $116,780; nurse practitioners. $112,490; and nurse anesthetists, $187,410.

“Nursing programs in Northeast Ohio have the opportunity to partner with internationally, nationally and/or regionally recognized agencies.” — Penni Rolen

Katrina Kelley Wendy Batch-Wilson

“When I first came here a year ago, I was invited to tour Cleveland Clin ic. One of the persons who led the tour was a young KSU grad who was al ready in leadership even though she has been a nurse less than seven years. She was in a high-level position because she stood out among others. It was such a privilege to meet this young adult,” says Johnson-Mallard, reflecting on both the student’s personal abilities and KSU’s nurses training programs.

UH’s Pirtz notes that, of course, his health system looks for the best and the brightest of nurses when hiring. He also recognizes that nurses “who ad vance their degrees increase their ex pertise overall.”

“But we also want people who care about people. It’s all about being com passionate and providing the highest level of respect and care,” says Pirtz, adding that “hundreds of nursing stu dents have completed their clinicals at UH,” and that professional develop ment for nurses, including UH’s Profes sional Pathway program, help employ ees grow professionally.

“It’s not out of the normal to have those types of programs,” says Pirtz. “But ours are very well developed.”

Collaborations among nursing schools have become even more im portant since the pandemic disrupted

clinicals and in-person learning and cre ated teacher shortages. Local schools collaborate to ease those gaps. For ex ample, Ursuline College in Pepper Pike and John Carroll University (JCU) in University Heights have agreed that at least two slots per year in the Breen School of Nursing at Ursuline College’s accelerated BSN program are reserved for JCU graduates.

Also, Northeast Ohio nursing schools and regional employers are joining forces to provide significant tuition re imbursement and other incentives to encourage more individuals to consider a nursing career, graduate and then join the specific connected medical facility. Students frequently choose to work in the environment where they complete their clinical experiences because of fa miliarity, networking and relationships formed with other staff members.

Jason Pirtz Versie Johnson-Mallard

Addressing the Nursing Shortage

The stats about the nursing short age now and in the future are alarm ing. The country is facing a shortage of between 200,000 and 450,000 nurses by 2025 — a shortage of between 10% and 20% of nurses needed to care for patients, according to McKinsey and Co., a global national consulting and advisory firm.

“Enrollment for all nursing programs is down overall,” says Pirtz. It’s not that we could have just one creative solu tion. We are looking at different strat egies for what we call the Care Team of Tomorrow to make sure we are sup portive from all angles.”

Pirtz says UH’s concerns are similar to national trends that currently show the most need is for critical care nurses.

“However, the trend is more to ward ambulatory care. That is a highly

desired role for our current nursing professionals,” says Pirtz. “A lot of it relates to work/life balance. Perhaps the ambulatory setting is more desir able because it’s not a 24/7 effort. We are a firm believer in creating a healthy work environment for all our nurses, who are equal partners in our team at UH. Our environment allows them to work autonomously with the resources they need to be successful.”

“The nursing shortage is at the top of everyone’s mind,” claims Metro Health’s Kelley. “But it’s also about what we can do to support and retain our staff.”

KSU’s Johnson-Mallard warns that it isn’t just a matter of pushing out more graduates. The skills and knowledge that students at all nursing certification levels need to pass state and national nursing exams take time to learn, she says.

“Society needs our students to grad uate as fast as possible, but knowledge and preparation take time. Our students graduate with the qualifications to meet today’s health care needs, a tradition for which KSU is widely respected.”

Another problem is that “higher com pensations in clinical and private settings is luring current and potential nurse ed ucators away from teaching,” according to the Ohio Nurses Association.

It cites American Association of Nurse Practitioners statistics that indi cate the average salary of a nurse prac titioner across settings and specialties is $110,000. In 2020, the average salary for a master’s prepared assistant professor in schools of nursing was $79,444. Fewer nurse educators means fewer classes.

“Nursing is very important. We are a bridge between patients, family and health providers,” says Kelley.

