What is your volunteer role at Global Cleveland? My volunteer role with Global Cleveland is Job Search Coach and Special Events. I was matched up with an individual that had a lot of experience but was very new to the area, as well as America. With having a lot of knowledge of employers in the Cleveland area, I was able to assist this individual with updating their resume to make it more marketable, provide a few pointers on job searching, and assisted them with a few leads.

How long have you been volunteering with Global Cleveland? Since July 2012

What part of Global Cleveland’s work are you most passionate about? I am very passionate about networking and meeting new people and with Global Cleveland being a nonprofit organization it’s great to know they are here to help individuals with becoming successful and contributing to Cleveland.

What do you find most rewarding about volunteering? Simply a smile and appreciation from the person or organization I’m helping is what I find most rewarding!

What is your favorite place in Cleveland? Very hard to narrow it down but I guess it would be Tremont. Being able to walk to different unique and local shops and restaurants is always interesting.

What do you do when you are not volunteering at Global Cleveland? Working at Travel Centers of America part time; volunteering with YNPN, being a part of the Kiwanis Club of Detroit Shoreway and enjoying time with friends. Also, meeting new people and networking to embrace the diversity that Cleveland has to offer.

Would you like to share anything else for your spotlight? When I moved to Cleveland from Nashville, TN about 7 years ago after being relocated here from my previous employer I did not know anything about Cleveland and knew no one. Now I have friends across Northeast Ohio! Cleveland Rocks!

What is your volunteer role at Global Cleveland? Welcome Hub support

How long have you been volunteering with Global Cleveland? Since September.

What part of Global Cleveland's work are you most passionate about? I support Global Cleveland's mission to attract and retain international newcomers to Northeastern Ohio. I know what it's like to move to a foreign country without knowing a soul; I moved to Switzerland when I was 18, and then later to France. I hope to help newcomers by making their transition to a new life easier in a city that I love -- Cleveland!

What do you find most rewarding about volunteering? Learning about the workings of the non-profit sector.

What is your favorite place in Cleveland? It's a tie between Shaker Square on a Saturday -- taking the Rapid to the Farmers' market, brunch at Fire if I can afford it that week, or Yours Truly if I can't, followed by a movie. Or barhopping with friends in Tremont.

What do you do when you are not volunteering at Global Cleveland? I’m busy at various ice rinks in town coaching beginners through national competitors in figure skating. I also love travel, foreign languages, music, and fitness.

What is your volunteer role at Global Cleveland? I serve as a Job Search Coach and a Professional Connections volunteer.

How long have you been volunteering with Global Cleveland? Since July 2012

What part of Global Cleveland’s work are you most passionate about? I’m most passionate about showcasing the city that I grew up in to newcomers or boomerangs in an effort to help them feel like this is a place where they will want to plant their flag both personally and professionally.

What do you find most rewarding about volunteering? The thing I find most rewarding about volunteering is meeting diverse new individuals and being able to positively impact their lives.

What is your favorite place in Cleveland? I enjoy the Metroparks and the many events, activities, and programs they offer.

What do you do when you are not volunteering at Global Cleveland? I enjoy serving at my church, spending time with my family and friends, and connecting with people at the myriad of local dining establishments Cleveland has to offer.

What is your volunteer role at Global Cleveland? Newcomer/boomerang ambassador for Lakewood.

What part of Global Cleveland’s work are you most passionate about? I love that Global Cleveland helps “surprise” newcomers and boomerangs with all of the things that make Cleveland awesome. Before I started visiting here five years ago, I had always heard only negatives about Cleveland. I was fortunate to be introduced to CLE by my best friend, who is from here. Global Cleveland is like having a best buddy show you around town, only with lots of dedicated volunteers and Cleveland-savvy staff.

What do you find most rewarding about volunteering? It’s cliché, but meeting new people and getting to talk up Cleveland.

What is your favorite place in Cleveland? I have two: Edgewater Park, because that’s the first place I got to see Lake Erie and the city skyline on my first visit. The West Side Market, for the atmosphere, architecture and that “melting pot” feel.

What do you do when you are not volunteering at Global Cleveland? I’m in the process of opening an art gallery with that best bud who introduced me to Cleveland, Raven Toney. We’re opening Raven’s Nest in Ohio City, near the West Side Market. I am the communications director - basically, the non-artist co-owner.

Would you like to share anything else for your spotlight? Clevelanders really are passionate, no matter the topic or the individual stance. As a native of the South, I’m accustomed to a more reserved style. I love knowing where I stand with Clevelanders, even if they’re telling me that I stink at parallel parking.

What is your volunteer role with Global Cleveland? Professional Connections for International Newcomers – a program that promotes professional and personal growth of international newcomers in the early stages of their career through personalized attention, feedback and encouragement.

How long have you been volunteering with Global Cleveland? Since June 2012

What part of Global Cleveland’s work are you most passionate about? I’m most passionate about introducing people to the vast assets of Greater Cleveland. Having traveled the world myself, I feel this area has so many world-class things that even long-time residents have never discovered.

What do you find most rewarding about volunteering? Like ships passing in the night, employers need to find highly competent workers to make their businesses grow. Workers need to know where to find companies that are hiring. I feel I can play a bridge role to ensure the two know each other.

What is your favorite place in Cleveland? It’s hard to choose. I grew up in Old Brooklyn and lived for a few years in Ohio City on two different occasions and now work downtown. But I would have to say nothing can match the view or the peace of being on a boat in the lake.

What do you do when you are not volunteering with Global Cleveland? Besides spending time with my wife and daughter in one of our fantastic Metroparks, or attending one of the many cultural activities like the Ukrainian, Greek or Asian festivals, I enjoy playing tennis and going fishing on Lake Erie when I can.

