Community Solutions is proud to welcome Aleszu Bajak, Donté Gibbs, and Brie Lusheck as new members of our Board of Directors. They bring a wealth of knowledge, experience, and expertise that will elevate the mission and goals of Community Solutions.
They bring a wealth of knowledge, experience, and expertise that will elevate the mission and goals of Community Solutions.
Aleszu is the director of data visualization at the Urban Institute. Previously, he was a senior data reporter on USA TODAY's data team, part of the newspaper's national investigative unit. He is a former Knight Science Journalism Fellow at M.I.T., was a founding senior writer at Undark magazine and founding editor of Esquire Classic, a project resuscitating the magazine's archives. He has taught and managed graduate programs at Northeastern University's School of Journalism where he launched Storybench.org, an under the hood guide to digital and data storytelling, and served as innovation lead for the Co-Laboratory for Data Impact. He's also the founder of LatinAmericanScience.org, a resource for science news and opinion out of Latin America, and is a former producer of the radio show Science Friday. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, M.I.T. Technology Review and Nature.
Aleszu is “thrilled to join the board of such a storied and respected organization focused on some of Ohio’s most pressing issues.”
Donté has a strong background in community and social development through his work at Neighborhood Leadership Institute, as a Fellow at the George Gund Foundation, and through various social entrepreneurial pursuits. In 2013, he founded Donté’s Gift Express®, an annual initiative that provides gifts and handwritten cards to the homes of East Cleveland families on Christmas Eve. He also cofounded the Boys to Men Health & Empowerment Summit, which connects hundreds of young men and their parents and guardians with year-round resources contributing to holistic health. Gibbs, along with 10 other health, civic and grassroots organizations created #Masks4Community: an initiative that provided 77,000 free washable cloth masks for residents of Cleveland and East Cleveland along with voting and census information during the onset of Coronavirus pandemic. He serves as trustee and secretary for Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation, and as Volunteer Coordinator for Manna Food from Heaven, serving hot meals to men and women shelters twice a month.
Donté says, “with The Center for Community Solutions being a trusted think tank steeped in advocacy, I am excited to join the Board to further advance its mission and regional impact.”
I’m thrilled to join The Center for Community Solutions board, coming full circle from my time as an employee almost decade ago.
Brie began her career in public policy with the Ohio House of Representatives and later contributed impactful research right here at The Center for Community Solutions. She is currently a Strategy Consultant at Curtis Strategy, where she empowers nonprofits to achieve sustainable growth and expand their impact. She has a unique blend of expertise gained from diverse roles in both the public and private sectors. During her tenure at the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, she spearheaded the national expansion of the Wendy's Wonderful Kids program, significantly increasing its impact on children in foster care. Her experience also includes serving as Deputy Director of Children's Initiatives and Executive Director of Family and Children First Councils for Governor Mike DeWine, where she focused on child welfare. Brie also serves as vice-chair of Governor DeWine’s Ohio Commission of Service and Volunteerism.
Brie comments, "I’m thrilled to join The Center for Community Solutions board, coming full circle from my time as an employee almost decade ago. The dedication to data-driven research and policy analysis continues to be vital for advancing equity and wellbeing in our communities. I'm excited to contribute to this important work in a new capacity and help further the organization's mission of creating lasting, positive change for all residents."
