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Aspiring social workers follow in the footsteps of civil rights leader and former professor

By Jared Scott Tesler

After arriving on the campus of �ǿմ�ý in 2023, Nicholas “Moses” Ngong felt compelled to start making connections within his new community. 

That’s when Ngong, a second-year student working toward dual master’s degrees in social work and nonprofit organizations, dreamed up Neighbor Nights, a community-building initiative that brings together individuals from diverse backgrounds to share ideas for making positive, sustainable changes in their neighborhoods.

“Neighbor Nights bring people together to solve issues with community wisdom from the bottom up,” Ngong explained, “rather than creating dependency on institutions that don’t always represent everyday residents’ perspectives.”

Ngong is just one of several students who have been selected for the Louis Stokes Fellowship in Community Development at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences. The fellowship, named for the late Louis Stokes (ADL ’49, HON ’91)—a U.S. Congressman, civil rights champion and former distinguished visiting professor at the Mandel School—is awarded to highly motivated students who exemplify leadership potential in serving historically vulnerable and marginalized communities.

“[My father] viewed working at the Mandel School as an opportunity to help aspiring social workers understand the importance of advocacy as well as the alignment between social work, legislation and political realities,” said Lori Stokes, a former journalist and news anchor, who is following in her father’s footsteps as a Distinguished Visiting Community Scholar at the Mandel School.

“He encouraged his children and those who came after him to be kind, never forget where they came from, take nothing for granted, give back and ‘be somebody,’” she said. “I have to believe that every Louis Stokes Fellow carries that philosophy with them—and they, too, are creating future leaders.”

The support Ngong has received from the Mandel School, especially through this fellowship, has helped make Neighborhood Nights possible.

“The mentorship and practicum experience have really benefited my work, which means a lot to me,” said Ngong, who spent two years leading Slavic Village Development’s Community Stewards Program before applying to graduate school. “I’m so grateful for the support I get from faculty, who help me brainstorm ways to take my work to the next level. And practical and theoretical models presented in class have helped me consider new ways of advancing the causes I care about.”

Emily Reed, another Louis Stokes Fellow and a first-year Master of Social Work student, was called to the profession, she explained, because of its “values of social justice, service, and dignity and worth of all people.” With a particular interest in racial and health disparities and social determinants of health, Reed wants to help create a more equitable society, especially for women of color, veterans and individuals with disabilities.

“Health, well-being and safety significantly impact us and our experiences, and we need to advance the quantity and quality of life for all,” Reed said. “The Louis Stokes Fellowship will push me to become the kind of social worker I hope to be. Its learning opportunities, like the capstone project, will enable me to explore my interests, challenge myself and acquire new skills. The fellowship further bridges the classroom and field by connecting students to current leaders in Cleveland and providing support to pursue professional development opportunities.”

Both Reed and Ngong agree the mentorship aspect of the fellowship—in which students are matched with experienced community leaders who provide individual consultation, networking and support—is especially valuable, personally and professionally.

“I’m so appreciative of my mentorship from [nonprofit consultant, executive coach and Mandel School Visiting Committee member] Richard Jones, PhD (SAS ’75; GRS ’81, social work),” Ngong said. “Our conversations always push me to get the most out of myself and think about where I want my career to take me.”

“Louis Stokes is the epitome of a pioneer and an admirable leader. We feel his legacy and experience the results of his work in civil rights and community development every day.”

— Emily Reed

Experts in the field

Distinguished Alumna Award recipient and Mandel School Hall of Achievement inductee India Pierce Lee (SAS ’05) and accomplished real estate developer and community leader Oliver Gross (SAS ’06) are shining examples of how the Louis Stokes Fellowship shapes leaders in community development and policy.

When she was a Louis Stokes Fellow, Lee completed a group project aimed at leveraging the resources of Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and �ǿմ�ý to help provide long-term support to families in the areas of education, health, housing and workforce development.

The fellowship helped her learn Cleveland’s history of community development. 

“It created a forum for transparency and collaboration, enabling us to find solutions that will impact people’s lives for generations,” Lee explained. “The Ability-Based Learning Environment [a set of standards for social work education] and its competencies have been embedded and applied in my work to be reflective, advocate for justice, uphold values and ethics, think critically and value diversity.”

Throughout the years, Lee has enjoyed a long and impactful career in community and economic development, advocating for economic and social equality, education, housing and wealth-building while collaborating with numerous organizations to revitalize local communities. Today, she is the executive vice president and chief strategy officer of Cuyahoga Community College, where her mission is to “create opportunities that enhance the lives of students and community members, guiding them toward careers that provide family-sustaining wages.”

Lee also serves as steering committee chair of First Year Cleveland, a nonprofit dedicated to reducing infant mortality—particularly among Black families—working to ensure first birthdays for all babies, and healthy moms for every family in Cuyahoga County. 

“I came to the Mandel School seeing myself as a businessman—but I left as a social worker doing business.”

— Oliver Gross

Gross, who has spent the past 20 years as president and chief executive officer of New Urban Development—the real estate development affiliate of the Urban League of Greater Miami—said the fellowship informed how he approaches and views the individuals, communities and organizations with which he works, enabling him to “meet them where they are, identify their inherent assets and build on that.”

While he was a student at the Mandel School, Gross effectively harnessed the practical concepts he learned in the classroom and lasting personal and professional relationships he formed both on and off campus. This ultimately aided him in creating a neighborhood revitalization plan for the only historic Black community in Naples, Florida.

“The community organizing, asset mapping, and communication skills and techniques I acquired at the Mandel School mitigated the erosion of this community up until today,” shared Gross, who, these days, is responsible for the acquisition, development, construction oversight, financing and property management of his company’s commercial and residential real estate portfolio. “I came to the Mandel School seeing myself as a businessman—but I left as a social worker doing business.”

No matter where they are in their careers, from future leaders to seasoned professionals, one thing is clear: Each and every fellow—past and present—feels fully supported and inspired by the Louis Stokes Fellowship in Community Development and the man for whom it is named.

“Louis Stokes is the epitome of a pioneer and an admirable leader. We feel his legacy and experience the results of his work in civil rights and community development every day,” Reed said. “As a woman of color, he inspires me to continue to work toward and advocate for ‘what can be,’ following in his footsteps of civic participation, personal engagement and investment in people. He truly embodies the power of community.”

Legendary leader 

Long before he took on the role of distinguished visiting professor at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at �ǿմ�ý, Louis Stokes (ADL ’49, HON ’91) was widely known for his work as an attorney, civil rights pioneer and politician.

Over the course of his illustrious career, Stokes argued the “stop-and-frisk” case of Terry v. Ohio before the United States Supreme Court, served 15 consecutive terms in the United States House of Representatives as the first Black congressman from Ohio, and chaired the United States House Select Committee on Assassinations, which was tasked with investigating the murders of President John F. Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

Today, Stokes’ life and legacy live on at �ǿմ�ý through the Louis Stokes Fellowship in Community Development, which aims to inspire students to improve the lives of others.

Read more stories like this in the Winter 2025 edition of Action.