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Building Operations and Guest Services

Leslie A. Dunford

Leslie A. DunfordBuilding Operations and Guest Services

Vice President for Building Operations and Guest Services

216.615.7152 |

Executive Coordinator: Emma Mobert, 216.615.7141

Leslie Dunford manages the foundation's facilities, office services, and risk-management programs, and serves as the executive director of East 66th Street Services, Inc., an affiliate of the Cleveland Foundation that provides support services to the foundation’s resident-led, community-building program.

From 1997 through 2014, Leslie also served as the foundation's corporate secretary and liaison to its board of directors and legal counsel, advising on matters of regulatory compliance and governance. Leslie was a key member of the leadership team that designed and implemented many of the Cleveland Foundation’s centennial projects in 2014.

A graduate of Cleveland Bridge Builders and Leadership Cleveland, Leslie is a past board chairperson of the statewide philanthropy-serving organization Philanthropy Ohio, and a former trustee and officer of both Vocational Guidance Services and the Cleveland Leadership Center. She is an honorary life trustee of Youth Opportunities Unlimited and a past recipient of the YWCA’s Women of Professional Excellence award. From 2005 through 2011, Leslie served as a standards reviewer for the Community Foundations National Standards Board, a program of the Council on Foundations.

Leslie earned a bachelor's degree in communications from Gannon University in Pennsylvania.

Daisy Edwards

Daisy EdwardsBuilding Operations and Guest Services

Receptionist & Front Desk Concierge

216.615.7143 |

Daisy Edwards joined the Cleveland Foundation in February 2023 as the Receptionist & Front Desk Concierge. In this role, Daisy is responsible for welcoming and providing exceptional service to foundation guests and visitors in person, on the phone and via email. In addition, she collaborates with the BOGS team and security staff to ensure the safety and well-being of guests. Prior to joining the foundation, Daisy was the Front Desk Receptionist/Office Assistant at The George Gund Foundation, where she provided outstanding hospitality and administrative services. Daisy has over twenty-five years of experience working in various sectors including MAGNET, Dorsky Hodgson Parrish Yue architects, The Annie E. Casey Foundation and local television production at News Channel 5.

Adam Geither

Adam GeitherBuilding Operations and Guest Services

Director, Building Operations and Guest Services

216.685.2005 |

Adam joined the foundation in September 2019 as Office Services Manager. In this role, Adam is responsible for the oversight of facility operations and a variety of office and security services to ensure the foundation’s office space is efficient, safe, and sustainable.

Prior to his role with the foundation, Adam spent over four years working in professional athletic facility operations. In his most recent role as the Manager of Ballpark & Event Operations with the Pittsburgh Pirates he oversaw the training and management of over 200 employees, ballpark incident management and many of the sustainability efforts at PNC Park.

Adam graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Sports Administration from Ohio University. He is actively involved in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

Ellen Koonce

Ellen KoonceBuilding Operations and Guest Services

Coordinator, Building Operations and Guest Services

216.615.7144 |

Ellen joined the Building Operations and Guest Services team of the Cleveland Foundation in 2015 as the organization’s receptionist. In the fall of 2016, Ellen assumed the role of Administrative Services Coordinator, and in summer 2019, she assumed the role of Office Services Coordinator. She is responsible for office space mapping technology and provides oversight on daily maintenance issues, serves as liaison with building maintenance and is responsible for the implementation of a broad range of office services in addition to the operation of the Steven A. Minter Conference Center.

Prior to her assignment at the foundation, Ellen worked for 12 years at the Cleveland Housing Network, most recently as the Administrative Program Manager. In this role, she was responsible for the coordination of support services for low-income programs serving over 28,000 customers as well as the oversight of the programs’ $21.5 million budget. 

Ellen studied business administration at David N. Myers College and earned a certificate in customer service management facilitation from Kent State University.  She is also a certified notary public.

Emma Mobert

Emma MobertBuilding Operations and Guest Services, Human Resources, Information Systems

Executive Coordinator

216.615.7141 |

Emma Mobert joined the Cleveland Foundation in July 2023 as an Executive Coordinator. In her current role, she provides advanced executive-level administrative, project, and event support to the Human Resources, Building Operations & Guest Services, and Information Technology Services teams.

Emma brings administrative and project management experience from her previous role as an Administrative Coordinator at the Hebrew Free Loan Association of Northeast Ohio. She entered the nonprofit sector as a CARES Rent Assistance Advocate at Lorain County Community Action Agency in 2020. Emma earned an Associate of Applied Science in Public Administration at Lorain County Community College (LCCC). She is now studying for an associate of applied business in human resources management and plans to continue her education with LCCC’s partnership with Cleveland State University.

Cierra Santay

Cierra SantayBuilding Operations and Guest Services

Guest Services Coordinator

216.770.7389 |

Cierra Santay joined the Cleveland Foundation in July 2023 as a Guest Services Coordinator. Cierra earned an Associate of Arts from Lakeland Community College and both a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Cleveland State University. She has several years of experience in non-profit institutions that emphasize safety & security, events support and general hospitality. Her work is rooted in her time at the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (moCa), where she engaged with visitors and provided gallery tours, assisted with programs, and ensured the safety of the art. In her current role, she provides essential hospitality services to ensure a welcoming and inclusive environment for staff and visitors.