Alexandria Johnson Boone
Alexandria Johnson Boone is President and CEO of GAP Communications Group, full-service public relations, advertising, marketing and special events firm based in Cleveland, Ohio. Under her leadership, GAP has gained local, regional and national recognition for its quality public relations, publicity and marketing services and its signature special events. She is also widely recognized and respected in the communications and public relations industry as the architect of the LeBron James media persona.
Alex is also the Chairwoman and Founder of the Women of Color Foundation, a 501c3 organization, dedicated to the education, empowerment, training and leadership development of women and girls of all colors. Over the years, the Foundation has produced several annual personal and professional development retreats, conferences, awards luncheons, and other special events across the region.
She is a graduate of the Cleveland Public Schools. She also holds a master’s degree from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University; a Certificate from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College; and was a 1997 National Fellow at the Boston University School of Public Health’s Join Together Program. She was also a member of the Leadership Cleveland Class of 1988.
In 2014, she founded C L Magazine, a career and lifestyle digital magazine for women and girls of color. The magazine has been continuously in publication since that time.
Some of her community involvements have included serving as a member of the Board at The Club at Key Center; The SHINE Foundation; The Urban League of Greater Cleveland; the Community Advisory Board of The Flora Stone Mather Center for Women; The Visiting Committees at the Weatherhead School of Management & the Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusive Engagement at Case Western Reserve University; and the Board of Directors at the Greater Cleveland Partnership, all located in Cleveland, Ohio; and the Urquhart Memorial Foundation located in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Boone has also received several awards for her business and professional achievements and community service.
Her 2016 awards and recognition include the following: 2016 Recipient of the “National ColorComm Circle Award” for Outstanding Achievement by a Woman of Color in the Communications Industry; 2016 Trailblazer of the Year by the Ohio River Valley Women’s Business Council at their Annual Regional Conference; 2016 Business Trailblazer of the Year by the Christian Business League; 2016 Recipient of the Greater Cleveland Community Service Award by the Gloria Pointer Foundation; and the 2015 recipient of the Elite Women Around the World’s, Women Who Changed the World Award.
In 2017, Alex was selected for inclusion in the Inaugural “Women WELDing the Way” 2018 Business Success Calendar by the Women for Economic and Leadership Development, Cleveland Chapter; and was included in a local PBS television mini-documentary, highlighting Cleveland Black professional women and their success in spite of facing racism during their careers.
In 2018, Boone was featured in an article in the March issue of Cleveland’s Smart Business Magazine, highlighting her work with the Women of Color Foundation. Additionally, the Women of Color Foundation was recognized as the “2018 Organization that Empowered Women” at the Smart Business Magazine Annual Women’s Awards Breakfast.
Jennifer Greer
Manju Gupta
Manju is a business litigator at the law firm Tucker Ellis LLP. Manju serves as a trusted advisor, problem solver, and advocate for businesses, federal contractors, and subcontractors across the country. She is a fixer of sorts, and a strategist, leveraging her nearly two decades of experience to creatively and efficiently resolve complex issues for clients. Manju serves as outside counsel to an array of businesses, many of which have been awarded federal government contracts.
Manju is a lifelong Clevelander who is proud to call Cleveland home. Passionate about the pursuit of equality and building inclusive/supportive workplaces, Manju has been involved in several of the DEI initiatives throughout the city. She has been on CWRU’s visiting committee since 2018.
Constance Hill-Johnson, MPA
Constance Hill-Johnson (Connie) is the Owner and Managing Director of Visiting Angels Living Assistance Services in Cleveland Ohio. Visiting Angels is an in-home service provider assisting the elderly and older adult to live as independently as possible by remaining safely in their own familiar home environment.
Now a seasoned entrepreneur, Connie is celebrating close to 21 years in business, and has successfully served hundreds of seniors throughout the greater Cleveland area and surrounding communities.
Connie is the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of The Cleveland Foundation, the oldest community foundation in the country. In 2020 she was honored as a YWCA Greater Cleveland Woman of Achievement award winner and in 2017 was selected as a Crain’s Women of Note. Connie currently serves on the boards of the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging (BRIA) and Adults at Risk, a pillar of Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry. She is a member of the African American Outreach Committee of Hospice of the Western Reserve and is one of the architects of The Soul of Philanthropy Cleveland & Celebrate Those Who Give Black, exhibits which reframe how philanthropy looks in the African American community. A committed philanthropist with a servant’s heart, Ms. Hill-Johnson is committed to giving of her time, talent and treasure and testimony in service to others.
Ms. Hill-Johnson has earned the degree of Master of Public Administration with an emphasis in Health Services Administration from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. Additionally, she holds a degree of Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communications from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
Ka-Pi Hoh, Ph.D.
