Directory

Dorothy Moulthrop is the Chief Executive Officer of Open Doors Academy, a nonprofit organization that provides afterschool, summer, student travel, and family programs to thousands of K-12 scholars in Northeast Ohio and across the state. She provides the vision and strategy that guide ODA’s network of campuses and oversees the Center for Out-of-School Advancement, a specialized team who supports over 200 afterschool programs across the state and indirectly impacts over 40,000 students.

Dr. Moulthrop earned her doctoral degree in education policy and leadership at The Ohio State University. Her research focuses on the intersection of policy and practice in educational excellence and equity. She is an adjunct professor at Cleveland State University where she teaches classes for the Center for Educational Leadership. Dorothy previously worked as an education consultant, enabling schools, districts, institutions, and educational leaders to succeed at the highest levels. Prior roles include Director of Curriculum and Faculty Development at Hawken School, and English teacher at Shaker Heights High School and San Lorenzo High School in the San Francisco Bay Area. She received her BA from Northwestern University in Comparative Literature and Italian, and a MA from Ursuline College.

Dorothy is active in the local community and serves as Vice President on the Board of Directors of Beaumont School, her alma mater, in Cleveland Heights. Dr. Moulthrop and her husband, Dan, have three children who keep them on their toes: Nico (17), Elisa (15), and Gabriel (13). They live in Shaker Heights and spend most of their time cooking, eating, and vying for the attention of Lulu, their pandemic puppy.

Rich Wesorick is Managing Partner at Tarolli, Sundheim, Covell & Tummino LLP, a 28-lawyer intellectual property boutique law firm in Cleveland, Ohio. Rich grew up in Cincinnati and attended St. Xavier High School. He later graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1988. Before attending law school at the University of Dayton School of Law, he worked as an engineer for four years with G.E. Aircraft Engines, during which time he was the inventor of U.S. Patent No. 5,178,003.

Rich has over 25 years of experience in the patent field, with the majority of that time being spent representing academic medical centers, universities and start-up companies in patent matters related to a wide variety of technologies. Rich is a frequent lecturer on intellectual property matters, licensing, and technology commercialization. Rich has also been an Adjunct Professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, where he taught in the Intellectual Property Venture Law Clinic.

Rich is active in several professional organizations such as the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association (CIPLA), the Licensing Executives Society, the Association of University Technology Managers, and the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property. For the past several years, Rich has served as the Pro Bono Chairman for CIPLA.

Outside of the practice of law, Rich is active with several local non-profit organizations including LifeAct and The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland. Rich has been on the Board of Open Doors Academy for the past eight years, and is currently serving his fifth year as the President of the Board.

Lola Gomez joined Open Doors Academy in September 2019 as Chief People & Culture Officer. Ms. Gomez previously managed talent development, diversity, and compensation for the National Inventors Hall of Fame in North Canton, Ohio. Prior to that, she spent five years at Off Bound Adventures – a company in her native Colombia providing experiential learning opportunities for students – leading the Finance and Human Resource functions.

Lola received a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from CESA in Bogotá, Colombia in 2008 and  a Master’s in Positive Organizational Development and Change from Case Western Reserve University.

Lola is very excited to have the opportunity to support the mission of Open Doors Academy by giving team members the tools and support they need to make a difference in each of the lives of ODA’s scholars.

Meghan Richards joined ODA as the Senior Director of Advancement in 2023.  Meg’s work experience until now has been in the private sector where she built a well-rounded foundation in the manufacturing industry holding positions with increasing scope and responsibility in operations, sales, and customer service. Since Meg has long had an interest in children’s literacy, she was excited to enter the nonprofit arena and become part of the ODA team.

Meg moved to the Cleveland area for college and earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at the University of Akron.  Her work opportunities have also taken her to Kansas and New Mexico.  Her and her husband’s return to Ohio in 2018 has proven to be a wonderful experience for their three children: Raziel (20), Gavin (18) and Digamo (17). After much enjoyment of watching their children compete in various sports and grow into adulthood, Meg is excited to spend more time traveling and volunteering.

Always an avid reader, Meg’s biggest passion is making sure that every child has access to books in their home. Over the past 25 years, she has volunteered with various organizations in three different states to provide books for children.

Anima Donkor joined Open Doors Academy in September 2020. She has served as an in-person Program Coordinator at Citizen’s Academy Southeast in the Breakthrough system before managing Euclid District programs. Today, she serves as Director of Programs supporting all school districts. Anima received her Master’s degree in International Studies from The Ohio University.

Before working at ODA, Ms. Anima was an instructor at The Ohio University for two years. She also worked with summer camps (Blueprint Summer Programs and Envision) as an education lead/advisor. Both her work at The Ohio University and summer camps around the country reinforced her passion for education and educational research, particularly among minoritized populations. Ms. Anima has also served as an advisor and cultural consultant for the Office of Multicultural Students Access and Retention Center (OMSAR) and Ohio Valley International Council (OVIC), all at The Ohio University.

Ms. Anima is passionate about D.E.I issues and in her spare time, she spends time reading and researching. Ms. Anima also loves to cook and dance.

Gina Garrett was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, and moved to Cleveland in 2011 and joined ODA in 2014. She is a proud first generation college graduate from Kentucky State University where she obtained her Bachelors in Physical Education/Biology in 2004. Gina’s drive to address health disparities within minority families led her to a graduate program at Case Western Reserve Mandel School of Applied Social Science. Gina graduated with her master’s degree in Social Work in 2014.

Prior to moving to Cleveland, Gina worked for 6 years as an After-School Health Educator at several high schools within the Dayton Public School district where she educated youth on personal health development and social emotional learning. Gina also rallied community partners to host youth conferences and sponsor a series of teen dating violence awareness events.

