Board of Directors

Jack Boessneck, Board President

Jack has been the “hamster on the wheel” in Cleveland music for his entire life. He played in high school rock bands (no money but met girls), worked at Cleveland’s largest music store (usually spent entire paycheck on equipment), worked as tech at a musical instrument repair facility, was one of the founding members of the legendary Cleveland band Dragonwyck, spent several years as the senior production person for the Agora Ballroom (both 24th Street and Euclid Ave), engineered the live radio “Coffeebreak Concerts” series (they didn’t want to pay anyone and he had to be there anyway), owned a local sound company (another failed endeavor), was live sound engineer for many national/regional acts (some had gold records, some won Grammys, most broke up) and wasted way too much time backstage, in studios and outside bars with some of the most interesting/intriguing/dangerous people. In spite of (or because of) some of the above, Jack has consulted with numerous local and national organizations regarding audio and served as a member of several college arts boards. For the past 20 years, Jack has been the Executive Vice President of Eighth Day Sound, one of the premier international sound reinforcement companies.

Tim Connors

Tim Connors is an attorney at The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, where he works on IT contracting and other IT and privacy issues as Senior Counsel in the Law Department’s Intellectual Property group. Before joining Goodyear, Tim spent 15 years as an IT and Intellectual Property attorney at Calfee Halter & Griswold in Cleveland, initially as an associate and later as a partner. He began his legal career at Squire Sanders & Dempsey in Cleveland, now known as Squire Patton Boggs. Tim has been an active participant in NEOCC since its formation, and also serves as corporation secretary.

Adam Fishman

Adam has more than 30 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry. Prior to joining Fairmount Properties LLC, Mr. Fishman served as market leader for Trammell Crow Company’s Cleveland and Columbus operations. He then operated as President and Managing Partner of Cleveland Real Estate Partners, an international corporate real estate consulting and advisory firm. In 1999, Mr. Fishman negotiated the sale of Cleveland Real Estate Partners to Deloitte & Touche, a leading professional services firm, then joined Deloitte as a Partner providing national real estate consultative services. Mr. Fishman joined Fairmount as co-principal just prior to the firm’s first anniversary and oversees all of the firm’s financial, operational, construction, entitlement and office development activities. Mr. Fishman was also the lead developer of the $750M+ Flats East Bank mixed-use waterfront district. Mr. Fishman graduated from Miami University (Ohio) with dual degrees in Business Economics/Finance and is a frequent public speaker on topics ranging from Public/Private Partnerships to urban/waterfront development and creative place–making.

Dewey Forward

I am a lifelong music fan but aren’t we all. I acted on it at an early age. I had the Big Canteen in my mom’s basement where I played 45” records and served refreshments at age 9. Furthering my interest in music and promotions, I was the Social Chairman for my fraternity booking the bands and such, then became the student booker for the University of Hartford. It was a great gig, I had the student activity fund to play with. I proceeded immediately following studies, along with a couple of other wide eyed music buffs, opened and operated the 3000 seat West Hartford Music Hall and Webster Theater with acts like Linda Ronstadt, Pure Prairie League, Orleans and Angels with Dirty Faces (that’s right no one else had heard of them either, first but not the last bomb). In 1977, I opened Peabody’s Café in Cleveland Hts. Then in 1981 opened Peabody’s DownUnder in the Flats. Both featured local and travelling national acts ranging from Spyro Gyra, Pearl Jam, Etta James, Winton Marsalis, REM, Donavan, The Generators, Bon Jovi, Mr. Sensible, Sun Ra, Bela Fleck, George Clinton, The Bangles, Amad Jamal, Bo Didley to mention just a few of the 4000 concerts under the Peabody’s banner.

Part owner of the production team which started and directed the BP RiverFest in the Flats, purportedly Ohio’s largest festival, featuring national acts, The Cleveland Orchestra and 50 acts on 6 stages throughout the Flats. I also loved the Buckeye Biscuit Band, Nation of One and Gay Marshall, all of which I had a hand in managing in and executive produced their albums. I’ve fed my ADD behavior along the way starting a slew of different hospitality venues, Pete & Deweys Planet in Gateway Cleveland, Teahoouse Noodles, morphing into TEAKA Noodles, The Chagrin Falls Popcorn Shop, Deweys Coffee at Shaker Square along the way. Ready to pivot again, I’d like to get re-involved with the Music Scene. I’ve always been drawn to local musicians. I’ve been a fan of the Beachland since its inception and think they are a vital and fragile component of the Cleveland Arts Scene.

