Six CSU alumni named in this year’s Crain’s Cleveland 40 Under 40

From staying on the cutting edge of environmental activism to shaping the future workforce to leading the way in real estate and public policy, these six alumni are making waves in their respective fields. And it’s what earned them a spot on this year’s Crain’s Cleveland 40 Under 40.

Clockwise in image starting top left

Peter Bode (BS ’12) – President & CEO of Nature Center at Shaker Lakes

Peter Bode has long been entrenched in Greater Cleveland’s environmental movement. He started as a landscaper, moved on to study environmental science at CSU, managed projects for West Creek Conservancy and led the Community Life Collaborative. In May, he was named president and CEO of the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, a national environmental landmark, drawing 140,000 visitors a year.

Jenna Gauntner (BBA ’18) – Senior Associate at CBRE

Those who’ve known and worked with Jenna all agree: She knows her stuff. She’s considered one of the top performers in the Cleveland offices of CBRE, a global commercial real estate firm. And after forming a solo practice, she’s fast making a name for herself.

Paris Lampkins (M.Ed. ’07) – Director of Learning and Development at AMHigley

As director of learning and development at The Albert M. Higley Co., a construction management company, Paris works to develop the soft skills employees need to advance their careers. They possess the technical know-how, but it’s her role to build the person around those specialized professional competencies. It suits her well. She’s someone who’s long been predisposed to probe the underpinnings of human behavior.

Marcus Madison (BA ’21) - Community Relations Program Manager, Cleveland Clinic

Marcus Madison has devoted 20 years to addressing generational issues in Greater Cleveland. At Cleveland Clinic’s Avon Hospital, he’s focused on the disparities in health care access and subsequent health outcomes for marginalized groups.

Megan Wilson (MPA ’16) – Chief of Staff and Director, Public Policy and Government Relations, The Cleveland Foundation

Megan recognizes the Cleveland Foundation’s growing role in Greater Cleveland and how it needs to work collectively with the region’s stakeholders, anchor institutions and partners in the development of policy. While her role as director of public policy and government relations is new, she served as chief of staff for former Cleveland Foundation CEO and President Ronn Richard and continues today with current CEO Lillian Kuri.

Cheng-Han Yu (MUPD ’13) – Vice President, Government Relations at Hanna Commercial Real Estate

Cleveland State brough Cheng-Han to Cleveland and it’s where his career would ultimately take shape. His instructors ultimately became supervisors, mentors and colleagues at Hanna Commercial Real Estate. But before that, they were there as his work as a master’s student at CSU in urban planning, design and development landed him an internship for the City of Cleveland and then a job. From there, he joined Hanna’s training program where he quickly learned the ropes and proved himself an asset to the firm as a native of Taiwan with knowledge of how to work in Chinese and Asian markets. Here at home, he’s taken particular interest in investing in area properties and sees Cleveland’s the vast potential in commercial real estate.