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| Valarie J. McCall Chief of Government Affairs
Valarie J. McCall was named Chief of Government Affairs by Mayor Frank G. Jackson at the onset of his administration. She serves as the primary liaison to all government entities and she monitors the Jackson Administration’s appointments to boards and commissions. Previously, McCall was the youngest Clerk of Council in City history. She streamlined the processing of legislation and reorganized the daily operations of Cleveland City Council to maximize office efficiency. She oversaw a staff of 41 and effectively interacted with 21 Council Members and their assistants. Before joining Cleveland City Council, McCall was Director of the Cleveland Empowerment Zone. She was responsible for a $200 million budget and supervised the distribution of funds for job training and placement programs as well as for direct lending programs that assisted businesses in four targeted neighborhoods. In 2003, McCall became an American Marshall Fellow of the German Marshall Fund, which fosters transatlantic partnerships to build international relations. She traveled to Japan with the American Council of Young Political Leaders in 2005 and has been named to the Leadership Cleveland Class of 2007. McCall serves on the boards of Look Up To Cleveland, Opera Cleveland, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, The Greater Cleveland Visitors & Convention Bureau, The Downtown Cleveland Improvement District, The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority and PolicyBridge. She also represents Mayor Jackson on the boards of the Ohio Municipal League, Northeast Ohio Area-Wide Coordinating Agency (NOACA), Cuyahoga County Mayors and Managers Association, and the Northeast Ohio Mayors & Managers Association. McCall is an active member of the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials, the advisory board of Cleveland State University's Center for Nonprofit Policy & Practice and is Vice-Chair of the National League of Cities’ City Futures Panel on Equity and Opportunity. McCall’s achievements earned her an Alumni Emerging Leadership Award from Cleveland State University (CSU). She was recognized by Ebony Magazine as a 2002-2003 Young Leader of the Future and was featured as one of Crain’s Cleveland Business’ 40 Under 40 and Kaleidoscope Magazine’s 40/40 Club in 2002. McCall grew up in the Glenville neighborhood and graduated from Cleveland public schools. She has a bachelor’s degree in social work from Cleveland State University and a master’s degree in public administration from CSU’s Levin College of Urban Affairs. If you can't see the button above |
