Michael Jeans (LC 2016)
President & CEO, Growth Opportunity Partners
Michael is the founding President and CEO of Growth Opportunity Partners (Growth Opps), a business advisory, investment, and lending community financial institution. Growth Opps provides capital, management consulting, and advisory services to support the growth of companies and the development of management teams. Growth Opps has a particular focus on impact in low to moderate-income and underserved communities. In 2020, Growth Opps established GO Green Energy, the first African American-led Green Bank in the United States.
Michael brings vast expertise in corporate, non-profit, and municipal governance, enterprise risk and credit management, wealth management, deal structuring, and strategy. Prior to creating Growth Opps, Michael worked for established and respected leaders in the financial services industry including KPMG, Morgan Stanley, National City Bank, and KeyBank. Michael is a systems level leader and solves complex challenges.
Past Board leadership includes, Chairman of the Boards of Our Lady of the Wayside and The Greater Cleveland Film Commission, Board Member for Westfield Bank, American Red Cross, Taylor Oswald Insurance, and College Now. Michael currently serves in various Board capacities: Cleveland State University (CSU) Levin College of Public Affairs and Education Visiting Committee (Chair), CSU Foundation, Destination Cleveland (Treasurer), Karamu House (Chair), Cleveland Rape Crisis Center (Executive Committee), Playhouse Square, and Growth Opps. Michael’s corporate Board responsibilities include Ohio Farmers Insurance Company (OFIC)/Westfield Insurance, and NRP Group (Chair, HR Committee), a leading national commercial real estate developer, builder, and property management company.
Michael earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Ashland University in Business Administration with a focus in Finance and a minor in Spanish. Michael later obtained several licenses with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Married for over 25 years, Michael enjoys spending time with his wife and children, travel, and fitness.