Board Members
Jasaun Boone
Jasaun Boone is Co-Founder/Managing Partner at Gateway Strategies LLC, a communication and legislative affairs firm with offices in both Washington, DC and New York City metro areas. Prior to founding Gateway Strategies, Boone served as Legislative Assistant on the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; and also assumed senior positions on numerous political campaigns througout the country. He is a native of New Brunswick, New Jersey and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Religion and Philosophy from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.
Judge A. Deane Buchanan
Judge Buchanan assumed the position as judge of the Cleveland Heights Municipal Court in November 2001 and was re-elected in November 2005 to a 6 year term on the bench. A native of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, Judge Buchanan received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University in 1968 and his Juris Doctorate from Case Western Reserve University in 1973. After receiving his law degree, Judge Buchanan engaged in the private practice of law and eventually became a partner in the law firm of Hardiman, Buchanan, and Trivers in Cleveland, Ohio. He also served as the Executive Assistant for Legal Affairs to Governor Richard F. Celeste and Vice Chairman of the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals for a period of time in Columbus, Ohio.
Judge Buchanan's involvement in the community affairs has been consistent throughout his 34 year legal and judicial career, including service as a member and chairman of the Cuyahoga County Mental Health Board and as a Director of the Tiger Woods Foundation.
Judge Buchanan is an active member of many civic and professional organizations, including Leadership Cleveland, the NAACP, the National Bar Association, The Cuyahoga County Bar Association, and the Norman S. Minor Bar Association.
Judge Buchanan has been a resident of Cleveland Heights for over 20 years and is married to Louise Bryant Buchanan and has one beautiful daughter Ashley Elizabeth.
Judge Buchanan's involvement in the community affairs has been consistent throughout his 34 year legal and judicial career, including service as a member and chairman of the Cuyahoga County Mental Health Board and as a Director of the Tiger Woods Foundation.
Judge Buchanan is an active member of many civic and professional organizations, including Leadership Cleveland, the NAACP, the National Bar Association, The Cuyahoga County Bar Association, and the Norman S. Minor Bar Association.
Judge Buchanan has been a resident of Cleveland Heights for over 20 years and is married to Louise Bryant Buchanan and has one beautiful daughter Ashley Elizabeth.
Kelton Crenshaw
Kelton Crenshaw is a native of Cleveland Ohio. A 2002 graduate of Cleveland State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree, Kelton had enjoyed the city life of Cleveland for many years. But as he got older the city was on the decline and became the poorest city in the nation. Unfortunately many of the his generation were leaving because their were no jobs opportunities. But Kelton wanted to stay and help revive the city. So in 2005 he and a couple of his friends started a company called 8081 Entertainment. The company was a mechanism to create exciting and unique events in Cleveland and its surrounding area. The companies strong relationships with professional atheletes and entertainers in the Cleveland area has helped them quickly emerge as the premiere promotions and event planning company in Northeast Ohio. Kelton also works with LRMR marketing firm which is headed by Lebron James. Kelton has a wonderful marriage to Gabrielle Crenshaw and they have three beautiful children (Londyn, Nasir, and Kelsey).
Connie M. Gistand, M.D. MPH
Dr. Connie Gistand, is a native of Winnfield, Louisiana. She is a Magna cum Laude graduate of Grambling State University and later received her Doctorate of Medicine Degree from the University of Iowa School of Medicine. Dr. Gistand completed her Internal Medicine training at Ochsner Foundation Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana and is a Board Certified Internist and Hypertension Specialist. In October 2001, she joined the faculty at Tulane School of Medicine. In June 2003, she was promoted to the rank of Assistant Professor and still serves as adjunct faculty in the Tulane School of Medicine. During her appointment at Tulane, Dr. Gistand served as the Medical Director of the Tulane Medicine Clinic at the Medical Center of Louisiana where she devoted a significant portion of her time to resident supervision and teaching.