Would you like to share anything else for your spotlight? Cleveland has whatever a person can want or need. It might not be out there in the open – but if you know where to look or whom to ask, you can find it.

How long have you volunteered with Global Cleveland? Since May of 2012.

What part of Global Cleveland’s work are you most passionate about? Not only helping new or returning residents develop job search strategies for employment, but also appreciating Cleveland’s diverse job market.

What do you find most rewarding about volunteering? I find it rewarding to help individuals in the relocation process by finding employment and supporting their new endeavors and aspirations.

What is your favorite place in Cleveland? Anywhere with a good view of Lake Erie, from Huntington Beach to Pier W at sunset.

What do you do when you are not volunteering at Global Cleveland? Expand my knowledge in the Human Resources and Professional Development realms to be a better asset professionally and through Global Cleveland.

Would you like to share anything else for your spotlight? Cleveland is a fun place to live. The ethnic, culinary, and professional diversity alone make Cleveland a place to stay. Also, researching how many companies are headquartered in Cleveland puts a new perspective on the job market.

What is your volunteer role at Global Cleveland? I like to help Global Cleveland to introduce people to Cleveland.

How long have you been volunteering with Global Cleveland? Two months

What part of Global Cleveland’s work are you most passionate about? I love to meet new people and give them information about Cleveland.

What do you find most rewarding about volunteering? Giving the right information to people and assisting them in making a good decision.

What is your favorite place in Cleveland? I love Tremont and the University Circle area.

What do you do when you are not volunteering with Global Cleveland? I love my work and I enjoy spending time with my friends, dancing and working out.

Would you like to share anything else for your spotlight? I believe Cleveland is a great city. It is not comparable to New York or Chicago but as long as you know where to go and what to do, there is a lot to do.

What is your volunteer role at Global Cleveland? So far, I have had the opportunity to be an ambassador for a newcomer, and I’m also very excited about the Cleveland Asian Festival in a few weeks where I’ll be volunteering for Global Cleveland!

How long have you been volunteering with Global Cleveland? I attended my volunteer orientation almost 2 months ago.

What part of Global Cleveland’s work are you most passionate about? I am most passionate about helping newcomers see how much Cleveland has to offer. As a fellow newcomer, I know how hard it can be in a new city trying to find things to do and meet people. I want to help other newcomers have as great of an experience as I did exploring the city, finding your favorite spots and falling in love with Cleveland.

What do you find most rewarding about volunteering? I always love meeting new people and making new friends, but what I have found most rewarding about Global Cleveland is learning what other people love about Cleveland and what their favorite places are. I love hearing about cool things that I need to check out in other areas.

What is your favorite place in Cleveland? My favorite place would probably be the West Side Market. I love to cook and am very passionate about food, so my first trip to the West Side Market was like a dream… so many different meats, fruits, veggies, pastries, pastas, cheeses, nuts, spices, etc. It never gets old to me. I wish I could go every day.

What do you do when you are not volunteering at Global Cleveland? In my spare time I like to cook, find new restaurants to try, go out with my friends downtown or in Ohio City and try to keep up with my adorable nieces and nephews.

Any other thoughts you’d like to share? I am a newcomer from Alabama and moved to Cleveland for a job without knowing a single person. Now I have friends all over the area and plan on getting married in Cleveland next year. I am so glad to have found a city like Cleveland to call home and I look forward to helping others make a home here too!

What is your volunteer role at Global Cleveland? I helped one morning as an on-site job search coach the first week that Global Cleveland was open, but my true calling is as an off-site coach.

How long have you been a Global Cleveland volunteer? Since February 10, 2012.

What part of Global Cleveland’s work are you most passionate about? The broad notion of sharing all that is good about Greater Cleveland with others, and in so doing, building a better future for our fabulous region.

What do you find most rewarding about volunteering? The opportunity to give back is important, as is the opportunity to share my passion for the place where we’ve built our life.

What is your favorite place in Cleveland? There are SO MANY! Summer sunset from our back porch is pretty high on the list, as is about any place with a view of the skyline – better: the skyline behind the lake (think Pier W . . .) Riding through the Metroparks is special, as are so many of our golf courses (Sleepy Hollow in the fall) or our fine restaurants (the sidewalk patio at Bricco on Playhouse Square).

What do you do when you are not volunteering at Global Cleveland? Visit the places above, generally with my wife, Joann (although she doesn’t golf much) and spend time with friends & family. Professionally, I’m currently amid a job search of my own, and doing some consulting, all aimed at continuing what has been an amazingly rewarding human resources career to date.

Would you like to share anything else for your spotlight? I consistently tell people how blessed we are to be in Northeast Ohio. It’s a place where we have a wealth of goodness: career opportunities, arts, parks, sports, ethnic & religious diversity and changing seasons. What makes it extra special is that we have all of that with a moderate cost of living in a place that’s easy to get around, and full of warm, friendly people.

How do you volunteer for Global Cleveland? Research for the various initiatives, programs and the website.

How long have you been a Global Cleveland volunteer? Since December 2011

What part of Global Cleveland’s work are you most passionate about? Attracting newcomers and boomerangers to Cleveland. Greater Cleveland needs to be a place where young people don’t feel they have to leave to be successful.

What is your favorite place in Cleveland? Lake Erie is one of Cleveland’s greatest assets. It’s great to live in a city that is not land-locked.

What do you do when you are not volunteering at Global Cleveland? Math instructor at the Metro Campus of Cuyahoga Community College. Spend time with my husband and four children (two in college and two in high school).