Cleveland Foundation Welcomes Dr. Cristina González Alcalá as Director of Connecting People to Prosperity

The Cleveland Foundation is pleased to announce that Dr. Cristina González Alcalá will join the organization on April 27 as Director of Connecting People to Prosperity, a core pillar of the foundation’s long term Impact Agenda. 

A philanthropic leader whose work bridges research, community investment and systems change, Dr. González Alcalá brings a deep commitment to advancing economic mobility through partnership and place based investment. 

Most recently, Cristina served as Director of Community Investment at the Akron Community Foundation, where she led more than $3 million annually in competitive grantmaking across education, health and human services, arts and culture, and civic affairs. Prior to that, she served as a Research Associate at the Summit Education Initiative, working with 17 public school districts to strengthen cradle‑to‑career systems and close opportunity gaps—experience that brings a strong systems lens to her work on long‑term prosperity. During her tenure, she convened cross sector partners to respond to emerging needs and helped lead nearly $1 million in proactive investments addressing housing, mental health and public safety. 

In her role at the Cleveland Foundation, Dr. González Alcalá will lead strategy and grantmaking focused on Connecting People to Prosperity through quality education, access to family sustaining jobs, and wealth building opportunities. She will work closely with community partners and across the Foundation to help redesign systems, remove barriers and expand opportunity for people throughout Greater Cleveland. 

Dr. González Alcalá also brings experience as an educator, currently teaching communication at The University of Akron, and holds a PhD in Urban Studies and Public Affairs, a Master of Public Administration, and a Master’s degree in Communication. 

“Our vision for Connecting People to Prosperity is about changing how opportunity is created and accessed across Greater Cleveland,” said Joyce Pan Huang, Chief Impact Officer at the Cleveland Foundation. “Cristina understands that this work is centered in shared power, partnerships and long‑term investments, and she brings the leadership needed to help move this work forward at scale."