College Now: supporting college students in the new reality

Dr. Michele Scott Taylor (LC2 2020, LC 2017), Chief Program Officer, College Now Greater Cleveland

Michele talked about how College Now shifted as the pandemic hit, what they are currently doing to help support students and families, and their plans for the future as schools reopen.  

Video coming soon
Recorded August 12, 2020
Please note: Connectivity was intermittent, please excuse the video quality.

The Cavs and the coronavirus

Len Komoroski (LC 2005), Chief Executive Officer, Cavaliers Holdings, LLC

Len shared how the NBA is conducting the playoffs in the time of COVID, what they anticipate for the upcoming season, and how they are readying Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse for the upcoming season and election. He also touched on some of the diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts within the Cavs organizations. 

Video coming soon
Recorded August 11, 2020

Content Marketing in a Coronavirus World

Jacquie Chakirelis, Director of Digital Strategy, Quest Digital

Jacquie talked about how the pandemic has affected marketing efforts and created a content marketing explosion. She shared tools, tips, and examples of how to leverage content in our new world. 

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Recorded August 5, 2020

The future of Downtown

Joe Marinucci (LC 2003), President & CEO, Downtown Cleveland Alliance

Joe talked about the current state of downtown, the projects currently underway, and how he expects the pandemic and racial justice efforts to affect the face of downtown. 

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Recorded August 4, 2020

CMHA: The police and the community

Andrés González (LC 2013), Chief of Police, Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority

Chief González talked about the work of the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) Police Department, how they are building relationships with the communities and how that has changed during the pandemic.

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Recorded July 30, 2020

Jump-starting CLE’s economy

Cathy Belk (LC 2012, CLC Board), President, JumpStart Inc.

Cathy shared how JumpStart Inc. support local entrepreneurs, what has changed since the pandemic hit, and how they are focusing on ensuring equitable access to resources.

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Recorded July 29, 2020

The other pandemic

Jack Binder (LC 2019, CLI 2012), Executive Director & CEO, LifeAct
Dr. John Hertzer, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Division Chair, University Hospitals
Jennifer Reed, Clinical Program Manager for Highland Springs Changes

Jack, Dr. Hertzer, and Jennifer talked about the tragic increase in suicide rates over the past 10 years and how COVID is amplifying mental health issues in children and teens. They shared how they are working to reach those struggling with mental health issues during the pandemic and in these times of social distancing. 

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Recorded July 28, 2020

The Cleveland Orchestra in the time of COVID

André Gremillet (LC 2018), President & CEO, The Cleveland Orchestra

André spoke about how the pandemic has impacted the Cleveland Orchestra, how they are innovated to not just retain but expand their audience, how they are taking care of their musicians in these challenges times, and their outlook for the future.

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Recorded July 27, 2020

How to engage in civil civic discourse

Dan Moulthrop (LC 2014), Chief Executive Officer, The City Club of Cleveland

Dan shared strategies for engaging in civil civic discourse and how to have more productive conversations around difficult topics.

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Recorded July 23, 2020

CMSD: The pandemic’s effects past, present, and future

Eric Gordon (LC 2013), Chief Executive Officer, Cleveland Metropolitan School District

Eric shared how the Cleveland Metropolitan School District worked to ensure all children received an education during the shut down, their focus on racial justice within the schools, how they’ve worked with families and children over the summer, and what they are doing to prepare for the upcoming school year.

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Recorded July 22, 2020

COVID-19 and Cleveland’s Cultural Institutions

Kirsten Ellenbogen (LC 2014), President & CEO, Great Lakes Science Center
Greg Harris (LC 2010), President & CEO, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum

Kirsten and Greg talked about how they prepared their institutions for the shut-down, how the local cultural organizations worked together, how they innovated to continue to serve the community, and what they see for the near-term future. 

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Recorded July 21, 2020

The U.S. Coast Guard in CLE

Rear Admiral Donna Cottrell, Commander, Ninth District, U.S. Coast Guard

Rear Admiral Cottrell shared what the Coast Guard does on the Great Lakes, some of the challenges they are facing right now. 

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Recorded July 20, 2020

The Pandemic and the Arts

Kevin Moore (LC 2009), Managing Director, Cleveland Play House

Kevin talked about how the pandemic has affected the organization and the considerations and scenarios for reopening. 

