Jeff Epstein

President & CEO, Port of Cleveland

Education: Juris doctor, Georgetown University Law Center; bachelor’s degree in public policy studies, Duke University

What Motivates Me Right Now: We are in an exciting moment in Cleveland’s history, with so much alignment around transformative projects that can help catalyze growth in our region for decades to come. I am motivated by the opportunity to help shape a better future for Clevelanders through the work we do here at the Port and in collaboration with leaders across the community.

My Leadership Style: Collaborative with a focus on empowering teammates to be the best versions of themselves. I try to build a supportive team environment where we can take risks, learn from failures or setbacks and have honest conversations to move the organization and team forward.

An Important Lesson I Learned: We all make mistakes, and pointing fingers in blame isn’t the productive response as a manager — it is figuring out how we fix the mistake and learn from them going forward.

A Cleveland Spot I Recommend: North Coast Yard, a great way to be on the lake and interact with a pop-up space that is truly world class