Cleveland's Ceos You Should Know

Megan graduated from Marquette University with a liberal arts double major in Spanish and English and earned a minor in Philosophy. As an AFS student she attended the University of Sevilla and went on to attend the University of Madrid, Spain her junior year of college. Her continuing desire to learn about other cultures and ways of life and to delve in completely through the language lead her to serve in the Peace Corps in Thailand from 1992-1994. During her 2 ½ years of service, Megan traveled to Calcutta, India to work with Mother Teresa. Megan adds, “I have always had a desire to serve, to know and understand others of different walks, backgrounds, and cultures.  When I was young, I had a particular desire within me to give back to others and to learn from them as well.  Mother Teresa was a very big example and role model to me.  My experience observing Mother Teresa and serving the beautiful people in her homes who were either dying, diseased or sick physically and/or mentally had a major impact on my li

Nick Lopez attended Arvada West High School and left Colorado as a wide-eyed first-generation college student to work on a BS in business marketing from Michigan State University. His plan was to walk on to the wrestling team, which would ultimately pay for the cost of tuition and living. The reality was that a scholarship was a couple of years away, so Nick made the tough decision to hang up his wrestling shoes for an entrepreneurial endeavor to support the cost of his education.   At the age of 19, Nick founded his first painting LLC, and every summer thereafter he painted homes to help pay for tuition, books, and cost of living. By doing so, Nick developed a real passion and love for the craft of home improvement. In his third year as the owner of the company, the “light bulb” went off. He realized that those years of painting didn’t have to be his last, and that a future in the home improvement industry he had grown to love, made sense. From that point forward, Nick focused himself on building a business

Richard Klaben, CEO of the Klaben Auto Stores   Richard Klaben has been the CEO of the Klaben Auto Stores since 2010, but active in the business since 1974 when he began detailing cars for the founder of the business – his father, Albert Klaben Sr.  Throughout the years, Richard worked in various positions with responsibilities for every facet of the business.  The Klaben Auto Stores currently represent Ford, Lincoln, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, and Ram franchises in multiple locations in northeast Ohio with close to 300 employees.Richard is often heard saying, “titles represent responsibilities, not rank, as every team member, starting with me, is a customer service representative.”  Like his father, he remains committed to a business model recognizing customers & team members (PEOPLE) as the foundation of their success.  Richard is at work every day leading by example and adhering to the core tenets of that business model, hard work, respect, empathy, integrity, and a genuine concern for others.

The Center for Black Health & Equity is a leading nationally recognized public health entity that provides solutions to issues impacting African American health.We engage health care organizations, public health officials, faith leaders, and African American communities in health promotion and disease prevention work.Our mission is to facilitate programs and services to benefit communities and people of African descent. We do this by building community capacity, developing community infrastructure, and advocating for equity-centered policies.We are committed to addressing the social and economic injustices that have marginalized our communities and led to deep health disparities.We apply our proven framework for policy and social change to our work in tobacco control, COVID-19, HIV/AIDS, women’s health, cancer, mental health and other disparities.

Matt Jones, CPA serves as CEO of Affinity Whole Health. Founded in 2012, Affinity has assisted thousands of men and women with hormone therapy and injectable weight loss. Matt's career began in public accounting, he spent time in Fortune 500 sales and business operations. Matt is a life-long Clevelander and enjoys reading, exercise and spending time with his wife and two sons. 

Ilan Sobel has been the CEO of BioHarvest Sciences since July 2020. Ilan has brought the company’s first product, VINIA, to North America, building a direct-to-consumer machine that is now generating significant revenues. VINIA’s go-to-market success has established a template for the company’s near-term product pipeline of nutraceutical plant cell banks. In addition to commercial focus and planning, Ilan has scaled production capabilities from R+D up to industrial levels, and is building a biotech company with novel, and even patentable plant-based products that are based on science and backed by clinical trials.. Prior to BioHarvest, Ilan served for 6 years at Weissbeerger, as both Chief Operating Officer and then Chief Commercial Officer. In this capacity, Ilan played a major leadership role in building a disruptive BIG Data, IOT & Software Company servicing major Beverage players which was ultimately purchased by Anheuser Busch InBev. Previously, Ilan served an 18 year stint as an International Employ

Robin Ganzert, Ph.D., serves as president and CEO ofAmerican Humane, the country’s first national humaneorganization and the first to serve animals, whenever andwherever they are in need of rescue, shelter or protection.She is the executive producer of the acclaimed documentary,Escape from Extinction, narrated by Dame Helen Mirren, andits follow-up, Escape from Extinction Rewilding, whichfeatures narration by Oscar winner Meryl Streep. She is alsothe executive producer of the annual American HumaneHero Dog Awards which aired for ten years on HallmarkChannel and most recently aired on A&E and fyi networks.Additionally, she is the author of The Humane Table: Cooking with Compassion, MissionMetamorphosis and Animal Stars. Her next book, Escape from Extinction, is set to come out in2025. Dr. Ganzert serves on the board of Loro Parque Foundation, the Lois Pope LIFE Foundationand is a member of The Explorers Club, the Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce Trustee Program,and the International Women’s Forum. She has be

