JACKLYN A. CHISHOLM, PH.D., PRESIDENT/CEO
Step Forward
Jacklyn A. Chisholm, Ph.D. is President and Chief Executive Officer of Step Forward, formerly the Council for Economic Opportunities in Greater Cleveland (CEOGC), a private nonprofit dedicated to transforming lives through education, personal and professional development programs and support services.
Prior to joining Step Forward, Dr. Chisholm served as Chief Executive Officer of the Global Music Cultural Center (GMCC), a museum and cultural arts center planned for Atlanta, Georgia. She is the former Vice President of Planning and External Affairs at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum where she was responsible for the development and implementation of the Museum’s strategic plan, management of government relations and community outreach activities and Project Director for the construction of the Rock Hall’s $13 million Library and Archives. Dr. Chisholm also served as Associate Vice President for Community Partnerships at Case Western Reserve University, where she developed the Center for Community Partnerships.
She is the recipient of numerous awards including Crain’s Cleveland Business Woman of Note, YWCA Woman of Professional Excellence, Women of Color Foundation ISIS Award, Council for Opportunity in Education National TRIO Achiever, Cleveland Educators Forum Alumni Achievers Hall of Fame and Who’s Who in Black Cleveland. Dr. Chisholm is an alumna of Leadership Cleveland and a past member of The Western Reserve Chapter of Links, Inc.
A Cleveland native, Dr. Chisholm is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University, where she earned three degrees: Bachelor of Arts in medical anthropology, Master of Arts in psychological anthropology and a doctorate in psychological anthropology with an emphasis in educational anthropology. She has earned certificates from Harvard Business School Executive Education, Cornell University Administrative Management Institute and the HERS/Bryn Mawr Summer Institute for Women in Higher Education Administration. She is also a University of Pennsylvania Wharton Executive Fellow. Dr. Chisholm is a member of the Cuyahoga County Early Childhood Education Partnership Council.
