Leaders who share our vision for a vibrant regional economy.
Our staff is guided by a highly engaged board of business, economic development, and civic leaders who are committed to advancing the Northeast Ohio Region.
Board Leadership | Board of Directors | Partner Directors | Board Observers | Business Development Council | Industry Advancement Council (IAC) | Marketing Advisory Council | RightSites Council | Talent Development Council
Don Taylor
Chair
President & CEO: Welty Enterprises
Peter W. Broer
Chair Emeriti
President & CEO: Lumitex, Inc.
Allen J. Mistysyn
Vice Chair
Senior Vice President/Finance & CFO: The Sherwin-Williams Company
OPEN
Secretary
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Doug Sibila
Treasurer
President & CEO: : Total Distribution, Inc.
Board of Directors
David Allen
Executive Director, Market Team Lead: J.P. Morgan Private Bank
Steven M. Auvil
Managing Partner: Squire Patton Boggs, LLP
Dr. Marcia Ballinger
President: Lorain County Community College
Christopher Bast
Senior Vice President, Treasurer and Operations Support: The Davey Tree Expert Company
Dr. Michael A. Baston
President: Cuyahoga Community College
Patrick Bloom
Executive Vice President, Government Relations: Cleveland-Cliffs
Brendan Buescher
Ohio Managing Partner: McKinsey & Company
Carol Caruso
President: Caruso Public Affairs LLC
Alex Chapman
President: Ridge Creek Global, Inc.
Robert “Bob” Davis
President and COO: Aqua Ohio, Inc.
Dr. Todd Diacon
President: Kent State University
Bill Epling
President: SummaCare
Dr. Albert M. Green
Presdent & CEO: QuantumCT
Ariane Kirkpatrick
CEO and President: The AKA Team
Kelly Lamirand
Cleveland Market President and Commercial Sales Leader: KeyBank
Kevin E. Martin
President and CEO: ideastream
Marc Merklin
Shareholder: Roetzel
Matthew Nipper
President: Fifth Third Bank Northern Ohio
Jay Nordholt
Vice President, Corporate Engineering: Swagelok
Nevin Nussbaum
Partner: Cohen & Co Akron
Jennifer Palmieri
EVP, Chief People Officer: Westfield Insurance
Ron Paydo
Market President, Akron/Canton: Huntington Bank
Wendell W. Robinson, Jr.
Vice President, Government Affairs and Economic Development: Rocket Companies
Mark J. Samolczyk
President: Stark Community Foundation
William R. Seelbach
Operating Partner: The Riverside Company
Gary M. Small
Former President & CEO: Premier Financial Corporation
Aaron J. Swartz
Office Managing Partner: Ernst & Young
Damian Thomas
Market President, Cleveland: RCF Group
Ward J. “Tim” Timken, Jr.
CEO: McKinley Strategies
Daniel E. Weekley
President and General Manager of Ohio Distribution: Enbridge Gas Ohio
Partner Directors
Bethia Burke
President: The Fund for Our Economic Future
C. Stephen MacKenzie
President & CEO: Stark Economic Development Board
Steve Millard
President & CEO: Greater Akron Chamber
Baiju Shah
President & CEO: Greater Cleveland Growth Partnership
Board Observers
Kevin Chambers
Managing Director, Sector Leader for Military / Federal and Logistics & Distribution Accounts: JobsOhio
Dr. Ethan Karp
President and CEO: MAGNET
Business Development Council
Team NEO’s Business Development Council (BDC), comprised of senior economic development leaders and regional business leaders, drives Team NEO and Northeast Ohio partners toward a strategic and collaborative approach to business development.
Marla Akridge
Executive Director: Tuscarawas Economic Development Corporation
Peter W. Broer
President & CEO: Lumitex, Inc.
Brent M. Buckley
Business Attorney and Managing Partner: Buckley King, LPA
Maribeth Burns
President: Wayne County Economic Development Council
Frank Carrino
Chief Legal Officer and Secretary: Westfield Group
Kevin Chambers
Managing Director, Sector Leader for Military / Federal and Logistics & Distribution Accounts: JobsOhio
Gregg Cramer
Vice President: Economic Development Greater Akron Chamber
Shawn DaVis
Vice President: Greater Cleveland Partnership
Bethany Dentler
Executive Director: Medina County Economic Development Corporation
Jason Dodson
Consulting Solutions Director: Roetzel & Andress
Michael Elliot
Director of Neighborhood Economic Development: Cleveland Neighborhood Progress
Bill Elliott
Senior Vice President: Dollar Bank
Barbara Ewing
Chief Executive Officer: Youngstown Business Incubator
Melissa Frank
Economic Development Consultant: FirstEnergy Corporation
Paul Herdeg
Director: Cuyahoga County Department of Development
Joe Jankowski
Chief Innovation Officer, Office of Research and Technology Management: Case Western Reserve University
Kurt Kappa
SVP, Chief Lending Officer: First Federal of Lakewood
Shawn Lyden
Chief Strategy Officer: Akron Children’s Hospital
Kevin Malecek
Director of Economic Development: City of Mentor
John McLaughlin
Vice President, Business Development: Stark Economic Development Board
Marc Merklin
Shareholder: Roetzel
Marsha Mockabee
President/CEO: Urban League of Greater Cleveland
Michael O’Donnell
Vice President of Operations: MAGNET
Jon Park
Owner: Jon Park Advisory Services LLC
Ken Patsey
President & Executive Director: Manufacturing Works
Phil Rudolph Jr.
