Staff Leadership
Joseph D. Roman
President and Chief Executive Officer
Greater Cleveland Partnership
Joseph Roman (Joe) is president and chief executive officer of the Greater Cleveland Partnership, one of the nation's largest metropolitan chambers of commerce. As president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Partnership, Roman is helping to lead the charge to increase the overall economic vitality of Northeast Ohio.
He is committed to making an impact in several areas of focus for the organization, including high-growth business creation, physical development, workforce development and education, and business retention, expansion and attraction. As a lobbyist for most of his life, Roman now focuses GCP's advocacy efforts on the creation of the most competitive environment for business investment in the Midwest.
Roman previously served as executive director of Cleveland Tomorrow-an organization that recently merged with the Greater Cleveland Growth Association and the Greater Cleveland Roundtable to form the Greater Cleveland Partnership. Cleveland Tomorrow was committed to pursuing projects and initiatives that were fundamental to the long-term economic vitality of the region. Roman had been with Cleveland Tomorrow since 1985 and became executive director in 1993. During his tenure, Cleveland Tomorrow was recognized by the Harvard Business School as one of the most innovative and successful regional business organizations in the country, and was a leading player in rebuilding Cleveland's downtown. Roman was named the first CEO of the Greater Cleveland Partnership in 2004 and oversees a staff of over 100 economic development professionals.
Before joining Cleveland Tomorrow, Roman worked on Capitol Hill as both a congressional staff person and as a lobbyist for manufacturing trade associations. He has a bachelor's degree from the State University of New York and a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University.
Roman also sits on several boards including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, the Partners for Livable Communities organization, the Ohio Business Development Coalition and Positively Cleveland, the Convention & Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland.
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Steve Millard
President and Executive Director
Council of Smaller Enterprises
Steve Millard is president and executive director of the Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE). In his role, Millard has responsibility for leading the small business programs, products and services of COSE.
Prior to joining GCP, Millard spent five years with Andersen Consulting's Strategic Services Practice in both Boston and Cleveland. At Andersen Consulting, he focused on strategic management and supply chain strategy projects for Fortune 500 companies. Millard also served General Electric's Medical Systems Business Group in Boston, where he was responsible for sales and service logistics for the Northeast Region.
Millard holds a degree in finance and a degree in transportation and distribution management from Syracuse University. He graduated summa cum laude and was named both University Scholar and Class Marshall for his graduating class. He is one of few graduates in the history of the university that captured both the top academic and top leadership distinctions granted by the university.
Millard serves on the boards of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives, National Association for Membership Development, the National Small Business Association, the Presidents Council Foundation and the Cleveland Partnership for Arts and Culture.
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Yvette M. Ittu
Executive Vice President of Finance and Operations
Greater Cleveland Partnership
Yvette M. Ittu is the executive vice president of finance and operations of the Greater Cleveland Partnership. In addition, she is president of Cleveland Development Advisors Inc. (CDA), an affiliate of GCP that is responsible for the management of real estate investment funds initiated, and in part capitalized, by certain GCP members.
CDA managed capital serves as a source of private sector funding for catalytic real estate development projects having a significant impact on the growth and development of the City of Cleveland. CDA has been successful in obtaining multiple allocations of tax credit equity to establish additional capital that is being used to further investments in neighborhood development, job retention and business expansion as well as to make catalytic investments along the transportation corridor of Euclid Avenue, Cleveland's main thoroughfare between Public Square and University Circle. Yvette's responsibilities as president of CDA include the overall management of these funds.
Prior to joining CDA, Yvette was an associate with the law firm of Calfee, Halter and Griswold LLP practicing in the areas of public law and public finance. She served as bond counsel on multiple financings for the Ohio Housing Finance Agency, the City of Cleveland, and several other Ohio local governments. In addition, Yvette served as finance director for the City of Lakewood and held several financial management positions for the City of Cleveland including the chief financial officer post for Cleveland Public Power, the city-owned power company. Yvette was called upon to serve as chairperson of Mayor Jane Campbell's finance transition committee and to act as interim finance director during the first quarter of the Campbell administration. In addition, Yvette also served on the finance transition team for Mayor Frank Jackson.
Yvette obtained her Juris Doctorate Degree from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. In addition, she is a certified public accountant and has a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Cleveland State University. Yvette currently serves on several community and nonprofit boards including NorTech, Benjamin Rose Institute, Cuyahoga County Public Library Foundation, Village Capital Corporation, Shorebridge Capital, as well as audit committees for several local governments including the City of Cleveland and the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. She is a native of Cleveland and lives in Rocky River with her husband and two children.