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Recorded July 16, 2020

Covering community issues

Elizabeth McIntyre (LC 2006), Publisher & Editor, Crain’s Cleveland Business

Elizabeth talked about Crain’s Cleveland Business’ approach to covering tough, emotionally-charged topics and how they are working to better reflect the community.

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Recorded July 15, 2020

Empowering urban youth

Jowan Smith, Accelerate 2020 Winner and 2017 Finalist
Chief Executive Officer, 1,000 Ties + Post-Secondary Education Consultant and Motivational Speaker

Jowan discussed how Getting Our Babies to College and 1,000 Ties came to life, how she’s helping empower urban youth by teaching etiquette and communication skills, mentoring, and college and career preparation. She also talked about her upcoming book and her plans for the future.  

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Recorded July 14, 2020

Providence House: Pivoting in a Pandemic

Natalie Leek (LC 2010), President and CEO, Providence House

Natalie discussed how Providence house pivoted from an onsite program to an entirely remote services to serve over 300 families since March. She also shared their plan to re-open their west side residential site and their planned expansion on the east side, and the challenges they’ve faced with both of those endeavors.

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Recorded July 13, 2020

NAACP: Addressing systemic racism locally

Danielle Sydnor (ALI 2018, CBB 2014), Founder, We Win Strategies Group and President, NAACP Cleveland Branch

Danielle talked about the work of the NAACP locally, particularly how they are engaged in voter registration and Census efforts, what the community needs to do to support anti-racism efforts and the challenges in this work. 

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Recorded July 9, 2020

Census 2020: critical to CLE’s future

Juan Galeano, Project Consultant: 2020 Census, The Cleveland Foundation

Juan shared a number of initiatives that have already taken place to increase the Census response, what’s still to come, and how people can pitch in and help increase the response from underrepresented populations.

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Recorded July 8, 2020

The Cleveland Police Foundation: Affecting systemic change

Grant Dinner (LC 2019), Chief Operating Officer, Weinberg Wealth Management, LLC and Board of Directors President, The Cleveland Police Foundation
Angela Thi Bennett (ALI 2018, CLI 2017), Consultant, Director of Development and Programming, The Cleveland Police Foundation

Grant and Angela discussed how the Cleveland Police Foundation is fostering stronger relationships between the community and police officers through a number of programs, including the Public Safety Career Pipeline Program.

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Recorded July 7, 2020

Creating a community-wide conversation on race

Eddie Harrell (LC 2015), Regional Vice President, Radio One
Kevin Griffin (LC 2019), Senior Vice President, The Adcom Group

Eddie and Kevin talked about the collaboration that created the Justice for All radio presentation got started, how they designed the program, and what the next steps are for our community and its leaders. 

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Recorded July 6, 2020

The Consent Decree: A Monitor’s perspective

Timothy Tramble (LC 2010), President and CEO, Saint Luke’s Foundation of Cleveland

Tim provides background on the Consent Decree, the process of implementation, and the role of the monitors.

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Recorded June 30, 2020

Criminal Justice Reform

Rebecca Ruppert McMahon (LC 2018, CBB 2008), Chief Executive Officer, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association (CMBA)
Ian N. Friedman, Esq., Founding Partner, Friedman & Nemecek, L.L.C., Immediate Past CMBA Board President

Becky and Ian shared how CMBA is advancing racial equity and inclusion within the legal space in Cleveland. 

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Recorded June 29, 2020

Evictions and the right to representation in the time of COVID

Hazel Remesch, Supervising Attorney, The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland

Hazel discussed her work in establishing the right to representation in housing court and how the pandemic is affecting housing for our community and those facing eviction.

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Recorded June 25, 2020

Adapting in times of crisis to serve the homeless and vulnerable populations in Cleveland

Maria A. Foschia (CLI 2010), MBA, LSW, Acting CEO & Chief Operating Officer, Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry

Maria discussed Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry’s work with the homeless and vulnerable populations and how they’ve pivoted to continue serving those individuals during the pandemic. 

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Recorded June 24, 2020

The rise of crowdfunding during COVID-19

Dawn Arrington (CBB 2020), Cleveland Action Strategist, ioby

Dawn shared how grass-roots programs and nonprofits are leveraging the ioby platform to bring under-funded initiatives and projects to life during the pandemic as traditional sources of funding are no longer available.

