Emily Campbell

President & CEO, The Center for Community Solutions

Education: Master’s degree in political science; bachelor’s degree in economics and international studies

What Success Looks Like to Me: Success is seeing policy translate into real, measurable improvements in people’s lives. I love when the work of The Center for Community Solutions quietly changes the trajectory of conversations and allows data, advocacy and partnerships to come together to make systems work better.

Favorite Quote: “Perfect is the enemy of good.” — Voltaire

What Motivates Me Right Now: We have a lot of evidence about what works to improve health, social and economic conditions, and we have real opportunities to make sure that knowledge drives policy decisions.

What Would Surprise Someone to Learn About Me: I’ve never watched West Wing, despite working in public policy my entire career.

An Important Lesson I Learned: Expertise means embracing nuance, but impact requires clarity. You have to know when to go deep and when to cut straight to the point.

A Cleveland Spot I Recommend: Eastman Reading Garden at Cleveland Public Library’s main branch