The Transformative Power of Civil Dialogue

Pernel Jones, Jr.

Councilman

Cuyahoga County Council District 8

Pernel Jones, Jr., is a lifelong resident of Cuyahoga County. He was elected to a two year term as Vice-President beginning in 2015. In 2021, Mr. Jones was unanimously  elected as President and served in that role until 2025.

Mr. Jones endeavors to promote trust and confidence in County government  through effective and accountable leadership. As a member of the Council, among  his goals are job retention and the creation of new jobs throughout the county. Mr. Jones intends to maintain government’s moral and legal obligations and  responsibilities to provide the best social service delivery for our children, seniors,  and others in need.

He attended the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute in 1986, and received a Bachelor of  Science from the University of Maryland in 1991 Currently, Mr. Jones is the Director of Community Relations for the Pernel Jones and  Sons Funeral Home. He has been a Licensed Funeral Director since 1992 and he and he married his wife Tammy in 1998.

Jasmin Santana

Councilwoman

Cleveland City Council - Ward 14

Ward 14 Councilwoman Jasmin Santana made history as the first Latina ever elected to Cleveland City  Council. She represents the Clark-Fulton, Brooklyn Centre and Stockyards neighborhoods, along with a  portion of Tremont. Councilwoman Santana serves on multiple council committees and is Council’s representative to the  City’s Community Relations Board. She also holds the leadership role of Majority Leader, serving  alongside Council President Blaine A. Griffin. Beyond Council, she recently joined the United Way of  Greater Cleveland’s Board of Directors, serves on the Say Yes Cleveland Operating Committee, and was  appointed to the Cuyahoga County Women’s Health Commission. 

Since her first day in office, Councilwoman Santana has remained deeply engaged in Ward 14, which is  48 percent Latino. She launched an affordable housing initiative; secured funding to rehabilitate and  repurpose century-old industrial buildings. She is building on the momentum created in the Ward with  the Pivot Art Center, CentroVilla25, Northern Ohio Blanket Mills, the Cleveland West Veterans Housing  development adjacent to the now demolished former box company, and the renovation of St. Michael's  School. With these upgrades, all five local parks in Ward 14 will have experienced significant improvements over  the past eight years—and more work is ahead. As a community centered around families, Councilwoman  Santana remains committed to expanding parks and green spaces, while also prioritizing infrastructure  improvements along Storer Avenue. She is also proud to co-sponsor legislation limiting the number of  smoke shops in local neighborhoods. While she strongly supports small businesses, she believes  communities thrive when they attract establishments that uplift and strengthen the area. This legislation  helps maintain safe, family-friendly neighborhoods. 

Before taking office, Councilwoman Santana worked as an outreach coordinator for the nonprofit  Hispanic Alliance, focusing on public safety, lead abatement, and a range of social issues. She also  worked at MetroHealth Medical Center, promoting health and nutrition education within the Hispanic  community. While at MetroHealth, she helped establish Northeast Ohio’s first grassroots Latina breast  cancer education program. 

She is a founding member of SEEDS—Support, Engage, Empower, Develop, and Sustain—a women’s  empowerment and leadership initiative. Her civic leadership has been widely recognized, including  multiple features in Crain’s Cleveland Business for her activism and community impact. Councilwoman Santana has served as a trustee for several social service organizations, including the  Northeast Ohio Association for Hispanic Health and the May Dugan Community Center. A graduate of Max Hayes Vocational School, she has pursued studies in nonprofit administration and  public health through a dual program at Cuyahoga Community College and Cleveland State University. She lives in the Jones Home Historic Neighborhood in Ward 14, which she has represented since 2018.

Jack Schron, Jr.

Former Councilman

Cuyahoga County District 6

Jack H. Schron, Jr. is a native of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and has been married to Mary Ellen Schron for fifty-five years. He is the father of three children and grandfather of eight. He served as President of Jergens, Inc. and is the co-founder and former President of Tooling University LLC, a global leader in online manufacturing education.

Mr. Schron holds a Bachelor of Science from Florida Southern College and a Juris Doctor from Ohio Northern University, and is licensed to practice law in Ohio, Florida, and before the United States Court of Military Appeals. He served in the United States Army, including active duty in the Infantry and Judge Advocate General’s Corps, and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel after twenty-eight years in the Army Reserve.

He served on the Cuyahoga County Council from 2010 to 2020, including as Chairman of the Economic Development Committee, and previously spent twelve years on the Chagrin Falls Board of Education. His extensive civic and business leadership has been recognized with numerous honors, including induction into the Cleveland Business Hall of Fame and multiple regional and national leadership awards.

Julian Rogers

Associate Vice President, Office of Government and Community Relations

Case Western Reserve University

Julian Rogers serves as the Associate Vice President of Local Government and Community Relations for Case Western Reserve University. Prior to this, he served as the Director of Community Partnerships with Cleveland State University. Before joining Cleveland State, he was a member of the inaugural Cuyahoga County Council, where he represented District 10, which included parts of the city of Cleveland and several east side suburbs. Prior to being elected to County Council, Julian served as the Executive Director of Education Voters of Ohio, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving public education. Julian began his career in education as an administrator for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, where he served as Senior Assistant to the CEO and Liaison to the Office of the Mayor.  He has a degree in Political Science from Ohio University and a Master’s in Nonprofit Management from Case Western Reserve.

He has previously served as a Trustee on the public sector boards of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, The Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District and the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA). He has also served on the boards of Arts Cleveland, the Center for Arts Inspired Learning, Reaching Heights, the Fund for Our Economic Future and currently serves on the boards of MidTown Cleveland, University Circle, Inc. and Land Studio.  Julian has been inducted into Kaleidoscope Magazine’s 40/40 Club, was awarded the Emerging Leader Award from the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus and has earned the Friend of Education award from the Ohio Federation of Teachers.

Julian lives in Cleveland Heights with his wife Meran and children Simone and Harrison.