CSU Alum Dr. Evelyn Rivera is a Changemaker for Cleveland’s Latin American Community

Dr. Evelyn Rivera is focused on preserving history, but it’s more than just documenting the past. It’s about ensuring an entire community’s contributions are recognized, celebrated, and remembered for generations to come.

Dr. Rivera, a graduate of Cleveland State University (CSU) with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Public Affairs and Education, has spent her career serving and advocating for Northeast Ohio’s Latin American community. She is now leading one of the region’s most important cultural preservation efforts through the creation of the Latin American Historical Society of Cleveland Ohio (LAHSO), an organization dedicated to documenting and preserving the rich history of Latin Americans in Cleveland.

A native of Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood and graduate of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Dr. Rivera’s commitment to public service began early. She immersed herself in community work and quickly became involved with organizations serving the Latin American population.

"I was very active in the Latin American community after graduating with my bachelor’s degree from CSU," Dr. Rivera said. "I was on the board for the Hispanic Senior Center and fell in love with it."

When the center faced uncertainty and was eventually incorporated into Catholic Charities, Dr. Rivera was approached about becoming its director. Though honored by the opportunity, she recognized she needed additional training to effectively lead the organization.

"At the time, I was only 23 or 24 years old," Dr. Rivera said. "I felt I needed to equip myself with the skills and education needed to run an organization well. That’s why I returned to CSU to get my MPA."

Dr. Rivera enrolled in CSU’s MPA program while continuing to work full-time. The experience proved transformative.

"It gave me what I needed to run the organization super well," Dr. Rivera said. "Grace Gallucci’s budgeting class was invaluable. She made me one of the best budgeters ever. I became a better manager. The MPA program at CSU really helped me grow and made me realize that public service was really my passion."

Dr. Rivera’s career continued to evolve as she pursued advanced degrees, ultimately earning both a master’s degree and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Kent State University. While living in Akron, she helped create Proyecto Raíces (Project Roots), a program designed to integrate culture and educational services for Latin American families. The initiative continues to serve the community nearly three decades later.

Dr. Rivera’s dedication to advocacy and civic engagement expanded further in 2020 when she co-founded LatinOHs, a statewide platform focused on information sharing, education, and civic participation for marginalized communities.

When Dr. Rivera began reflecting on Cleveland’s history, though, she noticed a glaring omission.

"Cleveland has the second largest Latin American population in Ohio after Columbus and one of the largest Puerto Rican populations," Dr. Rivera said. "There’s been significant contributions to Cleveland by Latin Americans that haven’t been written about or documented. LAHSO is seeking to remedy that."

Dr. Rivera launched LAHSO in April 2023. It began as conversations among community members and quickly evolved into a mission-driven organization focused on preserving stories that might otherwise be lost.

Dr. Rivera worked tirelessly to assemble a team of stakeholders who shared her passion for documenting the community’s history and ensuring it becomes part of Cleveland’s broader narrative.

"Latin Americans have always belonged and contributed," Dr. Rivera said. "They have brought so much to Cleveland, but that history has largely been ignored. My hope is LAHSO will help the greater community learn about the contributions of Latin Americans to the beautiful tapestry of Cleveland’s history."

LAHSO’s work today centers on four major research veins which include genealogy, oral history, historical markers, and women’s history. Through interviews, archival research, and community partnerships, the organization is uncovering stories that have often been overlooked in traditional historical records.

Among LAHSO’s key collaborators are CSU faculty and staff, including Elizabeth Piwkowski of the Michael Schwartz Library and Dr. Beth Nagy, who teaches a course exploring Cleveland’s ethnic and cultural history.

"Evelyn and I met through a new class I taught last semester called Belonging in the City," Dr. Nagy said. "It is a class about Cleveland’s ethnic and cultural history. As I researched Cleveland’s Latin American history, I ran into a gap in data. As I searched for sources, I came across LAHSO and met Dr. Rivera, who later was a speaker in the class. Not only did students learn about Latin American history in Cleveland, they also learned about how a grassroots organization was created to address that missing history. That’s something students can really engage with; seeing a community problem and designing a solution to address it."

The collaboration reflects Dr. Rivera’s broader goal of connecting scholarship, community engagement, and historical preservation.

"The goal is to weave in the rich, vibrant and colorful threads of Latin American historical contributions into the already beautiful multicultural tapestry of Cleveland, so that our amazing contributions to our beloved city are acknowledged, integrated into our history books and remembered forever," Dr. Rivera said.

The work is deeply personal for Dr. Rivera. It’s rooted in the neighborhoods where she grew up, the community she has served throughout her career, and the education she received at CSU.

Dr. Rivera’s leadership, advocacy, and unwavering commitment to public service are proof that preserving the past can be one of the most powerful ways to shape the future.

Photo courtesy of Marilyn Oliveras de Ortiz.