During her graduate program, Gina immersed herself in the nonprofit sector of Cleveland, serving at organizations such as Phillis Wheatley Association, Goodrich Gannett Neighborhood Center, the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland (Cleveland Central Promise Neighborhood), and the Centers for Dialysis Care.

Gina joined ODA as a Program Coordinator at Cleveland Heights High School and with demonstrated leadership is now the Family Program Manager. Gina continues to maintain relationships with staff and families through encouraging parental involvement and family communication.

Gina enjoys using some of her free time to provide youth mentorship and support community health projects. She is wholeheartedly dedicated to empowering all members of society and educating individuals on making positive choices. Gina has embraced the ODA mission to “protect, inspire, nurture and challenge” with efforts to promote life-long learning within the youth and their families.

Joe Hollings joined Open Doors Academy as the Community Engagement Manager in April 2023. Prior to this role, he led a team of PR and social media specialists at Adcom, a top-tier marketing agency in Cleveland, and served in several administrative roles at University School in Shaker Heights, Ohio.

Joe has a diverse musical background, experience in fundraising for arts organizations, and a genuine passion for working with young people. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music and a Master’s degree in Music Composition from King’s College London. After graduation, Joe gained valuable experience working on London’s West End with the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company, and later founded and managed a record label.

Joe immigrated to the United States in 2003 after meeting his wife, Carrie, in London. He is enthusiastic about supporting Open Doors Academy’s mission and working closely with his dedicated colleagues to help ODA’s scholars reach their full potential.

Reza joined ODA in October 2018 as Grants Director. Before joining ODA, he was the Grants Manager at The Free Clinic (currently Circle Health Services) for five years. Reza’s role was instrumental in creation of The Free Clinic’s first ever Pediatric Department; he also helped design and implement The Free Clinic’s new Family Therapy Program. Prior to The Free Clinic, Reza was the Foundation and Government Funding Manager at The Village Network in Wooster, Ohio for more than six years. His efforts at The Village Network helped provide high quality evidence-based services for high-risk foster children and youth in residential facilities; Reza helped create a horticulture therapy and employment training program for youth aging out of the foster care system. Reza’s professional experiences also include design and implementation of substance abuse prevention and family self-sufficiency programs.

Reza received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Cleveland State University (CSU), and completed his academic pursuit by earning a Ph.D. in Urban Studies and Public Affairs from CSU. Reza’s doctorate dissertation research explored effectiveness of various foster care networks in Ohio based on their success in securing permanency for the children placed in out-of-home care. Reza also earned a Master of Public Administration degree at CSU with specialization in Health Care Administration Track. In addition, Reza holds a State of Ohio social work licensure (LSW).

Reza enjoys spending time with family and friends; and participates in various arts and cultural clubs and activities, including poetry, ethnic fairs, wine tasting and culinary arts, and volunteer work in the community. Reza’s volunteer activities in the community includes his service as the Vice President of Lutheran Metropolitan Ministries’ (LMM) Housing & Shelter Board, and as a member of LMM’s Program Committee.

Dan Sehlhorst joined ODA in 2020. He has worked with education and advocacy nonprofits since he was a freshman in high school, when he co-founded a tennis program for youth in his hometown. Since then, he has worked in program management, development, and operations roles for organizations in Indiana, Virginia, Colorado, and now Cleveland.

Dan is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where he studied political science and economics with a certificate in public service.

When Dan is not on the job, you might find him on a hiking trail, a soccer pitch, or a tennis court. Otherwise, he is likely at home cooking with one hand and reading a book in another!

“Be the kind of person who not only understands the injustices of this life, but is also willing to do something about them.” -Fr. Theodore Hesburgh, 1986

Brandon Sheil joined the Open Doors Academy team in 2011 and currently serves as the organization’s Director of People & Culture. He developed his passion for providing today’s youth with enrichment programs and education by doing a year-of-service with City Year Cleveland. While working at City Year, he learned the importance of providing youth with meaningful programming and personal mentoring. For over a decade, Brandon has worked for nonprofit organizations that work to eliminate education barriers, food insecurity, and housing insecurities. He is focused on advocating for organizations that promote education reform and that provide resources for our neighbors in need.

Brandon earned a double Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Communications and he earned his master’s in Nonprofit Administration from John Carroll University.

He grew up in Cleveland Heights and still lives there today. In his spare time, Brandon likes to do projects around the house, watch political commentary, and spend time with his family and friends.

Heavenly Berkley joined the Open Doors Academy team in 2012. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio she attended Cleveland public schools and graduated from Kent State University in 2009 with a bachelor in political science. After graduation, she worked as an intern at the City of Cleveland Prosecutor’s office. She also spent two years with City Year Cleveland as a Corps Member and Team Leader, assisting students from K-12th with academic help, with classroom observations and after school programs. She has a passion for youth, especially middle school, being a guide through education and being a support with their self-growth as they transition into adulthood. On her spare time, she enjoys couponing, baking and creating new ideas that will produce confidence amongst those she serves.

Tiersa Sullivan joined the Open Doors Academy team September 2019. She served as Campus Coordinator at Euclid Middle School for three years, as well as a Classroom Coordinator at the Citizens Academy Southeast Remote Learning Center, before becoming the Program Manager for the Breakthrough Public Schools and Euclid City Schools.

Tiersa attended school in the Bedford City School District for K-12th grade, graduating from Bedford High School in 2002. After high school, she attended The University of Akron, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education. After college, she began her teaching career at a charter school in Cleveland Ohio for 4 years as a Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade teacher. After 4 years, she made the decision to devote her time in staying home with her 3 amazing kids.

In her spare time, she enjoys reading books, spending quality time with her kids/spouse, and shopping. She is devoted in continuing to help make a difference in the lives of our youth.

