Class of 2006-2007
Beau Daane joined the Fellowship after founding Green Cardinal LLC, a sustainability-focused real estate investment company in 2005. With a BA from Duke University, Daane went on to get a Masters in History from Cleveland State University in 2004. During the Fellowship, Beau worked with St. Clair Superior Development Corporation, the Cuyahoga County Commissioners, The Cleveland Clinic, Eaton Corporation, and TeamNEO. Since fall 2007, Daane has worked as the Business Recycling Specialist for Cuyahoga County's Solid Waste District. At the District he focuses on helping businesses start, expand and improve recycling programs. In addition to his work with the District, Daane worked with a Fortune 500 company on life-cycle analysis and sustainability issues. In 2009, Daane started his MBA at Case Western Reserve University part-time.
Jeffrey Epstein joined the Fellowship after completing a two-year judicial clerkship with Judge Solomon Oliver, Jr. on the U.S. District Court in Cleveland and obtaining his law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center. Prior to law school, Jeff earned an undergraduate degree in public policy from Duke University and worked in political polling and market research in Washington, D.C. During his Fellowship year, Jeff worked with Building Cleveland By Design, the City of Cleveland’s Department of Economic Development, Citizens Academy, and The Coral Company. Jeff enjoyed his fellowship placement at The Coral Company so much that he joined Coral full time after the Fellowship. He is now Coral’s Vice President of Development and works on mixed-use redevelopment projects, property acquisitions, and other special projects for the Cleveland-based real estate development company.
Maria Haller, originally from Bryan, Ohio, joined the Fellowship after earning her juris doctorate from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and her master's degree in public administration from Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs. During her Fellowship year, Maria worked with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Cuyahoga County Planning Commission, and Forest City Enterprises. After the Fellowship, Maria began work at the Sherwin-Williams Company as their first Community Engagement Specialist. She continues to build an overall strategy for the Company linking its community engagement activities with employees, nonprofit partners, vendors, investors, and other stakeholders.
Stephanie Howse joined the Fellowship while living in Cleveland and working as an environmental health and safety engineer for Stephen J. Sebesta & Associates Inc. Stephanie earned her undergraduate degree in civil engineering from Florida A&M University and received her master’s degree in environmental studies at Cleveland State University. During the Fellowship, Stephanie worked with Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation, the City of Cleveland’s Department of Economic Development, Cuyahoga Community College, and thunder::tech. Upon completion of the Fellowship, Stephanie served as the Cleveland Field Director for the Ohio Democratic Party and continued serving many community organizations in the Cleveland area, most notably Footprints, a youth development organization she co-founded.
Erik Johnson is a life-long Cleveland resident. In 2007, he was named Shaker Heights Prevention Coalition Project Coordinator. As project coordinator, he designs, develops, implements and manages all programming and budgetary aspects of a $500,000, 5 year Drug Free Community Grant Program for the City of Shaker Heights. The Drug Free Community Grant program is a federally funded grant initiative that provides funding and resources to communities across the United States to help them prevent the infiltration of drugs and other harmful substances into America’s communities. Prior to being selected Project Coordinator, Erik was a 2006-2007 Cleveland Foundation Executive Fellow. As an Executive Fellow, he worked with the United Way of Greater Cleveland, Shaker Heights City Government, Case Western Reserve University, and Amtrust Bank. Since the spring of 2007, Erik has been the lead consultant and chief facilitator for the Cuyahoga Community College Metro Campus Student Leadership Certification Program. Erik graduated from Cleveland Central Catholic High School in 1992 and earned his bachelors degree in English from Cleveland State University in 2000. He is currently completing his masters in public administration with a focus on City Management at Cleveland State University Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs.
Sonya Pryor-Jones was the assistant director of admissions and adjunct faculty at Baldwin-Wallace College before joining the Fellowship. In 1999, Sonya joined a compassionate team of leaders to open Citizens Academy, one of Ohio’s strongest public schools. She earned her undergraduate degree in international studies, with a focus in history from Kenyon College. With a master's in education from Cleveland State University, Pryor-Jones has experience across the P-20 education pipeline. Throughout the Fellowship year, Sonya worked with Eaton Corporation, the City of Cleveland’s Department of Public Health, Cleveland Metropolitan School District, and University Circle Inc. Upon completion of the Fellowship, Sonya joined the Ohio STEM Learning Network (OSLN), an initiative of Battelle to facilitate the launch and design of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) schools. Her initial appointment was as a consultant for TIES (Teaching Institute for the Excellence in STEM), a national STEM education firm, and recently she was named as the Executive Director of the OSLN Cleveland STEM Hub.
Jonathan Simmons, a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, resided in Copley, OH during the Fellowship. He joined the Fellowship after working as co-managing partner for Pauldron LLC, an Akron based firm that works with companies in the financial industry and other sectors, providing training and organizational solutions for diversity and behavioral risk management challenges. Jonathan earned his MBA in international management from Baldwin Wallace College. Prior to beginning his own company, Simmons received his bachelor's degree in computer science from Southern University. During the Fellowship, Jonathan worked with Entrepreneurship Preparatory School, St. Martin de Porres High School, the Cuyahoga County Department of Development, and City Architecture. Jonathan has a diverse background in information systems, strategic diversity planning, and management consulting for leaders in the corporate, government non-profit and education sectors. His areas of expertise include strategic marketing, transformational leadership, behavioral risk management, CDO strategies, startup relationships, organizational development, corporate ethics and values, and developing new ventures.