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Carol Caruso
Senior Vice President, Advocacy
Greater Cleveland Partnership
Carol Caruso was named senior vice president of advocacy for the Greater Cleveland Partnership in March 2004 when the organization was formed. Prior to that, she held the post of vice president of advocacy for the Greater Cleveland Growth Association, one of the three organizations that merged to become the GCP.
She is responsible for government advocacy at the federal, state and local levels for the GCP and its partners, including NorTech, JumpStart, and Build Up Greater Cleveland. In this capacity, she works closely with community partners to develop a regional advocacy strategy that advances job creation and economic development for Northeast Ohio.
Prior to her work with the Growth Association, Carol was vice president of government relations for Cablevision of Ohio from 1998 to 2000. She also served as the executive vice president of the Ohio Cable Telecommunications Association and director of government affairs for Nationwide Insurance Companies, both in Columbus, Ohio.
She serves on several civic and charitable boards and is a graduate of Leadership Cleveland 2004. She attended The Ohio State University, where she majored in Political Science. Carol and her family reside in Solon, Ohio.
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Andrew Jackson
Executive Director, Commission on Economic Inclusion
Senior Vice President, Greater Cleveland Partnership
Andrew Jackson serves as executive director of the Commission on Economic Inclusion, the GCP's initiative to build and sustain economic growth by enhancing the participation of minority professionals and minority-owned businesses in overall efforts to create jobs and investment in Northeast Ohio. He is also a senior vice president at GCP.
Jackson previously was a consultant at Accenture, where he focused on transforming large-scale business and technology in the automotive and industrial equipment industries for clients including BP America, DaimlerChrysler, and Johnson Controls.
A graduate of John Adams High School, he earned a degree in accounting from Cleveland State University and completed the CPA examination a year later. He joined Accenture as a consultant following graduation in 1982 and was made partner in 1995.
His involvement with the life-changing INROADS internship program originated during his freshman year of college when he began a four-year internship at Key Bank. It has continued through his role as a fund raiser, mentor and inductee in the INROADS National Alumni Hall of Fame. His long-standing work with Karamu House includes serving as board chairman for nine years.
Jackson has received wide recognition for his civic and professional accomplishments by Kaleidoscope Magazine, Crain's Cleveland Business, Black Enterprise magazine, Consulting Magazine, the City of Cleveland, and others.
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Deb Janik
Senior Vice President, Real Estate and Business Development
Greater Cleveland Partnership
Deb Janik joined the Greater Cleveland Partnership as Sr. Vice President, Real Estate and Business Development in October 2005. Janik's duties at GCP include management of all GCP development programs and as primary liaison for GCPs regional development efforts.
Janik provides GCP staff support for public-private partnership efforts on catalytic large scale developments throughout Cleveland and its inner ring suburbs. She serves as an officer to GCP's Community Development Advisors group, oversees the Build-up Greater Cleveland Infrastructure Network and manages GCP's Business Attraction, Retention and Expansion efforts.
Prior to joining GCP, Janik served as Vice President of Regional Development for the Cleveland Cuyahoga County Port Authority. There she was responsible for the development and implementation of a comprehensive strategy to advance multi-jurisdictional community and economic development initiatives in accordance with the Ports mission.
Janik previously served as chief of staff and chief development officer for Mayor Jane L. Campbell at the City of Cleveland. In addition to overseeing the daily operations of all City departments and 9,000 employees, she was responsible for the planning and financing of all community and economic development activities of the city. Her work in public service began with the City of Cleveland in 1988. In 1995 she was appointed to then Mayor Michael R. White's executive staff. Janik left the city in 1997 to work for the private and non-profit sector before returning in 2002 as Assistant Director of Finance prior to being named chief of staff.
Deb has dedicated her entire career to working in Cleveland and currently serves on several community boards and commissions including ParkWorks, Cleveland Neighborhood Development Coalition, the NOACA Transportation Advisory Committee and the Visiting Committee of the College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University.
She has more than 19 years of public, private, and not-for-profit experience. She is a 1987 graduate of Kent State University and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance with a concentration in real-estate. She resides in the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland.
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Shana F. Marbury, Esq.
General Counsel and Vice President, Strategic Initiatives & Research
Greater Cleveland Partnership
Shana F. Marbury, Esq. is general counsel and vice president, strategic initiatives & research for the Greater Cleveland Partnership (GCP). Shana oversees legal affairs for the GCP and several of its affiliated entities. She also is responsible for organizational strategic priorities such as education and talent, global economic connections, and GCP support of the Fund for Our Economic Future. In addition, Shana is a member of the GCP’s Purchasing Council, which focuses on building and utilizing a diverse pool of suppliers for all organizational purchases.
Prior to her employment at the GCP, Shana worked as a consultant in the areas of diversity and inclusion. She assisted in developing diversity training materials focused on interpersonal relationships among people of a variety of backgrounds, worldviews, customs and values in the 21st century workplace. Shana co-facilitated training where participants were introduced to core diversity concepts and developed competency in their application.