Ms. Whitlow started at ODA as a Tutor at Miles Park Elementary with ODA during the 2013 school year. Since then, she has been promoted to Assistant Coordinator and placed at E-Prep Woodland Hills to start the 2015 school year. In 2016 Anita was promoted to Campus Coordinator and was placed at Fullerton Elementary in 2017, then at Cleveland Central Catholic High School in 2018. Anita returned to E Prep Woodland Hills in 2020 as a Coordinator in the Remote Learning Center and was promoted to Supervisor. Today, she manages the programs in Cleveland Metropolitan School District.

Prior to working at ODA, Anita was an Academic Math Tutor at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-c). She graduated from Jane Addams Business Careers Center and is currently studying at Franklin University for a future Computer Information Science Degree in Mathematics from Cleveland State University (CSU).

In her spare time, Anita is a volunteer cheerleading coach for girls’ ages 6 to 14 in the Mt. Pleasant community for 20 years and counting. Anita doesn’t have any children but strives for every child that crosses her path to improve in their academics. On a personal note, Anita believes that family is everything. Her motto is “All about family.”

Le’Aunna Rhodes was born and raised in Springfield, OH. She began working with Open Doors Academy in May 2019 as the Campus Coordinator at Monticello Middle School. Prior to working with ODA, Le’Aunna spent over two years in Cleveland, Ohio working for a non-profit organization, where she served as a live-in residential counselor working with youth. Soon after that, she ran a before and aftercare program serving grades k-5thfor the YMCA.

Ms. Rhodes is a graduate of Notre Dame College, where she studied Political Science and Criminal Justice. While at Notre Dame College, Le’Aunna stayed busy as an active member around campus. She was a Resident Assistant for 3 years, where she spent her time building community in the resident halls and around campus. She hosted many programs and floor meetings as well. Le’Aunna loved being an advocate and a safety net for her residents.

When not engaged with ODA scholars, Le’Aunna enjoys a good book, a good laugh, and a good time. She is very active in sports and loves spending quality time with her family and friends.

Daa’iyah began working with ODA in November of 2020 as a Program Coordinator. Since then, she has served as Coordinator at E Prep Willard Remote Learning Center and as an Elementary Camp Coordinator. Next, she served as Family Advocate for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Today, she works on the Advancement Team supporting our marketing and advancement functions

Daa’iyah attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she then decided to stay in the area and begin her professional career working on Capitol Hill with Congressmen Juan Vargas as an interim staffer focusing on education and foreign affairs.

Daa’iyah has a passion for youth, education, community development and fashion. In her spare time, she enjoys dancing, writing poetry and community service.

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

Faye Wallis is the data manager for Open Doors Academy, where she spends her time building and maintaining the library of data which elevates ODA's programming. Previously, Faye worked as the community manager for Viewer Ready, a virtual reality game studio where her advertising content gathered millions of views on tiktok. Faye is passionate about using data to illuminate subjects which are often ignored, and to uplift the projects of those around her. Outside of work Faye bakes bagels, practices yoga, and keeps up a long running Dungeons and Dragons game.

Erin Adams serves as the Executive Assistant to the CEO of Open Doors Academy, bringing over 20 years of experience as a community organizer to ODA. Erin has also worked as a freelance Consultant and Executive Assistant for start-ups and small-business owners. 

Erin has served on the Board of Directors for the Lookout Arts Quarry. She has 6 years of experience in event production and 4 years of experience in Marketing and Outreach in the non-profit sector. She is a 4-year member of the American Society of Administrative Professionals.

Erin’s earlier background is in youth advocacy and empowerment work. She has long been committed to serving and supporting children. She worked as a nanny and parenting coach for 10 years. In 2009, she helped start the Trans Youth Support Network helping gender-diverse homeless youth in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 2018, she studied with Weaving Earth Center for Relational Education to learn the skills of youth mentorship and cultural repair through nature connection, permaculture and social justice.  

Erin’s passion has always been working for justice and equity. She feels honored to support the ODA mission from her seat as Executive Assistant where she can see the ripple of her organizational skills helping to protect, inspire, nurture, and challenge ODA scholars.  

Erin loves spending her free time with her dog, Swayze. She also enjoys sharing chocolate and tea with her colleagues at ODA.

Education is a second career for Ms. Madden who previously worked for 20+ years in the advertising field as a writer. She is a graduate of the distinguished Master Of Urban Secondary Teaching (MUST) Residency Program at Cleveland State University where she did her student teaching at Facing History New Tech, a Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) high school.

In her time at ODA, she has worked as a program coordinator, executive assistant to the CEO, and now as office manager.

Ms. Madden joined Open Doors Academy in October 2018 because she believes in the ODA mission to “Protect, Inspire, Nurture, and Challenge adolescents to reach their full potential” and actually gets to see it in action through her work with the programming department. She likes to read, write, garden, and cook.

Alexis Williams began working with Open Doors Academy in January 2019 as the campus coach at Roxboro Middle School. Since then she has been promoted to Assistant Coordinator at Euclid Central Middle School. Prior to working with ODA, Alexis has been an active member in her community where she advocates for those who are less fortunate and mentors adolescent girls who struggles with low self esteem and everyday problems. While being an active member in her community, she is currently in college where she studies Business Entrepreneurship at Lakeland Community College.Not only is Alexis a staff member, she was an active scholar as well where she participated in ODA throughout her middle and high school years. She is her happiest when she’s spending time with family and friends.

Toni Bisbee joined Open Doors Academy in November of 2020, working at the Citizens East campus as a part of the remote learning center (RLC). She was then transferred to the Willard Campus as a Coordinator for the remainder of the RLC. She has now returned to Citizen Academy East to work as a Coordinator for the elementary scholars.

Toni is currently working on earning her degree in Occupational Therapy and Psychology at Cleveland State University. Before working with ODA, she volunteered with various daycares and after-school programs.

When not doing homework and working at ODA, Toni can be found on the football field coaching youth cheerleaders, as well as outside reading a good book!