Vice President of Business Development: Rudolph Libbe Group
Jim Ruhlin
CEO: The Ruhlin Company
Jim Ruhlin, Jr.
President & COO: The Ruhlin Company
Damian Thomas
Market President, Cleveland: RCF Group
Michael “Mike” Toth
President, CEO & Chairman of the Board: Westfield Bank
Thomas “Tommy” Young
Director Business Development: North Coast Gas Transmission (NCGT)
Industry Advancement Council (IAC)
The Industry Advancement Council (IAC), comprised of regional industry leaders, guides our cluster, innovation and supply chain initiatives.
Lisa Armstrong
Director, Americas Corporate Development & Strategy: Schaeffler
Nick Barendt
AVP Research: CWRU
Peter W. Broer
President & CEO: Lumitex, Inc.
Scott Buchanon
Vice President, Environment, Health and Safety: Avient Corp
Hans Dorfi
SVP Product Development: Bridgestone Americas
Matt Fordenwalt
Vice President and General Manager, Systems and Solutions: Rockwell Automation
Dr. Albert M. Green
Presdent & CEO: QuantumCT
C. Stephen MacKenzie
President & CEO: Stark Economic Development Board
Brandy L. Johnson
Chief Strategy & Technology Officer: Babcock & Wilcox
Kevin Johnson
Managing Partner: NexGen Interactive
Dr. Ethan Karp
President and CEO: MAGNET
Steve Millard
President & CEO: Greater Akron Chamber
Sarah Nash
Chair, CEO, & President: Novagard Solutions
Jay Nordholt
Vice President, Corporate Engineering: Swagelok
Michael O’Donnell
Vice President of Operations: MAGNET
Michael Oakes
SVP Research: CWRU
Margaret Pafford
Director, External Technology and Open Innovation: Lubrizol
Michael Regelski
Senior Vice President & Chief Technology Officer: Eaton
William R. Seelbach
Operating Partner: The Riverside Company
Baiju Shah
President & CEO: Greater Cleveland Growth Partnership
Raymond “Ray” Somich
Community and Government Affairs: Synthomer
Rick Stockburger
President & CEO: BRITE Energy Innovators
Bryan Stubbs
Executive Director & President: Cleveland Water Alliance
Ryan Yost
President, Materials Group Worldwide: Avery Dennison
Marketing Advisory Council
The Marketing Advisory Council (MAC), a collaboration of senior business and marketing leaders, highlights the Northeast Ohio Region’s strategic assets, rallies regional stakeholders and influencers to support collective promotional strategies, and drives performance, equity, and accountability in marketing outcomes related to the regional brand.
Dan Babic
Chief Commercial Officer: Gardiner
Dennis Burnside
President: Vestian
Michelle Comerford
Project Director: Biggins Lacy Shapiro & Company, LLC
Lisa Dalpiaz
Vice President of Air Service & Business Development: Akron-Canton Airport
Jamie Dalton
Vice President: Falls & Co.
Rob Falls
President & CEO: Falls & Co.
Jenny Febbo
Vice President, Integrated Communications: Cuyahoga Community College
Josh Gordon
Executive Director: Barberton Community Foundation
Sara Greicius
Director, Cleveland Talent Alliance: Destination Cleveland
Caroline Guscott
Managing President, Strategic Communication: Greater Cleveland Partnership
Chris Hardesty
Director of Economic Development: City of Canton
Maureen Harper
Senior Vice President, Public Affairs: Falls & Co.
Nikki Hubbard
Vice President, Marketing: JumpStart
Kelly Lamirand
Cleveland Market President and Commercial Sales Leader: KeyBank
Britt Lovett
Marketing, Communications & Strategic Initiatives Officer: Community Foundation of Lorain County
Emily Lundgard
Vice President: Elevate Greater Akron
Kevin E. Martin
President and CEO: ideastream
Cathy McPhillips
Chief Growth Officer: Marketing AI Institute
Shannon Mortland
Director of Communications: Oswald Companies
Brent Rossi
SVP of Marketing & Media: Cleveland Browns
Marie Scalia
Chief Marketing Officer: Destination Cleveland
Jennifer Scheel
FUSE Executive Fellow: City of Cleveland, Economic Development Team
JC Shivley
Business Development Director: Tuscarawas County Economic Development Corp.
