As NLDP and CDCLP continue to expand their footprint in Cleveland, we are continuing to grow our family to better serve our network of graduates and potential participants. We have recently welcomed five new individuals to fill out our staff and coaching team and support the NLDP/CDCLP programs.

Amy Gertiser, NLDP Graduate Support Manager, joins the NLDP staff after working 16+ years in the nonprofit sector, both in direct service and administrative roles, throughout the Cleveland area. Amy holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master's in Nonprofit Administration from the University of Notre Dame, as well as a Master's of Science in Social Administration from Case Western Reserve University. Following her MNA degree, she served as the General Manager for seven years at Near West Theatre, a community-based musical theatre.

Joseph Black, NLDP Program Coach, is a deeply committed, results-oriented community organizer and philanthropy professional with over a decade of experience leveraging public and private resources to benefit underserved predominantly Black communities in Greater Cleveland. As the Sisters of Charity Foundation's Central Promise Neighborhood Health Equity Officer and Community Engagement Manager, Black is known for his resident-centric, equity-focused approach to community outreach and grantmaking. Since 2017, Black has coordinated a "Reverse Ride Along" community engagement training program designed to improve community/police relations and public safety. He is also a graduate of NLDP Cohort VIII.

Mike Walton, CDCLP Lead Coach, has over 25 years of experience coaching individuals in business, education, social service and grassroots organizations. He is trained as a coach through the Weatherhead School of Business at Case Western Reserve University and CoachNet Global, and has numerous certifications, including training as a conflict management and mediation trainer by the Kent State Center for Applied Conflict Management. Michael and his wife Veronica have been leaders in Greater Cleveland’s Urban Agriculture movement since its beginning, and they are strong advocates for food security and healthy lifestyles.

David Fitz, CDCLP Program Coach, is the founding partner of Strategy Design Partners (SDP). David brings 15+ years of experience working in strategy and communications development with expertise in strategy development, organizational and executive positioning, crisis communications, marketing and communications planning, and brand development to name a few. After earning his bachelor’s degree from John Carroll University, David earned a master’s in public administration from the University of Pennsylvania.

Michelle Davis, CDCLP Program Coach, has devoted her career to the Tremont community in Cleveland. Being hired as a community organizer at Tremont West Development Corporation, she is now the Assistant Director and has cherished the opportunities she has been given to work alongside community members to develop and implement projects and programs that improve the quality of life for the Tremont resident and business communities. Michelle loves spending time with her family; she is a wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, niece, cousin and friend of many. Michelle is a graduate of CDCLP Cohort I.

Adam Stalder, CDCLP Program Coach, loves Cleveland, its neighborhoods and its people. After 7 years of service at Metro West, he transitioned to the Detroit Shoreway community where he worked on affordable housing projects and administrative services. In 2020 he was promoted to Executive Director and finalized the merger between Detroit Shoreway and Cudell Improvement, Inc. Adam believes that committed Community Development Corporations are true agents for positive change in communities and will continue to work tirelessly to advance CDCs so that they can better serve Cleveland’s people. Adam is a graduate of CDCLP Cohort I.

NLDP Cohort XV and CDCLP Cohort II deadlines to apply are only days away!

Both NLDP and CDCLP are continuing their recruitment for their next two cohorts. The Neighborhood Leadership Development Program (NLDP) is recruiting for its fifteenth cohort while the Community Development Corporation Leadership Program (CDCLP) is recruiting for its second cohort.

NLDP seeks to uniquely develop the diverse leadership abilities of engaged Clevelanders who are committed to creating a city and region which works for everyone. The program has three core pillars: leadership development, program coaching and graduate support. CDCLP engages high level CDC directors, board officers and other CDC leaders to help improve their leadership skills and their professional capacity to make a greater impact on the neighborhoods they serve through education, coaching and experiential activities that involve critical issues facing CDCs and neighborhoods.

Sessions for both NLDP and CDCLP will commence in late summer 2022 and will be held at Trinity Commons. The NLDP application period closes Sunday, August 14th at 9pm and the CDCLP application period closes Thursday, August 4th at 5pm.

Don't miss this opportunity! View, apply and share the NLDP Cohort XV application and the CDCLP Cohort II application!

