Garrett Morgan High School

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.

Kim Robare is our Interim Director of Programs who oversees all our program managers and also serves as the program manager for all our high school programs. Kim comes to ODA from a 14-year career in higher education as the Dean of Students at Lake Erie College. Originally from Massachusetts, she received her bachelor's degree from Regis College in Weston and her master's degree in education from Lake Erie College. An educator at her core, Kim’s passion for scholar development goes beyond the classroom, including life skills, experiences and opportunities for anyone to educate and improve themselves.

When not working, Kim enjoys movies and tv shows with her husband, Mike and three daughters.

Dottie Grigsby, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, is mission driven. She joined Open Doors Academy (ODA) with previous experience in serving our families as a Safe Schools Liaison at the Cleveland Summit on Education. She continued to demonstrate her commitment to student scholars at the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) where her role as an Attendance Liaison was instrumental in enhancing student attendance and addressing chronic absenteeism. Dottie's leadership has been recognized with such honors to include being voted Phenomenal Woman of the Year in 2012 and becoming an alumnus of the Neighborhood Leadership Institute. Also, she has remained steadfast in strengthening her community partnerships and reinforcing student scholar's academic progress at the building level. She is passionate about being a change agent and believes in divine intervention. In her spare time, she enjoys being with her family and friends.