Ronn Richard at City Club: Is There Hope for Revitalizing the Nation’s Poorest City?

CLEVELAND, OH—Ronald “Ronn” Richard, president and CEO of The Cleveland Foundation, will speak on the topic “Revitalizing America’s Post-Industrial Cities: Some Lessons from Cleveland” at noon on Friday, September 8, 2006, at The City Club of Cleveland.

Over the past 24 years, Richard has held a variety of senior management positions in
government, private sector, and non-profit sector. Prior to joining the Cleveland Foundation, Richard was COO and managing partner of In-Q-Tel. Before In-Q-Tel, he spent 13 years at Matsushita Electric (Panasonic) in senior positions, including as president of North American R&D operations and Panasonic Home & Commercial Products Company, and as  vice president for planning, technology, and public affairs, which included heading up Panasonic’s corporate philanthropy.

Early in his career, Richard was a U.S. diplomat, serving at the American Consulate General in Osaka/Kobe, Japan and at the U.S. Department of State as a desk officer for North Korean, Greek and Turkish affairs. He also served in San Francisco as a Pearson Program Fellow.

Richard began his career at the Japan Society in New York City. He served for many years on the board of trustees of Spelman College and on the board of advisors of the Landegger Program in International Business Diplomacy at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.

Since his arrival in Cleveland, he has been appointed to several boards, including Greater Cleveland Partnership, Ohio Grantmakers Forum, Community Partnership for Arts and Culture, Ohio Business Development Coalition, Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital National Leadership Council, and several corporate boards.

Tickets for this City Club Friday Forum are $18 for members and $30 for non-members. Lunch is included. Reservations are required at least 24 hours in advance of the event. They can be purchased by calling The City Club at 216.621.0082 or visiting the website at www.cityclub.org.

Established in 1912 to encourage new ideas and a free exchange of thought, The City Club of Cleveland is the oldest continuous free speech forum in the country, renowned for its tradition of debate and discussion. The City Club’s mission is to inform, educate and inspire citizens by presenting significant ideas and providing opportunities for dialogue in a collegial setting.

  Missy S. Toms Director of Membership & Marketing The City Club of Cleveland 850 Euclid Ave., 2nd Fl. Cleveland, OH 44114 216.621.0082 888.223.6786 F: 216.621.0129 mtoms [at] cityclub [dot] org To become a member or make a reservation, visit us at www.cityclub.org [1].

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