Ashley Basile Oeken, president of Engage Cleveland, wants the organization to be a launching pad for young professionals in Cleveland and for those in other areas who may be looking for a place to start and develop their careers.
The non-profit organization focuses on connecting emerging professionals with opportunities for professional development, networking and growth. Engage Cleveland also works to attract new talent to Cleveland and keep them here.
“I grew up in Boardman, Ohio, and ultimately ended up accepting a position in Cleveland.” Oeken said. “When I got here, I found it incredibly difficult to navigate the community. I didn’t know too many people. As I started to peel back the layers and learn more about the community, I realized that Cleveland was a really great place and I wanted to make it home.
“One of our biggest goals is to make the process that I and many others went through when we first got here easier for newcomers.”
24 in 24
The organization recently hosted its inaugural “24 in 24” awards ceremony, created to honor people they describe as the unsung heroes of Greater Cleveland.
“There are a lot of people doing really amazing things,” Oeken said. “Sometimes, they are hidden behind the CEO of an organization and they are doing a lot of heavy lifting as well. We wanted to give those people some recognition for all of the hard work that they are putting into making our community a great place to live and work in.”
Among this year’s 24 in 24 honorees were Mariah Halata and Leigh Anderson. Signal Cleveland spoke with them about what it means to be recognized and honored.
Mariah Halata, Baldwin-Wallace University
Halata said she was pleasantly surprised when she first learned of her nomination. All nominees were hand-selected by their peers.
“When I received the email that I had been nominated, I was very excited about it,” Halata said. “I do a lot of work in Cleveland, so it was really nice to be recognized. I’m not an executive in some very well-known industry, so to be honored in this way was really exciting.”
Halata is currently a graduate admissions counselor at Baldwin Wallace University and a mentor through College Now Greater Cleveland. In addition to that, Halata has been focused on marketing and organizing events for a local church, Saint Patrick Catholic Church.
“It’s an older parish, and they have been struggling to bring younger people in,” Halata said. “I’m not doing work on the religious side but rather meeting with neighborhood development leaders to figure out how to bridge that gap between the older and younger communities through volunteer work.”
Leigh Anderson, City of Cleveland
Anderson said her nomination was unexpected.
“I’m originally from St. Louis and just moved here in recent years,” Anderson said. “To be honored by the community says a lot.”
Anderson is currently the executive director of the Police Accountability Team for the City of Cleveland. Policing is something that is dear to her heart, as she grew up in a family that was full of law enforcement officers.
“My grandfather was one of the first Black police officers in the St. Louis police force,” Anderson said. “I saw the way criminal justice impacted every aspect of our lives, and it was the way my grandfather provided for our family, so it’s always been a field of interest to me.”
Anderson’s current work is centered on the federal consent decree covering the Cleveland Division of Police. It is Anderson’s role to make sure that the department is in compliance with the decree.
“I work a lot with the chief of police. I report directly to the mayor,” Anderson said. “We are really looking to transform the police department inside and out.”
Both Halata and Anderson said they appreciate being able to network with the other honorees. Hearing each other’s stories helped motivate them to continue the work that they are doing to transform Cleveland for the better.
“I may never have come across them in any other settings besides this one,” Halata said. “Being able to form those connections was great. I’m meeting up with another honoree for coffee soon, so it was nice for Engage Cleveland to give us an opportunity to get together in one space.”
Said Anderson: “I am excited about Cleveland being excited about its younger workforce and diverse leadership. To recognize and honor their presence here in Cleveland speaks volumes.”
