Staff Leadership
Sharon Sobol Jordan, President & CEO
Sharon has served in top leadership, strategy, business, and advisory roles in a wide-ranging career that has crossed sectors, disciplines, and boundaries. Before her appointment as the first woman to lead the United Way of Greater Cleveland as President & CEO, she was Founder & CEO of OpenSpace Solutions LLC where she served as a hands-on strategic partner and advisor helping transformational leaders reimagine what’s possible. As part of this array of customized services, Sharon served as Interim CEO of DigitalC, a nonprofit digital equity tech startup.
She previously served as President and Board member of Unify Labs, a nonprofit tech innovation lab with the mission of powering inclusive prosperity, after serving as Chief of Staff for Cuyahoga County where she drove key strategic initiatives including early childhood education expansion, workforce systems transformation, the first unified strategic plan, and formation of the first Innovation Office. Sharon was the first woman to serve as President & CEO of The Centers for Families and Children, one of Ohio’s oldest and largest non-profit human service corporations, which tripled in size and reach under her leadership to employ over 550 and serve more than 25,000 people each year. She was appointed to lead The Centers after serving as its Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel.
Sharon joined The Centers after an impactful public service career with the City of Cleveland as Director of Law and Special Counsel to the Mayor. She played a key role in many critical issues facing the City including the effort to keep the Cleveland Browns team, name and colors in Cleveland; protecting the community from the adverse impacts of the acquisition of Conrail by Norfolk Southern and CSX railroads; and the dispute over development of the Chagrin Highlands. Prior to that, Sharon entered the professional services field by way of the Cleveland law firm now known as Schneider Smeltz Spieth Bell where she became a partner.
Sharon serves on several boards including Bruening Foundation, City Club of Cleveland, Cleveland Clinic – South Pointe Hospital, Cleveland Jewish News, Cleveland Transformation Alliance, and PolicyBridge. She is a member of In Counsel with Women and the Leadership Cleveland Class of 2003. She is a Leader-in-Residence at the Cleveland State University College of Law where she co-teaches a leadership course with Dean Lee Fisher. Jordan is honored to have received various recognitions of her work, including the Smart 50 leaders in Northeast Ohio, Nortech’s Innovative Leader of the Year, EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalist, Crain’s Woman of Note, and YWCA Woman of Achievement awards.
She received her J.D. and M.B.A. from The Ohio State University, and her B.S. in public administration and management from Indiana University in Bloomington. Sharon is married to attorney David Wallace, a partner with Taft Stettinius & Hollister. They have three children.
Mike Beedles, Chief Financial Officer
Mike brings over two decades of financial leadership and a deep passion for community impact. A Cleveland native, Mike’s firsthand understanding of the challenges and opportunities within the city fuels his commitment to building financial strategies that drive lasting change. His expertise in financial operations, strategic planning, and nonprofit leadership ensures that United Way’s resources are maximized for community impact.
Mike is dedicated to service and believes in the power of economic opportunity to transform lives. He is proud to help lead this work in his hometown.
Ken Surratt, Chief Development and Investment Officer
Ken started his career in the private sector, but decided his passion lay in creating opportunities for people of all backgrounds to pursue their dreams. He has realized that goal at United Way, where he works to align revenue generation, community investments, and public policy to increase impact in the community.
Ken values United Way’s unique ability to harness innovation, collaboration, and evaluation to create better outcomes for Greater Clevelanders. He plays a key role in identifying potential new solutions for systemic barriers, and is skilled at bringing together diverse stakeholders around a common mission: improving lives in our community.
Toi Comer, Vice President, Resource Development
With roots in the inner city, where she received support from a strong village, Toi is motivated to help create opportunities for better tomorrows for others. She is inspired by United Way’s approach of assisting those in crisis while also collaborating on solutions to systemic barriers.
Toi brings diverse leadership experience in resource development, strategic planning, community relations, stakeholder and team management, and equity to her role at United Way. In addition to generating revenue, Toi is focused on increasing staff efficiency by building a trusting and collaborative workplace.
Jenn Kons, Vice President, Community Impact
Jenn has always been driven by a commitment to equity and a belief that systems can support more just communities. Her career has focused on aligning social services and policy to better serve under-resourced populations, from immigrant integration in Illinois to community health programming in Cleveland. At United Way, she finds purpose in helping align complex systems to better serve individuals and families to thrive.
She recently led the organization’s strategic planning process and played a key role in developing a more focused, impactful community investment strategy—efforts that are helping United Way drive meaningful change for Greater Clevelanders.