Ursuline’s Banner Year

Breen School of Nursing and Health Professions is among the top 10.

BY TERRY TROY

It might not be the largest nurs ing and health care college in Ohio, but it’s certainly among the best.

While it’s designated as a nation al center of excellence by the National League of Nursing (NLN), College Fac tual also puts Ursuline College’s Breen School of Nursing and Health Professions in the top 5% of all programs in the state and top 10% of all programs in the U.S.

The U.S. News & World Report 2021 ranking is based on the school’s repu tation among peer institutions. Perhaps the most telling statistic, however, is that Breen School of Nursing graduates have a 100% placement rate upon re ceiving licensure.

“With a 75-year legacy, the Breen School of Nursing and Health Profes sions has produced the region’s most dedicated, knowledgeable nurses, nurse practitioners and nurse leaders,” says Sharpnack. “It’s grati fying to see the efforts of our outstanding faculty, staff, students and alumni be recog nized by fellow nurses in this way.

to attend college, many of whom re main in the area and serve the people of Northeast Ohio,” says Sr. Christine De Vinne, president of Ursuline College.

“Obviously, the nursing shortage has been well publi cized, so we really need to build an ade quate workforce,” says Sharpnack. “The problem is that many nurse educators are not always compensated in the same way as nurses in critical areas of care — so there is a disparity there.”

Another important issue facing the pro fession is the mental health of nurses and health care workers, which is really an is sue of workforce design, says Sharpnack.

For the second year in a row, the Breen School of Nursing ranks among Ohio’s top 10 schools for undergraduate nurs ing education by U.S. News & World Report’s list of best colleges. The school’s dean of nursing, Patricia “Pat” Sharp nack, DNP, RN, CNE, NEA-BC, ANEF, FAAN, is now the chair-elect of NLN, an organization of 40,000 plus members dedicated to excellence in nursing educa tion and a diverse nursing workforce.

“For me, it’s also a big opportunity, and it’s very much a work ing position,” Sharp nack says of her recent election at the NLN. “I will serve as chairelect, and then serve as chair for the following two years.”

U.S. News & World Report also ranked Ursuline College among the top one-third of nursing schools nationwide, as well as 56th among regional Midwest universities for upward social mobility.

“For more than 150 years, Ursuline College has been vested in helping our students fulfill their potential through women-focused education, especially those who are the first in their families

“Nurses need to be able to work at the top end of their licenses — doing as much as the law allows,” she adds. “A lot of times they are not able to do that.”

Breen School of Nursing is well-po sitioned to address those issues, espe cially when it comes to recruitment of students to help fill the profession al pipeline. The school recently was awarded a nursing workforce diver sity grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which will help it attract even more stu dents to the profession.

“We have already done that very suc cessfully,” says Sharpnack. “We’ve in creased both our number of students while increasing the diversity of our stu dent population. This new grant will

Sr. Christine De Vinne

help us increase that diversity even more over the next four years.”

Breen School of Nursing offers an array of programs that lead to undergraduate and graduate degrees. Some are designed to not only get students into the profes sion, but to do so at an accelerated pace.

“For instance, we have an acceler ated nursing program, which accepts students who have graduated with an other degree and then puts them on a fast-track to become nurses in just 15 months,” says Sharpnack. “Those stu dents come from all over the country and the world. And I’m proud to say that the majority of them stay in Ohio once they come here. They love Ohio and they love Cleveland. Being a Cleve land native, I am thrilled for that to be the sentiment of our students.”

Nursing school students also receive special training that not only makes

them ready to step into positions, but often allows them to move into leadership positions at an accelerated pace. In some disciplines, nurses will receive immersion training that allows them to actually experience workforce conditions.

“Being in the city of Cleveland, we have globally and nationally ranked health care institutions,” says Sharpnack. “We work very closely with our health

care partners to target areas where they feel nurses will be needed.”

Those partners include world-class organizations such as the prestigious Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, MetroHealth and Cleveland’s VA Cen ter, among others.