In 2007, she was one of 5 recipients of the Harvard University/Commonwealth Fund Fellowship and later received her Master's Degree in Public Health from Harvard University. As a Harvard University Fellow, Dr. Gistand had the privilege to study and collaborate with physicians from all over the world from Canada to Nigeria to Japan regarding national and international health care systems; race related health care outcomes; and the development of universal healthcare systems.
Dr. Gistand is actively involved in her local community where she has served as a member of the Advisory Board of the Reach 2010 National Black Women's Health Project; a member of the 2003 Louisiana Governor's Health Care Reform Panel, physician volunteer and consultant for the Essence Health and Fitness Panel and member of the Louisiana State Medical Society and New Orleans Medical Association. She has been invited by local medical groups and community organizations on numerous occasions to speak at various health workshops and events.
In November of 2009, Dr. Gistand joined the Department of Health and Hospitals as the Medical Director for the Region 3 Office of Public Health. In her role as Medical Director for the Office of Public Health, she oversees and/or is a consultant on a wide array of public health programs including tuberculosis, STDs and HIV, immunizations, tobacco cessation, injury prevention, etc. Her clinical and research interests are in the areas of Hypertension, Health Care Disparities, and Social Determinants of Health.
In 2007, she was one of 5 recipients of the Harvard University/Commonwealth Fund Fellowship and later received her Master's Degree in Public Health from Harvard University. As a Harvard University Fellow, Dr. Gistand had the privilege to study and collaborate with physicians from all over the world from Canada to Nigeria to Japan regarding national and international health care systems; race related health care outcomes; and the development of universal healthcare systems.
Dr. Gistand is actively involved in her local community where she has served as a member of the Advisory Board of the Reach 2010 National Black Women's Health Project; a member of the 2003 Louisiana Governor's Health Care Reform Panel, physician volunteer and consultant for the Essence Health and Fitness Panel and member of the Louisiana State Medical Society and New Orleans Medical Association. She has been invited by local medical groups and community organizations on numerous occasions to speak at various health workshops and events.
In November of 2009, Dr. Gistand joined the Department of Health and Hospitals as the Medical Director for the Region 3 Office of Public Health. In her role as Medical Director for the Office of Public Health, she oversees and/or is a consultant on a wide array of public health programs including tuberculosis, STDs and HIV, immunizations, tobacco cessation, injury prevention, etc. Her clinical and research interests are in the areas of Hypertension, Health Care Disparities, and Social Determinants of Health.
Malaika L. Moran
Malaika Moran is Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of socialstep, which is comprised of the copyrighted electronic publication called Malaika's Social Stepper's List and the website, WWW.SOCIALSTEP.COM. Since May 1996, Malaika's Social Stepper's List has become the premier resource for young urban professionals searching for New York City's hot social scene. The list includes networking, community service, cultural and travel events and reaches tens of thousands of recipients in the tri-state area and across the nation. In January 1998, Malaika expanded her services to more cities, including Chicago, D.C., Philadelphia, Detroit, and Atlanta.
Residing between Miami and Brooklyn, Malaika was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1994, she received a BA in marketing from Hampton University. Malaika is currently a member of Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce's Young Professionals Network and is on the Board for the Karen E. Mumford Foundation.
Presently, Malaika is focusing on developing her company, SOCIALSTEP.COM and doing online marketing for Carnival Center for the Performing Arts in Miami. In March 2000, she resigned from her position as Webmaster of the Small Business website for American Express. Prior to that, she was Second Vice President of Electronic Communications of the credit card marketing division at Chase Manhattan Bank. There, she focused on Internet marketing, Electronic Commerce initiatives, and online strategies. Malaika gained a rich background in Electronic Commerce. This included managing Chase's proprietary PC Banking products, as well as Microsoft and Quicken PC Banking software. She was also involved in developing strategic alliances and new business ventures for Chase.
