Congratulations to Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs' graduate graduate  Linda Uveges  (MNAL ’16), who has been selected as a 2022 Smart Women Award honoree. Uveges was recognized at the Smart Women Breakfast & Awards Ceremony, presented by Huntington Bank on June 23, 2022. The program brings together Northeast Ohio professionals who are leading the way in creating strong organizations and mentoring up-and-coming women. 
 
According to an  article by Smart Business, when Uveges started volunteering at The City Mission nearly twenty years ago, she never dreamed that she would one day become its CEO. After volunteering for Laura’s Home for several years, she joined the staff serving in roles ranging from front-desk security to cook. Then, when the manager of Laura’s Home retired, the CEO asked Uveges to take her place. After she earned her  Master of Nonprofit Administration and Leadership  degree from the Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs through The City Mission’s tuition reimbursement program in 2016, Uveges moved into the role of COO, which she held for six years until the previous CEO retired last year. 
 
When transitioning into the CEO position, Uveges sat down with each staff member individually and asked, “What is important to you, and how can I best serve you?” From these conversations, Uveges realized that diversity was a top concern among her staff. In response, she began a six-month diversity, equity, and inclusion training program for every employee. And she says this is just the start of many difficult conversations and changes to build a more diverse organization. 
 
Although there are two other women on the leadership team, Uveges is the first female CEO in The City Mission’s 112-year history — a trend she said she intends to break. “I want to lift women up and give them a voice, to be able to encourage and include everybody,” she shared. 
 
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