It takes a village.
Meet the teams who make Say Yes Cleveland possible.
Administrative Staff
Many Say Yes Cleveland staff are CMSD graduates committed to supporting students who are driven to follow their own paths to success.
Sharese Ryan
Interim Executive Director
Sharese supervises, coaches, and trains Say Yes Cleveland’s team of 100+ Family Support Specialists. She works with Say Yes Cleveland staff, schools, and external service providers to develop and maintain a support network that propels students to success. Sharese has formerly worked as a supervisor of child welfare caseworkers for Franklin County Children Services in Columbus, and as a social service worker and then supervisor for Cuyahoga County’s Division of Children & Family Services. She earned a Bachelor of Criminal Justice and Criminology degree from Eastern Michigan University, and a Master of Education degree in adult learning and development from Cleveland State University.
[email protected]
Aletha Kern
Director of IT and Data Management
Aletha Charlotte Kern is responsible for developing and implementing Say Yes Cleveland’s data and tech processes, tracking the status and needs of current and future students. Aletha possesses a wealth of technical expertise gained throughout the course of her career in the corporate sector. Working at Say Yes Cleveland, she is actively pursuing her dream of providing technological expertise to an organization that makes a difference in the lives of Cleveland’s youth.
[email protected]
Brittney Church
Assistant Director of IT and Data Management
Brittney provides the monitoring and maintenance of Say Yes Cleveland’s data management processes, assists in data gathering and analysis to support community reporting needs, and coordinates the training of data system end users. Before taking on her current role, Brittney served from 2019-2021 as the Family Support Specialist (FSS) for Max Hayes High School. She has a Masters of Education degree and is pursuing certification in education technology from Cleveland State University.
[email protected]
John Morris
Supervisor
John Morris joined Say Yes Cleveland in 2022 and is a licensed social worker with over 20 years of experience providing advocacy and support services to children and families. He holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from Case Western Reserve University. John has formerly worked as a social service worker and supervisor for Cuyahoga County's Division of Children and Family Services, and is deeply committed to family-centered care.
[email protected]
Lamont Davis
Supervisor
Lamont Davis joined Say Yes Cleveland in August 2020 as a Family Support Specialist at Bolton School. With a background in community engagement, Lamont has worked with impactful organizations such as the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, and Case Western Reserve University. His mission has always been to empower families and future generations, especially in underserved communities, to recognize their potential and lead lasting transformation.
[email protected]
Jackelyn Caskey
Supervisor
Jackelyn Caskey began her journey with Say Yes Cleveland in 2022 and brings 18 years of social service experience, including 6 in a supervisory capacity. A proud graduate of both the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and John Carroll University, Jackie’s passion for helping others has guided her career, from her early days at Cuyahoga County's Division of Child and Family Services to her current role with us.
[email protected]
VOICES FROM THE COMMUNITY
“The most important thing we can do is be a connector in multiple ways. We want to connect to our students and their families, but we also want to connect our students to the opportunities to take them to the next level of their growth as people. As a graduate of CMSD schools myself, I was the first to go to college. So I know how important it is to leverage the support resources that may be out there when our students are trying to do something different and work toward something the generations before them weren’t able to do.”
SYC Staff
Want to help make a difference at Say Yes Cleveland?
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