This exposure to the Internet as a useful marketing tool, coupled with Malaika's desire to inform her colleagues of the best places to socialize, led to her independent endeavor, socialstep. Since 1996, the company has serviced clients such as HBO, FUBU, Black Enterprise, ESSENCE, Heineken, Martel Cognac, Microsoft, Sony Music and many more. Due to Malaika's efforts to date, socialstep has been acclaimed as a valuable resource for young urban professionals across the nation and noted in publications like Todays Black Man magazine ESSENCE magazine and a cover story on NV Magazine. She has also been a panelist at several seminars and conferences, including the NAMD Marketing Monday's panel on Networking, the Old English 800 Seminar Series, the ESSENCE Magazine "Investing in You" seminar and the Rolling Out Magazine Business Seminar.
Residing between Miami and Brooklyn, Malaika was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1994, she received a BA in marketing from Hampton University. Malaika is currently a member of Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce's Young Professionals Network and is on the Board for the Karen E. Mumford Foundation.
Presently, Malaika is focusing on developing her company, SOCIALSTEP.COM and doing online marketing for Carnival Center for the Performing Arts in Miami. In March 2000, she resigned from her position as Webmaster of the Small Business website for American Express. Prior to that, she was Second Vice President of Electronic Communications of the credit card marketing division at Chase Manhattan Bank. There, she focused on Internet marketing, Electronic Commerce initiatives, and online strategies. Malaika gained a rich background in Electronic Commerce. This included managing Chase's proprietary PC Banking products, as well as Microsoft and Quicken PC Banking software. She was also involved in developing strategic alliances and new business ventures for Chase.
This exposure to the Internet as a useful marketing tool, coupled with Malaika's desire to inform her colleagues of the best places to socialize, led to her independent endeavor, socialstep. Since 1996, the company has serviced clients such as HBO, FUBU, Black Enterprise, ESSENCE, Heineken, Martel Cognac, Microsoft, Sony Music and many more. Due to Malaika's efforts to date, socialstep has been acclaimed as a valuable resource for young urban professionals across the nation and noted in publications like Todays Black Man magazine ESSENCE magazine and a cover story on NV Magazine. She has also been a panelist at several seminars and conferences, including the NAMD Marketing Monday's panel on Networking, the Old English 800 Seminar Series, the ESSENCE Magazine "Investing in You" seminar and the Rolling Out Magazine Business Seminar.
Nathan Mumford
Nathan Mumford is a two time cancer survivor from Cleveland, Ohio. He was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma at eight years old; and in 2004, diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) at the age of twenty four years old. Months after having a successful cord blood transplant to treat his condition, his mother, Karen E. Mumford, passed away from breast cancer. Despite such adversity, Nathan has courageously transformed personal tragedy into triumph, with the creation of the Karen E. Mumford Cancer Foundation, in honor of his mother.
Nathan is a 2003 graduate of Morehouse College, in Atlanta, Georgia, with a bachelor degree in Business Administration.
Nathan is a 2003 graduate of Morehouse College, in Atlanta, Georgia, with a bachelor degree in Business Administration.
Reverend Dr. Otis Moss, Jr.
The Reverend Dr. Otis Moss, Jr., was called to the ministry at the age of 17 during his days as a student at Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia. He served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Morehouse from 1994-2005. His quest for knowledge and pursuit of educational excellence led him from Morehouse College as a Bachelor of Arts graduate and onward to Morehouse's School of Religion/Inter-Denominational Theological Center where he received the Master of Divinity degree. Reverend Moss selected a further course of Special Studies at the Inter-Denominational Theological Center and ultimately achieved his goal of the Doctor of Ministry Degree from United Theological Seminary in 1990.
During his early days as a minister, Dr. Moss was blessed to sit at the feet within the inner circle of many phenomenal persons such as Dr. Benjamin E. Mays and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Both of these persons provided friendship, leadership and spiritual guidance and helped to shape the thinking and model for leadership Dr. Moss represents today. He is recognized across the nation and globe as an eloquent spokesperson and spiritually-grounded man of God, carrying the banner for love, justice, equality, and human rights for all.
As Dr. Moss so aptly states: "My decision to enter the ministry is a gift...a special calling from God." His ministry is truly a gift; held up before the world as shining light for all to see. This gift was first discovered in his pastorates at several congregations in the LaGrange and Atlanta areas (including co-pastoring with Dr. Martin Luther King, Sr., at Ebenezer Baptist Church), further developed at Mt. Zion (Cincinnati, Ohio), and reaching full fruition at the Olivet Institutional Baptist Church, Cleveland, Ohio, where he has just celebrated his 31st Pastoral Anniversary.
