A celebration of the outstanding women of Cleveland Heights

Last Thursday, March 23, Cleveland Heights officials honored 10 of its residents during its Women’s Day Celebration at the Cleveland Heights Community Center—presenting them with recognition certificates for their accomplishments.

Cleveland Heights City Council president Melody Joy Hart welcomed the group, followed by opening remarks from council vice president Craig Cobb.

Cleveland Heights-University Heights Schools (CH-UH Schools) board member Malia Lewis presented Cleveland Heights High School freshman Meghan Marshall with the first recognition of the evening— “Inspiring Young Woman of Cleveland Heights.” Marshall is a defensive tackle and the only girl on the Cleveland Heights freshman football team. She was recognized as an inspiration in showing that gender can’t define what sports someone can play.

Marshall serves as a role model for her peers, and she inspires young people to push their limits, regardless of age, gender, or race.

Three Cleveland Heights business owners were recognized with “Outstanding Businesswoman of Cleveland Heights” certificates for their businesses in the city. The owners recognized include:

  • Destiny Burns, owner of CLE Urban Winery on Lee Road. Burns describes her business as a calling of “good wine made fun that celebrates Cleveland and creates community.” She pays homage to Cleveland through local names and photos on her wine’s labels, and through art on the walls of the winery, and local musicians and performers they host. She says the secret is that her business is not really about the wine—it’s about bringing us all together in meaningful ways, with the wine as a catalyst.

  • Ladosha Wright, owner of Reverence Design Team Hair Salon on S. Taylor Road, which has operated in Cleveland Heights for nearly two decades. Wright uses her experience as an outreach worker to offer unique approach to cosmetology and offers educational classes to licensed professionals. In 2012 she galvanized more 800 licensed cosmetologists to help change an Ohio law regarding managing cosmetology licenses, and last year was awarded a grant for the Ubuntu Hair Love Project, which works to empower those affected by hair shaming, hair discrimination, and bullying.

  • Mariah Roj, founder of S’il Vous Play Toy Shop on Lee and Silsby Roads. Inspired by a French toy shop she saw on vacation, Roi started the business in November 2021 after she and her husband Wes renovated the Lee-Silsby Compounding Pharmacy building into a children’s wonderland. S’il Vous Play stocks sustainable, handcrafted toys made by ethically responsible companies, and prioritizes stocking locally made items, often made by women or makers with diverse backgrounds.

Tony Cuda honored Judith Van Kleef posthumouslyTony Cuda honored Judith Van Kleef posthumouslySix women were named “Amazing Women of Cleveland Heights” for their accomplishments in the city. The women honored include:

  • City council member Tony Cuda honored Judith Van Kleef posthumously for doing all she could to shape a strong community by confronting issues in a positive way. She made sure the citizen voice was present and heard by building a strong block club; volunteered for the Heights Community Congress to promote fair housing; promoted domestic registration; led the Commission on Aging; and volunteered at Cain Park. If Van Kleef saw an issue, she would get on the phone, recruit people to pay attention, then arrange for a speaker or organize a letter writing effort. Although Van Kleef passed away in March of 2022, her presence is still felt throughout this community, and she will be greatly missed by all who felt her impact.

  • Council member Gail Larson honored Lynn Tramonte as an immigration advocate for more than 20 years and executive director of the nonprofit Ohio Immigrant Alliance. Tramonte is the editor of “Far from Their Eyes: The Ohio Migrant Anthology Volume 1,” a collection of essays, short stories, poems, interviews, and artwork from people with connections to Ohio and to migration.

  • Council member Anthony Mattox, Jr. honored Lita Gonzalez, founder and president of the Officer Jason D. West Memorial Fund, a nonprofit organization created in memory of a Cleveland Heights police officer who was killed in the line of duty. The program works in partnership with CH-UH Schools to offer college scholarships to students who were enrolled in the high school’s Criminal Justice program.

  • Future Heights board vice president and chair of the city’s Racial Justice Task Force Rhonda Davis Lovejoy honored Brenda May is the leader of Noble Neighbors. She encourages, challenges, and empowers others to share their gifts to make positive change in the Noble Neighborhood. Some of the projects she has initiated We Are Noble, Noble Gardeners Market, Green Noble Team, book drives for the Little Free Libraries in the Noble neighborhood, Issue and Candidate Forums, and food drives.

  • CH-UH Schools board member Beverly Wright honored CH-UH Schools superintendent Elizabeth Kirby, who is focused on student achievement as an engaged, visible, committed, and effective leader in the community. She has worked on several initiatives to increase racial and social equity within the community and has overseen the creation of a health clinic at Heights High that is open to students, their families, and staff. The clinic should have a large impact on health and attendance. In collaboration with Cuyahoga Community College, Kirby launched a program to enable rising 9th graders to graduate high school with an associate’s degree.

  • Zaniyah Connor, member of the Monticello Ink Spot program and Myieshia Hodges, a member of the Poetry Club Lake Erie Ink facilitates at Heights High SchoolZaniyah Connor, member of the Monticello Ink Spot program and Myieshia Hodges, a member of the Poetry Club Lake Erie Ink facilitates at Heights High SchoolCouncil member Janine Boyd honored former city council member and president Cheryl Stephens who helped pass legislation outlawing discrimination against LGBTQ+ residents; laws prohibiting landlords from obtaining a certificate of occupancy if they had not paid their taxes; and assisted in creating a $4 million budget surplus. Stephens previously served as the director of acquisition, disposition and development at the Cuyahoga County Landbank, where her department helped complete acquisition, demolition, and environmental clean-up projects valued at over $50 million. When she was elected to council in 2018, Stephens lead the effort to use county assets to encourage KeyBank to lend more in low- and middle-income neighborhoods—the first such county effort in the country. As the first Black woman to run on a major party’s ticket for lieutenant governor, Stephens worked to translate the party’s values throughout the state.
Members of Lake Erie Ink’s writer’s club and poetry club were also present at the event. Monticello Middle School seventh grader Zaniyah Conner, age 13, read the poem “Blooming in Life’s Garden” and Cleveland Heights High School juinor Myieshia Hodges, age 17, read the poem “Lullabies.”

Karin Connelly Rice
Karin Connelly Rice

About the Author: Karin Connelly Rice

Karin Connelly Rice enjoys telling people's stories, whether it's a promising startup or a life's passion. Over the past 20 years she has reported on the local business community for publications such as Inside Business and Cleveland Magazine. She was editor of the Rocky River/Lakewood edition of In the Neighborhood and was a reporter and photographer for the Amherst News-Times. At Fresh Water she enjoys telling the stories of Clevelanders who are shaping and embracing the business and research climate in Cleveland.