Cleveland Foundation’s sixth biennial African American Philanthropy Summit will go virtual May 30

Featured speaker is award-winning activist, author and business leader Valeisha Butterfield Jones

Release Date: 5.20.2020

CLEVELAND – The sixth biennial African American Philanthropy Summit, presented by the African American Philanthropy Committee of the Cleveland Foundation, is going virtual and will take place Saturday, May 30, from 1-3 p.m. This year’s Summit, “2020 Vision: Disrupting the Cultural Landscape Through Philanthropy,” will highlight philanthropy in our community and focus on how together we can raise the visibility of those who have the passion and drive to create meaningful change. Sponsors for this year’s Summit include: First Energy Foundation, KeyBank, Dominion Energy, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, JumpStart Inc., Hoover Milstein, Thompson Hine, Cuyahoga Community College, Association of Fundraising Professionals, CLE Consulting Firm, Dr. Doris Evans, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and The Sherwin-Williams Company. 

Valeisha Butterfield Jones

The 2020 African American Philanthropy Summit keynote will be delivered by Valeisha Butterfield Jones, business leader and co-founder and CEO of WEEN (Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network). Butterfield Jones will discuss how strategic giving can be a compass for transformational change during uncertain times.

Butterfield Jones’s career started at HBO Sports and has spanned for two decades with proven community impact at the intersections of technology, politics and entertainment. An award-winning activist, author and executive, Butterfield Jones formerly served as the National Youth Vote Director for President Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign, in the Obama Administration as the Deputy Director of Public Affairs for the International Trade Administration, as the Executive Director of Rush Communications and as the National Director of Diversity and Inclusion for the Alzheimer’s Association.

The Clark Atlanta University graduate has been recognized for her work by Forbes Magazine, Elle Magazine’s Top 10 Women to Watch, Essence Magazine’s Top 40 under 40, Ebony Magazine’s Power 100, TheRoot100, Glamour Magazine and others. Butterfield Jones is the host of the podcast “Off the Record with Valeisha” and the author of the highly acclaimed book “The Girlprint,” a career mentorship guide for young women.

The African American Philanthropy Committee was created as an advisory committee of the Cleveland Foundation in 1993 under the leadership of former Cleveland Foundation Executive Director and President Steven A. Minter, and has served as a national model in community engagement. The committee launched the Summit in 2010 as a signature event to engage the African American community around charitable giving and to honor African American philanthropists in the region. The Committee also maintains a legacy fund at the Cleveland Foundation that supports a variety of nonprofit organizations within the African American community, helping to advance their missions and support key initiatives.

Honorary co-chairs for this year’s Summit are:

  • Lonnie Coleman, President, Coleman Spohn Corporation
  • Donté Gibbs, MSSA, Manager of Community Outreach, The Cleveland Museum of Natural History
  • Don Graves Jr., Head of Corporate Responsibility & Community Relations, KeyBank
  • Alex Johnson, Ph.D., President, Cuyahoga Community College
  • Connie Hill-Johnson, Owner & Managing Director, Visiting Angels Living Assistance Services
    Member, Cleveland Foundation Board of Directors
  • LaRese Purnell, Managing Partner, CLE Consulting Firm
  • Margaret Larkins-Pettigrew, M.D., Associate Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology
    Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, University Hospitals
  • Ronald B. Richard, President & CEO, Cleveland Foundation

The virtual Summit is free. Donations are encouraged to the African American Philanthropy Committee Legacy Fund, which supports the work of charitable organizations serving Greater Cleveland’s African American community. Proceeds from this event will be distributed by the committee to nonprofit organizations whose work is vital to helping those most impacted recover from effects of the current pandemic.

Register by Friday, May 29, via bit.ly/AAPCVirtual, and find more details at www.ClevelandFoundation.org/AAPC. A link to the Zoom presentation will be distributed by email prior to the event.

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