Before consulting, Shana worked as a labor, employment and school law associate in the Cleveland office of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, LLP. She counseled private- and public-sector employers, including public school districts and private schools, on staff, administrative and faculty labor and employment issues, concerns regarding state and federal civil rights laws and educational statutes, investigations, student discipline and other student-related issues.
Shana has completed a fellowship on regional and sustainable development through the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) and the Ford Foundation. She also is a member of Kaleidoscope magazine’s “40/40 Club” Class of 2008, honoring distinguished African-American professionals in the Cleveland area.
Shana received her Juris Doctor from Tulane Law School and completed her undergraduate work at Tufts University, where she double-majored in sociology and political science.
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Robert Recker
Senior Vice President, Marketing, Communications and Membership Development
Greater Cleveland Partnership
Robert (Rob) Recker is the senior vice president for Marketing, Communications and Membership Development for the Greater Cleveland Partnership, one of the nation’s largest metro chambers of commerce.
Prior to joining the GCP, Recker served as the executive vice president of the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce, where he led the organization’s strategic initiatives; investor relations; community/public relations; international business initiatives and policy development; finance; and contract negotiations and administration for chamber membership partners, vendors and consultants.
As vice president of marketing for the Fort Lauderdale chamber, he was responsible for the development and implementation of key marketing initiatives to increase new membership acquisitions and membership retention as well member benefit product development and management. This included the creation and implementation of a multi-platform membership affinity plan for health insurance, workers compensation insurance and discount programs with large business retailers. He also developed a member benefit program with the Florida Marlins, Florida Panthers and Car Quest Bowl.
Recker also served as president of the Kissimmee/Osceola County chamber where he developed and implemented the chamber’s largest-ever new membership campaign and led the business community’s public relations and marketing campaign for the US 192 Beautification Project, a multimillion dollar public/private initiative to beautify Osceola County’s major tourist corridor leading into Walt Disney World. In addition, he worked with municipal leaders to keep the Houston Astros in Kissimmee for their spring training.
Recker has served on numerous international boards and committees, most recently serving as vice chairman of the World Chambers Federation. The Paris, France based organization represents the interests of 12,000 chambers around the world. Recker was the first American in 35 years to serve on the board.
A graduate of Orlando College, Recker has pursued graduate studies in public affairs at the University of Alabama, Huntsville, and is a graduate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organizational Management.
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Rebecca O. Bagley
President and Chief Executive Officer
NorTech
Ms. Rebecca O. Bagley is president and chief executive officer of NorTech, a regional nonprofit technology-based economic development organization that serves 21 counties in Northeast Ohio. As a catalyst for growing Northeast Ohio’s technology industries, NorTech is leading an effort to develop regional innovation clusters that will spur job creation, capital attraction, and long-term positive economic impact.
Ms. Bagley joined NorTech in July 2009, bringing a wealth of experience and leadership as a nationally recognized expert in technology-based economic development. Ms. Bagley leads the organization’s effort to develop regional technology clusters and make the region’s economy more economically diverse by supporting and nurturing Northeast Ohio’s most promising technology projects and initiatives. Ms. Bagley connects with regional, state and federal government leaders to raise the visibility of Northeast Ohio’s technology assets and drive funding to the region. Recently, Ms. Bagley and her team launched an advanced energy initiative to work with public and private sector partners to accelerate commercial activity in the region’s advanced energy industry.
Previously Ms. Bagley served as Deputy Secretary for the Technology Investment Office of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED). In that capacity, she was responsible for the administration of several major state initiatives with a total of $79 million in yearly appropriations, and more than $1.7 billion in investments. She also managed the passage of $650 million for Pennsylvania’s Energy Independence Fund. She previously served as Director of Venture Investment for DCED and managed venture and real estate investment programs.
Before joining DCED, Ms. Bagley worked for several investment banks, most notably JPMorgan Chase, where she advised energy and technology companies on merger and acquisitions and raising capital in the high yield-bond group and oil and gas group.
Ms. Bagley is a frequent guest speaker at regional, state and national conferences and meetings on the topics of regional innovation cluster development and measurement for technology-based economic development initiatives and programs. Ms. Bagley serves on several boards and advisory councils including the National Association of Seed and Venture Funds (NASVF), State Science Technology Institute (SSTI), BioEnterprise, Sustainable Cleveland 2019 Advisory Council, The Oberlin Project – A Clinton Climate Initiative, OneCommunity, Ohio Technology Partnership, TechLift Advisory Board, TechBelt Executive Committee, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center Advisory Board, and Ohio Wright Center for Sensor Systems Engineering. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
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