“They are all excellent partners,” says Sharpnack. “And they assist us in help ing deliver the best nursing and health care education possible.”

“With a 75-year legacy, the Breen School of Nursing and Health Professions has produced the region’s most dedicated, knowledgeable nurses, nurse practitioners and nurse leaders.” — Patricia “Pat” Sharpnack

Patricia “Pat” Sharpnack

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My Life

By Lynne Thompson

My Health

Cracking the Longevity Code

Deploying MRI-guided nanorobots into the circu latory system to break up the plaques that cause heart attacks and strokes. Ed iting disease-causing genes out of DNA. Creating new organs with a 3-D printer.

These are just some of the medical advanc es being devel oped that Cleve land Clinic chief wellness offi cer emeritus Dr. Michael Roi zen describes in his latest book, The Great Age Reboot: Crack ing the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow (National Geographic Books, $28).

“We can control whether about 80% of our genes are ‘on’ or not,” he says. “That means we are really genetic en gineers for ourselves.”

To truly enjoy the “reboot,” Dr. Roizen suggests:

Saving, saving, saving. Living longer means funding a longer retirement, most likely with less government support. The age

one can file for Medicare and/ or full Social Security benefits, for example, may be raised. Dr. Roizen suggests rethinking the concept of saving to ease any sense of deprivation. “The key is to understand that saving is just postponed consumption,” he says.

Cultivating friendships. Dr. Roizen cites studies that show the key to aging successful ly is managing stress by “hav ing friends, a purpose in life and a job with decision lati tude.” He sug gests cultivating a half-dozen good friends with the same life goals. “If you choose friends who do healthy hab its, you’re more likely to do healthy habits,” he adds. Preparing to work longer. In a society where people no lon ger retire in their 50s or 60s, it makes sense to consider train ing for a second career if the current one has become an un fulfilling grind. “The educa tional system is going to have to change to help us retrain in an inexpensive way for new jobs,” Dr. Roizen observes.

My Home

Going Tankless Not Thankless

A tankless water heat er can make an endless supply of hot water a real ity, but only if homeown

ers choose wisely, accord ing to Larry Betlejewski, ser vice manager at WyattWorks Plumbing in Wickliffe. The key is to select one designed to cover this area’s temperature rise — that is, the difference between the 50- to 55-degree temperature of the water typ ically coming out of the tap on a cold winter day and the desired 120 degrees — and sized to meet the homeown er’s lifestyle. He notes that many big-box shoppers mis takenly assume they’ll get the

maximum gallons per minute stated on a unit’s packaging.

“That will never, ever hap pen in our area because our incoming water is way too cold,” he says. “Now, in plac es like Florida, southern Cal ifornia, Texas and Arizo na, they have the potential to reach that because their in coming water supply is much warmer. It doesn’t take the heater all that much energy to raise that up to 120 degrees.”

Somewhere between 5 and 6 gallons per minute is more realistic.

Proper installation is also essential. For example, the gas line may need to be up sized for the heater to operate correctly. And the unit must be vented through an exteri or wall.

Dr. Michael Roizen

Larry Betlejewski

My Earth

My Food

Cheese Cred for the HolidaysPuffers with Eco-Appeal

Eco-conscious shoppers looking for a cruelty-free al ternative to the down puffer will find plenty of street-wor thy styles to snuggle up in this season. Manufacturers are filling the cold weather staple with a range of recy cled materials. Many of them are polyester based, accord ing to Susan Geiger of Gei ger’s clothing stores in Lake wood and Chagrin Falls.

She points out that the dif ference in insulation generally isn’t noticeable in higher-end light-to mediumweight coats. And “recycled” doesn’t mean “cheap,” as price tags on outdoor heritage brands such as Helly Han sen, Patagonia and Save the Duck reveal.

Geiger goes on to explain that how the puffer performs generally depends as much on the quality of the shell as the composition of the fill, if not moreso.

