JACQUIE GILLON
The Institute would like to extend a very special congratulations to Jacquie Gillon, who was recently honored as a 2020 Woman of Note by Crain's Cleveland Business.
Jacquie has been a long-standing advocate for NLI and champion for Neighborhood Leadership Cleveland.
She currently serves on the Board of Directors for NLI and h
as played a role in the retreats, class sessions and graduation ceremonies of at least 30 classes of NLC.. She has had a positive impact and influence on virtually all of our NLC grads.
Jacquie’s long resume includes service to East Cleveland as a member of city council, as well as a book of poetry,
Anointing In My Hands
. She currently serves as the community engagement specialist for
Thriving Communities Institute
, a nonprofit dedicated to environmental justice in Cleveland.
Regarding NLC, Jacquie shares that the class originated with a Kellogg Foundation grant to the Neighborhood Centers Association, where Don Slocum was executive director, to help the centers meet two strategic objectives—to develop internal and external relationships more intentionally, and to cultivate new leaders in the neighborhoods where they were located.
“Institutions are important, but relationships are even more so,” Jacquie says. This led to classes being held in fall and spring for clusters which were color-coded and included people from diverse communities—Chagrin Falls Park, Alta House, and East End Neighborhood House, all participated in 1995, for example. Relationship building is also key to why the curriculum evolved to include a retreat, shared meals, collaborative projects and neighborhood tours. “That focus on group interaction is what sets NLC apart, it’s the hard part—helping people connect with each other.”
Jacquie has certainly kept us all connected. Congrats, Jacquie!
