The Cleveland Council on World Affairs welcomes new members to our Young Professionals Advisory Committee (YPAC). YPAC is a body of young professionals who support the work of CCWA in its efforts to engage young professionals and students in our programming. YPAC members do this by providing program feedback and insight to the board and staff of CCWA, leading coordination of young professional events, and serving as community ambassadors for CCWA and its programs.

The members of the Young Professionals Advisory Committee (YPAC) have been announced for the 2022-2024 term. They are as follows:

John Ambrose

John Ambrose serves as Community Outreach Manager at InMotion, a local nonprofit organization that provides free, evidence-based programs and services to people with Parkinson’s disease. Shortly before arriving at InMotion in February of 2020, John graduated with a master of arts degree in Nonprofit Administration from John Carroll University. John also graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in Political Science from John Carroll University in 2015. His undergraduate coursework in political science is what first introduced him to global affairs and international relations. A Cleveland native, John especially enjoys exploring the wonders of Cleveland with his family and friends. John also enjoys traveling, particularly visiting close friends and family in Columbus, Ohio, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Ontario, Canada. During his free time, John loves to exercise, read, watch movies and documentaries, and listen to music.

Chris Carey

Chris Carey serves as a Portfolio Manager at Carnegie Investment Counsel, a Registered Investment Advisor, where he manages custom portfolios for a variety of select clients including individuals, businesses and nonprofits. Chris also serves as Vice President of the British American Chamber of Commerce for the State of Ohio (a member of the British American Business Network). In addition, he is also on the board of Council International Programs USA, an organization that promotes international understanding through professional development and cross-cultural exchange, as well as British Cultural Gardens Association, where he helps maintain the British Garden within the Cleveland Cultural Gardens. In his spare time, Chris can be found playing the drums, watching countless YouTube documentaries, and travelling with his wife Caitlin.

Vito Giannola

Vito Giannola is a law clerk on the District Court for the Northern District of Ohio and will soon be joining Jones Day as an associate attorney. He holds a J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law. In his free time, Vito enjoys spending time in the outdoors and volunteering.

 

 

Anas Haroun

Anas Haroun is a financial compliance professional with experience in AML and FINRA and SEC broker-dealer compliance. He is currently employed with Marsh, Berry & Co. as Compliance Coordinator for its broker-dealer, MarshBerry Capital. Anas holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a focus on Foreign Affairs from John Carroll University. In his leisure time, Anas enjoys attending YP networking events, searching the Land for the best coffee, traveling, and exploring new cuisines.

 

 

Grant Hawkins

Grant Hawkins has spent his entire life in the Cleveland region. He has always been interested in foreign issues, ever since he taking geography. He has his Associate’s degree in Applied Science in History and Private Security training from Cuyahoga Community College, and looks forward to serving on the Cleveland Council on World Affairs’ Young Professionals Advisory Committee. In his free time, Grant is an avid numismatist with a vast collection of coins from around the world.

 

Ashley Kirk

Ashley Kirk is an attorney at Thrasher, Dinsmore, and Dolan, focusing her practice on land use and municipal law. Originally from New Zealand, Ashley moved to the Cleveland area five years ago, where she attended law school and completed her Master of Arts in Environmental Studies. As an undergraduate in New Zealand, Ashley enjoyed volunteering for an international student organization promoting student international exchanges and volunteering abroad. Through this organization she was lucky to be able to represent her university at a conference in Singapore and to volunteer and live with a host family in Mexico City for two months. In her spare time, Ashley enjoys traveling, spending time with family and friends, and learning to ride horses.

Angelica Lastovka

Angie Lastovka is currently working as a Manager of Donor Engagement at Providence House, Inc. Before joining Providence House, Angie worked three years at Esperanza, Inc. where she not only helped raise $100,000 in scholarships for Hispanic students but worked with families helping them navigate through the challenges of living in a new country, with a different culture, and a different language. Angie was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela where she studied Marketing and Advertising. Shortly after, she came to the USA with a cultural exchange program and worked as an Au Pair to improve her English skills and learn about the culture. She graduated from Baldwin Wallace University with a major in International Studies and a minor in International Business. She considers herself an environmentalist “wannabe”; always learning how to better balance her carbon footprint. She is passionate about, social justice, children, nature, and exploring new places inside and outside of the USA.

Julia Liston

Julia Liston is an attorney by training currently working as the Assistant Director of Admissions at CWRU School of Law. Previously, Julia was a litigation associate at a local law firm and an assistant general counsel for Interpol within the DOJ in Washington, DC. Julia is a people-person who loves making genuine connections with others (so let’s grab a coffee at Rising Star!). She has been involved with the Cleveland Leadership Center’s programming and also with a local Cleveland non-profit, Tiny Kitchen Bakeshop. In her free time, she loves baking, reading, traveling, exploring Cleveland with her husband, and hanging out with her cat named Pierogi.

Jay Medlock

Jay Medlock is the Vice President of the Expert Witness and Safety Services division at Safety Controls Technology. Jay advises clients throughout the OSHA Inspection and/or citation process and represents clients throughout these proceedings thereafter. Jay has served as an occupational safety expert for a variety of cases, including VSSR, OSHA and negligence lawsuits. He oversees a team of occupational safety professionals who provide high level comprehensive safety services to clients throughout Northeast Ohio and beyond. Prior to accepting this position at SCT, Jay was the Environmental, Health and Safety Manager at Cuyahoga County. Jay is a Certified Safety Professional. Jay has a Master’s Degree in International Relations from Hult International Business School in London, United Kingdom where he specialized in the future of American Foreign Policy in the 21^st Century.

Suryanarayanan Elapully Suresh

Suryanarayanan Elapully Suresh is an international student from India with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Kent state University. He is currently working towards a MBA degree. In the past, he has served as the President for Global Ambassadors, a student organization at Kent State created to create an inclusive and open environment for International Students. And has served as the Senator at Large for International Students at Kent State under the Undergraduate Student Government.

 

 

We welcome these young leaders to YPAC and look forward to seeing the future impact they have in the community!