News & Events

AUGUST 14, 2009

Two New Members Join Sisters of Charity Foundation Board of Directors

“In this time of historic economic challenge, the needs of Cuyahoga County’s poor and underserved individuals and families have grown more critical, leading our Board to be even more committed to help develop effective programmatic responses. We are pleased to welcome new members who bring special talents and sensitivities that will enhance the work of the Foundation to improve the lives of those most in need,” Mr. Flannery said.

The new Directors are:

Tari S. Rivera
In an industry where fewer than 10 percent of employees are female, Tari Rivera stands out as President of Regency Construction Services, Inc. She established the firm in 1994 after working as an engineer for 12 years at construction companies where no women held senior management positions. Today Ms. Rivera’s Lakewood-based company is one of Ohio’s largest Female Owned construction Management, Design/Build and General Contracting firms, typically doing $80 million to $100 million in sales each year. Regency clients include schools, universities, health care facilities and private institutions.

In addition to her efforts to help her female employees reach their full potential – 51% of Regency’s employees at all levels are women – Ms. Rivera participates in several initiatives that encourage girls in elementary and secondary schools across northeast Ohio to explore careers that require strong backgrounds science and math. Her work has earned local and national recognition, including selection as the 2009 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for Construction. She was inducted to the Cleveland Engineering Society Hall of Fame in 2008 and received the 2006 Crystal Vision Award from the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC).

Ms. Rivera currently serves on the Board of Lakewood Catholic Academy and is an active member of NAWIC, the National Association of Women Business Owners, the Construction Management Association of America and the Council of Educational Facility Planners International. She holds an MBA and Bachelor of Science degree in construction management from the University of Akron where she has been named a Distinguished Alumnus. She currently resides with her family in North Royalton, Ohio.

Dick Russ
For more than 30 years, the people of northeast Ohio have relied on Dick Russ to report the news of local, regional and national events. Mr. Russ is currently Managing Editor at Cleveland's NBC affiliate, WKYC-TV. Before coming to Channel 3 in 1999, Mr. Russ spent 20 years at WJW-TV (Channel 8) in Cleveland, where he worked as an anchor and reporter. In the 1970's he worked at a number of TV and radio stations, including WAKR-TV Channel 23 in Akron.

Mr. Russ is a 10-time winner of the regional Emmy Award, and was recognized twice by the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists as the state's outstanding television documentarian. His professional honors include membership in the Ohio Broadcasters Hall of Fame, and the prestigious Silver Circle Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He has also won the Gabriel Award, the highest national award for religious TV programming, and the Religious Communicators Council's national award, also for religious TV programming.

A graduate of Kent State University, Mr. Russ serves on the advisory board of the Cleveland Right to Life Society and the Executive Committee of Cleveland's Fugitive Safe Surrender Program. He is past President and Board Member of the Ukrainian Cultural Arts Association of Greater Cleveland, Inc. and a former Advisory Council member to the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland Apostolate for Mentally Retarded Persons. Mr. Russ and his wife Christina reside in Brecksville, Ohio. They are the parents of three adult sons.

ABOUT THE SISTERS OF CHARITY FOUNDATION OF CLEVELAND
The Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland serves as a grantmaker, collaborator and advocate for those most in need. In 2006, the Sisters of Charity Foundation joined with the Saint Ann Foundation—America’s first “healthcare conversion” foundation—to form a single organization. The combined Foundation has awarded more than $55 million in grants through 2008.

Current funding priorities for the Sisters of Charity Foundation across Cuyahoga County include initiatives to reduce chronic homelessness through permanent supportive housing and address disparities in health by improving health literacy.

The Foundation also works to build awareness of the many contributions of Catholic women religious and to support their vital health and human service ministries. In addition, local efforts responding to basic human needs such as food or clothing are eligible for the annual Good Samaritan grant program.

The Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland was established by the Sisters of Charity Health System in 1996 through sale proceeds involving St. Vincent Charity Hospital, which has been located in Cleveland’s Central Neighborhood for more than 145 years.

The Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine established the Saint Ann Foundation in 1973 with funds from the sale of Saint Ann Hospital which served Cleveland women and children for 100 years.

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