Celebrating 10 Years of the Public Service Fellowship

This July, the Cleveland Foundation marked a milestone when the tenth cohort of the Foundation’s Public Service Fellowship (PSF) wrapped up their final presentations.  

Over the weekend of July 17–19, more than 130 alumni, current fellows, host site partners and community leaders came together for a weekend of celebration, reconnection, and a look toward what comes next, including the official launch of the PSF Alumni Council. 

The Public Service Fellowship traces its roots back more than 20 years, to a fund established in honor of Steven A. Minter, who led the Cleveland Foundation as executive director and president from 1984 to 2003 and spent his career investing in emerging talent. When Minter retired, the Foundation’s Board created the Steven A. Minter Fellowship Fund in his honor, and in 2005 that fund supported its first cohort of fellows.  

Over the following decade, that model evolved into the Public Service Fellowship as it exists today, officially launched in 2016 to address a need the Foundation kept hearing from public sector partners: Cleveland had talented young people graduating and leaving the region, and local government, nonprofit, and civic organizations needed help building the next generation of leadership from within. 

Since 2016, 43 host organizations have welcomed more than 130 fellows into work on some of the region’s most enduring challenges: housing, sustainability and greenspace, childcare access, transportation, economic development, arts and culture, public safety and more.  

Of this year’s cohort alone, nine fellows are staying on in Cleveland’s public sector post-program — with the City of Cleveland, MidTown Cleveland, Assembly for the Arts, GCRTA, and PRE4CLE — while three transitioned into full-time roles at other Cleveland organizations; one is continuing the work nearby in Columbus; and three are pursuing graduate studies.  

Kathy Hallissey, vice president of grantmaking, has worked with all 10 cohorts since the beginning. 

“What I’m especially proud to have witnessed over the last decade is the courage of every single individual and organization who has been part of this,” Hallissey said. “Host organizations trusted us to bring talented young people. Talented young people trusted us enough to apply and spend a year doing this work – sometimes thousands of miles from home. Placing that kind of trust in us takes courage.” 

Across all ten cohorts, 96 percent of alumni report improved career and communication skills and 90 percent report building meaningful relationships through the program. 

PSF Alumni Council 

Stephanie Molnar, who oversees the Foundation’s leadership development programs, said she heard continually from past cohorts that they wanted to stay connected to one another. 

“They were looking for opportunities to mentor younger fellows and to keep contributing to the program and organizations that helped shape their experience,” Molnar said. “This weekend was the official launch of the PSF Alumni council, to give fellows that chance to reconnect, serve and grow together.” 

The Council is a small group of alumni members who will help guide programming, communications and civic engagement opportunities for the broader fellowship network. deepening connections that already span various nonprofit and public service sectors across the country. 

Weekend Highlights 

The anniversary weekend brought alumni, current fellows, host site partners and Foundation staff together for three days of celebration and connection across Cleveland. 

On Friday, the 2025–26 cohort was formally recognized for their growth throughout the year, the impact they had within their host organizations and across Cleveland, and their new chapter as members of the alumni network.  

That reflection was followed by the signature 10th Anniversary Celebration, where alumni, fellows, and host site supervisors gathered for food, drinks, and networking. The evening featured remarks from Foundation leadership, a look back at the fellowship’s history and a look ahead to its future, and a toast to ten more years.  

Saturday began with a Colorful Nature Walk centered on mindfulness and wellness, led by Precious Phillips, a current fellow and Founder and Executive Director of Acacia Park Wellness. Precious and her team facilitated conversations around wellness while walking the group through the Cleveland Museum of Art Community Art Center in Clark-Fulton. 

From there, alumni gathered at CentroVilla25 for lunch and conversation centered on philanthropy, mentorship, and civic leadership. Alumni shared some of their community work and asked other alumni for support in coordinating volunteers, building networks, finding donors and more. 

The weekend wrapped up with a cohort brunch at The Sixty6, giving alumni one last chance to catch up before heading home. 

Support the Fellowship 

to the endowed Steven A. Minter Fellowship Fund do more than honor Minter’s legacy; they directly expand what’s possible for future cohorts of fellows, from stipends to mentorship infrastructure to Alumni Council programming. As Minter himself used to say, the Foundation’s work is never finished, because Cleveland will always be facing enduring issues that need the next generation of leaders. 

If this program has meant something to you — as an alum, a host site partner, or simply someone who believes in investing in Cleveland’s future leaders — consider a gift to the Steven A. Minter Fellowship Fund. No gift is too small; sustained, modest giving from a whole community of alumni is exactly the kind of “pay it forward” culture Minter built this program to reflect. 

Here’s to the fellows who came before, the fellows serving today, and ten (and twenty, thirty…) more years of investing in the people who will shape Cleveland’s future.