Ohio
Marketplace
Commonwealth's key value proposition is increasing high quality deal flow for our investors.
Read below to learn more about our leading opportunities in Ohio.
COhatch
Impact Stories
Genesis is a 9-week digital program focused on training early-stage entrepreneurs. OCEAN’s unique approach weaves Biblical principles throughout the program that focus on the preservation of identity and healthy founder practices.
Mission Increase (MI) Central Ohio is a community of Christian ministries working to implement a biblical approach to fundraising to grow and more fully-achieve their God-given missions.
Econ 101
In partnership with the George Edward Durell Foundation, we launched an economic literacy program in Columbus to break the cycle of poverty through economic literacy.
Sagamore Solutions
Sagamore Institute is Commonwealth's think tank partner providing research and consulting to strengthen the Ohio market. Please see some of these stories below.
Ohio Good Community Project
Sagamore senior fellow Chip Weiant has been working on iterations and phases of The Ohio Good Community Project for 30 years. The Buckeye project is based on the foundational work of Sagamore President Jay Hein and senior fellow Amy Sherman in demystifying the role of "the faith-driven intermediary."
Mapping Ohio's Compassion
Under commission from the OH Governor's Office of Faith-Based & Community Initiatives, Sagamore is studied the social impact of the state's nonprofits and houses of worship. The study included a survey on the scope/scale of these groups and a "best practices scan" to collect information on exemplary social service and community development programs. Read the final report.
Events
Mapping Ohio's Compassion
Community Conversation Roundtables
Ohio's Best Practices
In January of 2014 Sagamore Institute hosted two Community Conversation Roundtables in Ohio: Cincinnati and Cleveland. The Roundtables were held on behalf of the State of Ohio as part of its Mapping Ohio’s Compassion Project. The roundtables featured Jay Hein—Director of the White House Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives during the Bush administration—as the keynote speaker alongside panels comprised of leaders in Ohio’s nonprofit best practices. Click the tabs below to listen to the discussions.
Cincinnati Roundtable
Jay Hein
Sagamore Institute
Jay Hein is the president of Sagamore Institute, a think tank he co-founded in 2004 with U.S. Senator Dan Coats. As part of his Sagamore duties, Jay also serves as managing director of an impact investing vehicle called Commonwealth. He is also a fellow at Baylor University’s Institute for the Studies of Religion. Previously, Jay served as Deputy Assistant to President Bush and Director, White House Office of Faith-Based Initiatives. He formerly directed Civil Society Programs at Hudson Institute and he served as a welfare policy advisor to then-Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson.
Kurt Reiber
Freestore Foodbank
Kurt is Freestore Foodbank’s President & CEO. He received his BA in Economics & Finance from Baldwin Wallace College and his MBA and JD from the University of Toledo’s Colleges of Business & Law, respectively. Kurt chaired United Way’s Financial Stability Impact Council and was President of the Forest Hills Foundation for Education. He sits on the Board for Hamilton County’s JFS Planning Committee, as well as the Boards of the OH, KY & IN Associations of Foodbanks. Kurt lives in Wyoming with his wife, Karen, who is the Media Specialist & Technologist for Wyoming Middle School. They have three children.
Jeffrey Pitts
Cincinnati COOKS!
Chef Jeff Pitts has been with Cincinnati COOKS! since 2003. After picking up a certification in construction, and cooking technique from Japanese Chef, he moved straight into the working world. He has completed course work at the Urban Accelerated Skills Training Academy and is currently enrolled at Cincinnati State Midwest Culinary Arts Institute program for this fall. As of August 2013, Chef Pitts has been promoted to Head Chef and Trainer of the Freestore Foodbank Cincinnati COOKS! Program.
Barry Baker
City Gospel Mission
Barry has over 30 years of experience in leadership and management. After receiving a degree in Mechanical Engineering, he spent 17 years in management with Procter and Gamble in their Product Supply Division. Barry left P&G to work with Athletes in Action where he had several leadership positions working in the Professional, Collegiate, and International Divisions of AIA. In February 2005, he became Executive Vice President of Youth Programs at City Gospel Mission.
Michelle Riley
The Foodbank Inc.
Michelle Riley is the Chief Executive Officer at The Foodbank. The Foodbank acquires and distributes over 7 million pounds of food to 85 other nonprofits in the areas of Montgomery, Greene and Preble counties. Michelle received her MST from Wright State University and earned an additional 60 hours of postgraduate work in Education Leadership. After six years of teaching and three years in administration with Dayton Public School system, Michelle decided to go to work in the nonprofit arena. Prior to coming to The Foodbank, she was the Chief Operating Officer at the YWCA, Dayton for four years. Oversight included programs dealing with domestic violence, mental health issues and chronic homelessness. In addition to her current role, she holds three active principals certificates and she sits on the Montgomery County Food Policy Coalition Board, the Ohio Association of Foodbanks and the advisory Board for the Volunteer Lawyers Project.
