David Ebersole is the Director of Economic Development. Previously he served in the Department as Brownfield Program & Special Projects Manager. David has a B.S. in Economics from Carnegie Mellon University and a J.D. from Case Western Reserve University and is a licensed attorney. David's responsibilities at the City include the management of numerous brownfield redevelopment projects, oversight of the City’s Industrial-Commercial Land Bank, resolving real estate development challenges, and addressing federal and state regulatory issues.

Kevin S. Schmotzer is the Executive of Small Business Development with the City of Cleveland’s Department of Economic Development. Kevin is responsible for creating and implementing programs, financial incentives, and economic development tools to attract entrepreneurship and small business development to the City of Cleveland. He streamlined the process involved with providing capital to small businesses including start-ups in collaboration with other partners including government agencies, non-profits, foundations, developers, and local banks.

Daniel Rehor became the Fiscal Manager for the Department of Economic Development in late 2007 and is responsible for all internal and external financial, accounting, budgeting and financial reporting for the Department. Prior to his current position, he was the Assistant City Controller for the City’s Finance Department from 2002 through 2007 where he was responsible for the implementation of GASB 34 and establishing new Accounting and Financial system procedures.

Robin Brown is the Economic Development & Technology Manager for the City of Cleveland's Department of Economic Development. Robin has a Master's Degree in Public Administration and is a Certified Economic Development Finance Professional. Robin's responsibilities include the management of large scale real estate development projects.

Richard Barga joined the Department in October of 2016 as the Brownfield Program & Special Projects Manager. Richard has a M.S. in Real Estate Development from New York University and a B.A. in History from The Ohio State University. Richard’s responsibilities include management of numerous brownfield redevelopment projects and financing complex real estate transactions. Prior to returning home to Ohio, Richard spent five years in New York, attending graduate school and working on Hurricane Sandy Recovery and Affordable Housing Loan Programs for the City of New York.

Briana Butler has a background in the nonprofit and public sectors and has been working with the Department of Economic Development since June of 2014. Briana holds a B.A. in Economics and Sociology from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration with a focus in Economic Development from Cleveland State University. Briana is currently focusing her efforts on the Mayor's Neighborhood Transformation Initiative; she is also involved in working to address issues relating to environmental crimes in the City of Cleveland.

Patty joined the Department June 2018 as a Development Finance Analyst working on the Mayor’s Neighborhood Transformation Initiative. Previously, she worked for ECDI for 3.5 years working with local entrepreneurs looking to start or grown a business. Patty is a certified Economic Development Finance Professional and has a Master’s Degree in Business Administration.

Byron Demery is a Controller for the City of Cleveland’s Department of Economic Development. As the Controller, Byron monitors loan receivables and payables, confirms loan accounts with outside auditors, prepares audit loan papers and submits annual information regarding the City of Cleveland’s Enterprise Zone Program among other duties. Byron has been employed with the City of Cleveland since 2005 and has been working in the Department of Economic Development since 2011.

Gregory Perryman is the Assistant Controller for the City of Cleveland’s Department of Economic Development. As the Assistant Controller,Gregory manages all contracts, expense reports and budget reconciliation, coordinates various programs and projects including Neighborhood Development Loans Projects, Small Business Revolving Loan, Brownfield Project Grants and Neighborhood Retail Assistant Program. Gregory has his Master of Arts Degree in Public Administration and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science both of which he earned from Bowling Green State University.

Nick Zingale joined the Department in July of 2018 and works on Brownfields and Special Projects. Nick has a background performing financial audits of local governments across the State of Ohio and is a Certified Public Accountant. He has a B.S. from Miami University and is currently working towards a Master's Degree in Urban Planning and Development from Cleveland State University. He is passionate about cities in general and Cleveland in particular, and is excited to use his skills to work towards a better Cleveland.

Cassandra has been with the Department of Economic Development since October 2017 working on Brownfields and Special Projects. Previously she worked for local government, facilitating HUD and CDBG programs. Cassie obtained both a Bachelor of Urban Studies and a Master of Public Administration from Cleveland State University. Currently she resides in Medina County but has lived in NEOhio her entire life.

Darren Cross has been with the Department since July 2018 as a Development Finance Analyst. He has a B.A. in Sociology from Ohio State University and a M.A. in Urban Planning and Development from Cleveland State University. In the Department he works on the small business team with the goal of assisting Cleveland’s entrepreneurs with customized financial packages based on their needs.

Dan Kennedy has been working with the Department since October 2017 working on the Brownfields and Special Projects team. After receiving his Bachelor’s degrees at the Ohio State University, Dan moved overseas where he taught ESL. Dan’s passion for Historic Preservation and Sustainable Development led him to Cleveland where he is currently obtaining his Masters in Urban Planning and Development from Cleveland State University.

Marilu serves as the Administrative Assistant to the Director, David Ebersole. She assists the Director with the management of his daily calendar and scheduling. Marilu also ensures a neat and organized workplace by carrying out administrative duties such as document reproduction and filing. She maintains the Department contact list and database and assists staff with all matters related to the Director.

Erin has been working for the Department since March 2016 as the Office Manager, which involves managing the Department’s Legislation, Human Resources, preparing payroll, and organizing office operations and procedures. She graduated from Baldwin Wallace College with a B.A. in Business Administration and was previously a Call Center Manager for the Firefighters Community Credit Union.

Marianne Hodges joined the department in February 2018. As the Department Auditor, Marianne disburses fund, review and maintain contracts and expense reports. Her talent with numbers ensures the departments programs are fiscally sound, maintaining accurate account oversite ensuring monies are spent according to fiscal policy and all accounts are reconciled. She obtained her Bachelors in Business Administration at the University of Toledo.

Anthony Svoboda has been working for the Department since July 2018 as an intern working under Kevin Schmotzer for Small Business Development. He is a Senior attending Cleveland State University pursuing a dual Bachelor’s Degree in Economic Development and Regional Planning. He has a real passion for his hometown and for entrepreneurship as well, making City Hall the perfect place for him to work.

Stephanie has been a resident of Cleveland’s east side for over 30 years. She has a B.S. in Business Administration from Miami U. and an MBA from CWRU. She has worked as the managing partner for SJE Management, a multi-family, residential Property Management company based in Cleveland Heights and as a commercial property manager for Weston Inc. Now she assists Cleveland small businesses with City funded loans and grants. She also manages the website RethinkCleveland.org and social media for the Department, promoting the City to Clevelanders and to businesses looking to relocate to and expand in the City.