1990s
Paul Putman, BA ’92, Cleveland, OH, is the new president and CEO of Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund (TREE Fund). TREE Fund is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge in urban forestry and arboriculture. Since 2002, TREE Fund has distributed over $5.1 million in research grants, scholarships, and funding for environmental education to advance the science, practice and safety of tree care and engage the next generation of tree stewards.
Putman, who earned a doctorate in urban education from Cleveland State University, came to TREE Fund from Cleveland Foundation, the world’s first community foundation, where he has served in both the grantmaking and philanthropy departments for nearly 15 years.
Sandy Cross, MA ’93, Frisco, TX, chief people officer at Professional Golfers’ Association of America, was named in June to DiversityGlobal Magazine’s “2023 Top 15 Influential Women in Diversity” list. It honors women leaders advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging as core principles of humanity and organizational success.
Cross was promoted in 2019 to serve as the first chief people officer in the association’s history. She developed and deployed its first-ever shared values statements, a “by the people, for the people approach” in which shared values are anchored in inclusion, equity and diversity. She also developed and deployed PGA LEAD, an intentional effort to diversify the board rooms at the chapter, section and national levels.
Sonia Karkare, BS ’93, MS ’96, Kent, OH, is a doctoral candidate in the Interprofessional Leadership program with a concentration in cultural foundations of education at the College of Education, Health and Human Services. She also is an adjunct faculty member in the Executive MBA program and the Department of Management at the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship. She is teaching a variety of courses, including Digital Transformation in Healthcare.
Karkare, a native of Mumbai, India, came to Kent State in 1990 and majored in computer science. Among her many international endeavors, she has worked with the American Red Cross, The Global Fund and Doctors Without Borders, leading various digital technology and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
In 2021, she earned an MBA from the Roxbourg Institute of Social Entrepreneurship in Switzerland with a specialization in humanitarian innovation. She was awarded the 2021 “Hidden Figures” Award for supporting women in technology in the nonprofit sector by TechFace.ch in Switzerland. She wants other women of color to know they can succeed in STEM fields.
Read about how Karkare learned to use the backspace key to move forward in Kent State Today.
Lillian Kuri, BS ’93, BArc ’94, Cleveland, OH, was elected the 10th president and CEO of The Cleveland Foundation Board of Directors, effective Aug. 1, 2023. Kuri was promoted to the newly created position of executive vice president and chief operation officer at the foundation in March 2021. A year earlier, she was elevated to senior vice president for strategy for her work on the planning and design of the foundation’s new home in Midtown at the corner of Euclid Avenue and East 66th Street.
Kuri joined the foundation in 2005 as a project consultant for the revitalization of Greater University Circle—including a comprehensive set of anchor institution development strategies and the launch of Evergreen Cooperatives, where community members have an ownership stake. These efforts have been cited as a national model by outlets such as The Guardian, Forbes, CNBC, U.S. News & World Report, and Fast Company, among others.
She officially joined the foundation staff in 2007 as a program director and in 2016 was promoted to vice president for strategic grantmaking, arts & urban design. In that role, Kuri focused her work on arts, culture and placemaking, including the foundation’s arts mastery initiatives, which bring year-round, rigorous, mastery-based programs in theater, music, and visual arts to 5,000 underserved children each year.
Over the past several years, Kuri also has played a key role in the foundation’s support for development in under-resourced neighborhoods to benefit longtime residents; economic and workforce development efforts; and environmental initiatives in historically red-lined communities. She also co-leads the foundation’s impact investing strategy, which now includes a portfolio of nearly $385 million in direct and indirect investments that deliver both a financial and social return.
Read a Q&A with Kuri on the alumni website.
Mulatu Lemma, MA ’93, PhD ’94, Savannah, GA, was the dedicatee of the Dr. Mulatu Lemma Maths Day at Pharo School Homosha, BGRS (Benishangul Gumuz regional state), Ethiopia, on Feb. 17, 2023. This year’s theme was Mathematics Unites. In the opening speech, the head of the school highlighted the famous Ethiopian mathematician’s work and read Lemma’s personal message of support to the students and staff.
Lemma, a professor of mathematics at Savannah State University, was among 12 recipients of the 2020 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring. The award recognizes the critical role mentors have outside the traditional classroom setting in the academic and professional development of the future STEM workforce.
David R. Sizemore, BS ’93, Dublin, OH, majored in aerospace flight technology at Kent State. He was promoted to lieutenant in July 2022 and assumed the role of assistant commander of the aviation section for the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Erica Wilson-Domer, BA ’96, MSA ’01, Middlebranch, OH, was named president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio, effective July 1, 2023. She has been a partner and leader with PPGOH for more than two decades, most recently as chief strategy and transformation officer. In that role, she led PPGOH’s reinstatement into the Title X funding program, a critical initiative that increased access and improved patient experience.
Prior to joining PPGOH, she worked within the healthcare section, including Ohio-based AultCare and Alliance Community Hospital, specifically focused on financial analysis.
Serving as the organization’s first Asian American CEO, Wilson-Domer is deeply respected in Ohio and across Planned Parenthood Federation of America for her insights and solution-driven mindset. Her commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion epitomizes Planned Parenthood’s values and will lead the organization into the future.