Gregory Soltis - Senior Designer/ Planner with RDL Architects

 Greg's story
Gregory earned a master’s degree in Urban Planning, Design, & Development from Cleveland State University in 2013. Throughout his education at Cleveland State University, he held a graduate assistantship for Dr. Mark Salling as a researcher, cartographer, and graphic designer at the Northern Ohio Data & Information Service (NODIS). In addition he worked on various other projects at CSU including “Linking Land Use and Ohio’s Waters: Best Local Land Use Practices”, a document produced for the State of Ohio by CSU’s Community Planning Program. He was honored as the 2013 American Institute of Certified Planners Outstanding Student, and also presented with the Wallace G. Teare Prize. Before attending CSU, Gregory worked as an architectural designer in Las Vegas and Washington, DC for TAL Studio, a leader in the world of hospitality design. After his return home to Cleveland he quickly became active in volunteer and advocacy work, furthering historic preservation, thoughtful planning and urban design.

Alumni Bios

Domenic Bellone - Planner at Cleveland State University Division of Capital Planning & Office of the University Architect
“I am a planner within the Division of Capital Planning & Office of the University Architect. I work with all department staff on various efforts to develop program statements and planning studies. I also manage the planning and design of all way-finding and environmental graphic systems. I hold the title of Space Manager, which means I am responsible for maintaining the space inventory database, generating space utilization reports, and providing analyses to the campus community and to the Ohio Board of Regents.

The Environmental Planning classes I took really advanced my knowledge in understanding symbiotic relationships between the built and natural environments. We studied site planning, which is a skill I use when participating in campuswide planning exercises. The Urban Design class taught me the solid principles related to such things as street layout, aesthetics, and hand drawing techniques. In the Division of Capital Planning, we engage the core planning principles taught by the College of Urban Affairs every single day as our office looks to develop the CSU campus.”

Andrea Bruno - Real Estate Officer at the Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corporation

“Andrea Bruno serves as the Real Estate Officer at the Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corporation (CCLRC). Andrea analyzes potential real estate transactions and determines whether the proposed transactions are a good investment for the land bank consistent with its mission. Andrea reviews and assembles real estate transaction documents pertinent to a real estate transaction. Prior to her time at CCLRC, Andrea was the Director of Residential Real Estate at St Clair Superior Development Corporation. Andrea helped with the implementation of reutilization projects pertaining to vacant land and vacant housing reuse. Andrea sits on the Board of The Fair Housing Center for Rights and Research, the Western Reserve Community Development Corporation, and the Arts Commission for the City of Mentor. In 2012, Andrea completed her Master’s in Urban Planning, Design and Development at Cleveland State University. In the same year, she also completed her Master’s in Business Administration at Lake Erie College. Andrea received her Bachelors of Arts from Mount Union College in Business Administration in 2009.”

Chris Bongorno
“I was able to make connections and grow my network of peers and professional contacts through the courses I took and the other various college events I attended. The ongoing research and interaction I had through the MUPDD program helped me to expand my areas of expertise and stay up-to-date on current issues and trends in the world of planning and development. 

I started working at University Circle Inc. (UCI), as an intern, during my second year in the MUPDD program and was eventually promoted to Director of Planning.  Nearly 10 years later, I still work with UCI on a regular basis, but now as a transportation planning consultant.  My work there, and in other parts of Ohio, is focused on multi-modal transportation, with an emphasis on pedestrian, bicycle and transit-oriented development.  I have been able to sustain many of the relationships I developed while at Levin and they have benefited my work and professional development ever since."

Sashank Garikapati - Strategic Planner/Business Analyst at TouchPoint Solutions, Inc.
"The level of ‘information and experience’ ‘gained and exchanged’ during my master's program at Levin College of Urban Affairs has helped me interact with leaders and chief company executives with comfort and confidence in meeting their project planning and business requirements. My education at the Levin College has elevated my knowledge base, skill set and the pattern in which I present my ideologies to build key strategic solutions for the business teams I deal with. Coursework concerning real estate, GIS, transportation, risk & decision making, economic development, and interactive studios have taught me the correct manner to handle situations and explicitly how to get the best product delivered on time. Apart from all this, the professional ethics learned from being a graduate assistant to Dr. Brian Mikelbank and the continued support and pertinent mentorship that the College grants me, is immense and unsurpassed."