Ms. Wilson is the Coordinator at Cleveland Heights High School. During the 2020-2021 school year, she was an In-Person Program Coordinator at the E-Prep Cliffs RLC. DeAnna received her Bachelor’s degree in Linguistics from The Ohio State University in May of 2015.

Prior to ODA, DeAnna has experience working with youth since 2013. She has volunteered with her University’s AmeriCorps program called OSU Kid Corps in 2011 and worked with the Children’s Museum of Cleveland in 2013. DeAnna lived overseas as a high school English teacher while working on the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program from 2015 to 2020.

In her free time, DeAnna enjoys language learning, traveling, paleontology, drawing, movies, and all things Pokémon.

Jazmine Dowdley is from Cleveland, Ohio, and has been with ODA since September 2020. She started as a Coordinator at Breakthrough E-Prep Cliffs Remote Learning Centers. Jazmine is currently a Coordinator for Garrett Morgan High School.

She graduated from Villa Angela St. Joseph High School. After high school, she attended Kent State University to pursue a degree in Marketing in hopes of one day becoming the Chief Marketing Officer of a Fortune 500 company. Jazmine soon realized that working in the corporate world was not her calling and left Kent. She went to work in retail at Forever 21 for the next five years where she had worked her way up to Co-Manager. While working in retail she discovered that her true passion was helping people, specifically teens and young adults, as that was the age range she primarily supervised at Forever 21. Jazmine left the retail world in 2018 and began working at Cleveland State University so that she could go back to school for a psychology degree. She currently attends Lakeland Community College and plans to transfer to Cleveland State University in 2022.

When she is not working or doing homework she enjoys traveling, trying new restaurants with friends and dancing. Jazmine also coaches cheerleading at the high school level and hopes to one day start her own all-star cheer and dance gym in Cleveland to provide more opportunities to youth in low income neighborhoods.

Mtepa Jacob joined ODA in 2020 as an In-Person Program Coordinator at the Remote Learning Center at E Prep Cliffs. From there, we went on to join the Summer Camp team before landing as a Program Coordinator for Miles Park School. He goes by both “Mtepa” and “Jacob,” but most of his scholars know him as “Mr. Jacob.”

Jacob began his career in his home country of Tanzania in the youth development sector, coordinating programs that engage and empower young people from all around the world. He has been a part of various youth forums, community outreach programs, and youth summer camp programs. In his career in Northeast Ohio, he has overseen before and afterschool programs as a lead teacher and site administrator.

Mtepa holds a BA in Sociology from St. Augustine University of Tanzania. He is passionate about education, positive youth skill development, community development and social welfare.

When not at work, Jacob love watching sports and comedy. He is known around the office for his jokes!

Danny grew up in Sandusky, Ohio, “The Roller Coaster Capital of the World.” He studied international relations and youth development at Bowling Green State University and received his master’s degree in Peacebuilding at the School for International Training.

Danny loves languages and cultures and has spent several years living abroad working with Peace Corps and non-profit organizations to build capacity for youth development. Danny has been to 49 states and just needs to visit Hawaii to complete his collection.

Danny loves Cleveland and wants to help our scholars thrive in a world that is getting ever smaller. Danny is passionate about critical thinking and helping scholars think outside the box and exposing them to new cultures and experiences.

Vaughn Williams is a Campus Coordinator at Euclid Middle School. Vaughn began his journey with Open Doors Academy when he joined the program back in 7th grade. He found his niche working with children during his internship roles at ODA throughout the years. Vaughn was mentored by some of the same staff he calls his coworkers today, and he’s able to pass those same skills along to his scholars.

Sukara Elán Dean joined Open Doors Academy in 2022. Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Sukara attended Norte Dame Cathedral Latin High School in Chardon, Ohio and graduated from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohi,o with a Bachelor’s (B.A.) in Communications. She went on to receive her Master’s (MFA) in Film and Digital Technology from Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 2017.

After graduating she has worked with many programs for children and teen in the Greater Cleveland area, including serving as a summer camp counselor for National Youth Sports Program (NYSP) at Case Western Reserve University and as a summer camp teacher of bucket drumming at the Rainey Institute. She has also worked in the Beachwood School District for the Apollo After School Program.

As always, Sukara is eager to offer her creative spirit to support children in their learning and growth as they explore new ideas and endless possibilities.

Zakiya Box is a program coordinator at Citizens Academy (aka Glenville Elementary). I went to School of the Arts, for art and I also graduated from Cleveland Heights High School with a background in criminal justice where I received my OPOTA certification. I also worked at Good2Great Youth Development, where I did creative art at Miles Elementary, Marion Sterling, and Lousia M Alcott after school with grades K-8.It wasn’t until I started working with kids doing creative art when I realized I had a passion for kids. In my spare time I love making art, reading, and going to the gym.

Yidiayah Box is a creative writer, photographer, and Campus Coordinator at E Preps Cliffs Campus. Yidiayah is an alumnus of ODA where she was a scholar in programing from 2012-18. Yidiayah loves to support her scholars in helping them recognize what strengths and talents they possess even as early as middle school. Yidiayah uses her experience as a scholar to inform her approach, programming style, and engagement with scholars. Yidiayah recently finished her undergraduate studies at Hiram College where she studied Creative Writing and Film Studies. Yidiayah believes in capturing authentic stories in the form of poetry, creative essays, and non-fiction. Yidiayah loves to read, workout, and cook for loved ones.

Carolin Moreta joined the ODA team in 2022 as a Campus Coordinator at E Prep Woodland Hills. After growing up in Massachusetts, she completed her Bachelor's degree at the University of Maine.

Carolin was named as the inaugural Operations Coordinator in July 2022 as our team grows to better support our Programming Team. Since then, she has been working hard to provide the Programming Team team with the resources, materials, and support it needs to best serve scholars and families.