“If the wind does not blow through your coat, that’s 75% of the battle,” she de clares. Geiger suggests buy ing a puffer with the follow ing qualities:

Waterproof. Look for a garment with seams that are sealed. “Generally, a high er-quality shell has a water proof coating which is on the backside, not on the top of the fabric,” she adds.

Breathable. The most breathable garments are the ones that boast a rating for breathabil ity that is close to their rating for water proofness.

“A lot of the more techni cal outerwear com panies will have that infor mation,” Geiger says. She explains the concept by giv ing the example of a basic plastic rain poncho — a wa terproof item that definitely doesn’t breathe.

Many puffer shells — even down-filled ones — are made of recycled materials. Geiger gives the ex ample of Patago nia’s redesigned down sweater. It features an out er shell made completely of recycled fish ing nets.

A cheese board is easy to put to gether at a moment’s notice with relatively shelf-stable items. It also has the abili ty to impress the finickiest of foodies. Michael Janus ka, owner of Old Brook lyn Cheese Co. in Cleveland and Shaker Heights, suggests five “mild to wild” cheeses, along with accompaniments to tempt guests:

Jasper Hill Creamery Harbison Bloomy Rind Soft Cheese. This brie-like Vermont selec tion is wrapped in strips of spruce cambium, the tree’s flexible inner-bark layer, for aging, Januska says. He sug gests cutting a miniwheel on the bias and opening it like a tin of tuna. Serve it with the Home Pantry’s Blueberry Chamomile Jam or Blackberry Laven der Jam.

Urban Stead Cheese Street Ched Januska calls the Cin cinnati maker’s tradition al English-style clothbound cheddar the “best-made cheddar in Ohio, if not top 10 in the country.” It’s aged at least 12 months, yielding salt-grain-sized amino-ac id crystals of textural bliss. Serve it with Old Brook lyn Cheese Co.’s Original IPA Mustard.

Don Gregorio or Don Juan Spanish Manchego. Januska recommends picking a Span ish Manchego made with 100% sheep milk. When it comes to pairings, “it handles a lot,” he says. “Sheep milk has a lot more fat than goat or cow milk, so there’s more fla vor.” Serve it with Old Brook lyn Cheese Co’s Spicy Pear Mostarda.

Moro Latteria di Moro Sergio Fior d’Arancio. “This is the cheese that we give people who say, ‘I hate blue cheese,’” Januska says. Wheels of the Italian import are soaked in local Moscato wine, aged and topped with candied orange peels. Serve it with shards of high-quality (70% or high er) dark chocolate spiked into the cheese.

J. Haxaire Petit Munster. Januska says every cheese board needs a “little stinker.” And a munster from France’s Alsace region puts its bland American counterparts to shame. “It has a smell and a flavor like a cured meat,” he says. “But then, on the back end, it’s all fruit.” Serve it with fresh ap ple and/or pear slices.

Michael Januska

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RAISING THE BAR

LAW LIVE JUSTICE

Living Justice. Living Leadership.

// BY KRISTEN HAMPSHIRE

Learn Law. Live Justice.

This mission guides the curriculum, hands-on learning opportunities and, ultimately, graduates’ career paths. It speaks to the culture at Cleveland State University’s College of Law (CSULAW).

“What makes our law school distinc tive is that we not only teach the law, but we also emphasize how important it is to use your law degree to make a difference in the world,” says Dean Lee Fisher. “It’s about understanding that a law degree is in essence a leadership degree, and with it comes a responsi bility to take the skills you have learned to help make people’s lives better.”

The Law School celebrates 125 years of rich social justice and civil rights history as a “living justice law school” that prepares students to be lawyers and leaders. The iconic, stu dent-centered law school is ranked the top part-time law school in Ohio by U.S. News & World Report and the top public law school in northern Ohio, along with earning national accolades in 12 specialty areas.

The law school includes a nationally recognized Center for Cybersecurity and Data Privacy and Global Space Law Center, and a renowned Center for Health Law & Policy, and Criminal Justice Center. “That is just the beginning,” Fisher says, adding that the law school is the most robust, reliable talent pipeline for Northeast Ohio’s legal community.

