Kim Conklin teaches science at the Music Settlement Preschool and Day School. A Cincinnati native, Kim moved to Cleveland Heights 10 years ago. She co-founded The Village, which inspired the Reaching Heights Many Villages tutoring program. Among many volunteer activities, she created costumes for middle school cast members in the recent Heights High production of “The King and I.” She and husband Damir Janigro are the proud parents of Mattia, a Heights High graduate, and Alice, a 9th grader at Heights High.

Bob Swaggard, Reaching Heights Director

Bob Swaggard is a Social Studies Program Specialist with the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District. [Read more]

John Hubbard, Reaching Heights Director

John Hubbard and his wife Amy Rosenbluth actively chose to live in Cleveland Heights when they returned to Cleveland, and deliberately chose to send their children to the public schools (especially after examining the options). “The Cleveland Heights – University Heights schools offer a unique reflection of our community, and I am proud to support them,” John says.  “I had the opportunity to serve as a parent representative to the Small Schools planning team and have volunteered in other capacities at my children’s schools, gaining insights into the district and individual schools.”

John is a graduate of Shaker Heights High School and has taught in public schools in California. “As a veteran educator, I’ve experienced the best of both public and private education and I can honestly say that public schools offer the greatest opportunity for students. Public schools expose students to a wide range of diversity, bringing together social, intellectual, cultural, athletic, creative, and economic differences in a microcosm that prepares them for far more than academic success as they continue through their lives.”

Karen Jones, Reaching Heights Director

Karen D. Gorman-Jones, a 42-year resident of Cleveland Heights and University Heights and proud Heights High alumna, was elected to the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Board of Education in 2009.

Over her career in education, Karen has served as a social studies teacher, guidance counselor, choir director, and track coach. She teaches in the South Euclid-Lyndhurst district, is head track coach at Beachwood Middle School and Gospel Choir director at Brush High School.

Karen earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Accounting from Tennessee State University, and was voted Miss Tennessee State University. She earned a Master’s degree in Education, Guidance & Counseling, and an Educational Administration Certification from John Carroll University. She is a member of the National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa, Inc. (National Educators Sorority), the International Women’s Air & Space Museum Brain Trust, which promotes female involvement in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., a service organization promoting education and social initiatives. She was facilitator for the Black Lemonade Project, a research study examining African American family dynamics & relationships. She and husband Al Jones have four children.

Audrey Wynne, Reaching Heights Director

Audrey Michael Wynne is a sales and marketing professional currently working in ad sales with The Plain Dealer. She previously was a marketing and community relations consultant with the Fairmount Group, and a senior pharmaceutical sales representative with GlaxoSmithKline. She holds a Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude, in Communications and Political Science from Baldwin Wallace College. Audrey is a contributor to the Heights Observer and is a Youth Director at Imani Temple Ministries in Cleveland Heights. She and husband Ron are the proud parents of Christina, a 7th grader at Monticello, and Ronald, a senior at the Renaissance School at Heights High.

Kari Sharpe, Reaching Heights Director

Kari Sharpe, a proud graduate of Ohio public schools, has been an active resident of the CH-UH school district for 25 years. She’s the proud mom of two Heights High graduates (John is now an auditor with Key Bank and Rebekah is vocal music director at Marion-Franklin High School in Columbus). Kari has served as a PTA officer, head of PTA Council, member of the CH-UH Board of Education (including terms as President and Vice President), and co-chair of three levy campaigns. She works at Heights High as Vocal Music Assistant, is active with vocal and instrumental parent groups, and has served as chaperone on 10 vocal music tours. She is currently executive secretary of the MOSAIC School Vision Team.

Alvin L. Saafir, Reaching Heights Director

Alvin L. Saafir is Managing Member, President, and CEO of MBE Construction Solutions, an Ohio based MBE Certified company founded in 2009. Alvin previously spent 21 years with KeyBank, where he managed branches for 7 years and spent 14 years as a Vice President and Senior Commercial Real Estate Lender in the Community Development Lending area.  Alvin earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Bowling Green State University. He also holds a Masters of Business Administration from Baldwin-Wallace College. Alvin and his wife Michelle have lived in and been active members of the Cleveland Heights-University Heights schools since 1989.  They have three daughters, Brittani (CH-UH class of 2004), Amirah (CH-UH class of 2008) and Aaliyah, who is currently a junior at Heights High.