Eric (“E.T.”) Thomas is a Campus Coordinator at Cleveland Heights High School. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, E.T. is a 2021 graduate of Ashland University with a degree in Sports Management and a minor in Coaching. Eric is an alumnus of Open Doors Academy, starting from 6th grade and going through High School. E.T. worked in college as a student assistant football coach for Ashland University during his undergraduate studies. E.T. also volunteered with the football team by helping with the local High School, church, and the Ashland community. Working with children has always been a priority and inspiration for E.T., and by working at ODA during school breaks he developed skills of communication and mentorship. E.T. enjoys football, spending time with family & friends, and helping others.

Gina Cantale joined the Open Doors Academy team in September 2020. She began at ODA as a Coordinator during the Remote Learning Centers for Cleveland Heights and she currently serves as a Family Advocate. Gina is passionate about empowering others and advocating for those who face injustice.

In August 2020, Gina graduated from Bowling Green State University with a Bachelor of Science in Social Work and a minor in Human Development and Family Studies. While attending BGSU, Gina held a leadership role in a service-learning community and spent her time volunteering in the Toledo area. She is currently attending Case Western Reserve University to obtain a Master of Social Work with a specialization in Community Practice for Social Change.

Gina loves reading, cooking and baking, spending time with friends and family, and most importantly, her dogs!

“Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.” -Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Jemier Johnson was born and raised in Cleveland, OH. Jemier is not only an alumnus of Open Doors Academy, but also a second-generation ODA employee. Prior to working for Open Doors Academy, Jemier worked in an afterschool program at Roxboro Middle School in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. He also working in retail for two years, where he developed his customer service, collaboration, and business knowledge skills. Jemier is currently enrolled at Cuyahoga Community College, studying for a degree in Business Management.

He currently serves as a Campus Coordinator at Monticello Middle School in Cleveland Heights. He is super excited to bring his youth mentorship skills to the program. Jemier loves to watch tv and movies and occasionally play basketball in his spare time.

Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Britiny attended Cleveland Metropolitan Schools until 3rd grade. She then attended charter schools during 4th – 8th grades including E Prep Cliffs, which at the time was the only E Prep school. While at E Prep, she received her first introduction to afterschool programming. Fast forward to today, Britiny has returned to E Prep Cliffs as an afterschool provider for middle school scholars.

In preparation for her role, Britiny furthered her education at the Cleveland School of Science and Medicine at the John Hay Campus and gained her undergraduate Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Bates College. She is currently working on her Master’s in Microbiology and Cellular Science from the University of Florida.

Britiny is dedicated to enriching, encouraging, and educating youth in underserved communities. She wants to be to others what she wishes she had early in her childhood.

Marissa Beasley is a co-campus coordinator at the Monticello campus. Her love for the small wins, passion for wanting to give back to the community and understanding that the youth are the future leaders for progression led to her career at working with youth.

In May 2022, Marissa graduated from The University of Toledo with her Bachelor’s in Social Work and in 2017, her Associates of Arts from The University of Akron. Her background in social work led Marissa to a career working with the scholars and their families of Open Doors Academy.

Outside of work, Marissa is family oriented, enjoys traveling, indulging in new cultures and foods, music and journaling. She is fun loving and charismatic. While maintaining her work life, she volunteers at the children’s church of Greater Galilee Baptist Church.

Michael Campbell is a Family Advocate at Open Doors Academy. His role helps to connect the families to their scholars learning experience at ODA. Prior to working at ODA, Michael worked as a Registered behavioral technician, providing applied behavior analysis therapy to children with ASD (speech and language development challenges).

He graduated from Baldwin Wallace University with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and a minor in Psychology. Michael loves helping others grow and achieve their goals. In his free time, Michael enjoys relaxing with friends and being a ministers at his local church.

Ms. Matthews began her work at ODA as Assistant Coordinator at Orchard STEM. Currently, she works as a Coordinator at Roxboro Middle School / St. Paul’s Campus. Celia received her Bachelor’s degree from Earlham College in English with a minor in Creative Writing.

Prior to working at ODA, Celia served as Coordinator and Writing Consultant within the Earlham College Library. She believes in the power of a good narrative and is very passionate about story telling and writing. To her, our lives are novels where we are the author and main character. Celia thinks it is especially important to share this message to the youth. She is very happy to be a part of the ODA family where she can inform young people of the power they hold. 

In her free time, Celia likes to do anything creative. On any given weekend, you can find her completing one of her several DIY projects, finishing a novel or starting a new painting.

Delores is a Cleveland native and a graduate of Central State University. She joined Open Doors Academy in 2020 as an Assistant Coordinator at the E Prep Cliffs Remote Learning Center. Next, she served as a Elementary Camp Coordinator at Monticello Middle School. Today, she works as Coordinator at St. Paul’s / Roxboro campus.

Delores’ greatest goal is to influence others through positivity and creativity. Since joining ODA, she has developed a passion for working with youth and bringing her commitment to positivity and creative endeavors to her programming. Delores loves to use her dancing background to engage scholars in new ways.

Delores’ favorite quotes:

• “It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit!”
• “Laughter is apart of my daily medicine.”

Richard Barnes started with ODA in January 2022. He is currently a Campus Coordinator at AB Hart elementary school.

He graduated from Cleveland State University in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in Communication management.

Previously, Richard worked with MyCom as a regional coordinator responsible for connecting youth and families to resources and OST programs in the East Cleveland & Collinwood neighborhoods. Richard believes every child has the potential to be great, especially when they have the proper support around them.

When not working, Richard is a youth leader and singer at his church. He loves to create music of various genres, playing sports, and spending time with family. He also tells hilarious dad jokes.

Jhosephine Bermudez joined ODA in 2021. Born and raised in Cali, Colombia, she moved to Greater Cleveland with her family and believes strongly in advocating for the needs of students, especially bilingual students who are learning in English-speaking schools.

Jhosephine has worked in an ODA remote learning center during the pandemic, in multiple ODA summer camps, and currently serves as campus coordinator at Orchard STEM School.

In her spare time, she enjoys making food from her native Columbia and patronizing Cleveland cultural instutitions and artists.

Laura Colagiovanni is a Campus Coordinator at Orchard STEM Middle School. In this role, she leads academic and enrichment curriculum for 5th-8th grade students.

Prior to joining ODA, Laura served as a Probation Officer with Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court. There, she developed case plans in collaboration with youth to address barriers that put them at risk of future court involvement. Laura developed partnerships with school staff and local organizations to provide appropriate support to youth and their families while at school and in the community.

After witnessing the damage juvenile justice involvement caused both youth and their families, Laura sought out an opportunity to provide early interventions in partnership with schools. In her new role at ODA, she hopes to provide scholars with meaningful after-school opportunities using a restorative, trauma-informed approach.

Laura graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelors in Public Policy Analysis in December 2020. There, her academic coursework focused on policy/program evaluation, racial identity and inequity, and criminal justice and corrections reform.

In the future, Laura hopes to obtain a Masters of Social Work in order to serve youth and families in a clinical capacity and continue to advocate for policies rooted in empathy and healing. Throughout her career, Laura aims to be a change agent in mitigating the school-to-prison pipeline.

In her free time, Laura enjoys practicing yoga, trying new restaurants, and spending time in the Metroparks.

Niquira Cammon joined Open Doors Academy as a scholar in 6th grade at a Euclid Middle School campus and remained in the program until she graduated high school. She discovered a passion working with children during her summer internships with ODA. Those experiences encouraged her to pursue studying psychology and child development at Notre Dame College. Niquira currently serves as a Campus Coordinator at our Breakthrough – Glenville Campus. She is very ecstatic to utilize her skills in program design and implementation with her scholars this school year!

Emilia Durand is a Campus Coordinator with Open Doors Academy at Max Hayes High School. Previously, she supported NASA’s Board of Education with their 21st Century projects across the country. She graduated from Bowling Green State University with a degree in education.

Emilia loves working in the Education field because it allows her the opportunity to motivate scholars to reach their potential, especially when they can’t yet see it in themselves. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, spending time with her family/friends, and listening to music.

Jerry Schneiberg is a Partner at Nager, Romaine & Schneiberg Co. Nager, Romaine & Schneiberg is Ohio’s largest workers’ compensation law firm representing thousands of injured workers throughout the State of Ohio. Jerry is the managing partner of Nager, Romaine and Schneiberg’ s Workers’ Compensation Administrative and Litigation departments.  A leader in the workers’ compensation community, Jerry has served on the Executive Committee for the Ohio Association for Justice (OAJ) and is a past chair and vice chair of OAJ’s Workers’ Compensation Section. He is past chair and vice chair of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Associations Workers’ Compensation Section. He remains actively involved with OAJ’s leadership. He is also a member of the Ohio Association for Justice, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, American Association for Justice and the Workers’ Injury Law and Advocacy Group. 

Dr. Charles Martin III (Chuck) is a Vascular and Interventional Radiologist at The Cleveland Clinic, where he currently serves as the Director of the Interventional Oncology subgroup, and the IR liaison to the Clinic’s HHT section. He is an Assistant Professor at The Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, and is involved in multiple additional educational activities with the residents, the medical students of the CCF Lerner College of Medicine, as well as his clinical colleagues. He completed his undergraduate studies at The Johns Hopkins University, and medical school at Case Western Reserve University. After completing his Diagnostic Radiology residency at University Hospitals Case Medical Center, he obtained subspecialty fellowship training in Vascular and Interventional Radiology at Yale University/Yale New Haven Hospital.

Sam Feller joined the Board of Open Doors Academy in June, 2020 and has served as the Finance Committee Chair and Treasurer since January, 2021. Mr. Feller is a Director and the Assistant Corporate Controller at Avient Corporation where he is responsible for overseeing the consolidated SEC financial statement preparation process, internal financial reporting processes, global accounting policies and reporting procedures. In this role, he also provides support to the organization related to acquisition and divesture activity as well as related financing transactions. Prior to joining Avient in 2022, Mr. Feller was a Senior Manager at Ernst & Young LLP responsible for directing annual external audits completed for a number of companies within Northeast Ohio. His experience included serving multi-national SEC registrants and non-public clients primarily within the chemicals; diversified industrial products; provider care; consumer products; retail and entertainment industry sectors.

For nearly two decades, Heather Holmes Dillard has led various experiential marketing and community engagement programs to promote brand integration and business development for a diverse group of non-profit organizations. Currently serving as the Executive Vice President at Downtown Cleveland Alliance (DCA) - an urban place management non-profit organization, she has brought a wealth of knowledge and innovative approaches to help expand the momentum of Cleveland’s largest Special Improvement District in the state of Ohio to be in the national spotlight. Her efforts yielded a 30% growth in DCA’s social media audiences and earned a total of 5 regional Emmy awards in the last 7 years for campaign videos in the Public Service Announcement (Single Spot or Campaign) category. As the catalyst, her passion for a thriving city has convened the interests from individuals and organizations to rally around the success of projects like the renovation of Public Square, the 2016 RNC; 2021 NFL Draft; Cleveland’s first Juneteenth Freedom Festival; and the 2022 NBA All Star Game weekend to name a few.

