Experience and Expertise for Neighborhood Leaders
The faculty team at NLDP facilitate our 16-session, skills-based curriculum. Their expertise coupled with their commitment to growing and educating Cleveland's leaders make them a trusted and valued resource in our program. To learn more about our 16-session curriculum, click here.
Letitia Lopez, Cohort XI
Photo by Steve Wagner
Scott Allen
JOHN CARROLL UNIVERSITY
Scott Allen is an award-winning professor with a passion for working with people of all ages. He teaches courses in leadership, future of work and executive communication. Scott served as a Mulwick Scholar in the Boler College of Business and his primary stream of research focuses on leadership development.
Scott Allen is an award-winning professor with a passion for working with people of all ages. He teaches courses in leadership, future of work and executive communication. Scott served as a Mulwick Scholar in the Boler College of Business and his primary stream of research focuses on leadership development. Scott has published more than 50 chapter books and peer reviewed journals, including the co-author of The Little Book of Leadership Development: 50 Ways to Bring Out the Leader in Every Employee, Emotionally Intelligent Leadership: A Guide for College Students, Captovation: Online Presentations by Design and the textbook Discovering Leadership: Designing Your Success (2019). He is also the host of two podcasts: The Captovation Podcast and Phronesis: Practical Wisdom for Leaders. Scott is the co-founder of Captovation, a services firm dedicated to “Presentation Coaching for the Digital Age.” He is also the co-founder and Board Chair of the Collegiate Leadership Competition. Allen was named an ILA Fellow by the International Leadership Association in 2021.
Dr. Ellen Burts-Cooper
IMPROVE TRAINING GROUP
Dr. Ellen Burts-Cooper is the senior managing partner of Improve Consulting and Training Group, a firm that provides personal and professional development training, coaching and consultation.
Dr. Ellen Burts-Cooper is the senior managing partner of Improve Consulting and Training Group, a firm that provides personal and professional development training, coaching and consultation. Improve has been featured in Time Magazine, Black Voices, Smart Business Magazine and Bloomberg Businessweek. Dr. Burts-Cooper is an instructor at Case Western Reserve University in the Weatherhead Executive Education Program and The Institute for Management Studies (IMS). She is also the author of the book Canine Instinct: A Guide to Survival and Advancement in Corporate America. She earned a BS in chemistry from Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, AL, her PhD in organic/polymer chemistry from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA, her MBA from the University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Business and her Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt certification from 3M Company.
Mark Chupp, MSW, PhD
CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY
Mark Chupp, MSW, PhD, is an associate professor at the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Science of Case Western Reserve University, where he chairs the concentration in Community Practice for Social Change in the Masters of Social Work Program.
Mark Chupp, MSW, PhD, is an associate professor at the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Science of Case Western Reserve University, where he chairs the concentration in Community Practice for Social Change in the Masters of Social Work Program. With over 30 years of research and practice focused on community building, community development, conflict transformation and citizen participation, Mark began his career in restorative justice, eventually directing the first Victim Offender Reconciliation Program in the U.S. Mark has also served as a consultant with the National Institute of Justice, helping establish victim offender mediation programs across the country. He is an international consultant and trainer in conflict transformation and peace building and has worked in Northern Ireland, Egypt, Israel, Columbia, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and El Salvador. Mark directs the Community Innovation Network, a resource for communities and practitioners committed to community change and is the Co-Director of the Social Justice Institute at Case Western Reserve University. He co-authored a manual in Spanish on transforming conflict and violence that has been used throughout Latin America. Mark earned a master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Michigan with a concentration in community organization and moved to Cleveland in 1997 to pursue his PhD at CWRU while serving for 8 years as Program Director at the Center for Neighborhood Development, Levin College of Urban Affairs at CSU.
Ivan Conard
CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY
Ivan is a Licensed Social Worker and Research Associate at the Center on Trauma and Adversity. His research interests are centered around trauma-informed practice, healing centered engagement, and building trauma-informed systems.
