The Truth Staff
Suzette Cowell, CEO and treasurer of the Toledo Urban Federal Credit Union, has been named to a business advisory council of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. The announcement, made earlier this month, came as a complete surprise to Cowell who had not actively sought such an appointment.
Given the prestige of the Federal Reserve, however, it also came as quite an honor for Cowell and a rare one for anyone from the northwest Ohio area. Cowell is one of three bankers in the Cleveland Fed, the Fourth District, named to the Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council.
That council, says Cowell, will advise the Fed “on the communities we serve.” Council member she added, will be providing feedback “about the communities on loans, credit situations so that the Fed can put the information together and see how they can better serve the communities.”
The Cleveland Fed, which is one of 12 districts in the Federal Reserve system, engages with a diverse range of business, civic, and community leaders to collect information on current regional economic and business conditions. Advisory councils’ near-real time observations complement Bank research, enabling the Cleveland Fed to get a better picture of economic conditions in the Fourth District.
The following councils are welcoming new appointees:
Business Advisory Council
Business Advisory Council members are leaders from a cross-section of industries and community development, consumer, and labor organizations within eight of the Fourth District’s metro areas, including Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Pittsburgh, Erie, Pennsylvania; Lexington, Kentucky, and Wheeling, West Virginia. New members include:
Cincinnati:
- Brendon Cull, President, Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, Cincinnati, OH
- Dil Gruffydd, Chief Financial Officer, CVG Airport, Erlanger, KY
- Lisa Sampson, Senior Vice President, The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., Cincinnati, OH
- Barb Smith, President, Journey Steel, Inc., Cincinnati, OH
Dayton:
- Daniel Kelly, President, Benjamin Steel Co., Springfield, OH
Lexington:
- Robert Edwards, Chief Strategy & Business Development Officer, UK HealthCare, Lexington, KY
Community Advisory Council
The Community Advisory Council consists of experts and leaders who focus on economic development work and help to inform the Cleveland Fed about current and emerging social and economic trends impacting underserved and lower-income individuals and communities. New members include:
- Robert Cherry, Chief Executive Officer, Partner4Work, Pittsburgh, PA
- Chris Groner, Vice President of Capital Finance and Lending, Erie County Redevelopment Authority, Erie, PA
- Natoya Walker Minor, Deputy and External Affairs General Manager, Greater Cleveland Transit Authority, Cleveland, OH
- Ken Oehlers, Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity of Southeast, Athens, OH
- Amy Riegel, Executive Director, Coalition on Homelessness and Housing, Columbus, OH
- Lisa Kay Schweyer, Mobility 21 Program Manager, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council
Members of the Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council are leaders from commercial banks, thrifts and savings banks, and credit unions with assets of less than $10 billion.
The following individuals have been appointed to a first term on the council:
- Tammy Bobo, President and Chief Executive Officer, Hocking Valley Bank, Athens, OH
- Suzette Cowell, Chief Executive Officer and Treasurer, Toledo Urban Federal Credit Union, Toledo, OH
- Jacqueline Moore, Chief Executive Officer, Faith Community United Credit Union, Cleveland, OH
Education Advisory Council
The Education Advisory Council assists the Bank’s Education and Museum Outreach department in assessing the effectiveness of its programming and setting strategy. New members include:
- David Mahon, Executive Director, Alpaugh Family Economics Center at the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland is one of 12 regional Reserve Banks that along with the Board of Governors in Washington DC comprise the Federal Reserve System. Part of the US central bank, the Cleveland Fed participates in the formulation of our nation’s monetary policy, supervises banking organizations, provides payment and other services to financial institutions and to the US Treasury, and performs many activities that support Federal Reserve operations System-wide. In addition, the Bank supports the well-being of communities across the Fourth Federal Reserve District through a wide array of research, outreach, and educational activities.
The Cleveland Fed, with branches in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, serves an area that comprises Ohio, western Pennsylvania, eastern Kentucky, and the northern panhandle of West Virginia.