The City Club of Cleveland Podcast

Every summer since 2016, the City Club has packed up our gong and taken over some of our favorite outdoor public spaces. This year, we are taking over the Playhouse Square Plaza and marking our nation\'s semiquincentennial - or 250th birthday - with the theme WE THE PEOPLE. The series will dive into topics centering our communities, organizations, and the very people who help our democracy thrive....

Team NEO is not a chamber or a think tank. It is the JobsOhio network partner for Northeast Ohio with a mission to retain, expand and attract jobs, businesses, and opportunities in Northeast Ohio. At the helm as Chief Executive Officer is Matt Dolan, who is dedicated to driving economic growth and prosperity across Northeast Ohio. With a career spanning law, business, and government, Matt has a de...

The Great Lakes are home to 21% of the world\'s surface freshwater, and it's not just an environmental asset: it's an economic one. With a $6 trillion regional GDP, the region deeply depends on a flourishing water economy: the full range of economic activity that depends on, relates to, or is generated by water. With issues like emerging contaminants and water scarcity on the rise, there is both a...

What is the future of the Republican and Democratic parties in our nation? The answer may surprise you.\r\n\r\nAhead of the 2026 midterm elections, in an age of ideological tension where politics seems more divided than ever, a new Manhattan Institute poll is cutting through the noise-showing us all where the political right and left parties are actually headed. The findings urge us to be wary of...

The name \"Dr. Jonas Salk\" is synonymous with one of the greatest public health achievements of all time: The Polio Vaccine. The arrival of Salk\'s vaccine in 1955 was a beacon of hope and reinforced the role science can play to serve the public good. When asked who owned the patent for the vaccine, Salk famously replied, \"There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?\" In 1994, and just one yea...

We are no doubt navigating an incredible age of disruption. Technology, algorithms, politics, and societal pressures have changed the way we both think and work. But how do we break free from a system that was created to manipulate independent thought? In his latest book, The Tyranny of False Choices: A Guide To Authentic Decision-Making, author Rey Ramsey provides a timely and practical guide for...

When Tricia Griffith joined Progressive in 1988 as an entry-level claims representative, her job often required crawling under cars to assess damage. Decades later, she remains committed to doing whatever is required as she leads one of the largest and most successful property and casualty insurers in the country. In fact, she still plays an active role in onboarding new employees at every level o...

While the Red Cross is known primarily for blood drives and disaster relief, some of its most important work keeps people out of the hospital. The Home Fires Campaign has installed more than 3 million smoke alarms in homes across the country, saving thousands of lives. Emergency and disaster preparedness campaigns help communities ready themselves for weather related disasters. And CPR and First A...

Established more than 100 years ago to address stresses in the banking system, the Federal Reserve is the U.S. central bank. It comprises the Board of Governors, a federal agency located in Washington, D.C., and 12 Federal Reserve Banks around the nation.\r\n\r\nOne of these banks is the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, which serves the Fourth Federal Reserve District.\r\n\r\nThe Fourth District...

Entrepreneurship has surged in the wake of the pandemic, and it hasn\'t slowed. Leading the way are women who have turned to entrepreneurship for better opportunities, flexible work schedules, and wealth creation. According to a 2026 report by Wells Fargo, women-owned businesses grew 12% from 2022 to 2025, nearly double the growth rate for businesses owned by men. These women-led enterprises now e...

New York\'s Bryant Park was established in 1847, but by the 1970s, the 9.6 acres behind the New York Public Library just a block off Times Square had become an open air drug market, with muggings there cited as the reason companies were leaving Manhattan. Enter Dan Biederman, founder of the Bryant Park Restoration Corporation. Beginning in 1980, Biederman led a series of initiatives remaking the p...

Essential-and foundational-to our democracy is the promise of a free and fair press. Civic life thrives when the relationship between media and government remains strong, transparent, and accountable. This is especially true at the local level, where access to trusted journalism directly shapes meaningful community engagement.\r\n\r\nIn Cleveland, the City is working to modernize operations and re...