Graduates have been at the head of major social movements such as women’s suffrage, and the school has admitted women since its founding in 1897. It also was one of the state’s first law schools to admit African American students. The school created one of the country’s first solo practice incubators and the region’s first master’s degree in legal studies. The school launched one of the coun try’s first leadership programs for law students with the P. Kelly Tompkins Leadership in Law Program.

But the sleeves-up, passion for justice and grassroots programs that give students tangible inroads for making a difference is what

really makes the iconic law school a progressive learning culture.

“What makes us stand out is the school’s relationship with the community,” says Kimberly Kendall

Corral (’12), an attorney in private practice and adjunct professor who teaches about post-conviction remedies. “It’s a practical, hands-on, high-quality legal education because students participate in clinics and externships and practicums. Before they become practicing attorneys, students can be in a position to provide relief, guidance and counsel to those who are most affected by social injustice. It’s motivating, inspiring and instills a sense of solemnity about the serious ness of their position as attorneys.”

Kimberly Kendall Corral ’12

COVER AND GROUP PHOTO: BRIAN HART, BTHOMASHART

Corral points out that the Law School’s graduates are in positions of influence throughout Northeast Ohio.

Cleveland State University College of Law celebrates 125 years of history as a living justice law school that prepares professionals with a passion for making a difference.

“The Law School is in a unique position of educating a substantial volume of leadership in the communi ty, particularly in criminal justice, and students are in a unique position to make tremendous change,” she says.

Professor Robert J. Triozzi, co-di rector of the Law School Criminal Justice Center, notes that the vast

majority of criminal justice practi tioners in this region come from the Law School — judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys.

“Our students come in with a degree of passion, and we create greater opportunities for students to get a very well-rounded education in criminal law and real-world experience,” he adds.

Joining Pop-Up Practicums

Seeking Social Justice

The Law School’s Criminal Justice Center is rooted in advancing reform that makes a difference in the system. “If you combine students’ passion for these issues with real-life opportunities they gain here, a lot of exciting things happen,” Professor Robert J. Triozzi, co-director of the Criminal Justice Center, says, relating that the Pretrial Justice Clinic has doubled in size during the four semesters it has been in place.

Aside from the classroom, students participating in the clinic are in court daily. “They are getting a bird’s-eye view of what the system is like and have opportunities to work on all levels,” Triozzi explains. “It’s great for our students, our system, our people and defendants that do not otherwise have this level of advocacy.”

Students meet with individuals prior to pre-trial hearings, listen to their concerns and develop skills to advocate for them in the system.

The Pardon, Clemency and Expungement Clinic operates at the other end of the criminal justice system, explains Associate Dean/Professor Jonathan Witmer-Rich . The Law School works in partnership with Ohio’s Expedited Pardon Program as part of a statewide network. “The program reaches out into our community and makes people aware of opportunities for second chances so they can move forward with their lives,” he explains. “The clinic helps people navigate their options to get clemency, a pardon or to have their records sealed so they can regain their footing in life. And, we are evolving into a full-fledged reentry clinic, so our students are working on pardon applications.”

Overall, the Criminal Justice Center is focused on learning by doing — and making an impact. “In addition to advancing the career interests they are passionate about and addressing criminal justice issues of our day, we look at how we can make the criminal justice system better,” Triozzi says. “That is what it means to learn law and live justice, and at the same time our students are learning to be profes sionals in the community, the court system and improving outcomes.”

From attending meetings and writing memos for the Ohio Rules Commission to problem-solving issues in the area of restorative jus tice, CSULAW’s Pop-Up Practicums invite students to join the faculty’s advocacy efforts. “They participate in projects that are works-in-progress and engage in issues of the moment,” says Professor Triozzi.

Triozzi shares how he was pre paring a proposal related to mental health diversion and consulted with students on the issue.

