10 Years Strong: Celebrating our Growth and Impact  

Employer Membership and Leadership Council hits memorable milestone.  

Ten years ago, Engage! Cleveland made a bold decision: to partner directly with the business community to attract, engage and retain emerging talent in Greater Cleveland. A decade later, our Employer Membership program and Leadership Council have become essential connectors between local organizations and the next generation of leaders. 

As we celebrate this 10-year milestone, we’re reflecting on how far we’ve come, what our partners are saying, and where we’re headed next. 

Why We Launched Employer Membership & Leadership Council 

Engage! Cleveland’s mission has always been to attract, engage, and retain emerging, diverse talent to Greater Cleveland. Early- and mid-career professionals told us they loved Cleveland’s energy, opportunity and community—but they needed a clear path to meaningful careers and connections. Employers, meanwhile, were searching for ways to reach young, diverse talent and keep them here. 

To bridge that gap, we launched our Employer Membership program so we could work hand in hand with the business community. The idea was simple but powerful: 

• Help employers attract emerging talent to Greater Cleveland 

• Create opportunities to engage emerging professionals in the community 

• Provide reasons for them to stay, grow their careers, and build their lives here 

Soon after, the Leadership Council was created to ensure emerging leaders had a formal seat at the table. Today, the Leadership Council consists of over 100 local emerging leaders who act as our associate board and as liaisons between their organizations and Engage! Cleveland.  

Our partners see this alignment clearly. As Gavin Stephans, Senior Director, Talent + Engagement, Cleveland Cavaliers (Rock Entertainment Group), shares: “Rock Entertainment Group continues to support Engage! Cleveland because there is a deep alignment in their values and their mission of attracting, engaging, and retaining young professional talent in Northeast Ohio. One of our organizational objectives is commitment to team members and engrained within that is our dedication and commitment to fostering professional growth in our diverse workforce—and the partnership and connection to Engage! Cleveland helps us to expand upon that goal.” 

Actionable takeaway: If you’re an employer, think about where emerging leaders in your organization can have a voice—on committees, councils, or boards. Their insights into culture, inclusion and engagement are invaluable. 

Our First Big Win: National Interstate Insurance & Early Growth 

Our first milestone moment came when National Interstate Insurance signed on as Engage! Cleveland’s very first Employer Member organization in January 2016. That early partnership affirmed that our vision resonated with the business community and set the tone for the decade ahead. 

“We have a longstanding history with Engage! Cleveland—we were the first ever Employer Member—and to continue to support such a great cause means a lot to us.” 
— National Interstate Insurance Company 

From there, we continued to refine the program—adding benefits, listening to employer feedback and keeping the focus squarely on emerging talent. Over time, the Employer Membership program grew steadily, ultimately surpassing 100 employer members and continuing to expand. 

Today, Engage! Cleveland partners with over 115 employers across Greater Cleveland that are committed to attracting, engaging, and retaining emerging diverse talent.  

Actionable takeaway: Start small, then iterate. Our program didn’t become what it is overnight—it evolved by listening to employers and early to mid-career professionals and adjusting along the way. 

The Power of Leadership Council & Employer Membership 

The Leadership Council has become a cornerstone of how we connect the business community with emerging professionals. These representatives: 

• Serve as ambassadors for Engage! Cleveland within their organizations 

• Help plan and support events that bring early to mid-career professionals together across the region  

• Provide real-time feedback on the needs, priorities and challenges facing emerging talent today 

Their voices help shape our programs, events and initiatives so they are relevant, inclusive and impactful. And just as importantly, Leadership Council members build their own leadership skills, professional networks and civic engagement muscles in the process. Tyler Adams, Director of Development at Junior Achievement of Greater Cleveland has this to say about his time on the Leadership Council, “Leadership Council is one of those secrets that Engage! Cleveland somehow unlocked. There’s nothing like coming together as a giant group and brainstorming what the needs of YPs are — right now. What do we need as young professionals in Greater Cleveland, and how can we adopt those needs for the future? It’s so cool that Engage! Cleveland can bring us together, keep their finger on the pulse of our needs, and actually do something about it.” 

Our Employer Members see the value every day. Lisa Codispoti, Chief Operating & People Officer at The Cleveland Museum of Art and Engage! Cleveland Board Member, describes it this way: 

“It’s important to us because attracting and retaining—as well as developing—key talent in the city of Cleveland is critical for all of us. Engage! Cleveland does a great job of bringing people together, helping them network, helping them connect with one another as well as senior-level members of the community, and exposing them to the city of Cleveland and all the amazing benefits we have here.” 

And as Carina Van Vliet, former Executive Director, Cleveland Council on World Affairs, notes, this work is about the region’s future: “Having an organization in Cleveland really dedicated to making Cleveland a super cool place for young professionals—this is key to our future success, full stop!” 

Actionable takeaway: If you’re an emerging leader, look for opportunities like our Leadership Council—associate boards, young professional committees or advisory groups—to deepen your community impact while building your leadership experience. 

Looking Ahead: The Next 10 Years 

As we look to the future, our vision is clear: 

• Double our Employer Membership over the next decade—from 100+ to more than 200 member organizations 

• Continue to grow and diversify our Leadership Council, ensuring it reflects the breadth of talent across Greater Cleveland 

• Lean into the evolving world of work—remote and hybrid models, inclusive cultures, and purpose-driven careers—to keep Greater Cleveland competitive for emerging talent 

For those who have walked alongside us, the journey itself has been the most meaningful part. Ira Kaplan, Employer Member, Board Member and previous Board Chair, reflects: “My favorite moment serving as board chair for Engage! Cleveland was not really a moment—it was an evolution. As I got involved with Engage pretty early on in its formative years, watching Engage build deeper partnerships with organizations across the region to make Cleveland a real destination for young professionals has been incredibly rewarding.” 

We believe the next 10 years will bring even stronger partnerships with employers and even more ways for young professionals to see Cleveland as a place to build a career—and a life. 

Actionable takeaway: Whether you’re an employer or an emerging leader, now is the moment to get involved. The next decade of impact will be built by the organizations and individuals who choose to lean in today. 

Conclusion & Call-to-Action 

For ten years, Engage! Cleveland’s Employer Membership program and Leadership Council have been proof of what’s possible when employers and emerging leaders work together. From that very first member—National Interstate Insurance—to reaching over 100 employer members and more than 100 Leadership Council representatives, we’re incredibly proud of the community we’ve built together. 

But we’re just getting started. 

👉 Employers: Learn more about becoming an Employer Member  

👉 Emerging leaders: Explore opportunities to serve on our Leadership Council  

Here’s to the next decade of attracting, engaging and retaining emerging talent in Greater Cleveland.