Richard Greco, Treasurer

As a certified public accountant and an attorney with more than 35 years of experience in tax consulting and compliance, Rich Greco is uniquely qualified as Senior Managing Director of Tax Strategy at GBX Group. Rich focuses on acquisition and disposition structuring of the company’s real estate investments. He is also responsible for ensuring compliance with all aspects of the tax law. Over the course of his career, Rich has specialized in tax planning and in designing acquisition and divestiture structures for transactions ranging from $3 million to in access of $7 billion for both public and private corporations, private equity funds, and partnerships. Prior to joining GBX Group, Rich was a tax partner with Ernst & Young, a leading professional services and public accounting firm. Rich earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Franklin & Marshall College and his JD magna cum laude from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University.

Fanon Hill

Arts administrator, filmmaker and East Cleveland native, Fanon Hill is no stranger to community transformation through strategically engaged artivism. Hill serves as Executive Director and co-founder of the Youth Resiliency Institute, a social benefit organization that provides culturally responsive arts-based programming in East Cleveland, Ohio and Baltimore, Maryland. Hill has served as a consultant for the National Guild for Community Arts Education, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Robert W. Deutsch Foundation, and a multitude of school districts and organizations throughout the US and Canada. In addition, Hill served as an advisor for Tony Award-winning musical Fela! In 2011, Hill successfully launched The Black Male Identity (BMI) project, which used the arts to create more positive imagery, ideas, and narratives around black boys and men. As founder of the Baltimore Guitarists Against Violence program, Hill provides children and youth living in communities with high rates of violence with guitar and music production instruction in partnership with professional guitarists and recording studio owners. Hill is co-founder of the Cherry Hill Arts & Music Waterfront Festival (CHAMF), a celebration of the performing and visual arts during a daylong free event held in the historic African-American community of Cherry Hill in Baltimore. As a musician and music producer, Hill has been lauded in global music magazines such as Soulbounce and on Sirius XM radio. His Lom Nava Love original motion picture soundtrack was selected as one of the 50 best soul albums of 2016. Hill has received a Congressional Citation from the U.S. House of Representatives for his work as a cultural arts organizer and is director of the forthcoming music documentary Soul City Cleveland.

Nick Howley

Nick Howley is the founder and executive chairman of Transdigm Group, Inc., a New York Exchange listed company. The company is a leading global designer, producer and supplier of highly engineered aircraft components, systems and subsystems. Howley earned his B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Drexel University and his MBA from Harvard Business School. Nick is one of the founders of The Howley Foundation and a member of the board of directors, and is also currently the chairman of the Cristo Rey Network Board. The Cristo Rey Network is comprised of 32 Catholic, college preparatory schools that serve more than 10,000 economically disadvantaged students across 21 states. Nick’s extensive charitable governance experience also includes service on the boards of Case Western Reserve University, The Cleveland Clinic, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Washington and Jefferson College, St Martin de Porres High School, Gilmour Academy as well as various public and private for profit boards.

Jerry Mizer

Jerry’s interest in Cleveland’s live music scene dates back to early Belkin Production concerts such as David Bowie at Music Hall, Neil Young at Public Auditorium, and the first summer of World Series of Rock (Beach Boys, ELP, CSNY). Armed with an older friend’s draft card, he gained entry to local music venues such as the Agora Ballroom aka Beta (back when it was located on E. 24^th near CSU) to see bands the likes of Rush, Argent, and the late, great, Michael Stanley. An early patron of Beachland Ballroom and Tavern brought many bands his way too numerous to name. Jerry and his wife, Jamie Belkin, are co-owners of Jamie Belkin Events where they produce corporate events including medical conferences as well as providing assistance at the Rock Hall’s annual Induction Ceremony during the years when it’s held in Cleveland. Prior to JBE, Jerry worked in development at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum, spent the previous 20 years as a business development specialist in the medical IT industry, and earned his degree in Business Economics from Cleveland State University.