"As a Strategic Planner and Business Analyst of the team, I provide effective planning of resources, budgeting and cost and benefit analysis for the projects already being designed or for the projects in pipeline. I conduct organizational studies and evaluate industry best practices. Utilizing my knowledge of corporate functions, I design, develop and implement applications in the area of business/planning/information systems, develop methodologies for functional systems, conduct business analysis, interact with clients and handle off-shore management and development strategies."

Karen Johnston - Development Associate, The Coral Company
“My coursework further developed my critical thinking skills and increased my knowledge of the neighborhoods of the City of Cleveland. As a development associate with The Coral Company, I manage multiple commercial and residential and development projects, and I research potential development projects.”

Hands-on learning is the predominant feature of the curriculum at the Levin College. Professors involve students in finding solutions to real problems faced by local agencies and governments.

Kelly La Rosa - The Nord Center Supervisor for Residential and Housing Service
“I went into the MUPD program with 10 years of local government experience, specifically in planning and zoning. Much of what I was exposed to as a student directly correlated with what I was doing on the job, which reinforces the fact that students learn the tools and framework necessary to be adequately prepared for the workforce.”

I wear multiple hats in my position as Supervisor for Residential and Housing Service at the Nord Center. The Nord Center is a comprehensive behavioral health care center with a 60-year history of providing services to persons with mental illness. One role is to coordinate housing for persons who have both a severe mental illness and are homeless through the Shelter Plus Care and Supportive Housing Programs of the McKinney Vento Act. I also direct the Housing Service Program of Lorain County (HSP), a program that the Nord Center has fiscal oversight of and is open to all residents in Lorain County. The HSP provides placement assistance for the homeless, emergency rental assistance for individuals and families experiencing a temporary inability to pay rent, and foreclosure loss mitigation. I oversee the homeless shelter liaison and peer mentor, who conduct mental health assessments at the day shelter, overnight shelter, and the 24-hour shelter in Lorain County. I am the Vice Chair of the Homeless Task Force of Lorain County, co-chair of the Continuum of Care Committee, board member of Lorain County Habitat for Humanity and Lorain County Furniture Bank, and a member of the Lorain County Foreclosure Task Force. I am also a licensed Realtor with Russell Real Estate Services in Amherst.”

Arthur Schmidt IV - Urban Designer/City Planner with City of Cleveland Planning Commission
Arthur Schmidt is a 2013 graduate of the Master in Urban Planning, Design, & Development program specializing in Urban Design. He also earned a Master’s degree in Urban Design from Kent State University’s Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative in 2013. Arthur is currently a Senior Planner at the Cleveland office of OHM Advisors, an architecture, planning, and engineering firm. He endeavors to bring a collaborative and placed based approach to each one of his projects in community and transportation planning, urban design, public policy, zoning, economic development, and public engagement. Prior to OHM, Arthur worked for the City of Cleveland Planning Commission as an Urban Designer and Planner where he coordinated all streetscape related projects, managed the NOACA Transportation for Livable Communities Initiative (TLCI), and was the administrator for both the mayor’s Infrastructure and Streetscape Committee and the Downtown Flats Design Review Committee. Additionally, he is a part time instructor at the Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University where he teaches an undergraduate Urban Studies course and serves on the Executive Committee of the Cleveland section of the American Planning Association as their Vice Director of Programming. 

Jeffrey Sugalski - Director, Real Estate Development at Burten, Bell, Carr Development, Inc.
“The College of Urban Affairs helped lay the foundation for me to become an effective young professional in the field of community development. Through my courses and employment at the College, I learned how to approach problems both creatively and analytically. My college experience also afforded me the opportunity to build a network of skilled professionals to support me in my current and future career endeavors.

Hands-on learning is the predominant feature of the curriculum at the Levin College. Professors involve students in finding solutions to real problems faced by local agencies and governments."