Ivan received his Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Morehouse College and a Master's degree in Social Administration with a certificate in Nonprofit Management from the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. Ivan is a Licensed Social Worker and Research Associate at the Center on Trauma and Adversity. His research interests are centered around trauma-informed practice, healing centered engagement, and building trauma-informed systems. Ivan's desire is to support the development of organizations that promote healing for youth and families experiencing trauma and victimization.
Brant Duda
strategy design partners
Brant is Director of Strategy & Analysis at Strategy Design Partners (SDP), bringing more than a decade of experience partnering with nonprofits, foundations, and civic-minded organizations.
Brant is Director of Strategy & Analysis at Strategy Design Partners (SDP), bringing more than a decade of experience partnering with nonprofits, foundations, and civic-minded organizations. In this role, he leads strategic and visionary planning processes, specializing in strengthening governance and staffing structures and driving mission-focused, measurable impact.
Before joining SDP, Brant worked as an ambassador and trainer in the child welfare system. He currently serves as a faculty member for the Mandel Foundation’s Community Development Corporation Leadership Program (CDCLP) and the Neighborhood Leadership Development Program (NLDP), where he provides instruction in strategic planning. He also facilitates workshops and trainings on nonprofit governance, strategic planning, and implementation.
Brant holds a Master of Social Service Administration and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Case Western Reserve University, as well as a bachelor’s degree from California University of Pennsylvania. He is also a graduate of the Leadership Development Initiative (LDI) from Leadership Pittsburgh.
David Fitz
STRATEGY DESIGN PARTNERS
David is the founder and partner of Strategy Design Partners (SDP), bringing nearly 25 years of experience in crafting tailored solutions that advance organizational strategy, strengthen governance structures, and deliver compelling storytelling for nonprofits, public agencies, and businesses.
David is the founder and partner of Strategy Design Partners (SDP), bringing nearly 25 years of experience in crafting tailored solutions that advance organizational strategy, strengthen governance structures, and deliver compelling storytelling for nonprofits, public agencies, and businesses. Since launching SDP in 2008, the team has partnered with nearly 200 organizations across five states, guiding leaders through strategic planning, board development, and communications.
David has held senior leadership roles as a press secretary and legislative director in the Cleveland and Philadelphia city governments; director of media relations at the Cleveland Clinic; and vice president of public affairs at University Circle, Inc. He also serves as a faculty member and coach for the Mandel Foundation’s Community Development Corporation Leadership Program (CDCLP), where he has led sessions on strategic planning, governance, and communications.
He earned a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree from John Carroll University. He was also a member of the Leadership Cleveland Class of 2010.
John Grabowski
CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY / WESTERN RESERVE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
John Grabowski received his BA, MA, and Ph.D. degrees from Case Western Reserve University. His academic interests are in the fields of immigration and migration, public history, public memory, and museum studies.
John Grabowski received his BA, MA, and Ph.D. degrees from Case Western Reserve University. His academic interests are in the fields of immigration and migration, public history, public memory, and museum studies. He holds a joint position as the Krieger-Mueller Associate Professor of Applied History at Case Western Reserve and Senior Historian and Vice President for Research and Publications at the Western Reserve Historical Society. He is the editor of the on-line edition of the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History and the Dictionary of Cleveland Biography. His publications include The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, The Dictionary of Cleveland Biography, and Cleveland: A Tradition of Reform, which he co-edited with the late Dr. David D. Van Tassel. He is also the author of Sports in Cleveland: An Illustrated History and Cleveland A to Z: Historical Essentials for Newcomers and Residents in Northeastern Ohio, and has written numerous articles relating to immigration history and to archival issues.
Mark Joseph
CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY
Mark Joseph is the Leona Bevis and Marguerite Haynam Professor of Community Development at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University.
