ELEMENTZ BOARD

Peter Block

Peter Block is an author, consultant, and citizen of Cincinnati, Ohio. His work is about empowerment, stewardship, chosen accountability, and the reconciliation of community. He is the author of several best selling books, the most widely known being Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used; Stewardship: Choosing Service Over Self-Interest and The Empowered Manager: Positive Political Skills at Work. His latest book is Community: The Structure of Belonging. Peter is the recipient of the Organization Development Network’s 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2004 he received their first place Members’ Choice Award, which recognized Flawless Consulting as the most influential book for OD practitioners over the past 40 years.Peter is a partner in Designed Learning (www.designedlearning.com), a training company that offers workshops designed by Peter to build the skills outlined in his books.
With other volunteers in Cincinnati, Peter began A Small Group (www.asmallgroup.net), whose work is to create a new community narrative and to bring his work on civic engagement into being. He is active with Cincinnati Public Radio and Elementz, a Hip Hop urban youth center.

He supports Elementz because it values the gifts and talents of young people which is what is most needed. They do not need to be fixed or changed. It is welcoming place that accepts people where they are. Elementz is a place where youth can discover the possibility that they are and understand that we as a community need them.

Gavin Leonard

Gavin Leonard is the State Director for Ohio’s Center for Progressive Leadership, based in Cincinnati. He is a co-founder, and former Executive Director of Elementz and transitioned onto the board in 2008. Gavin worked for 5 years doing construction and project management for community development corporations focused on affordable housing, also in Cincinnati. Originally from Chicago, and raised in rural Northwest Ohio, Gavin attended New York University and served as the Vice President of Students for a Free Tibet before leaving school to pursue full-time social justice work. Gavin also canvassed for environmental organizations in Denver, Cleveland, and Columbus before settling in Cincinnati just prior to the riots that took place in 2001. He serves on the boards of the League of Young Voters, Wiretap Magazine, and the All-Ages Movement Project. Gavin is passionate about providing opportunities for inner city youth in Cincinnati, and believes strongly in Elementz’ mission. He believes that inspiring and engaging youth through the arts is the first step toward increased civic engagement and young people being heard and taken seriously in the community.

Elle Morris

Elle Morris, Vice president and general manager, LPK Beauty. In addition to overseeing the general business management of LPK Beauty, Ms. Morris serves as its
chief customer officer, providing strategic oversight on a significant array of businesses in the categories of hair care, feminine care and beauty, helping to build, expand and revitalize brands around the globe.

Fred Neurohr

Fred is a research professional who currently divides his time between WellPoint, Inc., teaching at Wilmington College and volunteering with the Executive Service Corps of Cincinnati.  Fred grew up loving old-school hip-hop (KRS-One, Third Bass, Run DMC and others) in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens; a high-school dropout, he put himself through college, earned a Master’s degree and hopes to earn a PhD from UC.  He enjoys working both in music promotion and with young people: he ran a group in the Bronx for boys waiting to be matched by Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City.  Fred moved to Cincinnati in 2003 and lives with his wife and two children in Northside.

Brook Westheimer

Brook Westheimer loves Cincinnati’s river, hills, parks, and its great library system. Promoting a place where youth can create the music that is unique and essential to the city is one of the best ways to show love for Cincinnati. She firmly believes that Elementz is the voice of downtown, started by and run by the people it serves. Over the years she’s been involved with several independent media related projects. She runs a web design company, Watercourse Technology, teaches computer classes at the public library, and lives in Spring Grove Village

Diane Jordan

Diane graduated from the University of Cincinnati with Bachelor and Master Degrees in Education. A Class XXXII member of Leadership Cincinnati, she is also a Class I alumna of Urban League Leadership Development Program. Diane is a systems thinker and critical listener, two strengths that helped propel her twelve-year career success at Beech Acres Parenting Center, first as Vice President of Organizational Effectiveness and then as Chief Operating Officer, the position she holds today. As a member of Black Career Women, Diane presented at the national Can We Talk ™ Conferences. In 2009 Diane was honored by Fifth Third Bank as a Profile in Courage. She was listed among the one hundred notable African Americans in the July 13, 2008 Cincinnati Enquirer and was profiled in the July 2005 Cincinnati Women’s Business. From her experiences abroad, Diane believes everyone has natural gifts and a personal responsibility to use those gifts to improve the community they inhabit. Diane is a member of Leadership Cincinnati Steering Committee, Toastmasters International, Vistage Key Group, the Society for Human Resource Management, Cincinnati Urban League, A Small Group, and current board member of Elementz Hip Hop Center, Sankofa Enrichment, and NAMI-Hamilton County. She is a past board member of Lighthouse Youth Services, Comprehensive Community Child Care (4 C), and the American Heart Association (Cincinnati Affiliate). Her former advisory affiliations include the National Advisory Committee for Cultural Competence of the Child Welfare League of America and Children’s Defense Fund.

ELEMENTZ PARTNERS

Rob Wall

In 2007, Rob, a staff attorney at the Ohio Justice & Policy Center and Cincinnati native, began working with Elementz to create a free community legal clinic for youth to address their legal issues on their own terms. Since then, the clinic has provided relevant legal services to over 200 young people, helping with issues from criminal records to housing, education and more.