The City of Cleveland, in partnership with FUSE, plans to review and refine its 10-year housing plan, titled “Cleveland 2030: A Housing Equity Plan,” to move beyond just addressing housing shortages and foster accessible homeownership growth among underrepresented populations. Under the direction of the Department of Community Development, the FUSE Executive Fellow will play a central role in catalyzing and aligning cross-sector stakeholders to address segregation and discriminatory housing practices, support existing homeowners, and aid first-time buyers. By integrating enhanced data collection and reporting, expanding community and legislative engagement, and aligning with the city’s emerging work on mortgage access, the project aims to develop concrete steps to improve housing access, stability, and affordability. Ultimately, this initiative will contribute to sustainable community development that creates more accessible opportunities and addresses historical imbalances for Cleveland’s most underserved residents.

Fellowship Dates: October 27, 2025 – October 23, 2026

Salary: Executive Fellows are FUSE employees and receive an annual base salary of $80,000. Fellows can also access various health, dental, and vision insurance benefits. Compensation for this year of public service is not intended to represent market-rate compensation for the experienced professionals in our program.

ABOUT THE FUSE EXECUTIVE FELLOWSHIP

FUSE is a national nonprofit dedicated to increasing the capacity of local governments to work more effectively for communities. We embed private sector executives in city and county agencies to lead projects that improve public services and accelerate systems change. Since 2012, FUSE has led over 400 projects in 58 governments across 26 states, impacting a total population equivalent to 1 in 10 Americans.

When designing each fellowship project, FUSE works closely with government partners and community stakeholders to define a scope of work that will achieve substantive progress toward high-priority local needs. Projects address today’s most pressing challenges and opportunities, including affordable housing, economic mobility, climate resilience, public safety, infrastructure, technology, and more.

FUSE conducts a full executive search for each individual project to ensure that the selected candidate has at least 15 years of professional experience, the required competencies for the role, and deep connections to the community being served.

Executive Fellows are embedded in government agencies working with senior leaders for at least one year of full-time work. Prospective responsibilities may include thorough data analytics and research, developing enhanced operations and financial models, building change management and strategic planning processes, and/or building broad coalitions to support project implementation efforts. Executive Fellows are data-driven and results-oriented and able to effectively manage complex projects. They build strong relationships with a broad array of stakeholders, foster alignment within and across various layers of government, and build partnerships between governments and communities.

Throughout the fellowships, Executive Fellows receive training, coaching, and professional support to help achieve their project goals.

PROJECT CONTEXT

Like many cities, Cleveland, Ohio, faces significant housing challenges rooted in historical patterns of disinvestment and exclusionary practices. These practices have had a disproportionate impact on low—to moderate-income residents and communities of color. Despite ongoing efforts to improve housing opportunities, many Cleveland residents from historically underserved communities continue to face barriers to homeownership and stable housing, including limited access to affordable housing, financial services, and mortgage products.

The City of Cleveland has made significant strides in transforming its housing landscape based on the recommendations of “Cleveland 2030: A Housing Equity Plan”. This now 5-year-old roadmap was a community-driven, 10-year equitable housing plan that provided a comprehensive foundation for future actions, but changes in both local conditions and the Federal landscape require a rethinking of the strategy it put forth. To build on this important work, the city is assembling new tools to increase access to affordable housing for its citizens and fulfill its duty to guide and protect residents seeking housing. To that end, the city has launched several key initiatives that protect residents in their search for appropriate housing and implemented new systems for tracking housing concerns. Additionally, the city is exploring innovative policy approaches to fair housing, such as considering source of income as a protected class, and working to affirmatively further fair housing; these efforts collectively support and extend the vision laid out in the Cleveland 2030 plan, even as changes to the federal landscape necessitate a different approach.

Recognizing the link between housing affordability, economic empowerment, and community development, the City of Cleveland is committed to creating diverse housing options to attract and retain residents while also supporting current homeowners in building equity and remaining in their homes over the long term.

PROJECT SUMMARY

The FUSE Executive Fellowship will play a critical project management, analytical, and collaborative role in evolving “Cleveland 2030” and preparing for its next iteration, ensuring that it is both informed by and inclusive of fair housing and fair lending principles. In the initial months, the fellow will conduct a thorough review of existing housing policies, gather input from community stakeholders, and research best practices from other cities. This phase will include a listening tour to understand the specific needs and concerns of residents, particularly those from underserved communities. The fellow will also review and analyze the current 10-year housing plan, assess key metrics, data collection needs, and areas for integration with ongoing city-wide plans and projects.

Throughout the project year, the fellow will focus on updating the 10-year housing plan to address equity issues more explicitly. This includes developing an action plan with clear steps for implementation, refining the framework based on community feedback and new data, and ensuring that the plan is tailored to Cleveland’s needs. The fellow will work closely with the city’s Fair Housing Advisory Board and key partners such as HUD, The Legal Aid Society of Greater Cleveland, Cleveland’s housing court, the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, and other stakeholders involved in fair housing. This project will run concurrently with another city-sponsored FUSE Executive Fellowship focused on increasing access to housing capital. The two fellows will have opportunities to collaborate, ensuring that housing finance strategies and the 10-Year Housing Equity Plan are aligned and mutually reinforcing. They will also establish mechanisms for data collection and analysis to measure the impact of the updated plan and develop strategies for legislative reviews and community engagement.

By the end of the project, the fellow will deliver a comprehensive update to the 10-year housing plan, incorporating actionable steps and reflecting the city’s current areas of focus. They will create a detailed data collection plan and strategy for ongoing community engagement, including methods for assessing impact and effectiveness. The fellow will also produce a framework for ongoing legislative reviews and establish a foundation for sustained collaboration with key partners that is based on the needs of the community.

KEY STAKEHOLDERS

  • Executive Sponsor: Alyssa Hernandez, Director of Community Development
  • Project Supervisor: Arin Miller-Tait: Bureau Chief for Community Programming

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Synthesizes complex information into clear and concise recommendations and action-oriented implementation plans.
  • Develops and effectively implements both strategic and operational project management plans.
  • Generates innovative, data-driven, and result-oriented solutions to complex challenges.
  • Respond quickly to changing ideas, responsibilities, expectations, trends, strategies, and other processes.
  • Communicates effectively verbally and in writing and excels in active listening and conversing.
  • Fosters collaboration across multiple constituencies to support more effective decision-making.
  • Establishes and maintains strong relationships with diverse stakeholders, both inside and outside of government, particularly community-based relationships.
  • Embraces differing viewpoints and implements strategies to find common ground.
  • Demonstrates confidence and professional diplomacy while effectively interacting with individuals at all levels of various organizations.

FUSE is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply for this position.