Owner, Forest City Solutions

As founder of Forest City Solutions, LLC, I bring over 15 years of experience in organizational change management, placemaking, and community building to the greater Cleveland area. Born in Lorain, OH, I have spent my whole life finding ways to support my community and fellow Ohioans. As a first generation college student, I felt drawn to the field of social work after watching and experiencing trauma and injustice in my community which led me to complete my Bachelor's in Social Work from Bowling Green State University, with a minor in Spanish. Afterward, I received my Master's in Social Science Administration from the Mandel School of Applied Social Science at Case Western Reserve University with an emphasis in Community and Social Development. 

I began my career facilitating family preservation counseling with FrontLine Services (formerly Mental Health Services). This experience fostered my interest in policy-level changes to improve the lives of Cleveland residents and motivated my decision to work for Cleveland City Council. My passion for addressing health inequities grew further during my tenure as the coordinator of the Healthy Cleveland Initiative at the Department of Public Health. As the Senior Director of Operations and Partnerships at the Swetland Center for Environmental Health at Case Western Reserve University, I utilized a systems level approach to conduct community engaged research to address environmental health inequities. 

Throughout my career I have found my passion in navigating, supporting and connecting synergies in the space between community and institutions. In each of my professional roles I have found myself working with teams internally to ensure they are supported, use the strengths of each member and develop processes that help them work together effectively to achieve their goals. Externally, I have helped teams to build and strengthen equitable partnerships around a shared objective. I am excited to use Forest City Solutions, LLC as a vehicle to continue to bridge, translate, and catalyze systems change by the shared power within community and institutional relationships Cleveland thrive.