Bill Pavilonis is the Managing Director of M-Force, a Marketing Consulting group with expertise in New Product Innovation, Brand Mastery and Marketing Excellence. Previously, he was Director of Marketing at Sherwin Williams. He is a top producing Marketing Executive with over 30 years leadership experience with a solid record of breakthrough product development, driving solutions for national and global brand initiatives, and leading teams of Marketing, Sales, Engineering and Supply Chain Professionals. He holds several US patents in tools. Bill’s passion today is on giving back to the community. He recently started a Donor Advised Fund: The Bill Pavilonis Family Giving Fund with a mission to reduce racial & gender inequity in communities, enhance health and save the environment. In addition to serving on the board for ODA and chairing the Marketing Committee, Bill also serves as a Mentor for College Now in Greater Cleveland, volunteers as a Certified Income Tax Preparer (CTP) at Cuyahoga EITC Coalition, and a volunteer at Northeast Ohio Voter Advocates. Bill does financial and retirement planning for close friends and family for free.

Beth Sweeney is an Equity Partner and President of Ratliff & Taylor, Ohio’s largest full-service talent management consultancy. She has fully integrated P&L responsibility including strategic and growth initiatives, sales and marketing, new product development, operations, and client solutions for all three lines of business: Executive Search, Leadership Development, and Career Transition. She brings more than 20 years of experience in the talent management arena and has a successful record as a senior leader, coach, and consultant. She is known for leading strategic initiatives and designing impactful customer solutions. In her previous role as Market President for Ratliff & Taylor, she was responsible for all aspects of the client experience, from sales & marketing to branding, new product development, and client satisfaction.

David Arenberg is Vice President and Benefits Consultant at Segal Company with over 20 years of providing innovate benefit consulting services to multiemployer clients primarily in Ohio and Western Pennsylvania.  He consults to multiple Taft Hartley industries including Iron Workers, Plumbers and Pipefitters, Sheet Metal Workers and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.  He advises health and welfare clients on issues involving self-funded risk, asset and reserve targets, expense and trend management, budget projections, plan design, vendor management and population health management. Mr. Arenberg advises defined benefit retirement plan clients on funding projections, plan design, risk analysis and various compliance issues. 

The Rev. Brandon Ashcraft is an Episcopal priest, serving at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights where he has oversight for worship and the parish’s outreach ministries. Before entering ordained ministry, the Rev. Ashcraft worked as a corporate communications executive in the investment banking industry in New York City. After discerning a call to ordained ministry, he attended Yale Divinity School. In addition to working in parish ministry, he has also served as a hospital chaplain. Prior to joining St. Paul’s, he served a parish in Austin, Texas.

Dan Connor serves as the Principal of Freshwater Capital, an investment firm in NEOH focused on business acquisition, where he leverages his experience to drive strategic investments and business growth. Additionally, he holds the position of Co-President at Cleveland Wire Cloth Manufacturing Co. where he oversees operations and driving the company’s success. Dan is an accomplished business executive with diverse experience in managing teams across industries. He has held key roles in operations, corporate strategy, business development, and marketing management at Fortune 500 companies including 3M, Ford Motor Company, and the J.M. Smucker Co. Dan is a proud father of three young boys and is actively involved in various other ways in the community including as a board member for the Great Lakes Science Center, the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park, and the Connor Foundation.

Scott D. Flamm, MD, is Principal, ImageWorks LLC, and the former Head of Cardiovascular Imaging at the Cleveland Clinic. He is an internationally recognized leader in Cardiovascular Imaging with expertise in clinical practice, translational and multi-disciplinary research, new application development, operations management, quality improvement, market expansion, and an ability to balance scientific and commercial interests. He currently works as a manager, professor, consultant and student, and investor in health care start-ups and early-stage ventures.

Scott’s interest in community service in Cleveland began as a member of the Cleveland Waterfront Coalition in the late 1990s, and as a participant in public planning meetings for Civic Vision 2000, and more recently continued as a Cub Scouts Den Leader in Shaker Heights, on the Development Committee of the Cleveland Food Bank. Scott has spent the past seven years as part of Open Doors Academy, including positions on the Executive Committee, and as Chair of the Development Committee.

Jessica Forbes Brown M.Ed. is Manager of Educational Programs at Reach Success. Jessica has dedicated the past 10 years of her career to helping families bridge the gaps of poverty through education; serving the most at-risk youth and young adults. As a result of Jessica’s commitment, countless children, adults, and families have been able to reach their educational goals. Upon graduation from college, Jessica accepted a position with the Akron Public Schools RISE program. The RISE program provided additional support for families facing or experiencing homelessness. Her passion for her work led her to CEOGC (now known as Step Forward) as a family advocate for the Early Head Start program.

Melissa Gallop is a Vice President in Meaden & Moore’s Personal Tax Advisory Group with fifteen years’ experience. Prior to joining Meaden & Moore, Melissa spent several years serving the needs of a multigenerational family as a key member of their sophisticated family office. One facet of that position Melissa loved most, was providing advice that helped the family members meet their income tax and estate planning objectives. Melissa’s unique background also includes several years serving as Treasurer of a private trust company in both Wyoming and Ohio. In this position, she not only served the needs of the family through her corporate officer role as treasurer, she was also responsible for the tax services for the 140+ trusts under management.

Karmen Harrison is a Relationship Manager in the Commercial Middle Market Group at KeyBank. In this role she works with mostly privately held and family-owned mid-sized businesses in Northeast Ohio. As a Cleveland native she takes great pride in being a trusted advisor to her clients and helping facilitate economic development in the region. She is devoted to community engagement through Open Doors Academy and various other civic and industry related groups around town. Free time is spent with her family exploring all of what Cleveland has to offer.

Allison Kimbrough is currently serving as the Senior Director of Partnership Activation for the Hall of Fame Village in Canton, OH, Allison leads a team dedicated to fulfilling all partnership contracts across the Village and Media verticals of Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company. Her professional background includes sales and marketing roles at various organizations including BVU, I-X Center, United Way of Greater Lorain County, Cleveland Browns, and Keybank. She holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Toledo and a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Bowling Green State University. Allison serves on the board for Open Doors Academy and WISE Cleveland. In her free time, Allison enjoys spending time with family and friends and enjoying sporting events or live music. She has three adult children and resides with her husband and their fur baby in Twinsburg, OH.