Richard F. Trice Jr., R.Ph., MBA  President  Glenbeigh Hospital & Outpatient Centers   Rick Trice is the President of Glenbeigh Hospital, part of the ARMC Health System. Before joining the ACMC Healthcare System in 2017, Rick served as Pharmacy Manager at University Hospital Health System Geneva Medical Center and Conneaut Medical Center. With 19 years of experience in managing clinical and non-clinical departments, Rick’s leadership was integral to the University Hospital System. Graduating from Ohio Northern University with a BS in Pharmacy, Rick owned and operated two pharmacies in Madison, Ohio. He transitioned to the acute care setting in the late 1990s, eventually earning an MBA in healthcare from Baldwin Wallace University

David has been a banking leader in Northeast Ohio since 2011, as part of a career that includes more than three decades of banking experience nationally, focused on corporate and commercial banking. Cleveland is his home, and he enjoys supporting his city and finding success for his company all at the same time.David is the first regional president for First Financial in Northeast Ohio. In his first year after being named to the position in 2023, he quickly added $100 million in investment in Northeast Ohio through his clients.He considers his biggest win in business to have come from finding a path to success as the first employee hired in a new market, which he has done twice now, most recently with First Financial Bank. He holds his MBA, specializing in finance and marketing, from Case Western Reserve University, and a bachelor’s degree in finance from Miami University. David also holds FINRA investment banking licenses.David is a proud of his local connections and volunteers his time to improve the commun

With over a decade of pioneering work at Heirloom Traditions Paint and my current leadership role as CEO of CamCoat, I bring a wealth of experience in product development and the creative direction of our products.My core competencies lie in transforming spaces with a keen eye for color, interior design aesthetic, furniture placement and kitchen & bath design.At CamCoat/Heirloom Traditions, our mission is to deliver sustainable coating solutions that aligns with my dedication to innovation and excellence in the realm of home aesthetics and paint & coatings.By leveraging my background in design, we aim to make a positive environmental impact while enhancing the beauty and functionality of our customers living spaces using our innovative paint products.

Founder, CEO and Chairman of the Board Matt Calkins is Appian's founder, CEO, and Chairman of the Board. Matt grew Appian from a startup in his basement to the most successful software IPO of 2017 with only $10 million of outside capital. He serves on the board of the Sorensen Institute and sits on the Leadership Council for the Virginia Public Access Project. Matt was the top Economics graduate of his class at Dartmouth. He is the author of several award-winning board games, and is frequently a top finisher at the World Boardgaming Championships.

Craig has worked in the arts in the United Kingdom, Australia and now, the United States. Hiscurrent role is in Cleveland, Ohio as the President & CEO of Playhouse Square, a uniquecollection of 12 venues presenting an impressive season of performances and concerts as wellas hosting eight resident companies.Craig was previously in London as CEO of the Royal Albert Hall, one of the world’s most wellknown and busiest performance venues.Prior to this, he was CEO of Opera Australia, the country’s largest performing arts organization.Craig also worked in London for nine years as CEO of English National Ballet; COO ofRaymond Gubbay Ltd, a commercial promoter of classical music; and also consulted to theLondon 2012 Olympic Games on cultural presentations.Before leaving Australia, Craig was Deputy General Manager of Sydney Theatre Company, andworked with the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games as General Manager of Image, Special Eventsand Olympic Arts Festivals - a role that involved the development and delivery of acompre

Erika L. Anthony, a native New Yorker, is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Cleveland VOTES. Cleveland VOTES is a nonpartisan, democracy-building movement that works to reconstruct and strengthen power through active participation of our collective partners. Erika has held executive and senior positions with the Ohio Transformation Fund, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, and Oriana House, Inc. She also serves on a number of boards and commissions in Cleveland. Erika holds a B.S. in Psychology from The Pennsylvania State University and a Masters of Public Administration from the Maxine G. Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University.

The Cuyahoga County Veterans Service Commission understands the issues today’s veterans are facing. Most of the staff is comprised of veterans dedicated to serving their fellow veterans and their families. 

