Hunter Morrison

Director

Before acting as Director of the NEOSCC, Hunter worked as the Director of the Center for Urban and Regional Studies at Youngstown State University. The Center was established for the purpose of understanding applied research addressing issues of urban and regional development and providing technical assistance to local government, social service organizations, and businesses.

Prior to this he was Director of the Cleveland City Planning Commission and was responsible for Civic Vision 2000, a $3 million initiative that resulted in the comprehensive updating of the City’s Downtown Plan, Citywide Plan, and Zoning Code. Civic Vision received the 1992 American Planning Association National Planning Award for Comprehensive Planning. Under his direction, the department was responsible for the development of master plans for North Coast Harbor District, site of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Cleveland Browns Stadium; the Playhouse Square Theatre District, site of the country’s second largest performing arts center; and the Gateway Sports District, home of Jacobs Field and Gund Area. The Gateway project was awarded an Urban Design Citation from Progressive Architecture in 1990, an Honor Award for urban design from the American Society of Landscape Architects in 1991, and the AIA Urban Design Award in 1996. Prior to joining the City of Cleveland in 1980, he worked for the Hough Area Development Corporation, a neighborhood development organization in Cleveland; for private consulting firms in Boston, and for the cities of Nairobi and New York.

Hunter has taught at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and at Cleveland State University’s Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs. Hunter holds degrees in city planning and political science from Yale College, city planning from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and business administration from Cleveland State University.

Emma Petrie Barcelona

Deputy Director – Administration

Emma Petrie Barcelona has worked to enhance economic development throughout Northeast Ohio over the course of her career. Emma earned her BA from St. Mary’s of Maryland majoring in Economics, History, Public Policy, and Political Science in 1999. She earned her MS in 2003 from from Cleveland State University’s Levin School of Urban Affairs – Urban Studies with a concentration in Economic Development. Emma was also awarded the Howard Bruce Award. Before joining NEOSCC, she worked at the Greater Cleveland Growth Association, the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, and the City of Lakewood.  Focusing on economic research and analysis, Emma has also managed compliance for HUD funded grant programs and program management.

She has written reports, presented on, and been quoted about work involving mortgage lending, microenterprise and small business, foreclosures, access to credit in rural Ohio and other economic topics. In recent years, Emma has concentrated on work related to serving low-and-moderate income people and places.

Born in Toronto, Emma has lived in Lakewood, Ohio for most of her life.  She lives there now with her husband, Rob, and their two daughters, the oldest of whom is in first grade.  Emma is currently serving her first term on the Board of Education for the Lakewood City Schools.

Jeff Anderle

Deputy Director – Communications

With nearly 20 years in the Architecture/Engineering/Construction Industry, Jeff Anderle has led business development and marketing initiatives within the Commercial, Office, Residential, Senior Living and Green Building markets.

In 2009, Jeff founded Sustainable Rhythm, an organization focused on opportunity development within the sustainable built environment.  Jeff’s demonstrated success in strategic planning, project management and market analysis enable him to apply broad experience to assist organizations in entering new markets and solidifying current market position.

He is a member of the Society for Marketing Professional Services, the United States Green Building Council, Entrepreneurs for Sustainability (E4S), the Cleveland Engineering Society and the Northeast Ohio Chapter of the USGBC.

Jeff is a native of Cleveland’s Old Brooklyn area and after living for 15 years in Chicago, returned to Cleveland in 2004.

Joe MacDonald

Project Manager

Before joining the NEOSCC, Joseph MacDonald was a Senior Research Associate with the American Planning Association. He devoted his time to applied research and professional development, education, and learning networks. His research focus was on wind and solar energy, coastal planning, smart codes, green infrastructure, water resource protection, natural hazard mitigation, and urban parks. He also managed Planners Training Service, a semi-annual advanced training conference for mid- and senior-level planners, and the AICP exam review and results dissemination committee.

Prior to the American Planning Association, he created a GIS-based model for regional watershed planning at EcoCity Cleveland, now the GreenCityBlueLake Institute at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

Dr. MacDonald holds a Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; an M.S.P. in Urban and Regional Planning from Florida State University; and a B.S. in Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Science from the University of Michigan.

Kelley Britt

Project Manager

Kelley C. Britt is Program Manager with the Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium (NEOSCC). She is responsible for managing the Connections Workstream which is focused on the improvement and viability of transportation systems in Northeast Ohio. Previously, she was Program Coordinator with Reconnecting America and the Center for Transit-Oriented Development in Washington, DC. While there she provided technical assistance and training to cities and regions on the principles of sustainable communities and capacity building through the Leadership, Innovation, Knowledge and Networks (LINK) program. She was also a Comprehensive Planner with the city of Baltimore, MD (Eastern district) and community planner for the Department of Defense (contractor) and the cities of Laurel, MD and Cleveland, OH. Ms. Britt has over 8 years of project management experience in the public and nonprofit sectors.

Kelley has a Bachelor’s degree in Urban Affairs and a Master’s degree in Urban Planning, Design, and Development from Cleveland State University

Anthony Kobak

Project Manager, Housing & Communities

Anthony Kobak focuses on policies, practices, and priorities that are crafted to improve regional housing equity, access, and quality. In his work as Project Manager with NEOSCC, he manages the Housing and Communities Workstream.

Before working at NEOSCC, Anthony was the Chief City Planner for the City of Youngstown. During his tenure, he was the project manager for the Youngstown 2010 planning process. The 2010 Plan garnered numerous awards and international media coverage for its public engagement and innovative approach to urban planning.

Prior to moving to Youngstown, Anthony worked at a real estate investment trust company headquartered in Cleveland. He began his career as a community organizer in Cleveland’s Broadway neighborhood after receiving a master’s degree from Cleveland State University in Urban Studies with a concentration in downtown development and a bachelor’s degree in Geography with a minor in Urban Planning from Kent State University.

Mark Barbash

Project Manager, Economic Development

Mark Barbash has over 30 years of economic development experience, having served in the public sector at the local, state and federal levels, and in the private sector focusing on development financing, real estate and business development, and economic development.

Mark has served two periods in the Ohio Department of Development, most recently as Chief Economic Development Officer / Assistant Director, and previously as Deputy Director for Business Financing. From 2000 through 2007, Mark Barbash served as Development Director for the City of Columbus for Mayor Michael Coleman.

Prior to 2000, Mark was Executive Director of Community Capital Development Corporation, Vice President of Miller and Schroeder Financial, and Vice President for the National Development Council, a New York based non-profit consulting firm providing business financing assistance and training for public and private sector economic development professionals. Mark has served actively on the Boards of many organizations and currently serves on the Board of the International Economic Development Council, the national association for economic development professionals.

Kelly Harris

Administrative Assistant

The youngest of seven girls, Kelly Harris was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. Kelly graduate from Shaker Heights High School. She holds an associate of arts degree from Cuyahoga Community College and has over twenty years of administrative and clerk experience in banking.  Kelly also has nine years of administrative professional experience with Northeast Ohio non-profits organizations.