Michael Brown, Senior Director, Human Resources
Giving back to the community has always been a career focus for Michael, who came to United Way from the public sector. He takes a strategic approach that integrates people management with the organization’s strategic plan, ensuring that HR initiatives contribute to business success and sustainability. A people person, he engages staff in building a supportive internal culture and implementing policies that support their work.
Michael is continually learning from his peers through his involvement with professional HR organizations, and was named a Who’s Who in Black Cleveland recipient in 2022.
Ruth Dobranic, Senior Director, Finance
Ruth brings decades of financial experience to her work managing United Way’s accounting. As someone who grew up in poverty, she is inspired and motivated by United Way’s mission to improve lives and create community impact at scale.
Ruth knows that financial transparency and accountability are the foundation of an effective nonprofit, and she has been instrumental in updating United Way’s accounting systems to maximize their accuracy and flexibility.
Maryam Kiefer, Senior Director, Information Technology
With broad experience in IT across sectors, Charles brings a practical, solutions-oriented approach to his role at United Way. He ensures that United Way’s work is supported by a reliable and secure technology infrastructure.
Since joining the organization in 2015, Charles has led efforts to modernize systems, strengthen cybersecurity safeguards, and optimize data workflows, ensuring that staff and community partners can focus their energy on impact rather than technical hurdles.
Jane Furth, Senior Director, Principal & Leadership Giving
A career fundraiser, Jane brings 25 years of experience managing campaigns and soliciting major gifts to her role of stewarding leadership donors for United Way. Jane is a relationship builder who believes in helping others, and she is passionate about educating donors on how they can impact our region.
Jane knows that major gifts are key to ensuring the future of United Way, and is working to nurture current relationships, establish new connections, and implement a feasibility study to identify ways to increase our donor pool.
Maryam Kiefer, Senior Director, Public Policy & Advocacy
Maryam is driven by the belief that smart public policy can improve lives. With over a decade of government relations experience, Maryam uses her previous work experiences as a social worker to advocate for public safety net reform. From advancing Medicaid and food policy, to improving access to behavioral health services, she’s experienced at connecting the ways policies impact an individual, organization, and community’s everyday realities.
As Senior Director of Policy & Advocacy, Maryam ensures United Way’s advocacy is aligned with the needs of ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) households—working families struggling to make ends meet. Through her advocacy for statewide 211 access, tax policies that support working families, and expanded access to childcare and other employment supports, she is helping shape policies that better serve Greater Clevelanders.
Margaret Koehler, Senior Director, Executive Administration
Margaret has worn many hats in her time at United Way, including leading marketing for Resource Development, Community Investments, and Executive Office projects and planning annual meetings. She brings her deep knowledge of Greater Cleveland and passion for giving back to others to her current role as liaison with the Board of Directors.
Margaret excels at building trusted relationships around a common cause, providing integral support to staff and Board members as they work together to fulfill United Way’s mission.
Board of Directors
Board Leadership
Vanessa L. Whiting, Esq.
Board Chair
AES Management Corp.
Paul J. Dolan
Immediate Past Chair Cleveland Guardians
Ira C. Kaplan
Chair Elect
Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP
James A. Ratner
Vice Chair
RMS Investment Group
Andrew J. “Randy” Paine III
Vice Chair
Key Institutional Bank
Susan D. Krantz
Treasurer and Chair, Finance Committee
Zinner & Company LLP
Sonali B. Wilson, Esq.
Secretary
Cleveland State University
Kip T. Bollin
Chair, Resource Development Committee
Thompson Hine, LLP
Keith J. Libman
Chair, Investment Committee
Bober Markey Fedorovich & Co.
Kevin Martin
Chair, Marketing & Brand Strategy Committee
Ideastream
Kim Meisel Pesses
Chair, Community Investment Committee
Carnegie Companies, Inc.
Enid B. Rosenberg
Chair, Governance and Nominating Committee
Community Volunteer
Taras G. Szmagala Jr.
Chair, Public Policy
TGS Advisory
Jeffrey D. Zimon
Chair, Human Resources Committee
Zimon LLC
Sharon Sobol Jordan
President & CEO
United Way of Greater Cleveland
Directors
Chris Adams
Park Place Technologies
Harriet Applegate
North Shore Federation of Labor AFL-CIO (retired)
Dr. Michael A. Baston
Cuyahoga Community College
Edward J. Bell
Gries Financial Partners
Cipriano Beredo
Squire Patton Boggs
Emily Campbell
The Center for Community Solutions
Fiona Chambers
Deloitte
Jenice Contreras
Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development
Colleen Cotter
Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
Miranda Creel
PNC
Lucy Clark Dougherty
Eaton
Bill Fagan
Cleveland Cavaliers
David C. Fulton Jr.
Clearstead Advisors, LLC
Jerome P. Grisko, Jr.