Dr. Moss has consulted with presidents, been honored for his work in civil rights and has delivered the Word of the Gospel all across the globe. He is recognized and revered for his dedication to all humankind. The accolades and achievements of The Reverend Dr. Otis Moss, Jr. are great in number; they supercede the barriers of color, race and religion.
The Reverend Dr. Moss is married to Mrs. Edwina Moss and they are the proud parents of three children: Kevin, Daphne (deceased) and Otis, III. Dr. and Mrs. Moss recently became the proud grandparents for the fourth time with the new arrival of baby boy Elijah Wynton Taylor Moss.
The Olivet Institutional Baptist Church is proud to share the Reverend Dr. Otis Moss, Jr., with the world. His ministry is blessed because of his sincere desire to serve the Lord with his all his heart, all his soul and with all his mind.
During his early days as a minister, Dr. Moss was blessed to sit at the feet within the inner circle of many phenomenal persons such as Dr. Benjamin E. Mays and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Both of these persons provided friendship, leadership and spiritual guidance and helped to shape the thinking and model for leadership Dr. Moss represents today. He is recognized across the nation and globe as an eloquent spokesperson and spiritually-grounded man of God, carrying the banner for love, justice, equality, and human rights for all.
As Dr. Moss so aptly states: "My decision to enter the ministry is a gift...a special calling from God." His ministry is truly a gift; held up before the world as shining light for all to see. This gift was first discovered in his pastorates at several congregations in the LaGrange and Atlanta areas (including co-pastoring with Dr. Martin Luther King, Sr., at Ebenezer Baptist Church), further developed at Mt. Zion (Cincinnati, Ohio), and reaching full fruition at the Olivet Institutional Baptist Church, Cleveland, Ohio, where he has just celebrated his 31st Pastoral Anniversary.
Dr. Moss has consulted with presidents, been honored for his work in civil rights and has delivered the Word of the Gospel all across the globe. He is recognized and revered for his dedication to all humankind. The accolades and achievements of The Reverend Dr. Otis Moss, Jr. are great in number; they supercede the barriers of color, race and religion.
The Reverend Dr. Moss is married to Mrs. Edwina Moss and they are the proud parents of three children: Kevin, Daphne (deceased) and Otis, III. Dr. and Mrs. Moss recently became the proud grandparents for the fourth time with the new arrival of baby boy Elijah Wynton Taylor Moss.
The Olivet Institutional Baptist Church is proud to share the Reverend Dr. Otis Moss, Jr., with the world. His ministry is blessed because of his sincere desire to serve the Lord with his all his heart, all his soul and with all his mind.
Yvonne Sims
Mrs. Yvonne Sims has been teaching in the Bedford city school system for an impressive 35 years. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Mrs. Sims received her Bachelor of Science degree from Bowling Green State University in 1973 and her M.Ed. Curriculum & Instruction, School Guidance Counselor from Cleveland State University in 1977.
Mrs. Sims has always been a prominent voice in the Cleveland Metro area. Mrs. Sims has an entire list of activities she is involved in throughout the city and some include advisor of Teens Who Listen & Care, Columbus School Big Brother /Big Sister, organizing weekend trips for cultural enrichment to many different cities around the country, and many more activities.
Mrs. Sims is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Greater Cleveland Alumnae Chapter. She is also a long time member of Glenville New Life Community Church (Presbytery, USA). Mrs. Yvonne Sims has a long time and wonderful marriage to Attorney Rufus Sims and has two beautiful daughters (Kimili Ann Sims and Khalida Ameera Sims).
Mrs. Sims has always been a prominent voice in the Cleveland Metro area. Mrs. Sims has an entire list of activities she is involved in throughout the city and some include advisor of Teens Who Listen & Care, Columbus School Big Brother /Big Sister, organizing weekend trips for cultural enrichment to many different cities around the country, and many more activities.
Mrs. Sims is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Greater Cleveland Alumnae Chapter. She is also a long time member of Glenville New Life Community Church (Presbytery, USA). Mrs. Yvonne Sims has a long time and wonderful marriage to Attorney Rufus Sims and has two beautiful daughters (Kimili Ann Sims and Khalida Ameera Sims).
Stephan Williams
DJ Steph Floss began hosting events in Cleveland, Ohio at age 16. As a high school student, holding events on the weekends gave him the opportunity to make good money while also allowing him to focus on schoolwork. At the time, he had aspirations of becoming a disc jockey, but it was never fully pursued. He was always into music and wanted to pursue a career in it, but a lack of such knowledge and funds, initially, proved to be an obstacle. The biggest influence on this DJ dream was the movie Juice. Steph was impressed by Omar Epps' ("Q's") love for music, and found it remarkable that he was able to turn something he loved into a career. It was also amazing to see someone control several hundreds of people by playing the music that he too enjoyed. In the fall of 2001, Steph Floss decided to put his vision of becoming a DJ into action. After purchasing his first dj set up, he began doing various events and shows on the campus of The Ohio State University. One of the first being the 15th Annual Black Greek Step Show, with more than 15,000 in attendance. He would continue to grow in popularity around campus and throughout the city of Columbus, Ohio which would eventually land him his first nightclub weekly at the RedZone. At the time, the RedZone was the most popular venue in the city with close to 2,000 patrons each Friday. Although it may seem a lot for a new disc jockey to take on, Floss handled his new found success with ease. Over the next few years, DJ Steph Floss' popularity would continue to increase, which would allow him to acquire several other nightclub weeklies throughout the state of Ohio and also allowed him to provide his services for several mainstream hip hop artists. Some of which include, Cam'ron, Juelz Santana, Jim Jones, Fat Joe, Pitbull, Rick Ross, and Keyshia Cole. The Ohio State University alum has definitely put his marketing degree into use as a disc jockey, and has recently been reaping the benefits of all his hard work. Not only does he currently hold down 6 nightclub weeklies in Cleveland, Ohio and 1 monthly event in Atlanta, Georgia, he has also made his way into the corporate world as of late. From doing all the major events for LeBron James, and his Family Foundation, to providing services for Nike, Casio, the NBA, Vitamin Water, Nickelodeon, DJ Steph Floss is realizing his true potential. His success has landed him sponsorships with T Mobile, Timberland, and various clothing lines and also has been very influential in the great relationship that he has with Casio/G Shock, Nike, and Vitamin Water. Because he prides himself in his social skills, Steph Floss is very aware of the power of building strong relationships with individuals as well as companies. In 2008, DJ Steph Floss went from a local name to a national talent; doing major events in Las Vegas, New York, Atlanta, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Miami, Toronto, etc. He also formed a relationship with, now good friend, Roc-a-fella artist Young Chris. The two combined to release a mixtape that was downloaded by more than 10,000 people in one week, and was featured in XXL Magazine. Immediately following that, Steph joined forces with G Shock to release the Timing is Everything mixtape; which was used to help promote the company's new line of watches. In the Fall of 2008, DJ Steph Floss was given two wonderful opportunities. The first was being the DJ for the Barack Obama/Jay-z "Campaign for Change" event at Quicken Loans Arena. The crowd grew to more than 20,000 attendees and DJ Steph Floss rocked the crowd until Jay-z took the stage. The second opportunity was when he was made The Official DJ for The Cleveland Cavaliers, which is a very elite position in the NBA. With only a few teams having disc jockeys, Steph is now known throughout the world as the man that provides the atmosphere for, not only, Quicken Loans arena, but the entire city of Cleveland, Ohio. In 2009, Steph was hired as an on-air mixer on Cleveland's Z107.9 FM radio station. He's currently holding down the mixshow slot every weeknight at 9 pm and on Saturdays he has his own show, "The Pre-Game with DJ Steph Floss", which airs at 8pm.