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Recorded June 23, 2020

DACA: A regional perspective

Joe Cimperman (LC 2003), President, Global Cleveland

Joe shared why the Supreme Court’s DACA decision is important for our region, the roll international newcomers play in our community, and what Global Cleveland is doing to support them during the pandemic. 

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Recorded June 22, 2020

Racism as a public health crisis

Blaine Griffin (LC2 2015, LC 2014), Councilman, Ward 6, City of Cleveland
Kerry McCormack (LC 2018, LookUp 2005), Councilman, Ward 3, City of Cleveland

Councilmen Griffin and McCormack shared how the City’s declaration of racism as a public health crisis came about, what the next steps are, and how people can get involved in anti-racist work. 

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Recorded June 18, 2020

Addressing food insecurities during crisis through the Greater Cleveland Food Bank

Kristin Warzocha (LC 2010, CBB 2002, CLC Board), President and CEO, Greater Cleveland Food Bank

Kristin shared the challenges and adaptations the Food Bank had to make as the pandemic exponentially expanded the community’s need for food. She shared how creativity and flexibility were key in being able to respond quickly to the need, how those changes will impact their operations going forward, and what they are planning for the future. 

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Recorded June 16, 2020

Senior living in the midst of COVID-19

Kendra Urdzik (LC 2020), President & CEO, Judson Services, Inc.
Cindy Struk, Vice President, Health Services, CCHO, Judson Services, Inc.
Julie Anderson (LC 2013, CLI 2010), Vice President, Judson Manor

The Judson team talked about their efforts to safeguard the health and safety of their elderly residents and team members during the pandemic.

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Recorded June 15, 2020

Addressing disparities in leadership

Phyllis “Seven” Harris (LC2 2020, LC 2019), Executive Director, LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland

Phyllis talked about the lack of inclusion of Black folks in leadership and how leadership on boards and in upper level management roles can promote inclusion and address disparities.

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Recorded June 11, 2020

The digital divide in Cleveland

Dorothy Baunach (LC 1992), Chief Executive Officer, DigitalC
Kurt Karukul (LC2 2020, LC 2019, LC2 2017, LC2 2015, LC2 2013, LC 2012), President & Executive Director, Third Federal Foundation

Dorothy spoke about how DigitalC is working to close the digital divide and Kurt shared how and why Third Federal Foundation is funding those initiatives.

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Recorded June 10, 2020
Note: This workshop was recorded by Digital C and lives on the empowerCLE YouTube channel. The workshop begins at 2:38. 

Understanding infant mortality in Cleveland and the work of First Year Cleveland

Bernadette Kerrigan (LC 2008), Executive Director, First Year Cleveland

Bernie shared how First Year Cleveland is reducing infant mortality in Cleveland by focusing on the systemic racism inherent in the medical system and candidly shared how she discovered and is working through her own biases.

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Recorded June 9, 2020

Health Happens in Communities: The MetroHealth System’s Institute for H.O.P.E.TM

Susan Fuehrer (ALI 2020, LC 2008), President, Institute for H.O.P.E.TM
James Misak MD (LC 2020), Medical Director, Institute for H.O.P.E.TM

Sue and Dr. Misak discussed the work of the Institute of H.O.P.E.TM, social determinants of health, and how they are those disparities in Cleveland. 

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Recorded June 8, 2020

Messe Berlin – A workforce perspective from Berlin, Germany

This session was presented in partnership with Leadership Berlin

Petra Göbel, Vice President, Human Resources, Messe Berlin

Petra shared how the pandemic has affected Messe Berlin as one of the top 10 event organizers in the world, the radical shifts the organization and her staff has undergone to work remotely, and how they are managing the downturn. 

Video coming soon
Recorded June 4, 2020

Preparing for the return of students: schools & day care facilities

Tom Gill (CEF 2010, CLI 2009), President, Urban Community School
Michelle Curry (LC2 2020, LC2 2015, LC 2014), Executive Director, Merrick House Neighborhood Center

Michelle and Tom shared how their respective organizations responded to the COVID-19 shut-downs, how they continue to serve their children and families, and what they are doing to prepare for the future. 

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Recorded June 3, 2020

Covering Challenging Times

Micki Byrnes (LC 2005, CLC Board), President & General Manager, WKYC Channel 3
Adam Miller (LC 2020), Director of Content, WKYC Channel 3
Russ Mitchell (LC 2014), Anchor & Managing Editor, WKYC Channel 3

Micki, Adam, and Russ talked about the challenges and innovation that resulted from COVID-19 for their news team. They also discussed their approach to covering news during tense and challenging times such as the pandemic and the recent protests and riots. 

