Staff

 

Robert Paponetti, Executive Director

Robert E. Paponetti currently serves as the Executive Director of The Literacy Cooperative of Greater Cleveland. In this capacity, Mr. Paponetti works to improve the literacy levels of the residents of Cuyahoga County by integrating literacy into community initiatives, aligning literacy services with employer needs, and identifying best practices around standards of quality and accountability. Other initiatives include providing professional development and training opportunities to literacy instructors, piloting kindergarten readiness services, and raising the level of awareness and implications of low literacy.

Prior to joining The Literacy Cooperative, Mr. Paponetti served as the Vice President of Cuyahoga Community College’s Workforce and Economic Development Division and the Executive Director of the Workforce Solutions Division. In his capacity, he developed, implemented and directed a wide array of workforce preparation initiatives and training programs that supported regional economic growth.  Mr. Paponetti incorporated innovative workplace literacy and contextualized learning components into the training curriculum that met the needs of the business community. 

As the Director of Cuyahoga County’s Department of Workforce Development, Mr. Paponetti guided workforce preparation systems and skills upgrading activities for County residents.  He also managed the County’s “One-Stop” which was recognized as the first certified center in Ohio to have multiple partnerships housed together to provide all needed services for job seekers and employers.  During this time, Mr. Paponetti was the Executive Director of the 35-member Cuyahoga County Workforce Investment Board that included many of the County’s business, education, and civic leaders.

Mr. Paponetti also served as a Director of Workforce Development for both CGI Group, Inc. and ORION Consulting where he designed and operated workforce training programs customized to meet the needs of employers combining both technical skills and workplace success skills.

Mr. Paponetti is a member of the United Way of Greater Cleveland Executive Committee and Board of Directors, Co-Chair of the United Way Self Sufficiency and Basic Skills Investment Committee, member of the Executive Council of the Ohio Workforce Coalition, member of the Ohio Skills Bank Healthcare Sub-Committee, member of the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education, member of the Commission on Adult Continuing Education, and President of the Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry Homeless Services Advisory Board.

email: Robert Paponetti

Omobola Lana, Program Director

Prior to joining The Literacy Cooperative, Omobola worked with Battelle's NASA Glenn Garrett Morgan Commercialization Initiative, where she helped small businesses evaluate technologies and develop business solutions using NASA resources.  She also spent four years as a program officer with Development Alternatives and Resource Center, an organizational capacity building nonprofit in Nigeria, where she managed grant programs for The Ford Foundation and provided consulting services on nonprofit board & program development.  Omobola has extensive experience providing capacity building assistance to social and business enterprises. 

Omobola has participated and volunteered with national and international learning organizations such as the Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit, Cleveland Council on World Affairs, School-to-School International, BoardSource and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. She holds an MBA and a certificate in nonprofit management from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University.  She also earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Obafemi Awolowo University in Osun State, Nigeria.

email: Omobola Lana

 

Robin Sullivan, Program Director

Robin joined The Literacy Cooperative in January 2010 as Program Director for Early and School-age Literacy.  Prior to joining The Literacy Cooperative, Robin worked as a Program Manager with Cleveland Reads where she developed and implemented early childhood and family literacy programs in the Greater Cleveland area.

Robin came to Cleveland in 2007 from western Massachusetts where she was a first grade teacher at a small independent school. She has a strong interest in language acquisition and the development of reading skills. 

Robin is a graduate of Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History.

email: Robin Sullivan

 

Elaine Yeip, Program Assistant

Elaine joined The Literacy Cooperative with more than 22 years of experience as a development professional and office manager.  Her career began as a Campaign Associate with United Way of Greater Cleveland.  She has worked with the former Citizens League of Greater Cleveland and more recently with The City Club of Cleveland where she served as the Director of Development and supported the Student and Youth Forum Programs. Elaine holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from John Carroll University.

email: Elaine Yeip

 

Consultants

 

Christine Lee, Training & Communications Consultant

Christine has ten years of experience in adult education. She has worked as an ESOL instructor at the Jewish Community Center and Parma ABLE, as well as the Davidson County Adult Education Program in Nashville, Tennessee. Her prior work as refugee resettlement case worker at Catholic Charities and her experience as an exchange student to Brazil strongly shaped her interest and commitment to serving non-English speakers. In addition to ESOL, Christine has worked over six years as an instructor, coordinator and trainer at Seeds of Literacy, a community based adult education program that utilizes volunteer tutors. She has assisted hundreds of students in their efforts towards their GED and participated in the training and development of countless tutors.

Christine holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Latin American Studies from Kent State University. She is a certified Proliteracy trainer, a certified conflict resolution mediator, and an alumni of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.

email: Christine Lee