Why LC2?

Harness your talents and leverage your resources to create positive change in our community. Work alongside Leadership Cleveland colleagues from across the years to identify an opportunity in the community, enlist strategic collaborative partners and create tangible outcomes that leave a legacy.

There are no strict attendance requirements. We appreciate that you are busy and will do your best to participate but may find it difficult to be present at all sessions.

The LC2 Class of 2024 is on hiatus as we devote our energy to Cleveland Thrives.

  • Previous LC2 projects

    Class of 2023

    The 2023 LC2 Fellows worked alongside the Cleveland Talent Alliance to attract and retain talent for Northeast Ohio. The Alliance’s goals are to generate interest in and consideration of Cleveland as a place to live and work, to welcome newcomers, and increase the retention rate of current residents.

    Class of 2022

    The 2022 LC2 Fellows built upon the Conversations of Love model launched by University Hospitals to explore issues of inclusion, equity, racism, and discrimination in our community. Using thought-provoking short films as a foundation, the Fellows designed Changing Perspectives conversations. The conversations were piloted in the summer and fall of 2022 and will become a fixture in the annual Cleveland International Film Festival. The overall goals of the project:

    • Inspire local commitment and action to address and redress systemic racism in our country.
    • Foster empathy-focused discussions with goals of engagement, increased awareness, and dialogue.
    • Recognize the transformational power of our humanity by engaging in and facilitating conversations of love and affirming individual and collective actions to better our community.

    Class of 2021

    LC2 Fellows will advance a project originally presented at the Cleveland Rising Summit. Titled the Global Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, this Rising Summit presentation looked to elevate a collaborative, interconnected ecosystem of entrepreneurs. Focusing on historically marginalized communities, the idea aspires to cultivate a range of business growth from early stage ideation to a full life cycle of mature businesses.

    LC2 Fellows will look for ways to bring Cleveland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem together. By researching the work already being done in this space, discovering the gaps that may exist, and serving as a convener, LC2 Fellows will leverage the benefit of coming together. This work could craft an action plan that will serve as a go-to resource and model of inclusion to best leverage regional resources, collaborate with others, empower talent to accelerate the business growth of our community, and serve the entrepreneurial needs in our community.

    Class of 2020

    Inspired by the recent Policy Bridge report, Missing in Action, the 2020 LC2 Fellows will seek to advance the visibility of diverse leaders in the civic space. This project is seeking to create partnerships between People of Color who are emerging leaders and positional leaders in our city, the LC2 Fellows Class of 2020 is piloting a program in the Fall of 2020. The program seeks to create a mutually beneficial learning and networking experience for all participants. More than a mentoring program, this initiative will cultivate relationships to help emerging leaders better navigate our community and learn form one another.

    Class of 2019

    Cleveland Leadership Center has long worked with colleges and their students to get them energized and invested in Cleveland. The 2019 cohort of LC2 Fellows helped CLC focus its energies and create partnerships aimed at getting young leaders of the future committed to Cleveland today. The work of the LC2 Class of 2019 continues as CLC seeks philanthropic and corporate support to launch a pilot initiative to grow Cleveland’s population.

    CLC welcomes all collaborations and hopes you will join in these efforts. Learn more about the project to grow Cleveland’s population.

    Class of 2018

    The 2018 Fellows worked to improve the region’s quality of life via two projects intended to strengthen the physical and cultural connections between the neighborhoods surrounding Downtown.

    • Project #1: Safely connect The Flats and neighboring districts by creating a three-mile all-purpose, dedicated recreational loop trail.
    • Project #2: Transforming a downtown property into a public playground with a strong focus on equity in planning, building and programming.

    Both projects are aimed at bringing greater wellness and quality of life to Clevelanders, independent of their age or stage of life.

    Class of 2017

    “The First 2,000 Days of a Child’s Life: Quality of Life, Health and Education.”
    The Fellows tackled three areas of early childhood, and:

    • Created a permanent work group with the City of Cleveland to advise and advocate for more lead-safe housing options and alternatives for families whose homes are being remediated.
    • Helped The Literacy Cooperative launch an awareness campaign to close the “Word Gap.” A task force of Cuyahoga County’s Invest in Children, featuring LC2 participants, will help shape and scale the program.
    • Rallied the community to educate lawmakers about the importance of equitable state funding to provide quality, early-childhood education to more Cuyahoga County kids. They also created an advocacy blueprint future LC2 classes can use.

    Class of 2016

    “For the Love of Cities: Making Cleveland All That and More …”
    The Fellows challenged themselves to consider how to make Cleveland inviting and welcoming to all so that it is a place where all can experience high quality of life.

    Class of 2015

    Collinwood High School – Saving a School; Transforming a Neighborhood.
    Options for consideration for how to re-develop the Collinwood High School building and a process map for how to address similar situations with other school buildings.

    Class of 2014

    “Lakefront/Waterfront Development”
    The Class of 2014 capitalized on the renewed interest in waterfront development in downtown Cleveland through A water taxi service run by the Cleveland Metroparks that goes up and down the Cuyahoga River and out onto the lake. The eLCee2 water taxi was publically launched in Spring 2016.

    Class of 2013

    “Making a Difference in Education”
    The 2013 Fellows committed to making an impact on education in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. They created a two-year fellowship to create: mentoring programs, an adopt-a-school initiative, and a “loaned executive” program that engages LC alumni with projects in support of the administration and leadership of the district.

    Class of 2012

    “Raising the Bar”
    The inaugural class took on the issues of talent attraction and retention and created boomerang events in Boston, Chicago, Cleveland and Washington, DC.