Teleange’ Thomas was appointed to the Board of Directors by the Mayor of the City of Cleveland in 2022.

Ms. Thomas is a distinguished leader with over two decades of experience spanning healthcare, government, nonprofit, corporate, philanthropy, venture, and economic development. Her career is defined by strategic leadership, deep industry insight, and a commitment to advancing sustainable social and economic opportunities.

Ms. Thomas’ transformational leadership has propelled high-impact organizations across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. She has raised over $100M in public, private, and philanthropic capital; launched and scaled startups and public-private partnerships; and delivered measurable socio-economic impact. She is known for building inclusive, high-performing teams and translating complex challenges into sustainable, growth-oriented solutions.

Teleangé has deep expertise in operations, organizational development, venture creation, fundraising, grants management, and strategic partnerships, with subject-matter knowledge spanning economic and community development, entrepreneurship, healthcare, technology, and small business.

She is an adaptive, emotionally intelligent leader recognized for her strong business acumen, coalition-building, and the ability to align talent, strategy, and resources to drive transformational change.

Most recently, she served as Chief Operating and Relationship Officer at JumpStart Inc., a venture and economic development organization; Her operational oversight and accountability for $150M in assets enabled the organization to support entrepreneurs (small business and startups) with capital, connections, and resources who in turn generated more than 1.7B in economic activity.

As Founder and Managing Partner of PLATTFORMS, Ms. Thomas drives socio-economic impact across diverse communities by advising small businesses, supporting startups, attracting, managing and deploying capital and strengthening organizations. She is dedicated to leveraging entrepreneurship to foster equity and disrupt systemic barriers.

Further, Ms. Thomas has co-founded several initiatives and social enterprises, including The Soul of Philanthropy Cleveland, The Cleveland Black Equity & Humanity Fund, Celebrate Those Who Give Black, FutureLAND, and IIE.VC—to bridge socioeconomic opportunities through public-private partnerships, philanthropy and entrepreneurship.

Some of her recent accolades include Leadership Cleveland (2024), ECDI Women’s Business Centers of Ohio Woman of the Year (2023), Crain’s Business, Woman of Note (2022). In addition to the Cleveland Port Authority, she also is the Vice-Chair of the Board of Policy Matters Ohio. Further, Ms. Thomas passionately engages and supports several civic and charitable organizations.