David Moss, Secretary

David Allen Moss is a lifelong creative and passionate arts advocate. An enterprising media entrepreneur, creative director, and brand strategist, David currently serves as founding member and Chief Creative Officer of Evergreen Podcasts. For nearly 20 years, he’s has been producing breakthrough hospitality brand experiences for iconic names like Wynn Las Vegas, The Cleveland Browns, Ritz Carlton, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, and American Greetings. Moss has served in executive leadership and interim director roles at Purdue University, Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland, Ingenuity Festival, and Cleveland Institute of Art. David is also host of the popular creative mindfulness podcast, Wake Up Call, in partnership with the visionary global non-profit, Creative Mornings. An accomplished bass guitarist-vocalist, he rounds out his creative pursuits with two original music projects, while serving on a number of cultural and professional boards in Greater Cleveland.

David Spero

David Spero was destined to be part of rock and roll’s history! Starting at age 13, he worked on his father Herman’s Upbeat TV show holding cue cards and serving as ‘Talent Coordinator.’ Upbeat was seen in over 100 cities between 1964 and 1971. He has since produced four Upbeat Live shows on Cleveland television garnering 3 Emmy nominations. A radio career started in 1968 at WXEN-FM. Stints at WNCR, WMMS, M105 and WNCX helped establish him as a top DJ in the then emerging field of FM radio. Hanging around with recording stars evolved into a career in artist management. David Spero Management started in 1973 steering the career of local icon Michael Stanley and producer Bill Szymczyk (Eagles, Who, Bob Seger). David took a 13-year break from music when he accepted a job as Managing Director/Midwest for Columbia/Tri Star Pictures, where he coordinated regional releases of ‘Ghostbusters,’ ‘The Natural’ and more. But rock and roll came calling again in 1990 when Eagle Joe Walsh asked Spero to manage him. Other artists followed such as Harry Nilsson, Vanilla Ice, Eric Carmen and Ian Hunter. Spero produced The Joe Walsh/Glenn Frey Tour, the precursor to The Eagles: Hell Freezes Over Tour. The rigors of touring took their toll and in 2000, Spero ‘retired’ and accepted the position of VP of Programming and Education at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In this position, Spero produced the successful MTV show “Live At The Rock Hall” which aired for two seasons. But again, antsy for that rock and roll lifestyle, David Spero Management was back in 2003 representing Billy Bob Thornton, Hall of Famer Dickey Betts, Yusuf Islam, Survivor, Melanie, Nelson, Don Felder, JD Souther and The Funk Brothers.

Terry Stewart

Terry Stewart was the longest-running President and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, serving from 1999 through the end of 2012. The Museum, a nonprofit organization, exists to educate visitors, music fans, and scholars from around the world about the history and continuing significance of rock and roll music. Since opening in 1995, the Museum has welcomed more than twelve million people, with annual visitors coming from all 50 states in the U.S. and more than 100 countries.

Stewart was born in Mobile, Alabama and raised in the nearby town of Daphne. He received two undergraduate degrees, a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts in Education, from Rutgers University in New Jersey in 1969. Then in 1972 and 1974, he went on to earn his MBA in Finance and J.D. in Law at Cornell University.

Long active in civic and philanthropic endeavors, Stewart has been a Governor on the Chicago Chapter Board of the Recording Academy (Grammys), Vice Chair of the Board of the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, and he continues to serve as an advisor for the annual Summer Stage Concert Series in Central Park in New York City. Terry is also a member of the national board of Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity. In Cleveland, he serves on the board of the Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio. Previously, Stewart served on the boards of the U.S. Committee for UNICEF in New York, the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse, based in Chicago, as well as the Cleveland Film Commission, the Cleveland Police Foundation, and the Cuyahoga County Convention Facilities Development Corporation.

Terry is well known as an avid collector of pop culture. His extensive collection includes a world-class record collection, concert and movie posters, rock and roll memorabilia, and jukeboxes.