Attorney Kim Kendall Corral ’12, dedicated a Pop-Up Practicum to seeking post-conviction relief for Anthony Starr, who spent more than three decades incarcerated for a bru tal attack and rape and maintained innocence the entire time. During the practicum, Corral and CSULAW students argued the conviction was due to junk science, hidden witness statements, improper trials and an unconstitutional search. The victim, whom Starr never met, claimed she was 90% sure her ex-husband was the attacker.

Students prepared a 221-page application to the Cuyahoga County Conviction Integrity Unit and sought other avenues for relief, as the practi cum was held during the pandemic shutdown.

“Professor Corral’s course is a prime example of why I created PopUp Practicums — so that our students and faculty could respond to relevant issues in real time,” says Lee Fisher, dean and Joseph C. Hostetler-Baker Hostetler Chair in Law at CSULAW.

Here is a snapshot of how CSU Law positions its students and graduates to lead the way in social justice, criminal law, business and the community at-large:

Professor Jonathan Witmer-Rich and pop-up practicum students

Professor Robert Triozzi with Clinic

Students

Advocating for Equality

The Equality Ohio Legal Clinic is the brainchild of CSULAW alumna Maya Simek ’10, who formed the practice with Alana Jochum . It serves Ohioans who are within 300% of the federal poverty level. Alumna Leslie Johns ’14 joined the team, and the clinic involves CSULAW students through externships and fellowships.

“When you talk about ‘learn law, live justice,’ this is it,” says Jochum. “This is the vision of graduates realized. Maya saw the need, and we are really grateful for the school for hosting us in this.”

The clinic is housed inside CSULAW and taps into a pipeline of students who are pursuing social justice advocacy. “There is such an ur gent need here,” Jochum says. The freestanding and independent clinic is funded through grants by the Cleveland Foundation and Gund Foundation.

“Our physical office space is at CSULAW due to the school’s support and belief in our program and work, and that it aligns with learn law, live justice.”

Leading the Way

Lawyers naturally evolve into board and community leadership roles. But historically, law schools have not had a deliberate curric ular focus on attaining these skills. CSULAW was one of the first law schools to recognize there is more to the practice than technical expertise. “We want students to learn to be wise counselors and effective leaders,” says Kelly Tompkins, ’81, a leader-in-residence, chair of the law school board of visitors and senior advisor at Dix & Eaton.

A 1981 CSULAW graduate, Tompkins is an engaged mentor and supporter, believing in the “but for” argument. “But for the education I received at Cleveland State’s law school, there was no way I would have had the professional and business success I have experienced in my career,” he says. He was the executive vice president and COO of Cleveland Cliffs and RPM Interna tional’s executive vice president and CFO. At both companies, he served as chief legal officer.

Through the P. Kelly Tompkins Leadership and Law Program, students learn to work in cross-functional teams, make strategic decisions, tackle ethical issues and manage common business obstacles such as difficult personnel situations.

Tompkins co-teaches a leadership course with Dean Fisher. “It’s hands-on and interactive,” Tompkins says, explaining how the course invites CSULAW graduates to present a critical leadership challenge or decision to the group. The class interviews leaders. They write a case study, and “we do not give them the punchline of the leaders’ decisions.”

Opening Doors of Opportunity

In the early 1970s, late CSULAW Professor Ann Aldrich started a student recruitment program at historically Black colleges and universities in the south. Aldrich was the law school’s first tenured woman faculty member and the first woman federal Ohio judge — an inspiring professional who brought on board a number of promising students. That included Judge Patricia Ann Blackmon ’75, who retired in February 2021 from the Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals in Cleveland, where she served since 1991. She was the first Black woman elected as a judge on a state court of appeals in Ohio and served five judicial terms.

Blackmon earned her law degree at CSULAW in 1975 and served as Cleveland’s chief prosecutor, the first night prosecutor and assistant director of the Victims/ Witness Program.