Ka-Pi Hoh is currently the senior site manager for The Lubrizol Corporation’s corporate headquarters in Wickliffe, Ohio. She is responsible for all site services and support functions for the Lubrizol teams based in the Wickliffe site. Dr. Hoh joined Lubrizol in 1988 as a research chemist. At Lubrizol, she has held a variety of leadership positions involving research technology, commercial development, operations, and resource management including expatriate assignments in the United Kingdom and in China. She spent four years on assignment in China as the head of research, development and testing for Lubrizol Additives China. Upon her return to the US in 2016, she was the operations manager for finished products, driving global initiatives on product development and commercialization excellence. Prior to her current site manager role, she was the Business Process Leader for process mining, where she was implementing and applying an analytical discipline for discovering, monitoring, and improving global business processes.
Dr. Hoh graduated from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) with a B.S. in Polymer Engineering and a minor in Economics. She received an M.S. and a Ph.D. in Macromolecular Science from CWRU. As a CWRU alumna, she is currently on the Case Advisory Board and chairs the Industrial Advisory Board for the Department of Macromolecular Science. She also serves on visiting committees for International Affairs and for the Office of Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunity. She is an emeriti board member for the Alumni Association and for the Flora Stone Mather Center for Women. She also serves as a professional mentor for WISER (Women in Science and Engineering Roundtable).
At Lubrizol, Dr. Hoh is involved with Lubrizol’s diversity initiatives; she has been a member of Lubrizol’s Corporate Inclusion Steering Committee and is a founding member of the Asia-Pacific Resource Group as well as Women in Lubrizol Leadership.
Dr. Hoh was recently completed 7 years as the chair of the Board of Directors for The Lakeland Foundation at Lakeland Community College. She is a board director for the Lake Humane Society, Apollo’s Fire, and the Andy Nowacki Foundation. In China, she has an appointment as an Associate and Visiting Professor at the Zhuhai College of Jilin University.
At CWRU, she has been awarded the 2023 Flora Award, the 2022 CAA Meritorious Service Award and the 2020 Daniel T. Clancy Alumni Service Award. She was recognized as a 2022 Women of Distinction by the Girl Scouts of North East Ohio. In 2019, she received Lubrizol’s Founders Award for Community Service with her dedication to improving lives in our communities. She was awarded Crain’s Cleveland Business 2019 Women of Note and was recognized as Crain’s 2019 Notable Women in STEM. She also received the 2019 Women of Achievement award from the Women’s Center of Lakeland Community College. In 2008, she was awarded the YWCA Woman of Professional Excellence.
Louis Licata
Louis J. Licata is responsible for the management of the firm’s legal operations and oversight of its various practice areas, including the Global Business Group.
Mr. Licata focuses his practice on serving as the Chief Legal Advisor to CEOs and business owners throughout the world. He has provided analysis and experience with complex issues, including Global Strategy, New Market Entry, Strategic Vision, Governance, Risk Management, Crises Management, and day-to-day problem-solving. Prior to establishing Gertsburg Licata, Mr. Licata was the founder, owner and CEO Licata Law Group.
In the legal community, Mr. Licata has received an “A” peer-review rating, the highest acknowledgment possible in his profession from Martindale Hubbell. He was also the first attorney in the State of Ohio certified as a dual specialist after meeting the extensive requirements and high standards of the Ohio State Bar Association’s Specialty Board and The Supreme Court of Ohio Commission on Certification of Attorney’s as Specialists. This is consistent with Ohio Lawyer Magazine’s recognition of him as a “Super Lawyer” and Crain’s Cleveland Business naming him “Who’s Who in Technology” and as a 2022 “Notable in the Law”. Mr. Licata has been a leader in the profession, starting one of the first internet law practices in the United States and implementing innovative firm management measures, including a paperless office initiative in 1998.
He was formerly an associate professor of law at Cleveland Marshall College of Law. In December 2006, Ohio Magazine named him one of Ohio’s Memorable Educators. He has written and presented on numerous legal topics and recently submitted a Chapter titled Legal Considerations for Entering Asia Markets to be published in an eBook by ExecSense Inc.
Jacquelyn Nance
Jacquelyn “Jakki” Nance is an attorney and president of Philanthropic Solutions, Ltd., where she advises nonprofits on strategic planning, resource and board development, and event planning. She also works with executives and athletes to help them achieve their philanthropic objectives. Her clients have included the WNBA, the cancer charity Flashes of Hope, and State Farm Insurance, where she worked with the 50 Million Pound Challenge’s grassroots initiative to establish simultaneous health walks around the country.
Previously, Ms. Nance served as chief operating officer for Swin Cash Enterprises and the charity Cash for Kids, both founded by Swin Cash, the two-time Olympic gold medalist and three-time WNBA champion.
Ms. Nance also served for three years as the executive director of the LeBron James Family Foundation. During that time, she oversaw its bikeathon, developed a partnership with Nickelodeon, worked with corporate partners and built playgrounds around the country.
Ms. Nance has been featured in “Ebony” magazine, “Women in the NFL,” and in Kaleidoscope Magazine on “Women Who Give Back.” Ms. Nance has been an invited speaker at the Congressional Black Caucus and the Net Impact Summit at Wharton. She also served two years as the Co-Chair for the Cleveland Classic, an HBCU college football game held at Browns stadium. She has been honored by The Arthritis Foundation’s Northeast Ohio Chapter and Cleveland Public Theater.
