Hough Community Development | Cleveland Neighborhood Series (3/3)

Basheer Jones

Councilman

Cleveland - Ward 7

https://www.linkedin.com/in/basheer-jones-16359211/

Ward 7 Councilman Basheer Jones was elected in November 2017, becoming the city’s first Muslim council representative. He represents an area which includes the historic Hough district, as well as the St. Clair-Superior, Midtown and Asia Town neighborhoods.

Councilman Jones serves on four council committees – Development Planning & Sustainability, Health, Safety and Workforce & Community Benefits.

Councilman Jones, 33, was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and moved to Cleveland with his family when he was a child. He graduated Cum Laude in 2006 from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga., earning a degree in African-American studies.

Councilman Jones has been recognized nationally for his grass-roots activism relating to issues of social justice and empowering those who are left out of the American Dream. During the 2008 presidential election, Councilman Jones hosted rallies in Cleveland for Barack Obama and organized a youth voter registration drive in the city.

He has received various awards for his work, including the “Emerging Leader” award from U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge and the Urban League’s “Distinguished Men” award. Councilman Jones is a member of the NAACP and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.

Councilman Jones was the youngest news talk radio show host when he was on "Basheer Jones and Company" on WERE AM/1490 News Talk Radio and Street Soldiers on WENZ FM/107.9 until 2010. He has also been a guest correspondent on CNN, MSNBC, and CSPAN.

He also authored a book, entitled, “I’ll Speak for Change.” And Councilman Jones is the creator of the Be the Change Leadership Series, in which he holds leadership and character development workshops within various school systems throughout the state of Ohio. (https://clevelandcitycouncil.org/ward-7)

Joyce Huang

Vice President of Community Development

MidTown Cleveland, Inc,

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jopan/

Joyce Pan Huang is the Vice President of Community Development at MidTown Cleveland, Inc., a 501(c)(3) economic and community development organization that serves the area between Downtown Cleveland and University Circle. In her role with MidTown, she is responsible for overseeing the urban planning, community development, placemaking and placekeeping efforts in the neighborhood. Joyce holds a Master of Urban Planning, Design and Development from Cleveland State University’s Levin College of Urban Affairs and a B.S. in Sociology with a minor in Program in the Environment from the University of Michigan. Joyce is a Taiwanese American transplant, born in the Rochester, NY area. In addition to the Cleveland Asian Festival Executive Committee, she sits on the Executive Committee of Building Hope in the City, the Advisory Board of the Ariel Economic Development Fund CDFI, and the City of Cleveland’s East Region Design Review Advisory Committee.

Joyce is the recipient of the YWCA’s Distinguished Young Woman Award in 2019 and the AICP Outstanding Planning Student award in 2017. (clevelandasianfestival.org)

Greg Deegan

Director of Community Education

University Circle Inc.

Greg Deegan is the Community Education director for University Circle, Inc.  He is the owner of Cleveland Landmarks Press, Inc. and an author or co-author of four books on Cleveland history.  He founded and serves as the executive director of Teaching Cleveland, a nonprofit which provides professional development for area teachers to integrate Cleveland-centered curricula into their work.  Before UCI, Greg taught social studies at Beachwood High School for 21 years.  As a teacher, he earned a Fulbright award to teach in Hungary, earned National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification, and was named Sam's Club Teacher of the Year.