“I was able to attend law school through the Legal Career Opportunities Program (LCOP), where they look at the whole quality of the person — not just GPA and test scores — and what struck me is that you might think that by now a program like this would not be necessary.

Dean Fisher said, ‘It’s the need that counts,’” Blackmon relates.

Dean Fisher established the Judge Ann Aldrich/Judge Patricia Ann Blackmon Scholarship Fund as part of the school’s 125th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of LCOP. “Judge Blackmon is an example of someone who, against all odds, not only went to law school but became one of the most respected members of the Ohio Judiciary,” Fisher says. “I want our students to know that no matter what ZIP code where they grew up, our law school is a place where you can realize your dream.”

The scholarship benefits LCOP students, who demon strate perseverance and promise for success — just like Blackmon. “Judge Aldrich noticed there were no Black students, and she said, ‘This can’t be,’ and she fought for change. It takes someone like Judge Aldrich and Dean Fisher with the imagination to make this happen.”

P. Kelly Tompkins

’81 Senior Advisor, Dix & Eaton

Alana Jochum

’10 Executive Director, Equality Ohio

Judge Patricia Ann Blackmon

’75

Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals

Path to SUCCESS

The law students get the training and foundation they need to prepare them to soar, succeed and make a difference. Meet some alumni who have made their marks in our communities and beyond.

Judge Murrell Capers* ’45 Cleveland Municipal Court

Chief Magistrate Gregory F. Clifford ’80 Chief Magistrate, Cleveland Municipal Court

Teresa Metcalf Beasley ’92 Partner, McDonald Hopkins

Ann Marie Ahern ’98 Principal, McCarthy, Lebit, Crystal & Liffman

Joe Corsaro ’82 Founder and Senior Managing Partner, Corsaro & Associates

Sheryl King Benford ’79 Chief Legal Officer, Cleveland Regional Transit Authority

Brett Barragate ’96 Partner and Co-Leader for Banking, Finance and Securities Practice, Jones Day

Tim Cosgrove ’87 Partner, Cosgrove Jonhenry

Judge Ronald Adrine ’73 Cleveland Municipal Court

Justice Michael Donnelly ’91 Supreme Court of Ohio Jose Feliciano ’75 Retired Partner, BakerHostetler

Secretary Marcia Fudge

’83 U.S. Secretary, Housing and Urban Development

Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor ’80 Supreme Court of Ohio

Mayor Frank Jackson ’83 Former Mayor, City of Cleveland

Sarah Flannery ’02 Partner, Thompson Hine

Michael Gibbons ’82 Chairman and Senior Managing Director, Brown Gibbons Lang

Terry Gilbert ’73 Partner, Friedman & Gilbert

Ian Friedman ’97 Founding Partner, Friedman & Nemecek

Kenneth Liffman ’79 President and Chairman of the Board, McCarthy, Lebit, Crystal & Liffman

Michael Haas ’94 Partner, Latham & Watkins

Judge Nancy Fuerst ’88 Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas

Judge Michelle Paris ’84 Judge, Bedford Municipal Court

David Paris ’78 Managing Partner, Nurenberg, Heller, Paris & McCarthy

Karen Giffin ’89 Co-founder, Giffen & Kaminski

Dennis Lansdowne ’81 Partner, Spangenberg, Shibley & Liber

Norman S. Minor* ’27 Trailblazing Civil Rights Attorney, First African American Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor

Kerin Lyn Kaminski ’85 Co-founder, Giffen & Kaminski

Avery Friedman ’72 Avery Friedman & Associates

COURTESY CSU

LAW

’95

Louis Stokes*

First African American Congressman in Ohio

Mayor Carl Stokes* ’56

First African American Mayor of a major U.S. city

Justice Melody Stewart ’88 Supreme Court of Ohio

Judge Michelle Sheehan ’93 Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals

Sonia Winner ’90 President and CEO, Cleveland Museum of Natural History

Steve Potash ’78 President and CEO, OverDrive

Steve Percy ’79 Former Chairman, CEO, BP America

Max Ratner* ’29 Co-founder and President, Forest City Enterprises

Bert Wolstein* ’53 Founder and CEO, Developers Diversified Realty Corp.