Mark Joseph is the Leona Bevis and Marguerite Haynam Professor of Community Development at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. He received his Ph.D. in public policy and was a post-doctoral scholar at the University of Chicago. He was a Harlech Visiting Scholar at Oxford University in England. He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University. Mark’s research focus is mixed-income development as a strategy for addressing urban poverty. He is the co-author of the award-winning book Integrating the Inner City: The Promise and Perils of Mixed-Income Public Housing Transformation. He is the founding director of the National Initiative on Mixed-Income Communities (NIMC), which conducts research and consulting projects in Cleveland and across the U.S. and Canada in cities that have included Austin, Calgary, Cambridge, Chicago, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, and Washington, D.C. His team’s Cleveland projects have included the Woodhill-Buckeye mixed-income transformation, community network-building in Slavic Village and at the Commodore Building in University Circle, effective neighboring projects in Larchmere and Mt. Pleasant, and organizational assessment and racial equity projects with Cleveland Neighborhood Progress. The NIMC team also conducted an evaluation of NLDP. Mark served for three years as a member of the Board of Trustees of the George Gund Foundation and as a member of the External Advisory Committee for Chicago grantmaking at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
Amy Korsch-Williams
case western reserve university
Amy Korsch-Williams, a Senior Instructor and the previous Assistant Dean of Field Education, is an independently licensed social worker with a practice background in infant and early childhood mental health and development, trauma-informed care, maternal health, child and adolescent behavioral health, and early intervention.
Ms. Korsch-Williams, a Senior Instructor and the previous Assistant Dean of Field Education, is an independently licensed social worker with a practice background in infant and early childhood mental health and development, trauma-informed care, maternal health, child and adolescent behavioral health, and early intervention. She has 19 years of experience in both direct practice and leadership roles within child welfare, public health, community behavioral health, and academic settings. Her interests are centered in the area of trauma-informed practice and in building trauma-informed systems.
Natalie Leek
providence house
Natalie Leek is the CEO and President for Providence House, Inc., a non-profit crisis nursery for infants and children focused on keeping kids safe and families together.
Natalie Leek has over 30 years of experience in non-profit and corporate environments focused in program development, data and outcomes measures, advocacy, marketing, fundraising, and education. Since 2001, Ms. Leek has been the CEO and President for Providence House, Inc., a non-profit crisis nursery for infants and children focused on keeping kids safe and families together. During her tenure at Ohio’s first licensed crisis nursery, Natalie has quadrupled the organization’s service capacity and revenues, engaged broad audiences in support of her agency, and has positioned Providence House as a nationally recognized leader in child abuse prevention, family preservation, and foster care diversion. In 2019, she and her Board launched “Giving Hope for the PHuture” – a $21 Million capital campaign to expand the organization to Cleveland’s near east side. Natalie is deeply committed to collaboration and community engagement in both the nonprofit and public sector. She has served on a number of nonprofit Boards and consults with a range of interested parties across the U.S. who strive to adopt the unique program model she has developed at Providence House. Natalie Leek is an influential voice for our community’s most vulnerable citizens and issues, and a collaborative convener in city, state, and national arenas among nonprofit, government, business and civic constituents who seek positive action and systemic change.
Erica Merritt
EQUIUS GROUP
Erica Merritt, founder of Equius Group, is a skilled coach, gifted facilitator and leadership and organizational development expert. A Gestalt-trained coach, Erica has extensive experience leading, designing and teaching organizational development, leadership program design and diversity management in environments ranging from community rooms to classrooms to board rooms.
Erica Merritt, founder of Equius Group, is a skilled coach, gifted facilitator and leadership and organizational development expert. A Gestalt-trained coach, Erica has extensive experience leading, designing and teaching organizational development, leadership program design and diversity management in environments ranging from community rooms to classrooms to board rooms. Erica’s clients include many of Northeast Ohio’s largest and most respected corporations, agencies and institutions. As a trusted consultant and coach, she builds capacity in leaders to grow personally, develop professionally, transform organizations and engage communities. By skillfully creating space to explore challenging and new dialogue, Erica allows for heightened self-awareness and experimentation with new behaviors that lead to powerful breakthroughs. Erica is a valued partner in her client’s growth and success who is equipped with an inclusion mindset and powerful set of expertise.