Howard Lewis began his professional career in the financial services industry with Central Trust Company, a dominant banking concern headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio and the second largest trust company in Ohio. In 1978, he joined Picker International Corporation, a worldwide leader in diagnostic imaging, computed technology, and magnetic resonance imaging. At Picker, Mr. Lewis directed and managed the Cincinnati District’s growing business operations. The improved results gained him recognition at the World Headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio, and in 1978 he was promoted to become the company’s National Business Manager.  

Kelly Moody is a Senior Consultant and has been a consultant with Silverlode Consulting since 2012. She manages client relationships and projects for a wide variety of public sector and corporate clients. Kelly is also involved with new business development efforts across service lines. Before joining Silverlode, Kelly was a Manager of Consulting at Allegro Realty Advisors, Ltd., a corporate real estate services firm. Kelly spent five years providing real estate advisory services to corporations, municipalities, and not-for-profit clients. Prior to joining Allegro, Kelly served as a Manager at Team Northeast Ohio (Team NEO), a regional economic development organization in Northeast Ohio.

Lori Niederst was named President, Customer Relationship in December of 2021 after serving as Progressive’s Chief Human Resource Officer for five years. In her new role she is responsible for the strategic direction and operations of the Customer Relationship Management organization, overseeing the company’s direct sales, customer service, customer experience design, and in-house agency. Lori joined Progressive in 1997 as an analyst in Corporate Finance and held various process and operations positions before joining Human Resources in 2005. She has led Progressive’s Compensation and Benefits group and spent six years as the Senior Human Resource Business Leader in Claims. Before joining Progressive, Lori was a practicing Certified Public Accountant. She earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Kent State University and an MBA from Case Western Reserve University.

Giuseppe Pappalardo is an Associate at the law firm of Tucker Ellis LLP, where he counsels clients on a variety of different legal matters. He grew up on Cleveland’s east side and attended Benedictine High School. He considers his time at Benedictine to be the most important and formative experience of his life, especially since he was part of two State Championship Football teams during his time there. He continues to be an active member of the Benedictine Community and returns to campus to speak to students as often as he can. A graduate of Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Giuseppe earned his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Political Science. Although he doesn’t miss the Milwaukee winters, he greatly misses Milwaukee’s strong ethnic roots, which, among other things, introduced him to all sorts of different and delicious cuisine. After graduation, he served with AmeriCorps in a leadership program called “Public Allies” before entering The Ohio State Moritz College of Law, where he earned his law degree magna cum laude.

Nicholas Petty Ph.D is currently the Director of two programs at Cleveland State University: Undergraduate Inclusive Excellence and Living, Learning Community. Nicholas Petty leads the innovative work in the Graduation Coaching Offices and works with students from traditionally marginalized backgrounds who are identified as at-risk of not graduating from college due to many factors. He works to connect them with on-campus and city-wide resources.  The primary goal of his body of work is to enhance retention and improve graduation rates amongst this subgroup. Petty has co-authored an award- winning article entitled “Assessing the Social, Emotional, and Mental Health Needs in Urban High Schools to Support Academic Achievement.”  The article focuses on the social emotional needs of urban students and how they are affected based upon traumatic experiences. Previously, Nicholas was the principal of Ginn Academy in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.  Mr. Petty has also served as Principal of several small schools both at East High School, Cleveland, Ohio and Cleveland Heights-University Heights High School. 

Janet Reed-James is the Chief Human Resource Officer of CHN Housing Partners (2019-present). Janet is responsible for overseeing all aspects of Human Resources at CHN Housing Partners, deploying her industry-leading expertise and kind, compassionate nature to serve the organization’s diverse and ever-evolving needs. In this role, Janet supports over 250 employees who in turn serve the affordable housing and community development needs of low-income communities in northeast Ohio, Detroit, Michigan and parts of New York and Pennsylvania.

Lisa M. Vidacs is Senior Vice President, communications at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.  She oversees Fed Communities, a Federal Reserve system (system) initiative focused on increasing awareness and impact of the system’s work in community development.  Lisa joined the Bank in 1987, and has held management positions in operations, economic education, event management, and communications.  She previously chaired the Subcommittee on Public Information on behalf of the Federal Reserve System and continues to actively serve the system on various initiatives. 

Ladi Williams, a partner at Merriman Legal, has a hard-earned reputation for aggressive advocacy. Mr. Williams is a passionate and highly effective advocate for people who have suffered severe personal injury or who have been victimized by consumer fraud. Having obtained numerous successful jury verdicts and appellate decisions for his clients, Mr. Williams prides himself on utilizing unique litigation skills to obtain the best outcome for his clients. Several of his cases have attracted national print, television, and online media coverage, and Mr. Williams has been sought out as a trusted legal contributor/commentator on a range of news stories. Mr. Williams applies this same approach in managing the firm’s Immigration Law practice, which represents individuals, families, and companies in the area of family-based immigration, deportation defense, and employment-based immigration.Mr. Williams has been honored with the distinction of being named an Ohio Super Lawyer® since 2014 and enjoys a 10 out of 10 (Superb) AVVO Attorney Rating, the highest rating possible. In furtherance of his client advocacy role, he is a long-standing member of the Ohio Association for Justice (OAJ) and is the immediate Past President of the Cleveland Academy of Trial Attorneys (CATA).

Kristal is a data-driven teacher, instructional coach, school leader, and lifelong learner with experience in international multilingual schools and U.S. public schools. She has a Bachelor's of Science in middle grades math, social studies, and reading with a dual Master's of Education In Educational Leadership and Curriculum and Instruction. Kristal is fiercely passionate about educational equity and bringing joy to classrooms for ALL students. She believes strongly in reforming systems to teach, value and affirm the unique identities of students and communities they serve.