Xen Zapis* ’54 Chairman and CEO, Zapis Capital Group

Judge Basil Russo ’72 Former Judge, Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals

Tim Russert ’76 Longest Running Host of NBC’s Meet the Press

Judge Joan Synenberg ’87 Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court

Judge Brendan Sheehan ’93 Administrative and Presiding Judge, Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas

Judge Benita Pearson

U.S. District Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio

Jon Pinney ’00 Managing Partner, Kohrman Jackson Krantz

Kenn Ricci ’86 Principal, Directional Aviation Capital

125 YEARS of Living Justice, Living Leadership

1897

Cleveland Law School, Ohio’s first evening law school, is founded and becomes the first law school in Ohio to admit women and one of the first to admit Black students

1916 John Marshall School of Law is founded

Legal Career Opportunities Program (LCOP) is created, the first of its kind in the country, recognizing the value of students’ life experiences as a predictor of law school success

2014

Launched the Solo Practice Incubator, the first of its kind in Ohio, on the first floor of the Law Library, providing recent graduates resources to establish their own solo practices as a viable career path

2016 Center for Cybersecurity & Privacy Protection debuts to national attention for its innovative multidisciplinary approach

2017

Lee Fisher, former Ohio Attorney General and Lt. Governor, appointed 15th Dean since 1897

1977

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (now King Charles III) participates in the dedication of the College of Law Building at 1801 Euclid Ave.

College of Law dedicates its new library. Janet Reno, Attorney General of the United States, inaugurates the Centennial of the College of Law

Judy and Robert H. Rawson Jr. Learning Commons opens to encourage exploration, creation and collaboration among students, faculty, staff, alumni and the community

Establishment of Law School’s Hall of Fame and annual Celebration

Launched Global Space Law Center as first academic center in the nation dedicated solely to the law of outer space

2020 Launched the Pretrial Justice Clinic for students to advocate for indigent defendants during the initial bail process

Launched Racial Justice Task Force

2022

Launched the Pardon, Clemency, and Expungement Clinic in partnership with the Governor of Ohio

1969

Cleveland-Marshall and Cleveland State University sign merger agreement creating the largest law college in Ohio. The law school is named ClevelandMarshall College of Law at Cleveland State University

College of Law receives gift from Iris S. Wolstein, wife of Bert L. Wolstein ’53. Building named Bert L. Wolstein Hall

Launched Jump Start, one of the first law school summer programs in the nation designed to help incoming first year law students acclimate to law school

2018

Launched Center for Health Law & Policy to connect law students to the vast health care resources in the region

Debut of the state-of-theart Trial Courtroom, the most technologically advanced and realistic courtroom in any Ohio law school

Criminal Justice Center is launched to provide students more hands-on opportunities to work for justice

The P. Kelly Tompkins Leadership and Law Program, one of the first leadership programs at any law school in the nation, created by Kelly Tompkins ’81 and Dean Lee Fisher to provide leadership skills to law students

2019

Launched the region’s first Master of Legal Studies (MLS) degree for non-lawyers

Launched Online Master in Legal Studies (MLS) in Cybersecurity and Data Privacy

Business Law, Tax Law, International Law, Criminal Law (Prelaw magazine & U.S. News & World Report)

Northern Ohio

1946

Cleveland Law School and John Marshall School of Law merge to become Cleveland-Marshall Law School. Wilson Stapleton ’34 is named first Dean of the Cleveland-Marshall Law School. Ohio Governor Frank Lausche ’21 named Chairman of the Board

1957

Cleveland-Marshall is accredited by the American Bar Association

CSU

Located in Cleveland Metropark’s North Chagrin Reservation, and built by Feargus B. Squire an executive with the Standard Oil Company, Squire’s Castle is the shell of a gatehouse from the 1890s modeled after German and English baronial castles.

By Thom Sheridan