At its most recent meeting, the Board of Directors of Cleveland Neighborhood Progress (CNP) elected two new members to continue guiding its strategic plan to equitably revitalize Cleveland neighborhoods by strengthening the community development ecosystem.
The new members include Jill Gordon, Ph.D., the Dean of the Levin College of Public Affairs and Education at Cleveland State University, and Sean Richardson, Northeast Ohio Region President of Huntington Bank. Both now join the broad collection of civic, corporate, and community leaders who lead Cleveland’s local community development intermediary.
Additionally, the Board elected Teresa Metcalf Beasley of McDonald Hopkins to serve as Board Chair, following a three-year term held by Jeffery K. Patterson, Executive Director of the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority.
“Assuming this responsibility after serving as Vice-Chair is an honor,” said Metcalf Beasley. “CNP is well positioned to advance a vision for community development that raises the trajectory for all in Cleveland with an intentional focus on equity and neighborhood revitalization.”
“Adding leaders such as Jill and Sean to our Board reflects how important the banking and educational sector are for community development,” said Tania Menesse, President & CEO of Cleveland Neighborhood Progress. “These are leaders who are deeply committed to bringing personal and professional support to help Cleveland residents.”
The remaining officers elected by the CNP Board of Directors are:
- Andrew Jackson, Vice Chair
- Fred Bidwell, Vice Chair
- Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells, Secretary
- Dr. Floun’say Caver, Treasurer
New Directors
Jill Gordon, Ph.D., serves as dean and professor for the Levin College of Public Affairs and Education at Cleveland State University. She joined CSU in January 2024 after serving 28 years at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she held numerous leadership positions including interim senior vice provost for faculty affairs, senior associate dean of faculty and academic affairs, and chair of the criminal justice program. She is credited for advancing equitable policies and practices and the advancement of women and people of color in the university. Gordon has experience in evaluation research covering both community and institutional corrections with the majority of this work being supported by federal, state or local funding.
Sean Richardson is president of Huntington’s Northeast Ohio Region, where he is responsible for leading the Greater Cleveland, Akron, and Canton markets. Richardson is committed to delivering positive results for Huntington’s customers, colleagues, shareholders, and the community. He champions an outstanding experience for Huntington’s customers and an exceptional workplace culture for colleagues. Richardson joined Huntington in 2016 following the merger of FirstMerit Bank. While at FirstMerit, he served as president and CEO of the North Coast region of Ohio and was responsible for all aspects of commercial and business banking for the region. He has more than 30 years of experience serving and advising owner-managed businesses in the Northeast Ohio market. An active member of the community, Richardson serves on the executive committee of the board of Greater Cleveland Partnership, where he co-chairs the Downtown, Waterfront and Amenities committee. He is a member of the executive committee of the board of Ideastream, the region’s public radio and television news organization. He serves on the boards of the Playhouse Square Foundation, the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, and the University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. He is a founding board member and chair of the Cleveland Platform Tennis Foundation.