Ms. Nance has more than 20 years of nonprofit board service. Currently, she serves on the National board of Autism Speaks as well as Laurel School, Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School and CWRU Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusive Engagement Visiting Committee. Her board experience has included the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, the Ohio Arts Council, the Union Club of Cleveland, Julie Billiart School and the Thomas Moyer Ohio Judicial Commission and Foundation Board. Causes she has championed include autism and special needs, education, diversity and inclusion, and the arts.
She graduated from Spelman College and Case Western Reserve University School of Law. Ms. Nance and her husband, Fred Nance, have two teenagers with autism.
Meran Rogers
Meran Rogers is a proud community leader with more than 15 years of experience in the nonprofit and education sectors. Meran currently serves as the Founder and Executive Director of Global Ambassadors Language Academy (GALA) - the first Mandarin and Spanish immersion school in Ohio. During her time at GALA, she has demonstrated success in planning and implementing the launch of a new school start up, as well as continued growth and operations of the school. Her experience includes language immersion education, program management, marketing and community outreach, crisis communication, family engagement, student recruitment, fundraising (individual donors, foundations, corporate giving, federal grants, events, campaigns), grants management, operations management (technology infrastructure, purchasing, human resources, safety, food program), board governance, engaging with legal counsel when necessary, compliance, finance and budgeting, audits, school policy, diversity training, professional development, and general elementary school management.
At GALA, Rogers' has raised more than $4M over 5 years, including a $1.2M grant from the U.S. Department of Education and a $750,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Education. She has also grown GALA from 60 K-1 students and 10 staff in 2016 to 320 K-8 students and 35 staff members. Most recently, Rogers led the acquisition of a school building for GALA's future home, including the development and design of the new school building program design, historic registry of the building, capital project finance planning, and securing $1.2M in Ohio Preservation Tax Credits, $750,000 from Cuyahoga County and $300,000 from the City of Cleveland.
Prior to starting GALA, Rogers was a founding staff member of Global Cleveland, serving as Director of Community Affairs; leading services for volunteers, international newcomers and the Asian Initiative. Rogers also spent several years working in Cleveland public schools during her tenure as an Executive Fellow of the Cleveland Leadership Center, City Year Cleveland, and Director of the Cleveland Campaign for Grade Level Reading.
Joy Roller
Joy Roller brought her experience as a former television producer and economic development and civic leader to the position of Development Director of Karamu House in April 2017. Prior to joining Karamu, Joy led Global Cleveland, a non-profit that attracts, connects and welcomes newcomers to social and economic opportunities in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County.
As Executive Director of the Gordon Square Arts District from 2005 – 2013, she led an arts-based economic development initiative that has transformed Cleveland’s Detroit Shoreway neighborhood into an arts and entertainment destination. Prior to returning to Cleveland from New York City to enter law school in 2004, she produced, wrote and directed television programs for national syndication and cable networks.
Roller holds a Juris Doctor degree from Cleveland State University's John Marshall College of Law, a Masters of Theological Studies degree from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and economics from Denison University.
Ángel L. Reyes-Rodríguez
Dr. Ángel L. Reyes-Rodríguez is the Director of the McNair Scholars Program at Cleveland State University. The McNair Scholars Program works with underserved yet smart, talented, and hardworking students, making them competitive graduate school applicants and successful graduate students. Dr. Reyes-Rodríguez's role is to provide these students with a mentorship program, research internships, career development programming, and other services. Program alums enroll in master's and Ph.D. programs. He also works on projects to support inclusive teaching in STEM. His passion for bringing equity to higher education has led him to give talks and facilitate workshops locally and nationally.
Dr. Reyes-Rodríguez obtained a bachelor's in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus (San Juan, PR). He was part of the inaugural cohort of Case Western Reserve University's Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP), then continued at Case as a graduate student in the Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology. His doctoral work studied how Human Immunodeficiency Virus, HIV, spreads through routine immune-cell interactions. He graduated in 2015 with a doctoral degree in Molecular Virology. Following graduation, Dr. Reyes-Rodriguez had a postdoctoral fellowship at Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, in the Department of Neurosciences. His projects related to immune responses to coronavirus infection of the Central Nervous System.
Tyson T. Mitchell
Tyson T. Mitchell, JD/LL.M, currently serves as the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Equal Opportunity for the City of Cleveland. In his capacity as Director, Tyson seeks to advance equal economic benefit for all Clevelanders by ensuring compliance with City of Cleveland codified contractor goals. Additionally, his office provides development and support activity to minority and female business enterprises located in the Cleveland contracting market. Tyson previously served as Assistant Vice-President of DEI with OhioGuidestone (formerly Berea Children’s Home & Family Services, Inc.). Mr. Mitchell holds an LL.M degree in Taxation and a JD Degree from Case Western Reserve School of Law. He graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta Georgia with a BA in History and grew up in East Cleveland and the Hough/Wade park area. He is a Life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Prince Hall Masons, and the 100 Black Men of Greater Cleveland, Inc and in his spare time he serves as an adjunct Professor of Poverty Law at Case Western Reserve School of Law.