CEO Napoli also announces three promotions, additional hire
Kenneth L. ("Ken") Surratt is joining United Way of Greater Cleveland as its new vice president of Community Investment and Chief Investment Officer. His first day will be next Monday, October 18, 2021.
"Ken is an incredibly accomplished, forward-thinking and highly-respected strategist, and the right leader at the right time to carry forward United Way of Greater Cleveland's important Community Investment vision and work,” said August A. Napoli, United Way’s president and CEO, in a statement announcing Surratt’s appointment.
“Ken will continue to advance the progress we have already made to confront poverty at its core through short- and long-term solutions designed to upend its generational grasp on so many within our community”, Napoli said, citing Surratt’s more than 25 years of experience working across government, nonprofit and for-profit organizations.
In his new role, Surratt will oversee all the organization's Economic Mobility, Housing Stability and Health Pathways programs under the Community Hub for Basic Needs and the Impact Institute, United Way’s 211, and special projects, allocations, and grants management. While the Community Hub addresses basic needs, including food and shelter, the Impact Institute focuses on the root causes that drive and keep families and individuals in poverty, such as racism and child abuse, creating solutions for tomorrow.
Under Napoli’s leadership, United Way has acknowledged the connection between the root causes and dire circumstances; it began a few years ago to shift its focus towards the causes of poverty even as it maintains a focus on immediate help.
Surratt most recently served as the outreach manager in the community development department of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, where he managed the development and execution of the department's regional outreach and engagement strategy across the Bank's four-state district. He also held a leadership role in Fed’s systemwide effort to include racial equity in community development work and support of economic inclusion efforts.
Prior to the Cleveland Fed, Surratt’s resume also includes service as Cuyahoga County's deputy director of Housing and Community Development, where he led the effort to create the county's first housing plan, which resulted in a $30 million program focused on creating and maintaining affordable housing. As deputy director, he also served on the Board of the County Land Bank and the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission. He is also a former CFO of the Breakthrough network of Cleveland-area charter schools.
The Cleveland native received his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and earned his MBA from Duke University.
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Along with Surratt’s appointment, Napoli also announced the following promotions and an additional new hire within the Community Investment team, with all reporting to Surratt:
- Danielle Crawford, to director of Evaluation and Learning. She joined United Way in 2019 as a program manager.
- Jennifer Kons, to director of Health Initiatives, responsible for oversight of investment strategies and programs designed to help address health inequities. Kons joined United Way in 2017 as a program manager.
- Renée Timberlake, to director of Economic Mobility, responsible for oversight of education and job-training investment strategies and programs, including Cleveland Scholar House (in partnership with CHN Housing Partners). Timberlake joined United Way this month.
- Julie Wisneski, to director of Housing Stability, is responsible for oversight of housing investment strategies and stability programs including Right to Counsel and Free Eviction Help (in partnership with The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland). She joined United Way in 2020 as a program manager.
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