Fourteen Community Development Corporation (CDC) leaders are now the proud graduates of the first CDCLP cohort. On Thursday, June 16th, 2022 we celebrated their completion of this leadership program, marking quite an achievement for the CDC industry in Cleveland.

A CDC is often the front line of support for a neighborhood, its residents and business owners. Driven to have an impact in the neighborhoods they serve, these committed leaders did not allow for any adversity to prevent them from making monthly, full-day sessions – investing in themselves, their organizations, and their communities. Representing an array of Cleveland CDCs and organizations who partner alongside CDCs, our City will only become stronger as the capacity for neighborhood-driven leadership increases, one cohort at a time.

*Learn more about CDCLP Cohort I, and the program itself, by watching this short video.*

Following the onboarding of 19 new graduates from Cohort XIV, NLDP is excited to announce a new structure to one of our programs, the Graduate Board Match Program (GBMP). GBMP seeks to place NLDP graduates on non-profit boards in Cleveland. Our graduates are community-based, dedicated and knowledgeable. They inherently understand the needs of the community, which directly benefits non-profit organizations serving members of the community.

We need you – community-engaged non-profits in Cleveland – to help us. This year, GBMP will better reflect the timelines of the non-profit boards interested in working with NLDP graduates. We will accept interest from non-profits in Cleveland on a rolling basis. An interest form can be completed by contacting Julia Ferra at jferra@nldpcleveland.com.

How can you be sure you are a good fit for GBMP?

NONPROFITS: Interested in electing an NLDP graduate to your Board of Directors? Contact Julia Ferra at jferra@nldpcleveland.com to learn more about GBMP and to fill out an interest form!

Contact Amy Gertiser, Graduate Support Manager, at agertiser@nldpcleveland.com to complete a short questionnaire!

While all participants for NLDP are Cleveland-based, some graduates have chosen to move throughout the United States to continue to spread their work. Maurice Small, NLDP Cohort I Graduate, moved from Cleveland and has worked to successfully change the food landscape in Elyria, Ohio, Raleigh, North Carolina, and is currently residing in Atlanta, Georgia. Growing up with a strong love and respect for nature, Maurice found his passion in creating and directing community food justice awareness programs.

Maurice inherited his profound respect and love for nature from his parents. He has since used this passion to move throughout the U.S. to help build strong communities that cultivate a healthy lifestyle in urban settings. He has worked tirelessly with various mayors, government officials, nonprofits, community members and schools, to name a few, to change the food landscape in underserved communities. He continues to work with the communities and youth programs to share his passion. Throughout his journey, Maurice still uses the knowledge and skills he learned from NLDP.

After completing NLDP almost fifteen years ago, Maurice still recalls the tenacious attitude from not only from his Cohort, but from all graduates he has met. He encourages all NLDP graduates to keep their determined attitude and to never turn down a project because it may seem too hard.

Maurice also began to understand the value of working as a team at NLDP. Working with food and urban planting, it made sense to Maurice to collaborate with other NLDP graduates in order to help a broader group of people. This is a skill he has taken with him as he moves throughout the country. While it may be intimidating working with the mayor of a major city like Atlanta, Maurice realizes everyone that is involved is a human just like him looking to make a change.

As Maurice continues to work to improve the food landscape in underserved communities throughout the United States, we are proud to call Maurice Small an NLDP graduate.

This month's video features Joe Black, C-VIII, and his project Reverse Ride-Along. Watch here!

While NLDP and CDCLP graduates are serving neighborhoods across Cleveland, the Mandel Foundation's Community Development Corporation Learning Lab (CDCLL) serves St. Clair Superior through increasing the capacity of St. Clair Superior Development Corporation (SCSDC). St. Clair Superior is one of the most diverse lakefront communities, with a beautiful patchwork of people, businesses, cultures, and micro-neighborhoods along the coast of Lake Erie on Cleveland’s east side. With over 700 businesses in the neighborhood and dedicated residents, St. Clair Superior is on its way to being a thriving and flourishing community in Cleveland.

Have you visited St. Clair Superior recently? Take a stroll through the neighborhood soon, stop by a few restaurants and check out an upcoming event!