This year, the Weatherhead School of Management proudly introduced a new award: the 5 under 35 Award to recognize the remarkable personal, professional, and civic achievements of alumni 35 years of age and younger. We are quite proud of this inaugural class of honorees, which includes Bruce Douglas (CWR ’10), Charity May (CWR ’13), Erin Drotleff (MGT ’20), Leonela Mora (MGT ’16) and Nathan Sundheimer (MGT ’19).
Bruce Douglas is the president of The Douglas Company, a construction management firm licensed in 20 states. He began work at The Douglas Company 12 years ago, following a short career in advertising. He is now the third-generation leader of the company, which specializes in Senior Living and Multifamily construction.
As a project manager at The Douglas Company, Douglas led project teams putting in place over $130 million in work across multiple states and industries. Using the skills, he learned at Weatherhead, he sets projects on a path to success.
He is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization, and a past board member of Leadership Toledo, the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce EPIC Advisory Council, and the St. Francis de Sales School Alumni Advisory Board.
Charity May is in constant pursuit of deep change in the way we do business and life, as evidenced by her social justice efforts.
May earned a bachelor’s in management and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from Case. She is continually engaged with gathering new skills or refining existing skill sets. This includes training in permaculture design, regenerative economics, regenerative agriculture practices, and reading continuously on topics including spirituality, ecology, productivity, economics, technology, and agriculture.
At Turner Impact Capital, she led/supported the investment, structure, and development of over $575 million of project value for education facilities across the country. During her time at KeyBanc Capital Markets, she conducted the underwriting, analysis, origination, and structuring for over $3.8 billion leveraged finance transactions across multiple sectors.
May founded Sacred Futures, an advisory practice dedicated to nurturing the conditions for building a regenerative economy, where relationships thrive among the ecology of life.
Erin Drotleff started her career as a young female in the stereotypically masculine steel industry at Republic Steel. Not to be deterred, she crafted a path focused on sourcing and supply chain, working her way from Inventory Control Specialist to Supply Chain Manager, where she efficiently led a team in purchasing, sourcing and supply chain.
She continued this journey in a new industry—healthcare insurance at Medical Mutual. She advanced to Cleveland Cliffs, bringing innovative ideas, and showcasing her impressive leadership skills.
After she received her MBA from Weatherhead, Drotleff stayed local to invest in her community, joining Oatey as the senior sourcing manager. She proved herself to be a successful leader and was eventually promoted to vice president of sourcing for North America.
Drotleff is deeply involved in the Cleveland and Salem communities.
Leonela Mora's remarkable journey, stemming from her Venezuelan roots, is a true inspiration. As senior manager of apprenticeships at the Greater Cleveland Partnership and as the visionary leader of her consulting firm, LeonelaFlourishing, she shines brightly in organizational development.
Mora's path is characterized by an unwavering commitment to nurturing champions and setting exemplary standards. Her impressive credentials include a master's degree in positive organization development and change, accreditation as an executive coach, and a prestigious Culture Catalyst certification from Stanford University.
Mora has held pivotal roles in corporate HR at Sherwin Williams and served as an international business director at Morca. Her exceptional contributions have earned her accolades, including the esteemed 100+ Latinos in Cleveland award.
Mora is an actively engaged member of Engage Cleveland, the E&I Council, Unidos por la Educacion and Toastmasters District 10.
Nathan Sundheimer, a 2019 Weatherhead MBA graduate, heads U.S. healthcare partnerships at Plug and Play, the world’s largest innovation platform that connects startups, corporations, and investors to drive tech advancements and business growth at scale. Within the healthcare ecosystem, Sundheimer helps facilitate partnerships, and investments that drive meaningful change, including those that advance the development of healthcare technologies, improve patient care, and shape the future of healthcare delivery.
Sundheimer also helped redevelop Plug and Play’s North American digital health accelerator, which has since accelerated 100+ startups that have collectively raised over $70 million from the program.
Sundheimer has been recognized for various accomplishments, including being named in Crain's Cleveland Business “20 in their Twenties,” selected as a Top 150 LinkedIn Healthtech Exponentialist, and most recently recognized in the inaugural cohort of Forbes 30 Under 30 Cleveland.
Sundheimer’s goal is to reduce burdens and barriers so that all individuals can always access appropriate and affordable healthcare.