President and CEO, Cleveland Foundation
As the front man for the Cleveland Foundation, Ronn Richard funds ideas — about $85 million a year worth. Fortunately for Cleveland, he also develops them. Proof: the giant turbine near the Great Lakes Science Center. Richard was an early believer in using our lake to generate power. Now others are on board and the foundation has launched a study to determine how many more turbines we need and where they should be placed. In addition, the Cleveland Foundation has invested $3.6 million in Case Western Reserve University’s Center for Advanced Energy and Research. The city is also stepping up to help fund the turbine study. This is the sort of partnership Richard wants to see, especially as he shifts the foundation away from a leadership focus to a community-support role.
