Meet Impact Cleveland’s Executive Director, Dustin Tommey!

 Dustin is a dabbler of many instruments (including guitar, harmonica, mandolin, and even his son’s kazoo) and counts the book “The Hobbit” as his inspiration that got him into reading when he was 17. He considers his home to be all of northwestern Georgia (and even Chattanooga). 

Dustin was first introduced to Cleveland, TN when he attended Cleveland State to play baseball and receive his Associate’s degree. From there, he went on to receive a Bachelor’s from Shorter University and then his Master’s degree in Urban Studies, focusing on Community Development, from Eastern University in Philadelphia.

After graduating from Eastern, and working for 3 years at a nonprofit in Philadelphia, Dustin and his wife Raven moved back to Cleveland, where he took on the role of Executive Director at Impact Cleveland. Ever since, he has been doing an excellent job of leading this organization where it needs to go in order to help people the best. As part of his job, Dustin serves as a catalyst for change, a listener, an advocate, a big-picture thinker, and a contagious believer that the work of neighborhood revitalization is critical to the overall health of our community and society. Dustin’s favorite memory at Impact Cleveland so far was when he was notified that TVA had decided to award us $3.75 million to implement their Extreme Energy Makeover project in our target neighborhood. 

An ideal day for Dustin is a hodge-podge of different activities, among them: playing/wrestling with his 2 year old Walden, deep conversations with deep people, and through it all maintaining good vibes and not being overwhelmed by the weight of the world.

Meet Jake Stum, our TVA project manager, organizational strategist and spiritual director!

Jake enjoys coaching local youth sports (basketball and football, of course!) and is a great husband and father of three.

All the way from Madisonville, KY (also known as “Wolf Holler”), Jake received his Master’s degree here in Cleveland from Lee University before going on to earn a PhD from Regent University. Jake began working with us in January 2016, and we are incredibly fortunate to have him on our team!

Jake’s main focus here at Impact Cleveland is to manage our new and exciting TVA: Extreme Energy Makeovers grant. His responsibilities include developing relationships with property owners within the Impact Cleveland target area, filling up our pipeline with eligible applicants and leveraging relationships for the overall “greater good” of our work. Ultimately, his main goal as our project manager is to make sure that we successfully energy retrofit 300+ homes here in southeast Cleveland between now and the end of 2017.

When asked how would he spend his ideal day, Jake included: reading in the morning, visiting a coffee shop, hiking with his wife and boys, and finishing it all off with a great dinner on a patio, somewhere with a grand view.

Meet our newest team member and administrative assistant for the TVA grant, Brittany Cox!

A true movie enthusiast and blessed with an uncanny ability to remember movie quotes that made her laugh, Brittany is also a proud pet parent of an adorable Shetland sheepdog variety named Parker.

Brittany comes to us from Johnson City, Tennessee having moved to Cleveland to go to college and earn her Bachelor’s degree. She is currently pursuing her Master’s of Business Administration from Lee University and plans on graduating in May 2017!

As the only assistant for the TVA grant, Brittany will be working on all things administrative. Her responsibilities include things such as reporting, budget submissions, invoicing, organizing and helping with any other of Impact Cleveland’s project needs!

Brittany decided to go into nonprofit work, joining us here at Impact Cleveland, because she is passionate about helping others and creating change. A quote by Nelson Mandela sums up her feelings on the matter, “There is no passion to be found in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”

When asked ‘If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?’ Brittany responded by saying she would take a trip around the world, maybe stopping at some of the top places on her bucket list such as New Zealand, Iceland and South Africa. She wants to travel all around the world because of all the new countries and cultures she could visit, and of course the experience!

Originally from Winston Salem, NC, Melanie serves as an Americorps VISTA with Impact Cleveland. She came to Cleveland, TN to attend Lee University, from where she will receive her bachelor degrees in Human Development and Psychology in December 2017. Melanie is inquisitive at heart, eager to listen to people share their stories and insights with her. She enjoys the outdoors and appreciates nature while hiking, biking, or going on a walk with a friend. When she’s not working, you can often find her outside, with her friends, playing her guitar, reading a book, or singing whatever song is stuck in her head.