About the Fellows and the Cleveland Executive Fellowship

The Cleveland Executive Fellowship (CEF) is a flagship program of the Cleveland Leadership Center. CEF is a year-long full-time experiential immersion program designed to accelerate the professional development of civic leaders for Greater Cleveland. Its goal is to prepare individuals for effective and ethical leadership in the public affairs arena. During the fellowship, Fellows gain hands-on experience through professional development and executive-level placements in the education, private, public, nonprofit, and media sectors. Fellows learn how the various sectors interact, how decisions are made, and what people and institutions guide Cleveland's civic agenda. The Fellows just completed their public sector placements. Their nonprofit sector placements will begin on April 28, 2009.

There are six individuals in the 2008-2009 fellowship class: Gwen Forté, Alicia Graves, Jenita McGowan, Merissa Piazza, Jeanne Romanoff, and Emilie Zickel.

Gwen Forté most recently worked as a Judicial Law Clerk for Magistrate Judge Kenneth S. McHargh, U.S. District Court in Cleveland, OH. She has also worked as a Law Clerk for Spangenberg, Shibley & Liber, LLP and the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District. Originally from Cincinnati, OH, Gwen earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing and International Business from Ohio University in Athens, OH and a Juris Doctorate from Cleveland State University’s Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. She is involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cleveland and spent time abroad, studying at Hong Baptist University in Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong. During the fellowship, Ms. Forté has completed sector placements with the following organizations:

• Friends of E Prep School – Education Sector
• The Coral Company – Private Sector
• Eighth Appellate District Pro Bono Committee – Public Sector

Alicia Graves is a native Clevelander and joins the Fellowship after working as a Juvenile Justice Unit Law Clerk for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office and serving in The Republic of Rwanda, Africa with a Human Rights Delegation. Alicia earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and American Studies from Case Western Reserve University and recently completed her studies at The University of Akron School of Law. She is an active volunteer, both locally and internationally, serving The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, Akron Municipal Court, Sisters of Rwanda and many others. Alicia has traveled as a student to Haiti, Africa and the Netherlands. During the fellowship, Ms. Graves has completed sector placements with the following organizations:

• Citizens’ Academy – Education Sector
• Team Northeast Ohio – Private Sector
• State of Ohio Department of Development – Public Sector

Jenita McGowan began her career in Cleveland’s nonprofit sector as a professional modern dancer. Originally from Columbus, OH, Jenita earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and a Bachelor of Science in Magazine Journalism from Kent State University. She had several internships in journalism before accepting her role as full-time Company Member and Educator for The Repertory Project/Verb Ballets in Cleveland Heights, OH. Jenita earned a Masters in Nonprofit Organizations at Case Western Reserve University and worked most recently as both an Assistant to Cleveland City Councilman, Joe Cimperman, and as Co-Founder & Program Director of Neighborhood Players, a fine arts after-school program. During the fellowship, Ms. McGowan has completed sector placements with the following organizations:

• MC^2 Stem Hub – Education Sector
• A Piece of Cleveland – Private Sector
• All Aboard Ohio – Public Sector

Merissa Piazza is originally from Troy, MI and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Spanish Language and Literature from Oakland University in Rochester Hills, MI. She then went on to earn a Master of Public and International Affairs in Global Political Economy from the University of Pittsburgh. Merissa also studied abroad in Valencia, Spain at the Institute of Spanish Studies. Most recently she worked as an Economist for the Bureau of Labor Statistics in Washington, DC. Merissa co-authored a paper, “Business Employment Dynamics data: survival and longevity, II” which was published in Monthly Labor Review. During the fellowship, Ms. Piazza has completed sector placements with the following organizations:

• The Cleveland Clinic – Education Sector
• Bridge Investment Fund – Private Sector
• Beachwood Chamber of Commerce – Public Sector

Jeanne Romanoff is originally from Cleveland Heights, OH and most recently worked for the Cleveland Council on World Affairs as an International Visitors Program Officer. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh and previously served as the Community Relations Manager for Cleveland City Council, where her responsibilities included communications and community outreach. Jeanne has been an active volunteer with numerous local, state and federal campaigns, as well as with "Emerging Cleveland," a program designed to promote Cleveland's neighborhoods to non-Clevelanders. She has also worked for The Enterprise Forum, a political NGO in London, England. During the fellowship, Ms. Romanoff has completed sector placements with the following organizations:

• The Urban League of Greater Cleveland – Education Sector
• Charter One – Private Sector
• U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown – Public Sector

Emilie Zickel most recently worked as Program Manager for City Year Cleveland. Originally from Cleveland, Emilie earned her Bachelor of Arts in French from Miami University in Oxford, OH, which included a semester abroad through the International Partnership for Service-Learning. Upon graduation, she served one year as an Americorps Member at City Year Cleveland, then two years in the Peace Corps as a Community Health Educator in Guinea, West Africa. Emilie subsequently obtained a Master of Arts in English from Cleveland State University, where she has taught several first-year writing courses. During the fellowship, Mrs. Zickel has completed sector placements with the following organizations:

• Ursuline College – Education Sector
• Regional Talent Network – Private Sector
• Cuyahoga County Planning Commission – Public Sector