Team

Lieutenant Mike Hutson retired February 1, 2015 after serving 33 years with the Shaker Heights Police Department. He saw service time in the uniform, investigative and training bureaus. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Akron in Political Science/ Criminal Justice. He is a graduate of the Ohio Law Enforcement Foundation’s, Police Executive Leadership College, (PELC), Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command and Force Science’s Officer Involved Shooting Certification Course. He was a member of the department’s SWAT team for fifteen years and is an Ohio certified law enforcement instructor specializing in defensive driving and firearms.

Normella Walker is a graduate of the Diversity Management Program at Cleveland State University. She has completed diversity course work at the Cornell University School of International Labor Relations and is a seasoned professional with 25 years of business experience. She has actively managed, facilitated and advised diverse groups for over 20 years, and specializes in business operations, organizational performance, leadership development, team building, collaborative conflict resolution, change management, and cross-cultural relationship cultivation.

Jessica Colombi has over 15 years’ experience in the public sector, and has influenced and executed systems change in various complex institutions. She is inherently collaborative and enjoys partnering with people to make organizations “hum”. Currently the Director of Policy & Research for Cleveland City Council, Jessica has previously served as the Executive Director of Career Services at Cleveland State University, where she led the re-design and implementation of a new organization for the office, refreshing the department’s reputation, preparing hundreds of students for the world of work, and helping the university meet its mission. Previous to her time on a college campus, she served as Chief of Staff to the Chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents (now the Ohio Department of Higher Education), where she worked as part of a leadership team that influenced and changed public policy and the perception of higher education across the state of Ohio.

Jessica has completed The Gestalt Institute of Cleveland’s Training Program, Working with Physical Process, and is a Gestalt Professionally Certified Coach (GPCC). Jessica is a trained and skilled facilitator, and has facilitated racial equity training for corporate executives, non-profit board members, healthcare professionals, and K-12 teachers and administrators. She has a bachelor’s degree in Art History from John Carroll University and a master’s degree in Psychology with a certification in Diversity Management from Cleveland State University.

Keith Benjamin, a community relations specialist with over 20 years of experience in local government and community building; he has a master’s degree in social psychology with a certification in diversity management.  He specializes in crisis communication and has consulted for several non-profit and federal, state, and local government agencies.

Kyle Znamenak, Ph.D. is a diversity, research, and data analytics professional with over 10 years of experience in higher education and the private sector. His research focuses on understanding how police officers develop, through formal and informal educational experiences, in becoming competent in community relations. He has worked as a Digital Strategist at a marketing and branding firm conducting marketing research and training to inform and implement client strategies. Outside of the office, he is a principal member of the Cleveland Asian Festival and consults for several Cleveland non-profits. He believes that through both qualitative and quantitative research methods, organizations and communities may make more informed decisions while valuing individual experiences.