The Cleveland Council on World Affairs Welcomes New Board Members Dan Bollinger and Kevin Malecek

The Cleveland Council on World Affairs (CCWA) is delighted to welcome Daniel J. Bollinger, Business Counsel at Eaton Corporation, and Kevin D. Malecek, Director of Economic Development and International Trade at the City of Mentor, to its Board of Directors. They assumed their positions on July 1, 2024.

“We are delighted to welcome Kevin and Dan to our Board of Directors. They have both been active in CCWA programs and committees for a long time, and we couldn’t be happier to add their talents to our board. It is an exciting time to be a part of this organization as we enter our second century of inspiring engagement in world affairs and advancing international understanding. Kevin and Dan will add tremendous value to our organization as we establish our new Global Ambassadors program, strengthen our legacy programs, and expand our impact in the community,” says Carina Van Vliet, CCWA’s Chief Executive Officer.

Daniel Bollinger is Business Counsel for Eaton. In this role, Dan serves as a general counsel for several divisions within Eaton’s electrical sector. Prior to joining Eaton, Dan worked at The NRP Group, a national real estate development and construction company for multifamily housing. Dan also worked at Calfee, Halter & Griswold and as an assistant county prosecuting attorney in Cuyahoga County. Dan is a former military intelligence officer of the Ohio Army National Guard and deployed to both Afghanistan in 2012 and Kosovo in 2016. During these deployments, he was responsible for overseeing a team of intelligence analysts in preparing intelligence summaries and briefings to commanders and regularly advised on various operations. Dan is also a recipient of numerous armed forces medals, including the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the Bronze Star Medal. Dan has been an active member of CCWA’s CCCFR Leadership Committee.

Kevin Malecek has served in a variety of capacities in the governmental, business, non-profit, and political arenas in Northeastern Ohio. Currently, he serves as Director of Economic Development and International Trade at the City of Mentor. In this capacity, he directs economic development, business attraction, site selection, and expansion efforts both domestically and internationally. Prior to his current position, he was Senior Development Officer for Lakeland Community College and the Lakeland Foundation. Kevin served as Lake County Commissioner from 2015 to 2017. Prior to that, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Mentor Area Chamber of Commerce, and Director of the part-time MBA program at Case Western Reserve University. Kevin has been an active member of CCWA’s CCFR Leadership Committee.

”Both Dan and Kevin bring unique international perspectives to CCWA. Dan’s international experiences during his military service and Kevin’s career in international business attraction provide them with distinct experiences on how global trends are affecting us here in Northeast Ohio. Their commitment to CCWA’s mission, diverse professional backgrounds, and their specific global experiences will help strengthen CCWA. We feel lucky to have them joining our board,” Carina Van Vliet added.

The mission of the Cleveland Council on World Affairs is to inspire engagement in international affairs and world cultures through education, citizen diplomacy, and public dialogue. CCWA’s programs include speaker forums, global education programs varying from student programs to professional development, and international exchanges. For more information, visit www.ccwa.org.

CCWA’s Board of Directors 2024-2025:

Harlin Adelman

Raj Aggarwal, Ph.D.

Christopher Blake

Daniel Bollinger

Heather Burnett

Paul Clark (Board Chair)

Elizabeth A. Molloy de Coluby

Howard B. Edelstein

Seda Ergun

David Fleshler

Hiroyuki Fujita, Ph.D.

Michael Gleason

Su He

Fritz Heintel

Sanjiv K. Kapur

Wael Khoury, M.D.

Michael Knall

Kathryn Lavelle, Ph.D

Rebecca Kopp Levine

Kevin D. Malecek

Mindy McLaughlin

Colleen A. Petras

Stephen J. Petras, Jr.

Richard W. Pogue

Elena Ray

Ronald B. Richard

Linda Robertson, Ph.D.

Martin C. Schulz

Fareed Siddiq

Donald A. Sinko

Carter E.  Strang

Paul Winkeler

Mark Zannoni

Nizar Zein, M.D.

David Zimmer

Honorary Directors

Amb. Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley

Amb. Jennifer L. Brush

Amb. Edward F. Crawford

Amb. Charles F. Dunbar

Amb. John D. Ong

Amb. William R. Timken, Jr.