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Recorded June 2, 2020

Leading from Your Creative Side to Manage Uncertainty and Complexity

Adele DiMarco, Executive Leadership & Team Coach, Culture Consultant, Media Host, Author, Speaker, Founder of Yinovate

Adele shared the importance of creativity in today’s business world and ways to tap into and lead from that side. 

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Recorded June 1, 2020

What’s Happening at the State level

Phillip Robinson (LC 2013, CEF 2010, CLI 2009)

Phil shared a behind-the-scenes perspective on the challenges the Ohio government has faced due to COVID-19 and what those things mean for its constituents. 

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Recorded May 28, 2020

Moving Around the City: trends, realities, and new possibilities in transit

Jacob VanSickle, Executive Director, Bike Cleveland

Jacob talked about Bike Cleveland’s mission, the changes we’ve seen across various modes of transportation during the pandemic, and possibilities for the future of multi-modal transportation in our region. 

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Recorded May 27, 2020

NASA returns to the moon!

Dr. Joel Kearns, Director of Facilities, Test and Manufacturing, NASA Glenn Research Center

NASA has plans to return the next man and first woman to the moon by 2024 and NASA in Cleveland is playing a critical part in this mission. Dr. Kearns talks about the mission and shares key leadership tips for leading out of this world projects!

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Recorded May 21, 2020

What’s new and what’s next for the Cleveland Metroparks

Brian Zimmerman (LC2 2014, LC2 2012, LC 2011), CEO, Cleveland Metroparks

Brian shared what’s happening with the Metroparks, what to expect as we look ahead, and his approach to leadership during this time.

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Recorded May 20, 2020

What’s Happening in Higher Education

Carmen Twillie Ambar, President, Oberlin College

President Ambar shares how Oberlin responded to the pandemic in the early stages, how they’ve adapted for remote learning, what is happening on the national landscape, and what the future might hold for Oberlin and other higher education institutions across the country. 

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Recorded May 19, 2020

Ever Evolving CARES Act

Ed Bell (LC 2011), President, Gries Financial Partners
Lauren Rich Fine (LC 2007), Partner, Gries Financial Partners

Ed discusses the intentions and details of the CARES Act and Lauren shares a brief overview of the market over the past two months.  

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Recorded May 18, 2020

Empathy in Leadership

Adrianne Fletcher, PhD, Assistant Professor and Assistant Dean of Diversity and Inclusion, Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University

Dr. Fletcher discusses how leaders need to tend to their own well-being first and shared practical ways to extend empathy toward employees during this time of collective crisis.  

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Recorded May 14, 2020

Leadership in health care during COVID-19

Dr. Margaret McKenzie (LC 2019, CLC Board), President, Cleveland Clinic South Pointe Hospital & Associate Professor of Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine

Dr. McKenzie shared how the Cleveland Clinic prepared for and is handling the pandemic both from an internal leadership perspective, as well as the ways they are leading the charge in caring for patients. 

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Recorded May 13, 2020
Note: We apologize for the audio and video quality as we experienced connection issues throughout the session. 

Returning to the Office for Leaders: Helping Employees Manage their sense of Loss and Grief

This session was presented in partnership with ERC.

Dr. Lisa Damour, nationally known psychologist and best-selling author
Jill Koski (LC 2020), President and CEO at Holden Forests & Gardens
Kelly Keefe (LC 2020, CLI 2012), President, ERC

Dr. Damour, Jill, and Kelly talked about how to help employees to grieve the old normal, how to help employees navigate their new normal, and how to deal with real-life problems and concerns. 

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Recorded May 12, 2020

COVID-19 in Cleveland – the challenges, triumphs, and grit

Blaine Griffin (LC2 2015, LC 2014), Councilman , Ward 6, City of Cleveland

Councilman Griffin shares how the pandemic is affecting Cleveland, how the city is responding, and areas of specific focus.

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Recorded May 11, 2020
Note: We apologize for the audio and video quality as we experienced connection issues throughout the session. 

Self-care and mental wellness to help you thrive: A therapist perspective

Jennifer Borovica, Owner, RebelRising Wellness

Jen shares the ways COVID-19 has increased stress, how this stress impacts the body and nervous system, and how to create a self care plan with strategies.

