Class of 2007-2008
Evelyn Burnett, 25, completed her Masters of Public Administration at The University of Akron in December 2007. Originally from Youngstown, Evelyn holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business and Organizational Communications & Public Relations with a double minor in Sales & Marketing and Dance from The University of Akron. Evelyn possess a solid background in public relations and marketing and sales, with a strong emphasis in relationship building, data and project management, and creating strategic alliances. In 2004, Evelyn studied abroad in Ghana, Africa. She joins the Fellowship after working for the Summit County Sheriff’s Department, Mahoning County Clerk of Courts, and as a research assistant for the Institute for Health and Social Policy at The University of Akron. Evelyn served as Project Director in the City of Cleveland Office of Sustainability and a Coordinator in the Division of Workforce and Economic Development at Cuyahoga Community College. Evelyn is an active member of Great Lakes Urban Exchange and sits on several boards and committees throughout Northeast Ohio. Currently, Evelyn is a program associate and deputy of policy at Living Cities philanthropic collaborative..
Molly Martin is a resident of Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood. Molly earned her MSSA (MSW) from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University and is a Licensed Independent Social Worker. She came to the Fellowship after spending 4 years as a social worker at the Center for Families and Children, working with adults diagnosed with severe mental illnesses. Molly joined the program seeking to identify effective ways to integrate clinical and policy level work. During the Fellowship year, Molly was placed with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, the City of Cleveland’s Department of Community Development, the Cleveland STEM Initiative, Hyland Software, and she completed an independent project on Social Worker Safety in partnership with the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). She remains active with the NASW, and the Ohio Chapter is using her independent project to inform their advocacy efforts. Upon completion of the Fellowship, Hyland Software hired Molly on as their first Corporate Giving Specialist.
Allison Harris came to the Fellowship from Carnegie Mellon University where she earned a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering. During the Fellowship she worked on the Towpath Trail extension through both Ohio Canal Corridor and the City of Cleveland City Planning Department. She also had placements at Young Audiences of Northeast Ohio and Forest City Enterprises where she worked in the Sustainability Department. Allison now works in the brownfields and sustainability groups at URS Corporation in Cleveland's Playhouse Square.
Trista Powers earned her Bachelor's of Arts in English from Mount Union College and her Master's of Arts in English with a concentration in Rhetoric from Carnegie Mellon University. She joined the Fellowship after working for Saint Martin de Porres High School's Corporate Work Study Program in Cleveland. During the Fellowship, Trista was placed with The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County Foreclosure Prevention Program, Saint Joseph Academy, and American Greetings. She is Vice President of the Northeast Ohio Carnegie Mellon Alumni Chapter and a member in the Black Professional Association Charitable Foundation. Trista was recently hired as the Assistant Director for the Ohio Fuel Cell Coalition.
Darin Siley joined the Fellowship as a student services counselor at the University of Akron where he earned a Masters of Public Administration. A Northeast Ohio native, Siley served during his Fellowship year with Downtown Cleveland Alliance, the Office of Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones, Citizens’ Academy, the Greater Cleveland Partnership, and the Fund for Our Economic Future. Currently, Darin is working as the Director of Specials Projects and Assistant to the Executive Vice President of Cuyahoga Community College’s Workforce and Economic Development Division.
Katharyne Starinsky came to the Fellowship as a Commercial Development Manager for St. Clair Superior Development Corporation. Katharyne’s placements during the Fellowship included: Lutheran Metropolitan Ministries, the City of Akron, Urban Community School, Sherwin-Williams and The Coral Company. Currently, Katharyne is creating new opportunities for herself as an independent consultant specializing in projects that cultivate a vibrant urban environment. In addition, her volunteer commitments in the Larchmere neighborhood and Cleveland Colectivo remain strong.
The 2007-2008 Cleveland Executive Fellows created the “Connect, Create, Change Conference”as their legacy. During the summer of 2008, the Fellows traveled to Denmark to conduct a best practices analysis in each of their individual disciplines. Their research was organized around the following topic areas: alternative energy, community mental health, education, urban planning/land use, and sustainable food production. Upon their return, the Fellows offered the “Connect, Create, Change” conference as a one-day community conversation designed to listen, teach, energize, and problem solve. They believe Cleveland a city in need of young leaders committed to bringing solutions back to our neighborhoods and that they are those leaders. They invited community members to join their conversations and nearly 50 accepted. Learn more about their legacy.