Melvin Smith, Ph.D.
CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY
Melvin L. Smith, Ph.D. is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Organizational Behavior at the Case Weatherhead School of Management. He is also Board President of The Edge Sports & Arts Academy.
Melvin L. Smith, Ph.D. is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Organizational Behavior at the Case Weatherhead School of Management. He is also Board President of The Edge Sports & Arts Academy and Board Member of the Will-Burt Company (Compensation Committee Chair). Dr. Smith received his Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management from the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz Graduate School of Business. He also holds a B.S. degree in General Management and Accounting from Purdue University and an MBA in Marketing from Clark-Atlanta University. Dr. Smith’s research and teaching focus on leadership and emotional intelligence in the workplace, as well as the development and use of human and social capital in organizations through executive coaching. He is co-author (with Richard Boyatzis and Ellen Van Oosten) of the book, Helping People Change: Coaching with Compassion for Lifelong Learning and Growth (Harvard Business Review Press). In addition to his work with numerous U.S. organizations, Melvin has worked with executives in Canada, Dubai, India, New Zealand, Scotland, and Trinidad. He has also served as a visiting professor at ESADE Business School in Barcelona, Spain where he co-taught a senior executive education course on emotionally intelligent leadership.
Twyla Turner
united black fund of greater cleveland
Twyla Turner is the Director of Program Resources at UBF, where her role involves overseeing the planning, development, implementation, and maintenance of the organization's program services and operations.
Twyla Turner is a native of Cleveland and has over 15 years of experience creating profitable growth and impact opportunities in the region. Her exceptional energy, organizational skills, and attention to detail are evident in every project she undertakes. Twyla holds an Associate Degree in Advertising and Marketing Communications from the Fashion Institute of Technology, a Bachelor's Degree in Apparel Merchandising and Product Development, and an Executive MBA from Bowling Green State University. Throughout her career, Twyla has remained committed to advancing women and communities of color, which is reflected in her work experience. She has held positions at Saks Fifth Avenue, YWCA of Greater Cleveland, JumpStart Inc., Family Promise of Greater Cleveland, The Soul of Philanthropy Cleveland, and the Cleveland Public Library. As the Director of Program Resources at UBF, Twyla’s role involves overseeing the planning, development, implementation, and maintenance of the organization's program services and operations. As the second in command to the CEO and President, Twyla collaborates with the senior leadership to support and promote the organization's strategic goals and objectives. In addition, she strengthens UBF's fundraising efforts by securing new sources of funding and building on the strong foundation of philanthropic support already established.
Mike Walton
food depot to health
Mike Walton has over 25 years of experience coaching individuals in business, education, social service and grassroots organizations.
Mike Walton has over 25 years of experience coaching individuals in business, education, social service and grassroots organizations. During his 35-year career as a consultant Mike has been a project manager, lead facilitator, curriculum designer, inside sales associate and business owner. Mike has been one of the most active facilitators of adventure-based experiential education in Northern Ohio and has demonstrated skill in applying this methodology to a wide range of client groups. He is trained as a coach through the Weatherhead School of Business at Case Western Reserve University and CoachNet Global, and has numerous certifications, including training as a conflict management and mediation trainer by the Kent State Center for Applied Conflict Management. He has worked as a church administrator, an assistant pastor, and a chemical dependency counselor. Mike and his wife Veronica have been leaders in Greater Cleveland’s Urban Agriculture movement since its beginning, and they are strong advocates for food security and healthy lifestyles. Mike values the opportunity to interact with the CDCLP cohort members, as it gives him an opportunity to impact leaders who are making a difference in Greater Cleveland.