CBIZ, Inc.
Dee Bagwell Haslam
Cleveland Browns
Stephen Hoffman
Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation
Erik Janas
Cuyahoga County
Steffany Larkins
Unison Risk Advisors
Cecil J. Lipscomb
United Black Fund of Greater Cleveland
Melissa Maki
Middlefield Bank
Mark Meder
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
Calder Mellino
The Mellino Law Firm
Tomislav Mihaljevic, MD
Cleveland Clinic
Dr. Warren Morgan
Cleveland Metropolitan School District
Jim Mullen
Catholic Charities
Shari Obrenski
Cleveland Teachers Union
Ken Outcalt
The NPR Group
Jeffery K. Patterson
Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority
Brian Pearson
North Shore Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO
Ryan M. Puente
City of Cleveland
Brian J. Richardson
Austin Powder
Erika Rudin-Luria
Jewish Federation of Cleveland
Paulo Ruiz
Eaton
George A. Sample
Blue Streak Consultants
Jasmin Santana
Cleveland City Council
India L. Birdsong Terry
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
Felton Thomas Jr.
Cleveland Public Library
Daniel Walsh
Citymark Capital
Lorna Wisham
First Energy
Directors
Chris Adams
Park Place Technologies
Harriet Applegate
North Shore Federation of Labor AFL-CIO (retired)
Dr. Michael A. Baston
Cuyahoga Community College
Edward J. Bell
Gries Financial Partners
Cipriano Beredo
Squire Patton Boggs
Emily Campbell
The Center for Community Solutions
Fiona Chambers
Deloitte
Jenice Contreras
Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development
Colleen Cotter
Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
Miranda Creel
PNC
Lucy Clark Dougherty
Eaton
Bill Fagan
Cleveland Cavaliers
David C. Fulton Jr.
Clearstead Advisors, LLC
Jerome P. Grisko, Jr.
CBIZ, Inc.
Dee Bagwell Haslam
Cleveland Browns
Stephen Hoffman
Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation
Erik Janas
Cuyahoga County
Steffany Larkins
Unison Risk Advisors
Cecil J. Lipscomb
United Black Fund of Greater Cleveland
Melissa Maki
Middlefield Bank
Mark Meder
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
Calder Mellino
The Mellino Law Firm
Tomislav Mihaljevic, MD
Cleveland Clinic
Dr. Warren Morgan
Cleveland Metropolitan School District
Jim Mullen
Catholic Charities
Shari Obrenski
Cleveland Teachers Union
Ken Outcalt
The NRP Group
Jeffery K. Patterson
Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority
Brian Pearson
North Shore Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO
Ryan M. Puente
City of Cleveland
Monte Repasky
EY
Brian J. Richardson
Austin Powder
Erika Rudin-Luria
Jewish Federation of Cleveland
Paulo Ruiz
Eaton
George A. Sample
Blue Streak Consultants
Jasmin Santana
Cleveland City Council
India L. Birdsong Terry
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
Felton Thomas Jr.
Cleveland Public Library
Daniel Walsh
Citymark Capital
Lorna Wisham
First Energy
Life Directors
Thomas W. Adler
Playhouse Square Real Estate Services
Richard J. Buoncore
MAI Capital Management
Marc S. Byrnes
Oswald Companies
Paul Clark
PNC Bank (Retired)
Alexander M. “Sandy” Cutler
Eaton Corporation (Retired)
Terrance C.Z. Egger
The Plain Dealer (Retired)
Robert W. Gillespie Jr. *
KeyCorp (Retired)
Henry J. Goodman *
H. Goodman Inc.
Alex Machaskee
Alex Machaskee & Associates, L.L.C.
Morton L. Mandel *
Parkwood Corporation
Henry L. Meyer III *
KeyCorp
Sandra Pianalto
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland (Retired)
Richard W. Pogue, Esq.
Jones Day
Robert S. Reitman
Riverbend Advisors
William R. Robertson
Kirkland Capital
Cheryle A. Wills-Matthews *
JALAD Group
Emeritus Directors
William E. Butler
Julien L. McCall *
* Deceased
Geauga County Advisory Board
Melissa Maki
Board Chair
Middlefield Bank
Sonya Kaser
Resource Development Chair
Maverick Environmental Equipment
Amjad Khoury
Community Impact Chair
Capol LLC
Dawn Farrell
Geauga Metropolitan Housing Authority
Cheryl Kuonen
Mentor Public Library
Nancy Santilli
ESC of the Western Reserve
Lee Schloss
Kokosing Materials, Inc.
Trey Simpson
Great Lakes Cheese Co.
Joseph Zulandt
Ten10 Designs