Meegan Spicer
Director, Site Selection and Incentives Advisory: Kroll, LLC
Ryan Squire
VP, Communications & Marketing: JobsOhio
Jennifer Thompson
Director, Marketing Communications: Sherwin Williams
Michael “Mike” Toth
President, CEO & Chairman of the Board: Westfield Bank
Eric Wobser
CEO: Greater Sandusky Partnership
RightSites Council
The RightSites Council (RSC) is comprised of regional leaders from real estate, construction, development, finance and utilities. The RSC helps to identify and define market gaps, as well as recommend potential solutions for developing both short- and long-term strategies to identify competitive locations and increase Northeast Ohio’s inventory.
Geoff Aiken
Regional Vice President: Desmone
Seth Balkanyi
Manager, Strategic Initiatives & Market Research: Brookfield Properties Development
Christopher Bast
Senior Vice President, Treasurer and Operations Support: The Davey Tree Expert Company
Christopher Bednar
Director of Civil Engineering: Karpinski Engineering
Mike Beegle
Business Sales Director: Verizon
Bethia Burke
President: The Fund for Our Economic Future
Darrell Butler, P.E.,PMP
Principal & General Manager: Burns & McDonnell
Nick Campanella
Regional Director/Building & Construction: Intertek PSI Cleveland
Michael Cantor
Managing Director/Principal: Allegro Real Estate
Tom Charek
President: Welty Building Company
Andrew Coleman
Managing Director: CBRE
Stephen Conway
Department Manager/Principal, Environmental Services: Terracon
Tony Costanzo
Director, External Affairs, Cleveland/Northern Ohio: AT&T
Robert “Bob” Davis
President and COO: Aqua Ohio, Inc.
Chris Demko
Senior Business Development Manager: Gilbane
Tony DiGeronimo
President & Co-Founder: Precision Environmental Co
David Ebersole
Vice President, Development Finance: Greater Cleveland Partnership
Joe Ferenczy
Director of Infrastructure/Principal: Oswald Engineering
Joshua Fragoso
Vice President, Director of Sales, Property & Casualty: Oswald Companies
Melissa Frank
Economic Development Consultant: FirstEnergy Corporation
Bob Fridrich
Senior Vice President: GEIS Construction
Cory Garlick
Vice President, Industry: Rockwell Automation
David Gutheil
Interim President & Chief Executive Officer: Port of Cleveland
Matthew Hammer
Principal/Operations Lead: Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc.
Mitch Harrison
Business Development Manager: Pleasant Valley Construction
Jaime Hart
Business Development Manager, Northeast Ohio: Rudolph Libbe Group
Brendan Heil
Of Counsel: Bricker Graydon
Matt Heisey
Principal: Vocon
Mark Hill
Senior Vice President, Business Development: Premier Development Partners
Matt Hils
Principal: OHM Advisors
Dan Hinkel
Partner: Frantz Ward
Zach Jones
CEO: Janotta and Herner
Sean Joyce
President: inSITE Advisory Group
Kenneth Kalynchuk
Director and Principal: Project Management Consultants
Nico Keels
Business Development Manager: Intertek/PSI
Bill Kern
Director of Real Estate and Acquisitions: DiGeronimo Companies
Ariane Kirkpatrick
CEO and President: The AKA Team
Catherine Palko Kliorys
Senior Project Manager and Business Development Lead: TRC Companies
Amber Koriath
Regional Growth Manager: Desmone
Wendy Kraft
Economic Development Consultant: Enbridge Gas Ohio
Brian Laubscher
Director of Preconstruction: Shook Construction
Jon-Michael Lemon
Deputy Director of Infrastructure: Osborn Engineering
Vince Libassi
Project Executive: Geis Construction
Stu Lichter
President & Chairman of the Board: Industrial Realty Group
Nick McCullough
Group Leader, Central Ohio Institutional Engineering: The Kleiners Group
Jacqueline Muhammad
Senior Manager of Government & Customer Relations: Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District
Marcus Notaro
Associate Attorney: Thompson Hine LLP
Will O’Gorman
Business Development Director: American Structurepoint
Jason Pastor
Vice President, Preconstruction Services: The Albert M. Higley Company
Jason D. Phillips
Senior Vice President & Market Manager: PNC Bank
George Porfok
Principal: Cushman & Wakefield/CRESCO Real Estate
Phil Rudolph Jr.
