Baiju R. Shah is the President & CEO of Greater Cleveland Partnership, the region’s leading economic development organization and with over 12,000 members, the nation’s largest metropolitan chamber of commerce. Guided by a board of CEOs, GCP focuses on accelerating growth and prosperity through strategic initiatives, business services, real estate development, and advocacy. 

Previously, Shah was CEO of BioMotiv, CEO of BioEnterprise, and a Senior Fellow of the Cleveland Foundation. Throughout his career, he has developed strategic alliances with pharmaceutical companies, health institutions, universities, and foundations, and raised significant funds for health ventures. He also served on the Boards of Invacare and Athersys, and as a Senior Advisor of Faster Cures. Shah began his career at McKinsey. 

Mr. Shah serves on numerous civic boards and is recognized as one of Cleveland’s most influential leaders. He received a JD from Harvard Law School and a BA from Yale University. 

Jenice Contreras is a recognized leader in business, community, and economic development, as well as an accomplished real estate developer and the founder of CentroVilla25. As President and Chief Executive Officer of the Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development (the Center), Jenice directs the organization’s dynamic portfolio, including the NEO Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, among other innovative community development initiatives. 

Dedicated to cultural preservation, wealth creation, and business growth, Jenice is the founder and co-developer of CentroVilla25, a transformational, $14 million mixed-use project revitalizing a vacant 32,500-square-foot warehouse in the heart of Clark-Fulton. This adaptive reuse initiative serves as an economic and cultural anchor for the region. 

Born in Puerto Rico, Jenice is proudly bilingual and bicultural. Her lived experience drives her advocacy for racial equity, diversity, and the economic empowerment of Northeast Ohio’s Latino community. Through her leadership and vision, Jenice is helping shape a more inclusive, prosperous future for generations to come. 

Crystal Bryant-Agyemang, Esq. is a visionary leader, attorney, social impact strategist, Sister Cities Ambassador, and community builder committed to creating opportunities and strengthening connections locally and globally.  

With a dual background in law and social work she has built a career at the intersection of operations, strategy and community impact. With more than two decades of experience in public service, nonprofit leadership, workforce development, civic engagement, and international collaboration, Crystal builds bridges across communities and cultures.  

Crystal co-founded Cleveland Votes, a civic engagement organization that has operated for 10 years. More recently, she co-founded the Pan African Center for Transformation, which centers its work through seven pillars and advances a mission to create economic amelioration for the global African diaspora.  

Ingrida Bublys hails from the great nation of Lithuania and serves as the Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Lithuania for Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. Through her consular work, Ingrida has helped connect Ohio universities with Lithuanian universities, supported exchange programs, organized trade missions, brought Lithuanian cultural events to the region, and welcomed Lithuanian government officials by connecting them with key U.S. decision-makers.

Ingrida is also President of IB International Inc., with offices in Cleveland, Vilnius, and Buchholz, Germany. Through her business work, she has spent more than 30 years supporting business development and company representation between the Baltic States and the United States, helping companies build partnerships, enter new markets, and create international opportunities. Her decades of work have made her an instrumental international leader in Cleveland and a trusted bridge between Northeast Ohio and the global community. 

Spectrum News 1 is a 24/7 hyperlocal content network, focused on delivering news and information on the issues that unite Ohioans. 

With journalists on the ground in Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati, as well as traveling around the state, Spectrum News 1 is committed to covering the stories that matter most to its viewers across the state of Ohio. Since what happens in the state government impacts schools, healthcare and the economy in communities around the state, the network has dedicated reporters covering the state capitol and the Ohio congressional delegation on Capitol Hill. 

Roberto Pellizzaro is a Sales Area Manager for an Italian manufacturing company with an office near Cleveland.  

Before moving to the United States, Roberto worked in sales while also serving for ten years as a City Councilor in Italy. His international experience also includes periods living in India and Belgium. 

He holds a master’s degree in International Politics and Diplomacy from the University of Padua and a Master of Arts in International Public Affairs from LUISS School of Government in Rome. 

He is involved in the Italian American community in the Cleveland area. 

Roberto is passionate about history, international relations, and business. In his free time, he enjoys reading, going for walks, attending cultural events, following sports, and discovering restaurants around Northeast Ohio. 

Since its founding in 1957 to this very day, hundreds and thousands consider Saint Ambrose a part of ‘their family.’ Through over 150 ministries and programs, its members form wonderful bonds of friendship, reinforce family values and do great work in service to the Lord and our local community.