Leaders of public, private, philanthropic and non-profit sectors came together Friday to sign a commitment to collectively work to increase economic mobility in our region.

The Urban Agenda Memorandum of Understanding, led by PolicyBridge, has a shared commitment to focus on three key outcomes:   

1. Raise Black and Hispanic/Latino median incomes
2. Increase Black and Hispanic/Latino homeownership
3. Close the racial wealth gap.

“The Agreement is an economic imperative and regional competitiveness mandate,” declared Randell McShepard, Chairman and Co-Founder of PolicyBridge, at the signing event at the Greater Cleveland Partnership.

“

It’s not just talk.  Metrics are key to the Agenda’s success.

 PolicyBridge is launching an online community dashboard highlighting economic mobility disparities, reinforcing the need for the Urban Agenda. For example: In Cleveland, Black households earn about half, and Hispanic households earn 70% of what White households make.

“What gets measured gets done,” noted City of Cleveland Council President Blaine Griffin in his remarks.

 "Inclusive Opportunity is one of the priorities of our All In plan to drive the region's growth and prosperity, and the Urban Agenda aligns with Inclusive Opportunity," said GCP CEO,Baiju R. Shah. Shah noted scaling businesses, investing in neighborhoods, and expanding talent programs as examples of GCP's work towards the goals. He shared that an All In approach with partners is required to achieve transformative outcomes.

PolicyBridge, founded 20 years ago in response to Cleveland’s persistent poverty, has led efforts toward systemic change. In 2023, they gathered an engaged group of leaders representing public, private, philanthropic and non-profit organizations  to meet regularly.  The Urban Agenda was an outgrowth of these meeting.

“Bold, collective action is needed to address systemic challenges,” noted Lillian Kuri, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Cleveland Foundation. “This is a truly remarkable moment.”

 Said McShepard,  “This is a huge step forward for our community.”

Signatories

• Randell McShepard, Chairman and Co-Founder of PolicyBridge
• Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne
• GCP President and CEO Baiju Shah
• Lillian Kuri, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Cleveland Foundation
• Blaine Griffin, Cleveland City Council President
• Dale Miller, Cuyahoga County Council President
• Sharon Sobol Jordan, President and CEO of the United Way of Greater Cleveland
• Anthony Richardson, President of the Gund Foundation
• Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, could not attend but signed in absentia.
• Dr. Michael Baston, President, Cuyahoga Community College
• Marsha Mockabee, President and CEO, The Urban League
• Tania Menesse, President and CEO, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress
• Dr. Jill Gordon, Dean, Cleveland State University
• Dr. Eric Kaler, President, Case Western Reserve University, could not attend but signed in absentia.