Shontel Brown

Cleveland Heights, Ohio -- The Cleveland Orchestra will perform at 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 1 at Cain Park’s Evans Amphitheater in Cleveland Heights.

The concert is free and open to the public, but tickets are required.

Tickets are now available at the Cain Park box office, 14591 Superior Road, or by visiting here.

All seating will be general admission.

New leadership at The Gathering Place: The Gathering Place, the Beachwood nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting, educating and empowering individuals and families as they cope with the impact of cancer, has announced a leadership transition.

After leading The Gathering Place through a highly successful 25th anniversary year, highlighted by its recent gala, Michele Seyranian has announced her decision to retire from her role as CEO, a position she has held since 2019.

Seyranian will transition into the role of Executive Advisor, in which she will support the Interim CEO and Board Chair to ensure a smooth and seamless leadership transition.

Adam Ross will serve as Interim CEO, effective immediately. Ross brings more than six years of senior leadership experience at The Gathering Place as its Chief Development Officer.

“The organization is entering this next chapter from a position of strength, with a talented team, strong community support, and a deep commitment to our mission,” said Board Chair Mike Barnes, in a release. “We are grateful for Michele’s leadership over the last six years. She’s helped The Gathering Place expand our services to support the many individuals and families affected by cancer.

“We appreciate her assistance during the transition, and we are looking forward to our continued momentum and impact in the community.”

The board will launch a formal search for its next CEO, which will commence in the coming weeks.

Great Institutions of Cleveland: Siegal Lifelong Learning at Case Western Reserve University will present two new summer sessions of its popular “Great Institutions of Cleveland” series, which will provide participants the opportunity to hear directly from leaders of some of Northeast Ohio’s most influential organizations.

Both programs will be available in person in Beachwood and remotely via Zoom.

The series explores the missions, histories, challenges, and evolving roles of Cleveland’s leading cultural and civic institutions through moderated panel discussions with prominent executives and community leaders.

This summer’s sessions include:

-- Great Institutions of Cleveland: Jewish Organizations, from 10 a.m. to noon June 9, moderated by Sean Martin, PhD, Associate Curator for Jewish History at the Western Reserve Historical Society.

Panelists will include: Erika B. Rudin-Luria, President, Jewish Federation of Cleveland; Marlyn Bloch Jaffe, Chief Executive Officer, Jewish Education Center of Cleveland; and Jesse Rosen, President and CEO, Mandel Jewish Community Center.

-- Great Institutions of Cleveland: Debate, Discussion & Free Speech, from 10 a.m. to noon July 15, moderated by John Grabowski.

Panelists will include: Dan Moulthrop, Chief Executive Officer, The City Club of Cleveland; Kevin Martin, President and CEO, Ideastream Public Media; and Marti Flacks, Chief Executive Officer, Cleveland Council on World Affairs.

“Cleveland is home to extraordinary institutions that influence the intellectual, cultural and civic life of our community,” said Director of General Studies and Marketing at Siegal Lifelong Learning Andrea Kushnick Rubin, in a release. “I developed this series to create meaningful conversations between the public and the leaders guiding these organizations through a time of rapid change.

“Lifelong learners are deeply curious about how institutions evolve, collaborate and continue to serve the community, and this program offers a unique opportunity to engage directly with those conversations.”

Programs are held at the Landmark Centre Building, 25700 Science Park Drive in Beachwood.

Registration and additional information are available by visiting Great Institutions of Cleveland at case.edu/lifelonglearning, or by contacting Siegal Lifelong Learning at [email protected] or 216-368-2091.

Pride in the Park in Cleveland Hts.: Cleveland Heights Mayor Jim Petras announced that the city will hold its Pride in the Park; Heights G.L.O.W. event starting at 4 p.m. Saturday, June 27 at Cain Park, 14591 Superior Road.

A city release states: “Celebrate love, identity, and community at Pride in the Park: Heights G.L.O.W., a vibrant, all-inclusive experience designed to reflect and highlight the full spectrum of our community. The day features engaging panels, performances, and interactive spaces across areas like health, wellness, arts, education, and civic life.

“As the sun sets, the event transforms into a high-energy Glow Party, lighting up the park in celebration of unity, visibility, and PRIDE. Together, we are Giving Light Our Way (G.L.O.W.).”

As previously announced, the date of Cleveland Heights’ Juneteenth celebration has been moved to June 13 at Cain Park. Juneteenth hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Coventry garage elevator back in operation: The city of Cleveland Heights announced that needed repairs to its Coventry Road garage have been completed.

The passenger elevator near the front entrance is once again fully operational. Structural repairs to the stairway and garage were also completed.

