Gina Finney Johnson
Administrative Assistant
216-830-2791
gjohnson@liscnet.org

Gina joined the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) in July 1999 as the Administrative Assistant.  She has an extensive background in working with community development corporations in the City of Cleveland. 

Prior to LISC Gina worked at the City of Cleveland’s Empowerment Zone for three years where she served as the Assistant Administrator, Office Manager, and as Assistant Economic Development Specialist.  Prior to joining the City she worked for Neighborhood Progress, Inc. a local non-profit intermediary as the Executive Assistant.

Gina’s career also included twelve years as Administrative Assistant at BP America, Inc (formerly SOHIO).  She also worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Washington, D.C., WETA - PBS Channel 26, and Engineering Research Corporation in Virginia prior to returning to Cleveland in 1980.

Ms. Johnson lives in Cleveland with her husband and daughter.

India Pierce Lee
Senior Program Director
ilee@liscnet.org

India Pierce Lee, Senior Program Director of the Cleveland, Ohio office joined Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) in February of 1998. 

Previously, Mrs. Pierce-Lee held a 2-1/2 year tenure as the Empowerment Zone Director for the City of Cleveland, during this time, India and her staff generated $20 million in economic development loans that leveraged an additional $50 million for business improvements and over 700 jobs were retained and created. 

India’s long professional career has been distinguished by her deep commitment to the neighborhoods of Cleveland.  Prior to joining the City of Cleveland, India was the Executive Director of Mt. Pleasant NOW Development Corporation (MPN) from 1990-1995.  She also served as the New Construction Program Director for MPN from 1988 until she became the Executive Director.

India graduated as a “Fellow” from Cleveland State University’s Levin College Leadership Academy and is a current member of the Leadership Cleveland Class 2001-2002. She has a Bachelor of Science in Management from David N. Myers College.  She is currently pursuing a Master’s of Social Science Administration as a Lou Stokes Scholar, from the Mandel School of Applied Social Science at Case Western Reserve University. 

India is also a former Air Traffic controller and serves as the Administrator of Evening Star Missionary Baptist Church, Rev. Alvin T. Jones.  India was born and raised in the Glenville neighborhood where she still resides with her husband Pete.

Art Stoltzfus
Senior Program Officer
arts@liscnet.org

Art Stoltzfus, currently a Senior Program Officer, has worked for LISC for seven years. Prior to LISC, Art spent many years with Union-Miles Development Corporation where he worked in virtually every facet of the development process, including community organizing, home repair, the acquisition, renovation and marketing of rehabbed homes, and the development of housing using low income housing tax credits.

Art works closely with community development corporations primarily focused on affordable and market-rate housing in Cleveland and throughout northeast Ohio, including Akron, Canton, Cleveland, Lorain, and Youngstown. He has been instrumental in expanding LISC resources across northeast Ohio and assisting Cleveland CDCs develop asset and property management standards to manage their rental portfolios.

Art holds a Certificate of Nonprofit Management from the Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Case Western Reserve University and a Bachelor’s of Science in Community Development from Eastern Mennonite College in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He is on the board of Heights Community Congress in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

Shelia Slemp
Program Officer
sslemp@liscnet.org

Shelia Slemp is a Program Officer for Cleveland LISC.  Ms. Slemp oversees the Northeast Ohio Operating Support Program providing over $1.5 million in grants to 13 community development corporations (CDCs) in Northeast Ohio.  She also provides technical assistance to assist CDCs build their organizational and human capital capacity as well as underwrites project loans.

Prior to joining LISC, Shelia worked for Neighborhood Progress Inc. (NPI), a local nonprofit intermediary organization financing and supporting community development projects across Cleveland, where she designed and implemented initiatives to support organizational development and human capacity building for more than 25 CDCs.   Shelia has also worked as a private consultant, providing board training, group facilitation, strategic planning, organizational assessment and more for organization growth and capacity building. 

Shelia worked for three years for the Corporation for National Service (CNS) as a Team Leader in one of their programs – the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC).

Shelia holds a Master’s of Nonprofit Organization (MNO) from the Weatherhead School of Management and a Master’s of Science of Social Administration (MSSA) from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences both of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.  She has an undergraduate degree in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville.

Sabrina Waytes
Asset Manager
swaytes@liscnet.org

Sabrina Waytes is an Asset Manager with the Cleveland office of the National Equity Fund, an equity syndicator of low income housing tax credits headquartered in Chicago.  Prior to joining the National Equity Fund, she was employed by KeyBank in the Community Reinvestment Department.

As an active member of the community, Sabrina served as Treasurer of the Board of Northeast Neighborhood Development Corporation and is a past participant in the United Way’s Funds Distribution panel.  She is also a graduate of the United Way Leadership Development program.

Sabrina holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Cleveland State University and a Bachelor’s Degree (BA) in Business Administration from Howard University in Washington, D.C., with a concentration in Finance.

She and her son Christian reside in Cleveland, Ohio.