The Cleveland Foundation has elected its next leader: Lillian Kuri will become the organization's president and CEO in August.
Since she initially became involved with the Cleveland Foundation as a project consultant in 2005 for University Circle revitalization projects, Kuri has gone on to hold a few titles: program director, vice president for strategic grantmaking for arts and urban design, senior vice president for strategy and, most recently, executive vice president and chief operating officer.
“Lillian brings a proven track record and a sense of creativity to the way she looks at the work of the foundation and its role in the community,” says Constance Hill-Johnson, chairperson of the Cleveland Foundation Board of Directors, in a news release. “She knows the city like the back of her hand and has an amazing ability to foster and build relationships — to really put people at ease. Furthermore, her heart is always in the right place, and we are confident in her ability to lead the foundation in service to the residents of Greater Cleveland.”
Kuri's work has included planning the Cleveland Foundation's new MidTown headquarters, environmental projects and supporting development in the city's historically redlined communities, according to a news release. Some of her work has included developing arts mastery-based programs offered to thousands of children each year.
“I am humbled and grateful to have been selected by the Cleveland Foundation Board of Directors,” says Kuri in a news release. “I firmly believe that this is an exceptional moment for Greater Cleveland. We have a new generation of local leadership that includes civic, government and nonprofit leaders who are bringing fresh perspectives to their jobs and a track record of working together — even before taking on their new roles. I am excited to be joining their ranks.
“This moment is much larger than the Cleveland Foundation, and we must rise to the occasion by finding new ways to collaborate and convene,” she adds. “It is critical that we leverage the move to MidTown to create an environment at the foundation in which every member of our community sees a piece of themselves reflected in the organization and the work we do.”
Kuri will take the position after current Cleveland Foundation president and CEO Ronn Richard retires this summer, following two decades in the position. She will be the organization's 10th president and CEO — and the first woman to hold the position full time, according to the news release. (In the 1970s, Barbara Haas Rawson was the interim president and CEO for less than a year, during which she worked to save Playhouse Square in a historic revitalization.)
Check out the Cleveland Foundation's announcement in the video below:
