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Community Representatives

Sandra Brinson

Community Representing: Glenville - Ward 9

Sandra Brinson has lived in Glenville her entire life. Her parents bought a home there when she was four years old and her sister still lives in the house today. Brinson, a retired Cleveland Metropolitan School District elementary school principal and special education teacher, now lives closer to �ǿմ�ý, but still in Glenville, just north of campus. “I’m always proud to say that I’m from Glenville,” she says. Read more about Sandra Brinson.

Darrell Fields

Community Representing: Forest Hill - East Cleveland

Neighborhood Advisory Council member Darrell A. Fields is an attorney with Forbes, Fields & Associates Co., L.P.A. and a 32-year resident of the City East Cleveland, Ohio.

"�ǿմ�ý is uniquely situated at the intersection of education, research and commerce," says Fields. "As a member of the Neighborhood Advisory Council, it is important that we provide a guiding light to assist the university in its institutional efforts to assure that the surrounding neighborhoods and all residents of Cleveland and East Cleveland share in the benefits of proximity to such a uniquely situated university." .

Gwen Gaffenreed

Community Representing: Buckeye-Shaker - Ward 6

Born in raised in Cleveland, Gwen Graffenreed has lived in the Buckeye-Shaker neighborhood for more than 30 years. "Serving on the Neighborhood Advisory Council is a very rewarding experience, especially meeting other community leaders and staff at �ǿմ�ý," she says. "It’s important to me to be engaged and to embrace the diversity in our communities with families, children and stakeholders." .

Gwen Garth

Community Representing: Central - Ward 5

Central resident Gwendolyn Garth has lived near University Circle her entire life—she grew up living in Hough, Central, Glenville and Fairfax. And as a longtime community member, she has paid close attention to the relationship between the institutions in University Circle and the residents who live in the surrounding neighborhoods. 

“In the past, organizations have said that they wanted to help with change, but then, there’s not always been the support and the resources to implement it,” Garth says. “But today, the community is participating in change. We’re not just being presented with a plan and asked what we think of it. Now, we’re helping to create the plan.” Read more about Gwen Garth.

Myra L. Golden

Community Representing: Glenville - Ward 9

Myra L. Golden is a 60 year resident of the Glenville neighborhood and a Case alumni. She is a retired Contract Eval./Negotiator for Cuyahoga County. Ms. Golden was responsible for Early Childhood Education contracts and coordinated Refugee Services along with other social service contracts.

Vincent Holland

Community Representing: Glenville - Ward 9

PhD, Urban Studies and Public Affairs, Cleveland State University (CSU), (2014); MPA, CSU (1991); MS, Sociology, �ǿմ�ý (1979); BA, Political Science (1975); License in Chemical Dependency Counseling (LICDC, Ohio).

Work History: Cuyahoga County Probation Department (1980-2013) retired as Chief Probation Officer; Chemical Dependency Inpatient and Outpatient Programs at the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals; Presently a lecturer in the Sociology Department at Cuyahoga Community College.

Involved in the community as a member of the Board of Directors for Community Action Against Addiction, Partners in Justice, re-entry committees for housing and mental health, Community-Based Corrections Facility; �ǿմ�ý African-American Alumni Association and other social justice organizations. Read more about Vincent Holland.

Rita Knight-Gray

Community Representing: Glenville - Ward 9

Rita Knight-Gray has been a Glenville resident for 65 years and is a member of the �ǿմ�ý Neighborhood Advisory Council. "My neighborhood has been stagnant and without hope for almost 60 years, so I completed the Foundations of Community Building course, which later led to being a member of the Neighborhood Advisory Council. I began to believe I had found a way to assist with returning hope and rebuilding my neighborhood." .

Twila Norris

Community Representing: Fairfax/Central - Ward 5

Twila Norris is a wife and mother of nine children. She is also an independent business owner of Central Notary Services, LLC, which includes her environmental services business as a Clearance Technician and Independent Dealer Title Clerk for Vehicle Registration.

Mrs. Norris is a Licensed, Ordained Minister (OH), Assistant Director of an Adult Day Care facility, and the CEO of Youth Economic Social Service, LLC (Y.E.S.S.) through which she hosts "Family Conversations: The Unspoken & Unseen Hand"  to help families and caregivers bridge the gap to support loved ones that are challenged by family separation due to incarceration.

Among her many community initiatives, she created "Connecting the Community One Neighborhood at a Time, Central Celebration: Present, Past, and Future" celebrating Central neighborhood's unsung heroes. Mrs. Norris is also a Central Promise Neighborhood Ambassador, and a member of the Central Kinsman Food Co-op Steering Committee.