Vice President of Business Development: Rudolph Libbe Group
Jackie Ruhlin
Director of Member Engagement: Construction Employers Association
Austin Semarjian
Acquisitions and Leasing Associate: Industrial Commercial Properties LLC
Terry Slaybaugh
Managing Director of Infrastructure: JobsOhio
Dave Sobochan, CPA
Tax Partner & Market Leader Real Estate & Construction: Cohen & Company
Ryan Sowers
Commercial Client Executive: The Kleiners Group: Hylant
Robert Stoerkel
Community Discharge Permit Program: NEORSD
Bryce Sylvester
Managing Director: Cushman & Wakefield | CRESCO Real Estate
Dewayne Thomas
Account Manager: Charter Communications
Shannon Thorsen
Director of Business Development: Karpinski Engineering
Daniel E. Weekley
President and General Manager of Ohio Distribution: Enbridge Gas Ohio
Brad Whitehead
Managing Director: Site Readiness for Good Jobs Fund & Managing Partner: Whitehead Advisory Services
Sandra R. Williams
Director, Government Affairs: Charter Communications
Ryan Wilson
Senior Manager, Economic Development: Amazon
Thomas “Tommy” Young
Director Business Development: North Coast Gas Transmission (NCGT)
Talent Development Council
Team NEO’s Talent Development Council (TDC) provides a forum through which higher education institutions, companies and workforce organizations advance initiatives related to Northeast Ohio’s talent development. The council does this by focusing on four key areas: pipeline, policy, pilots, and performance.
Sunil Ahuja, Ph.D.
President: Lakeland Community College
Dr. Marcia Ballinger
President: Lorain County Community College
Dr. Michael A. Baston
President: Cuyahoga Community College
Suzanne B. Bausch, Ph.D.
Vice President, Research & Business Engagement: The University of Akron
Robert Bohrer II, Ph.D.
Interim President: Hiram College
Bethia Burke
President: The Fund for Our Economic Future
Dr. Allia L. Carter
Dean: BGSU Firelands
Kara Carter
Vice President, Talent Solutions: Greater Cleveland Partnership
Carol Caruso
President: Caruso Public Affairs LLC
Kristi Clouse
Executive Director of Operations: JobsOhio
Debbie Connelly
Senior VP, Human Resources: Hyland
Dr. Dorey Diab
President: North Central State College
Michael Elliott, Ph.D.
Partner: McKinsey & Co.
Taylor Evans
President: Rust Belt Recruiting
Khaz Finley
Manager, External Engagement, Education Outreach: Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
Torino K. Fitzgerald
VP of Talent & Cultural Transformation: Process Technology
Dr. Albert M. Green
Presdent & CEO: QuantumCT
Neal Grode
Executive Director: UnitedHealthCare
Kathryn Heidemann
President and CEO: Cleveland Institute of Art
David Hertz
Chief of Staff: Oberlin College and Conservatory
Gillianne Hetrick
VP, Corporate Administration: Babcock & Wilcox
Jennifer Hurd
Senior Vice President, Local Market Executive, Cleveland and Wisconsin: Bank of America
Dr. Para Jones
President: Stark State College
Dr. Ethan Karp
President and CEO: MAGNET
Lacey Kogelnick
Executive Director, Corporate & Organizational Engagement: Baldwin Wallace University
Shana Marbury
Executive Vice President, Workforce, Community & Economic Development: Cuyahoga Community College
Alan R. Miciak, Ph.D.
President: John Carroll University
Dr. Karen Miller
Provost and Chief Academic Officer: Cuyahoga Community College
Jackie Aronica Morgan
Vice President, Global Talent Acquisition: Eaton Corporation
Lesley Muscarnero
Vice President, Talent and Org Effectiveness: The Lubrizol Corporation
Chris Nagel
Vice President, Leadership & Learning: Cleveland Clinic
Jennifer Oddo
President/Founder: New Collar Talent, LLC
Jennifer Palmieri
EVP, Chief People Officer: Westfield Insurance
Daniel Passerini, Ph.D.
Executive Director of Cross-Enterprise Operations: Walsh University
Anne Richards
President and CEO: Goodwill Industries of Greater Cleveland and East Central Ohio, Inc.
Wendell W. Robinson, Jr.
Vice President, Government Affairs and Economic Development: Rocket Companies
Jenn O. Ruggles
Assistant Vice President, Government Relations: Case Western Reserve University
Michael Schoop
SVP, Talent: Greater Cleveland Partnership
Peggy Shadduck, Ph.D.
Vice President for Regional Campuses: Kent State University
Kim Shelnick
VP, Talent Acquisition: University Hospitals Health System
Raymond “Ray” Somich
Community and Government Affairs: Synthomer
Rachael E. Sorin
Corporate Learning & Organizational Development Director: Sherwin-Williams
Nigamanth Sridhar, Ph.D.
Provost: Cleveland State University
Mark Trew
Chief Operations Officer: Goodwill Industries of Greater Cleveland and East Central Ohio, Inc.
Dana Wegzynowski
COO: Alliance Industrial Solutions
Andrea Zadd
Director, Talent Acquisition and HR Services: Swagelok