Work is full of communication. Slack messages. Zoom calls. Meetings stacked on meetings. But many teams still struggle to do the one thing that matters most: connect in ways that build trust, insight, and better thinking together. It's like we're starving at a buffet.\r\n\r\nAnn Kowal Smith, founder and CEO of Reflection Point, will argue that a successful future (at work and beyond) depends not o...

Part of The Cleveland Orchestra\'s Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Opera and Humanities Festival\r\n\r\nThroughout 2026, and in partnership with the America 250-Ohio Commission, the City Club will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States by exploring all the ways that Ohio has contributed to U.S. history for 250+ years. In May, our state will recognize Ohio Creates: Arts, Culture, an...

After months of community feedback sessions, data analysis, and deliberation, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) passed the Building Brighter Futures (BBF) plan in December 2025. The stated goals of the plan are to streamline services and provide more educational opportunities, career pathways, and extracurricular activities, but do so at fewer school sites, essentially reducing loo...

With global security in question, geopolitics intensifying, and democratic values facing increasing threats, the international order has no doubt faced mounting pressure. At the center of these dynamics is the German Marshall Fund (GMF), a nonpartisan organization that for over five decades has worked to strengthen the transatlantic partnership and prepare it for the challenges of the 21st century...

In his first year, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has been responsible for some of the most sweeping public health reforms in modern history. \r\n\r\nHHS has lowered drug prices by aligning what the U.S. pays for certain drugs with the lowest prices paid in other developed countries and launching TrumpRx to give patients direct access to those lower p...

Summer is almost here in Northeast Ohio, and with that comes an ambitious \"To Be Read\" list with fresh books from your favorite bookstore. Their spines ready to be cracked on the edge of a beach, or a comfy chair on your front porch. Perhaps you\'re an audiobook fan, indulging in the latest volume at 1.5x speed. No matter how you enjoy your literature, our roundtable of book lovers is here to le...

Few organizations serve as fiercer defenders of constitutional rights and the rule of law than the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). At a time when free speech, free assembly, immigration, and voting rights are being tested across multiple fronts, Americans have come to count on the ACLU for its unyielding dedication to principle - even if they don\'t agree on every issue.\r\n\r\nDeborah N. A...

Perhaps better than anything else, food has the unique power to transport us back in time and evoke memories, a feeling, or a moment of our lives. In Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees, poet and essayist Aimee Nezhukumatathil explores the way food and drink evoke our associations and remembrances-a subtext or layering, a flavor tinged with joy, shame, exuberance, grief, desire, or nostalgia....

The 2026 Midterm Election reminds us that every election matters. As the nation prepares for this critical moment in our democracy, it is a moment to learn how justice-impacted individuals in Cleveland and beyond are shaping the fabric of our communities. What are community and faith-based organizations doing today-and what they can do in the future-to center and elevate justice-impacted voices in...

When the Great Migration began in the early 20th century, there were very few fully established intercity bus lines. In 1930, through the consolidation of more than 100 different bus lines, the Greyhound Corporation began offering a different kind of experience for millions of passengers every year, many of whom were leaving the South to establish new lives in northern cities, such as Cleveland, D...

If medicine is a calling, MetroHealth\'s new President and CEO Christine Alexander-Rager, MD, has been on call for as long as she can remember. Wanting to be a doctor from a young age, Dr. Alexander served as a physician with MetroHealth for nearly three decades. During this time, Dr. Alexander founded MetroHealth's nationally recognized School Health Program, which partners with the Cleveland Met...

Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the way students learn, study, and complete assignments. From explaining difficult concepts to generating essays in seconds, AI tools are becoming a regular part of many students' academic lives. But what impact is this technology having on motivation, curiosity, and the learning process itself?\r\n\r\nAt this final Youth Forum of the year, students, edu...

For several years, data centers have been touted as the next frontier of economic development. Household names like Meta, Amazon, and Google are home to some of these centers, and the rising consumer demand for digital technologies like Artificial Intelligence has also contributed to the growth. Ohio is now home to roughly 200 of these facilities. These centers have generated an increased demand f...