CHARMAINE D. RICE
Charmaine D. Rice is the Senior Vice President for Learning, Development & Diversity at AmTrust Financial Services, Inc. She earned a master’s degree from Cleveland State University in Psychology specializing in Diversity Management and Organizational Leadership and a bachelor’s degree from Wright State University in Communications specializing in Public Relations.
Charmaine believes diversity inspires innovation and fosters sustainable success for individuals, teams, and organizations. In 2019, she cofounded the Rekindle Fellowship program with Matt Fieldman bringing leaders from the Black and Jewish communities together for meaningful dialogue and collaborative action. With eighty-eight graduates to date, the program is set off its seventh cohort in September 2023 welcoming another sixteen leaders to the Rekindle community.
GEORGE BUKENYA
George Bukenya graduated from Case Western Reserve University with an MS in Medical Physiology. Under the mentorship of Dr. Justin Lathia at the Cleveland Clinic, he investigates immunology and drug development in Glioblastoma. He shares his passion for education, medicine, and science with scholars in The Provost Scholars program at CWRU under the mentorship of Dr. Faye Gary. His work has led him to collaborate with the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the Concerned Pastors of East Cleveland to provide monthly Health and Wellness Series to families in Cleveland.
While applying to medical school to obtain both his MD and PhD, he hopes to become US Surgeon General, intending to expand quality healthcare and educational resources to local, national, and international communities.
She has been honored as “100 + Latinos CLE Must Know”, a Crain’s “Smart Women Award Winner”, an “Emerald Award for Inspirational Leadership” recipient, and was included in the 2023 “Who’s Who in Black Cleveland”.
ELIZABETH SEMIDEI
Elizabeth Semidei serves as a Development Associate at Esperanza, Inc., a local nonprofit founded to improve the academic achievement of the Hispanic/Latinx community, focusing on fundraising and development. With her strong commitment to her Hispanic heritage and desire to uplift her community, Elizabeth has found her calling in the nonprofit sector. Her creativity and resourcefulness have helped her excel in her role, constantly coming up with innovative ideas to raise funds and support the organization’s mission.
Elizabeth’s friendly and approachable nature allows her to connect with donors and build valuable relationships. She understands the importance of cultivating partnerships and engaging the community to create long-lasting change. Her strong interpersonal skills make her an exceptional advocate for the organization.
RAHIM NICHOLS
Rahim Nichols is currently the Director of MAGNET’s Early College Early Career (ECEC) Program. ECEC is a state-recognized pre-apprenticeship program designed to place rising high school seniors into manufacturing internships with the goal of obtaining full-time job offers upon program completion while exposing our young people to new career/college pathways in advanced manufacturing.
Born and raised in Shaker Heights, OH, and a graduate of Cleveland State University, Rahim has spent the last 15 years working with underserved youth and young adults in a variety of roles. Rahim has a passion for seeing the people of Greater Cleveland discover, develop, and expose the internal superpowers each one of us has been gifted.
