NLDP & CDCLP Recruitment of Neighborhood Leaders Begins Soon!

Our two leadership programs, Neighborhood Leadership Development Program (NLDP) and Community Development Corporation Leadership Program (CDCLP), are preparing to launch recruitment!

Both leadership programs, provided at no-cost by the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation, are designed to provide neighborhood leaders with new tools to serve their communities better. NLDP engages leaders who are working to better their communities, either by leading a nonprofit or grassroots projects. CDCLP engages leaders who are working within the Community Development Corporation (CDC) sector to improve Cleveland's neighborhoods.

Learn more about our programs by...

• Watching NLDP's Graduate Grant Program video to learn about the leaders behind our program.
• Watching CDCLP's Building Better Neighborhoods video to meet a few graduates from our first-ever cohort.
• Visiting our websites: NLDP | CDCLP

Recruitment for both programs will open in early May. Stay tuned for more!

NLDP --> CDCLP Participation Portal Coming Your Way Soon!

NLDP Graduates: Start a new career path or get more involved with the CDC sector here in Cleveland. Contact Marcia Shepherd at mshepherd@nldpcleveland.com for more information.

NLDP Spotlight: Sarah Murphy, Cohort XV

The Edna House has provided support to women on their paths to recovery from alcohol and drug addiction for 20 years. They extend a comprehensive range of services, including GED attainment, job development programs, and counseling, tailored to the specific needs of the women under their care. Their program spans a minimum of six months, during which participants reside at Edna House.

Since completing NLDP, Sarah’s skills are continuing to thrive. In 2024 she earned a promotion to Assistant Director, assuming responsibility for the expanding team at The Edna House. Leading this team in delivering direct services, she ensures comprehensive support for their residents at every juncture of their development.

To her fellow NLDP graduates, Sarah encourages you to remain steadfast in your mission and hold onto the passion that initially propelled you into this journey. “Each one of us is here because of a profound belief in the significance of our work. I advocate for discussing it passionately and seizing every opportunity that crosses your path. Make the most of the resources available to us, be it our private Facebook page, ongoing coaching sessions, or the class binder. Consider everything as a valuable tool that we can leverage to our advantage.”

Outside of Edna House, Sarah can be found at Edgewater Park enjoying the sunshine on the beach in the summer. Even in the wintertime, being by the water brings her a sense of peace.

CDCLP Spotlight: Jefferson-Puritas West Park CDC

The Jefferson-Puritas West Park Community Development Corporation (CDC) serves the eastern neighborhoods of the vibrant and diverse West Park community. Jefferson-Puritas engages in the traditional CDC activities of economic development, housing assistance/development, and community engagement, as well as neighborhood and senior services and youth and workforce development.

A few of the CDC's active projects include the transformation of Nathaniel Hawthorne Elementary School into market-rate apartments and construction on the Lyric Community Center, which is entering its final phase. This community center will be a 2,100 sq. ft. facility located in the heart of the neighborhood that will house the CDC's after-school programs, host financial literacy, workforce development, and homebuying workshops, and be available as community meeting space.

The CDC is also working with two new restauranteurs who are moving to the neighborhood: Loco Mango, a fast-casual Mexican street food and ice cream restaurant and El Mercadito, a new pupuseria and Latin grocery store. The new restaurants will be a wonderful addition to the ethnic cuisine currently offered in the neighborhood, including German, Italian, Nepali, Middle Eastern, Indian, and Mexican fare.

They are once again co-hosting the Jefferson Rocks Summer Concert series in Jefferson Park each Thursday evening in July this summer... Be sure to come out and join them for a rockin’ good time!

Thank you to Melissa Miller, CDCLP Cohort I Graduate and Austin Raymond, CDCLP Cohort III Participant, for their service to Jefferson-Puritas West Park CDC!

NLDP Graduates Fighting the Good Fight: Cudell Commons Park

Our graduates truly are everywhere. We often hear from people that they frequently encounter and engage with NLDP graduates when they are in the community.

One of our graduates, Diana Sette, Cohort IX, is helping lead efforts alongside her neighbors to preserve the Cudell neighborhood's history through saving a park, and its historic tree, from being demolished. The greenspace "was donated to the people of the City of Cleveland by Frank E. Cudell in 1906 to remain a park forever" (quoted from the Save Historic Cudell Commons Park petition).

To learn more about their efforts to work with the City of Cleveland and Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) to build a new school while saving the historic and vital urban greenspace:

• Read this article published by The Land
• View the group's petition and GoFundMe
• View photos and a timeline of events here

If you would like to get involved, connect with the Friends of Cudell Commons Park group here.

Attention NLDP Graduates: Do You Want to Join a Board?

Have you ever considered joining a local nonprofit's Board of Directors? Serving on a Board is a great way to have impact on the work a nonprofit does in Cleveland's neighborhoods, while also investing in your own leadership toolkit.

NLDP Cohort IX Graduates Letitia Lopez (Executive Director) and Kirby Suntala (Board Member, Secretary) are looking for community-based leaders to join their Board of Directors. Julia De Burgos Cultural Arts Center is located in the Brooklyn Centre neighborhood and focuses on teaching and practicing the visual, performing and literary arts. Their goal is to preserve Latinx heritage among all generations and across multiple artistic disciplines.

Interested? Complete an interest form here or contact Marcia at mshepherd@nldpcleveland.com with questions.

To learn more about Julia De Burgos, visit their website or watch this short video.

Lessons in Leadership: Resources from Our Faculty Members

When our faculty members are not leading sessions at CDCLP or NLDP, they are often perfecting their work. Part of what we value in our faculty is their desire for lifelong learning, a pillar we hold high at both of our leadership programs.

We have compiled a list of resources to be shared in each newsletter that are offered or have been created or co-created by our faculty members. These resources come directly from the brilliant minds of those who lead our vast array of sessions. Learn more about our CDCLP Faculty and NLDP Faculty.

• Mark Joseph: Podcast, Bending the Arc
• Melvin Smith: Book, Helping People Change: Coaching with Compassion for Lifelong Learning and Growth
• Scott Allen: Newsletter, This Week on the Edge

New Community Development Corporation Leadership

Community Development Corporations (CDCs) are 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations that are created to support and revitalize communities. CDCs often are involved in a wide range of community services that meet local needs such as education, housing, healthcare, economic development and other social programs.

Our CDCs in Cleveland are consistently infused with new talent. Part of our mission at CDCLP is to help improve the leadership skills and professional capacity of current and future CDC leaders to make a greater impact on the neighborhoods they serve, which can be seen in the CDCLP program video here. In doing this, we have been fortunate to witness promotions and assignments of dedicated, passionate and driven leaders to high-level CDC leadership positions. A few of those recent and exciting promotions are:

• St. Clair Superior Development Corporation: Terri Hamilton-Brown was appointed Executive Director
• Ohio City Incorporated: Chris Schmitt was appointed Interim Executive Director
• Tremont West Development Corporation: Julie Dahlhausen, CDCLP Cohort II, was appointed Interim Executive Director

Open Job Positions in MidTown: Cleveland Foundation

The Cleveland Foundation, the world's first community foundation, exists to enhance the lives of all residents of Greater Cleveland, now and for generations to come. They are looking for a few talented and committed individuals to join their team in the following capacities:

• Program Officer (2 positions)
• Finance Coordinator
• Manager, Venue & Guest Services
• Business Intelligence & Data Strategist

To learn more about the Cleveland Foundation and to read the job descriptions for the above openings and future openings, click here.