At �ǿմ�ý, Mrs. Norris serves as Minority Advisory Board Member for the Cleveland Alzheimer's and Demential Research Center, is a Community Innovation Network Change Agent, and Neighborhood Advisory Council Member.

Leon Stevenson 

Community Representing: Glenville - Ward 9

Cleveland native Leon Stevenson is an entrepreneur, former steel worker, and general contractor who is strongly dedicated to his faith and his community. He has won several awards for his work, but is most proud of his commendation for community service in District 5 and Ward 9. He serves on the ward's Executive Democratic Committee, as well as the board. Stevenson is an active member of Lee Seville Full Gospel Baptist Church. He is very proud of his four children, all of whom have received Master's Degrees. 

Regennia N. Williams, PhD

Community Representing: Larchmere - Ward 6

Dr. Regennia Williams is the Distinguished Scholar of African American History and Culture at Western Reserve Historical Society and a member of the �ǿմ�ý .

"The Neighborhood Advisory Council is comprised of a wonderfully diverse group of highly motivated individuals. Working with my NAC colleagues helps me gain a better understanding of �ǿմ�ý programs and policies and encourages me to consider the ways in which the members of the campus community and individuals and institutions in the surrounding neighborhoods might work together for the common good," she says. .

TWO VACANCIES

Community-Based Organizations

Representative: John Anoliefo, Executive Director

Glenville - Ward 9

“As a resident and leader of a nonprofit organization that shares a boundary with �ǿմ�ý, I feel honored to serve on the NAC. My hope is that my presence on the NAC will help bring to the surface the feelings and needs of Glenville residents. I feel—and I am not alone—that African Americans are not receiving optimum benefits from the billions of dollars in investments taking place in University Circle. I am on the NAC to serve as a bridge between the university and its northern neighbors in Glenville. As a premier educational institution, �ǿմ�ý is an economic engine which, if properly deployed, can and will be a game changer in the revitalization of Glenville.”  .

Representative: Trevelle Harp, Executive Director (NAC Co-President)

Community Representing: East Cleveland

Trevelle Harp is the executive director of Neighborhood Leadership Institute (NLI), which aims to improve the quality of life for the people of greater Cleveland through grassroots leadership development and engagement. NLI offers programs for adult leadership development, youth leadership and youth development, mentorship opportunities for Cleveland Metropolitan School District students in grades 7 and 8, and community health equity work, among others. The nonprofit focuses on building collaborative projects and initiatives within neighborhoods. Harp previously worked at Northeast Ohio Alliance for Hope (NOAH) in East Cleveland. He joined NOAH in 2008 and served as its executive director since 2010. Harp is a graduate of Neighborhood Leadership Cleveland and the Community Development Corporation Leadership Program. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Fund for Our Economic Future. Read more about Trevelle Harp. 

Representative: Elise Yablonsky

University Circle (Ward 9)

ONE VACANCY

�ǿմ�ý Faculty & Staff Representatives

Janice Eatman Williams (NAC Co-President)

Director, FOCUS Programs, Student-Based Outreach

Community Representing: Glenville - Ward 9

Janice A. Eatman Williams was born in Hough and raised in Glenville. She has been an advocate and activist for access and excellence in education for young people for more than three decades. Today, she is the director of �ǿմ�ý's FOCUS Programs - School-Based Outreach. .

Ainsley Buckner

Director of Community Engagement, think[box] 

Community Representing: Cleveland Heights

When Ainsley Buckner arrived at think[box] as a community user and artist-educator, she never imagined that she’d one day be working at the innovation space full time. Buckner, who joined think[box] six years ago and is the director of prototyping art and community engagement, isn’t an engineer—she has a bachelor’s degree in fine arts with a concentration in sculpture and printmaking. But her experience, creativity and perspective makes her an ideal member of the think[box] team. “Once I was here, I realized that we embrace a multidisciplinary background approach,” she says. “Having an ecosystem of people with a diverse set of professional and personal backgrounds really promotes innovation.” Learn more about Ainsley Buckner.

�ǿմ�ý Student Representatives

ONE VACANCY

Amber Byrd

Community Representing: Hough (Ward 7)

NAC student representative Amber Byrd is a graduate teaching assistant at �ǿմ�ý who is pursuing a PhD in sociology. Representing the Hough neighborhood (Ward 7), Byrd is a highly engaged member of the university community, where she serves as a graduate student representative on the search committee for the Department of Sociology and previously served as the vice president of the Sociology Graduate Student Association. Read more about Amber Byrd

Community Innovation Network Partners

Mark Chupp, MSW, PhD, Founding Director

JP Graulty, MA, Program Manager