R. Douglas Spitler
Episcopal Retirement Homes
Doug has 35 years experience in the aging services field in both management and consulting capacities. He has been employed by Episcopal Retirement Homes since 1982, initially as Executive Director for the Whetstone facility in Columbus, Ohio, and as its President and Chief Executive Officer since 1987. Doug is founder and past Chair of Linkage, a resource and innovation collaborative representing senior living communities. He has served as Leading Age Ohio’s Chair and Vice Chair and is currently Chair for the Leading Age Ohio Foundation. He has served four terms as a member of Leading Age’s House of Delegates and is currently serving on the Leading Age Policy Congress. He was appointed to the Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators for the State of Ohio in 2011. Doug has received the Award of Honor from Leading Age Ohio and the Pillar Award from Smart Business and Medical Mutual.
Cleveland Roundtable
LaTida Smith
Saint Luke's Foundation
Latida is Vice President for Programs, Outcomes and Learning at Saint Luke’s Foundation of Cleveland, Ohio. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2003, she oversaw the City of Cleveland’s HIV/AIDS Unit, distributing $2.5 million in federal funding annually to programs supporting HIV prevention and care services. LaTida serves on the Board of Directors of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations and previously chaired the Board of Funders Concerned About AIDS. She was selected as an American Marshall Bridge Builder and has been recognized by Crain’s Cleveland Business “40 under 40” and Kaleidoscope Magazine’s 40/40 Club. LaTida obtained a Bachelor’s degree in English and Women’s Studies from Ohio Wesleyan University and Master’s degrees in English and Women’s Studies from Ohio State University.
Carol Rivchun
Youth Opportunities Unlimited
Carol is President of Youth Opportunities Unlimited, a 30-year-old non-profit organization that designs and implements workforce preparation services for at-risk youth, ages 14-24, in-school and out-of-school, in the cities of Cleveland, East Cleveland, and in pockets of poverty around Cuyahoga County. In 2011, Carol won the Case Western Reserve University Mandel School of Non-Profit Management Award for outstanding non-profit leadership in the community. Carol has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from the University of Michigan. She has served as President of the United Way of Greater Cleveland Council of Agency Executives; is a member of United Way’s Board of Trustees and Executive Committee; and she serves on the board of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland.
Presley Gillespie
Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp.
Presley is Executive Director of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation. Active in his community, he serves on the board of trustees for the Mahoning County Land Bank, YMCA of Youngstown, Mahoning Valley Sanitary District, and the Center for Community Progress. In 2011, Mr. Gillespie was named “CDC Staff Member of the Year” by the Ohio Community Development Corporation Association. Presley holds a B.A. in organizational communication from Youngstown State University. He has resided for 17 years in Youngstown, Ohio with his wife Nora and their two children.
Joan Maser
Family Promise of Greater Cleveland
Joan Maser was appointed Executive Director of Family Promise of Greater Cleveland in January 2012. Trained and licensed as a social worker, Joan has spent her human service career in mental health and social service agencies whose primary focus is on helping youth and families overcome obstacles such as poverty, educational barriers, and mental health issues. Before joining Family Promise Joan spent 16 years at Applewood Centers in Cleveland where she held positions of Executive Vice President and Associate Director. She also served for 6 years as Administrative Director at Children's Hospital Guidance Centers in Columbus.
Stephanie Senter
Bellefaire JCB’s Monarch Center for Autism
Stephanie Senter is Director of Residential Treatment and the Runaway/Missing Youth Program at Bellefaire JCB. She has been a division director at Bellefaire since 2006. She holds a bachelor’s of science from Ohio University and a Master’s degree of Social Work from Fordham University. She has more than 25 years of experience in the field of child and family services, mental health services, and autism-related services.
Walter Wright
The Cleveland Foundation
Walter joined The Cleveland Foundation in 2011 as the Project Director for Greater University Circle. Prior to joining The Cleveland Foundation, Walter served as Senior Program Officer for Neighborhood Progress, Inc. (NPI). He was responsible for the Cleveland Neighborhood Partnership Program where he oversaw a $1.6 million budget and a multi-year, comprehensive support program for select community development corporations.
Sagamore Solutions
Sagamore Institute is Commonwealth's think tank partner providing research and consulting to strengthen the Texas market. Please see some of these stories below.
Prison Entrepreneurship Program
Commonwealth formed an operating partnership with the Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP) to create a venture fund for Second Chance businesses. Since 2004, PEP has produced the nation’s leading results in the prison rehabilitation industry by dramatically reducing return-to-prison rates while considerably increasing employment rates and business ownership. Click the image to learn more.
Sagamore-Baylor Research Partnership
Sagamore senior fellow Byron Johnson is director of the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University in Waco, TX. At Sagamore, Dr. Johnson leads the think tank’s “Faith and Justice” research agenda. Baylor ISR and Sagamore continue to expand on these themes through a series of research projects investigating the faith factor in American society. Click the image to learn more about Johnson's work.
