Cleveland Foundation announces the addition of Constance Hill-Johnson and Ronald A. Ratner to its Board of Directors

Community leaders replace retiring members Paul J. Dolan and Larry Pollock

Release Date: 3.28.2018

CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Foundation today announced the appointment of two new members to its Board of Directors: Constance Hill-Johnson, Owner & Managing Director of Visiting Angels Living Assistance Services, and Ronald A. Ratner, member of the Board of Directors and Chief Development Officer of Forest City Realty Trust.

Hill-Johnson and Ratner replace retiring board members Paul J. Dolan and Larry Pollock, and were approved by the foundation’s Board of Directors.

Additionally, it was announced that current board member Inajo Davis Chappell will serve as board Vice Chair, while the following board members will head up various committees: Robert A. Glick (Audit), Hiroyuki Fujita (Finance & Administration), Bernie Moreno (Board Governance), Daniel P. Walsh Jr. (Investment), Sally Gries (Grantmaking & Community Engagement), and Teresa Metcalf Beasley (Social Impact Investing). Rev. Dr. Stephen Rowan will continue to serve as chair of the Board of Directors.

“We are delighted to welcome Connie and Ron to our board,” said Ronn Richard, President and CEO of the Cleveland Foundation. “They bring a wealth of knowledge, wide-ranging skills and experiences, and a true passion for our community. Alongside our other board members, their input and guidance will be invaluable as we continue to work with our donors and partners in service of our mission.”

Before starting Visiting Angels Living Assistance Services, a national franchise, in Cleveland in 2002, Hill-Johnson held a wide array of senior health care management positions in organizational settings including acute care hospitals, physician’s medical practices, and professional management services companies, in addition to serving as an institutional sales broker on an equity sales and trading desk for Merrill Lynch Capital Markets in Detroit. Hill-Johnson currently serves on a number of nonprofit boards, including the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging, Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging and Adults at Risk (Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry).

In his role at Forest City Realty Trust, Ratner is responsible for oversight of the company’s national development program. He has had direct responsibility for more than 50,000 residential units and in excess of 12 million square feet of mixed use development in six states. Ratner is active with numerous community, educational, charitable and professional organizations, and currently serves on the board of the National Multifamily Housing Council, Enterprise Community Partners and the Cleveland Clinic, and is a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Council.

“On behalf of my board colleagues, I would like to thank Paul and Larry for their dedication, their time, and their service to the foundation,” said Rev. Rowan, Chair of the Cleveland Foundation Board of Directors. “We are truly in a better place today because of their heartfelt commitment to the people and institutions that make Greater Cleveland so special.”

Hill-Johnson and Ratner join current Cleveland Foundation board members Teresa Metcalf Beasley, Carrie Carpenter, Inajo Davis Chappell, Jenniffer D. Deckard, Hiroyuki Fujita, Robert A. Glick, Sally Gries, Bernie Moreno, Michael B. Petras Jr., Beth Oldenburg Rankin, Daniel P. Walsh Jr., Ernest L. Wilkerson Jr., and Chair Rev. Dr. Stephen Rowan.