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Recorded May 7, 2020

Planning what consumer behaviors will be changed both short and long term

Jason Therrien (LC 2017, CLC Board), President, thunder::tech

Jason discusses how consumers are changing their behaviors in response to the pandemic and what the short- and long-term impacts might be. 

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Recorded May 6, 2020

Leading beyond the Curve – Leadership strategies for increasing team productivity in the Post-COVID-19 environment

June Ryan (LC2 2018, LC 2017), Rear Admiral (Retired), U.S. Coast Guard & June Ryan Global Solutions

June shares tips for leaders during volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous times (VUCA environments) like the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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Recorded May 5, 2020

Customer Outreach Strategies During COVID-19

Dave Loomis (LC 2017), Founder and President, Loomis Marketing

Dave discusses best practices for customer communications during COVID-19, including how to properly balance empathy with marketing and sales.

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Recorded May 4, 2020

Board Matters: Getting the Governance Right Has Never Been More Important

Brian Broadbent (LC 2007), CEO, Business Volunteers Unlimited
Elizabeth Voudouris, President, Business Volunteers Unlimited

Brian and Biz discuss how boards can support their non-profits during the pandemic and beyond.

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Recorded April 30, 2020

How isolation is affecting victims of physical/sexual violence

Sondra Miller (LC2 2017, LC 2016, CLI 2011, CBB 2008), President & CEO, Cleveland Rape Crisis Center
Melissa Graves, Chief Executive Officer, Domestic Violence and Child Advocacy Center

Sondra and Melissa discuss how social distancing and stay at home orders is affecting their constituents and how are they leading in this space.

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Recorded April 29, 2020

The impact of the pandemic on the arts and the future of arts performances

Patrick Shepherd (LC 2020, CBB 2003), Associate Director, Cleveland International Film Festival
Holley Fowler Martens and Chann Fowler-Spellman, members of The Matriots and Trustees of The Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation

Patrick, Chann, and Holley discuss the CIFF44 film, Represent, their work with The Matriots, as well as the state and future of arts organizations.

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Recorded April 28, 2020

Women in politics – the challenges and triumphs of three candidates

This session was presented in partnership with The City Club of Cleveland

Patrick Shepherd (LC 2020, CBB 2003), Associate Director, Cleveland International Film Festival
Hillary Bachelder, REPRESENT film director/ shooter/ editor

Hillary joins Patrick for a discussion of her film (CLC’s 2020 CIFF Partner Film), REPRESENT, which premiered at the Cleveland International Film Festival. 

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Recorded April 27, 2020

Shine Online: The Digital Presenter

Dr. Scott Allen, Boler College of Business, John Carroll University

Online presentations are the new normal and it’s important to shine in this new medium. This workshop includes tips, tricks, and hacks for any online presentation.

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Recorded April 23, 2020

Leading the CMHA community-what are the challenges, needs and opportunities?

Jeff Patterson (LC 2010), CEO & Safety Director, Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA)

Jeff shares the challenges the COVID-19 situation presents for CMHA, the processes they’ve put in place, services they’ve added, and how they need to adapt going forward.

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Recorded April 22, 2020

The Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund

Heather Torok (LC 2020), Vice President for Programs and Strategy, The Saint Luke’s Foundation
Daniel Cohn, Vice President, Strategy, Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation

Heather and Daniel discuss the leadership collaboration that created the Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund and the process of granting the funds.

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Recorded April 15, 2020

Pivoting quickly: A new leadership role in a new world

Michele Seyranian (LC2 2017, LC 2016), CEO, The Gathering Place

Michele discusses what it was like to start in her new role just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic, how the Gathering Place has pivoted to continue offering services to their constituents, and what’s on the horizon for the organization. 

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Recorded April 8, 2020

Leading a restaurant and small business in the current environment

Doug Katz (LC 2019), fire | fire catering | chutney b. | Zhug | Provenance at CMA

Doug chats about the process he took when the restaurants were ordered closed, how he has adapted, and what he foresees for the restaurant industry moving forward.

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Recorded April 1, 2020

The importance of empathy when leading in challenging times

Mark Ross (LC 2016), Lake Erie Market Managing Partner, PwC

Mark shares his thoughts on the current and future implications of working from home, leading employees during this time, and bridging the generational divide by sharing expertise and skills with each other.

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Recorded March 25, 2020