Dr. Amber C. Gibbs joined Cuyahoga DD in 2008 and served in a variety of supervisory and leadership roles, most recently as Chief Administrative Services Officer, before becoming Superintendent and CEO in 2023. Her notable accomplishments include leading a major effort to eliminate the waiting list in Cuyahoga County and to find ways to serve the needs of all 13,000 county residents with developmental disabilities and their families; overseeing several key service departments, a staff of 300 and budgets of more than $40 million; and building a culture of service excellence throughout the organization. A leader at the state level with the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities and other county boards, Gibbs was recognized in 2018 with the Ohio Association of County Board’s Partners in Excellence Award for her groundbreaking work to eliminate the statewide Medicaid waiting list. Gibbs holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Wittenberg University, a master’s degree in social science and psychology fr

Dr. Warren Morgan is Chief Executive Officer for Cleveland Metropolitan School District where he leads one of the largest school systems in Ohio. As an experienced educator, Dr. Morgan recognizes the potential of every child and advocates for equity and excellence. He previously served as Chief Academic Officer in Indianapolis, as Executive Director for Teach for America, as a Network Leader of Cleveland's investment turnaround schools, as a high school principal in Chicago Public Schools, science teacher in St. Louis where he was awarded Outstanding Teacher, and he began his career with the Illinois Senate.Dr. Morgan also had the pleasure of working for both Presidents Obama and Trump as a prestigious White House Fellow. He currently serves on the Board of the White House Fellows Foundation Association.Dr. Morgan holds a Bachelor's from Butler University, where he served as student body president; a Master’s from the University of Missouri- St. Louis; and a Doctorate from the University of Illinois–Chicago.

Travis Nelson is the CEO of Diversified Fall Protection, the largest turnkey fall protection integrator in the U.S. for regulatory-driven systems and services. Nelson is a distinguished leader and influencer in the fall protection industry and brings over 20 years of industry experience to the position.Nelson's journey with DFP began in 2019, initially as Vice President of Engineering and later as Vice President of Strategy. His tenure at DFP commenced after the acquisition of PEAK Fall Protection, where Nelson served as managing partner and president for nearly 12 years.A trusted industry leader since 1994, Diversified Fall Protection (DFP) specializes in the design, fabrication and installation of complete fall protection solutions that keep workers safe from falls, one of the most common causes of workplace injury and fatality. The company minimizes customer liability and protects employees through a comprehensive system of OSHA-compliant fall protection solutions, education programs and an in-house engine

Presented by Cleveland, Ohio-based, non-profit organization, Values-in-Action Foundation, the Kindland movement is bringing together communities, businesses, organizations, and schools by recognizing and sharing the acts of kindness around us in an effort to inspire a ground swell of positivity and goodness.Kindland relies on the power of the people to do, recognize, report, and share the acts of kindness happening everyday. ​The goal is to create a communities that can sustain a unified sense of kindness, compassion, empathy and understanding. These values are the foundation we need for our community to have the strength to find solutions to our most prominent issues including poverty, social justice, racism, and political polarization.Stuart Muszynski is the co-founder, President and CEO of Values-in-Action Foundation. He has been a business and community leader in Greater Cleveland for more than 25 years. He co-founded Project Love, Remember the Children Foundation, with his wife, Susan Muszynski, Ph.D. in

   1978 the Waterproofing company where DiCello worked folded on a Friday afternoon. DiCello's over-the-weekend scramble prompted a new business venture: Ohio State Waterproofing. With a shoestring budget, a basement waterproofing system that would prove to be years ahead of its time, and dogged determination to make the home services company succeed, DiCello was well on his way to building the industry-leading provider of basement waterproofing services.Early on, the Company's vision was week to week, with the main objective to generate enough revenue to make payroll for its three employees. Fourty-six years later, DiCello has grown the Company, establishing Ohio State Waterproofing as the number-one provider of waterproofing services in Northeastern Ohio, and operating 13 EverDry Waterproofing franchises throughout the United States.To date, the Company has installed more than 100,000 successful waterproofing and foundation repair systems.In an industry laden with fly-by-night contractors, Ohio State Waterp

Cliff A. Megerian, MD, is Chief Executive Officer of University Hospitals (UH), a comprehensive health system with annual revenues of $6 billion, 21 hospitals (including 5 joint ventures), more than 50 health centers and outpatient facilities, and over 200 physician offices located throughout 16 counties. He assumed this position in February 2021 and joined UH in 2002. He is also the Jane and Henry Meyer Chief Executive Officer Distinguished Chair.In December 2019, Dr. Megerian was appointed the system’s President, where he led the organization through an unprecedented pandemic. Prior to that, he served as President, University Hospitals Physician Network, Physician Services and System Institutes. In these positions, he was charged with managing the clinical integration strategies, policies and practice guidelines for more than 2,500 UH employed physicians as well as the operations and infrastructure for UH system institutes. These clinical care institutes bring highly trained subspecialists together from mul