Jeff Coryell, Reaching Heights Director

Jeff Coryell is a seventeen-year resident of Cleveland Heights who loves our community and cares deeply about its future. He is a former attorney who represented government agencies and handled civil rights cases and did volunteer work for the homeless and persons with AIDS in private practice. After a successful legal career he returned to school for a Masters in Fine Art degree and became an artist and art teacher, operating his painting studio as a small business. An online portfolio of his work may be seen at JeffCoryell.com.

For the past five years Jeff has been engaged full-time as a progressive political writer, organizer and consultant, including serving as President of the Cleveland Heights Democrats, working as the New Media Director for a campaign for the U.S. Senate, and founding a successful statewide political web site. He is now running for Cleveland Heights City Council and preparing to resume his career as an artist. He lives with spouse Phyllis L. Crocker and two golden retrievers on Clarendon Road in the Fairfax neighborhood.

Attorney
- JD degree, New York University School of Law.
- Assistant Attorney General in Texas. Represented state agencies in civil cases involving insurance, banking and securities.
- United States Attorney in the Eastern District of New York. Represented federal agencies in civil litigation.
- Private practice in Chicago, Illinois included transactional work and litigation involving complex financial transactions and civil rights cases.

Artist, Art Teacher, Small Business Owner
- MFA degree from Northwestern University.
- Operated painting studio as small business.
- Represented by noted art dealer Sally Julian.
- Selected for prestigious exhibitions and received awards and honors.
- Taught art-related classes at Cleveland State University, Cuyahoga Community College, and Youngstown State University.

Progressive Political Writer, Organizer, and Consultant
- President of the Cleveland Heights Democrats 2008-2009; Secretary 2006-2007; Trustee 2010-present.
- New Media Director for the U.S. Senate Campaign of Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.
- Campaign Treasurer for new County Council Member Julian Rogers.
- Founded successful political web site Ohio Daily, reporting on politics and policy issues all across Ohio.
- Official blogger, Ohio Delegation, 2008 Democratic National Convention.
- Organized neighborhood volunteer team for Barack Obama 2008.
- Worked on John Kerry campaign, supervised poll monitors, and observed recount 2004.
- Precinct Committee Member and Executive Committee Member of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party.

Memberships
- Reaching Heights
- ACLU of Ohio
- Cleveland Heights Democrats
- Cleveland Stonewall Democrats
- Future Heights
- Heights Arts
- Human Rights Campaign
- NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio
- Planned Parenthood

Betsey Bell, Reaching Heights Director

Betsey Bell and her husband Lloyd have lived in Cleveland Heights since 1994. They have two sons: Stephen is a freshman at Cleveland Heights High School, and Andrew is in the 7th grade at Roxboro Middle School. She is Assistant to the Rector at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church; a job she loves. Betsey has a part-time job with Credo; an organization funded by the Episcopal Church, which runs weeklong wellness conferences for Episcopal clergy. She has been an active member of PTAs and Band-Parent organizations, and has served on several local boards, including The Heights Parent Center (now Family Connections) and The Cleveland Museum of Art; she co-chairs the Jason West Memorial Scholarship Fund. She is passionate about public education, as well as the arts, making Reaching Heights a wonderful fit for her energy.

Annual Fund Appeal is Underway

Let us know if you haven’t received your copy of the Reaching Heights 2010-11 Year in Review, with highlights of our programs and events from the past year, and we’ll get one to you. You’ll also find our Annual Fund letter and a return envelope that we hope you’ll use to make a donation to help us in our work on behalf of excellent public education in the Cleveland Heights-University Heights school district.

Reaching Heights is a citizen voice for public education and a resource for the students, educators, and families of our community. We exist because we know our students deserve the best education possible. We also know that the success of our schools is everybody’s business and that successful schools are a critical part of successful communities.

You can read a pdf version of the Year in Review here or by clicking on the image: