Cynthia Connolly

Cynthia Connolly joined the City Club as Director of Programming in 2021 where she is directly responsible for the strategic vision and production of over 100 live forums a year.

With nearly 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, Cynthia also served as the Development Director at Policy Matters Ohio, and spent time at other notable organizations like Ohio City Incorporated, and the Center for Nonprofit Policy & Practice at Cleveland State University, where she earned a Master of Public Administration degree. She received a BA in American Culture with a focus in Native American Studies from the University of Michigan.

A citizen of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, she began her civic work at an early age, serving as a youth tribal representative at the National Congress of American Indians located in Washington DC, which advocates for government policies to help Indigenous people. She has served as Board Chair for the Lake Erie Native American Council and taught the Native American Studies course at Kent State University for eight years. She currently serves as Vice President of the Community Advisory Board at Ideastream Public Media; on the executive board of the YWCA USA; and on the Board of Directors of the Ohio Debate Commission.

In 2021, Cynthia was named a Native American Top 40 Under 40 by the National Center for American Indian Enterprise and Development; as well as a 2021 Crain's Cleveland Business 40 Under Forty awardee.