Costs for the repairs were covered by a $503,900 allocation from the city’s federal ARPA grant.

Free smoke detectors in University Hts.: The city of University Heights wants its residents to know that by signing up for a free home safety inspection, the city’s fire department wil provide free smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. The UHFD will even install them and also check that residents have enough detectors in the proper locations within their homes.

For an appointment, call the UHFD Fire Prevention Officer at 216-848-1152.

Brighton Jones opens Beachwood office: Brighton Jones is a Seattle-based wealth management firm that oversees $30 billion in client assets and serves more than 5,500 clients nationwide.

The new Cleveland team will operate out of the One Chagrin Highlands building on Auburn Drive in Beachwood. The team is actively seeking to hire additional talent in the region.

The office will be managed by Mitchell Kotheimer, Lead Advisor. A local advisor, Kotheimer joined Brighton Jones from Independence Wealth Advisors, where he served as a senior financial planner.

He has worked with more than 350 families throughout his career, overseeing their comprehensive financial planning.

Mental Health Awareness Month: May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and Courage to Caregivers notes that caregiver mental health is often overlooked.

That is especially so when considering the impact of grief, chronic stress, and ambiguous loss experienced by unpaid family caregivers supporting loved ones with mental health conditions, substance use disorders, dementia, disabilities, chronic illness, and other complex challenges.

With this in mind, Courage to Caregivers is launching new grief recovery support groups for unpaid family caregivers.

The virtual group sessions will feature The Grief Recovery Method, an evidence-based program designed to help individuals process and recover from the emotional pain of loss. Research conducted through Kent State University found the program to be effective in helping participants address grief and move toward healing and hope.

The new groups will be led by Cynthia Tyson, Ph.D, an experienced behavioral health professional and Certified Grief Recovery Method Specialist. The initiative is funded through a grant from the Nella Durinda Levenhagen Foundation.

While grief is often associated with death, caregivers frequently experience many forms of ongoing and often invisible loss, including changes in relationships, identity, independence, future expectations, routines, finances, health, and roles within the family.

Many also experience ambiguous grief and loss, where a loved one is physically present but emotionally, cognitively, or behaviorally changed due to mental illness, substance use disorder, dementia, traumatic brain injury, chronic illness, or disability.

“For many caregivers, grief is not a single event -- it is something they carry quietly over time,” said Courage to Caregivers Founder and Executive Director Kristi Horner, in a release. “Unaddressed grief can increase stress, isolation, burnout, anxiety, and hopelessness.

“By creating space to process grief in healthy and supportive ways, we strengthen protective factors that support emotional wellness, resilience, and long-term caregiver well-being.”

The two groups will begin meeting June 4 and Aug. 13.

Group details, schedules and registration information are available through Courage to Caregivers’ website.

For more information about Courage to Caregivers, contact Horner at [email protected], or by phone at 216-536-7699.

OH-11 Housing Expo: U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown, D-11, will hold her Third Annual OH-11 Housing Expo from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 6 at Tri-C Corporate College East, 4400 Richmond Road in Warrensville Heights.

The Housing Expo will offer prospective and current homeowners tips, tools, financial guidance, and expert resources. Representatives from federal, state and local agencies will be in attendance.

The Expo will also feature breakout sessions on credit, mortgages and financing, housing information for seniors, and more.

Those planning to attend should register here .

Chuck Todd at JCU: Chuck Todd, the longtime political journalist and former host of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” addressed John Carroll University’s undergraduate Class of 2026 on May 17. He focused his message on issues many graduates are navigating: AI disruption, information overload, and the importance of critical thinking in an increasingly polarized society.

JCU sent over a few excerpts from his speech. They include:

“AI is going to create extraordinary opportunities. It’s also going to put a premium on exactly what this education gave you. A machine can process, but it cannot discern. It can generate answers. It cannot decide which questions are worth asking. It can simulate empathy. It cannot actually feel the weight of a moral choice. That’s what a Jesuit education trains, not just critical thinking -- moral reasoning.”

“Disruption favors the young. In moments like this, you actually have the advantage...Now your generation’s challenges are different, but difficult generations often produce resilient people, and your generation has already experienced more disruption before age 22 than many generations experience in a lifetime. So no, I don’t think this moment should make you pessimistic. I actually think it has prepared you better than you realize.”

“In a world drowning in information and starving for wisdom, moral reasoning is not a soft skill; it’s the skill. Your humanity matters. Your judgment matters. Your moral truth matters. Telling the truth still matters."

To view video clips of his address, visit here.

If you would like your item to appear in Press Run, send me an email, at least 12 days prior to an event, at [email protected].