Annemarie M. Grassi, M.S.Ed., Executive Director

Annemarie M. Grassi has served as the Executive Director of Open Doors Academy for eight years. Prior to Open Doors, Annemarie worked as an educational consultant and therapist with children and adolescents living with Autism, Asperger Syndrome, and Traumatic Brain Injury at Integrations Treatment Center, in Willoughby, Ohio.  She has extensive experience in youth development, program development and implementation, grant writing, human resource management, and strategic visioning.  Annemarie also carries consulting experience in program evaluation and development of organizational structure. 

Annemarie holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in Psychology from Ohio University, where she was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Honors Society and Phi Kappa Phi Honors Society.  Upon completion of her degree, Annemarie was accepted into the University of Pennsylvania, where she received her Masters of Science in Education in Child and Adolescent Psychology.  While there Annemarie developed and successfully implemented a violence prevention program for inner-city youth through the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, which still runs today.  She also interned at the Wordsworth Partial Hospital, where she counseled child sexual offenders.  In addition to her master’s degree, Annemarie holds a Certificate in Non Profit Management from Case Western Reserve University and is currently working on her Doctorate Degree in Urban Education at Cleveland State University. She is the recipient of the Truemart Foundation and Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organization’s Youth Resiliency Fellowship, and is a trained facilitator in the Youth Resiliency Model. 

Annemarie is actively involved in the community.  In 2006 and 2007, Annemarie received the Cleveland’s top 25 under 35 Mover’s and Shakers Award.   She has served on the board of directors for the Junior League of Cleveland, Inc. and the Cleveland Professionals 20/30 Club.  In 2007, Annemarie served as the co-chair of Cleveland’s GirlCulture Photography Exhibit through the Junior League of Cleveland, Inc. and also chaired the Girls Make Great Leaders project, mentoring young women through middle school a program created through the Junior League of Cleveland.  She is an alumna of the Cleveland Bridge Builders Flagship Program and a member of the Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organization’s Leader’s Links.

"It is such an honor to be a part of something so amazing... the opportunity to impact the life of a child is so incredible, it is simply immeasurable."