The past fourteen years serving at the Cleveland Leadership Center brought immeasurable joy as I watched the growth of leaders from my own seat of leadership. It has been a gift and a true privilege to serve Greater Cleveland’s leaders across multiple generations—from the high school students in Look Up To Cleveland to the retirees in Legacy Leaders. From the sidelines of our programs and a front seat at Accelerate, I have watched thousands of leaders of all ages and backgrounds be inspired to lead our community forward. I witnessed leaders at all levels create positive change every single day.
And now, it is time for change at the Leadership Center. Yesterday, following a rigorous search, the Board of Directors unanimously voted to welcome Becky Ruppert McMahon to take the helm of CLC. Becky currently serves as CEO of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association (CMBA) and the CMBA Foundation and is a proud alumna of both Cleveland Bridge Builders (2008) and Leadership Cleveland (2018). We look forward to a smooth transition mid-summer and the continued growth of CLC’s impact in the community under her capable leadership.
Over the years, I have been blessed with the talents of dedicated team members who lived our mission every day on their constant quest to improve our programs and our work. I had the guidance of committed Board members who worked to extend the impact and elevate the profile of the Leadership Center. I had the support of individual and institutional funders whose investment in our work made our impact possible. And I had the amazing gift to work alongside inspirational leaders passionate about the future of our community.
I open every one of our programs with simple yet profound words that were shared with me shortly after I began at the Leadership Center: “Leaders Show Up.” So many times over the years our alumni have repeated those three words and shared how CLC experiences led them to change their thinking and their behavior. As a result, partnerships were formed, initiatives were launched, and community change happened.
I am profoundly grateful for the past 14 years and the opportunity to “Show up.” Thank you for making my journey possible.
Marianne Crosley
President and CEO
Cleveland Leadership Center