Staff
Cindy Barber, Executive Director
Phone: (216) 702-8358
Cindy Barber began working in the local music industry just out of high school. She did inventory control for MCA, bookkeeping at WEA and was assistant buyer at the ABC branch. After earning college degrees Media and Communications, she co-founded the Cleveland Express newspaper in the late ‘70s, in addition to managing local bands. In the ‘80s, Barber became production manager for Northern Ohio Live magazine, a job which included editing program guides for Playhouse Square and other arts organizations. Barber started her own publishing consulting business in 1986, and also co-wrote a music column for the Cleveland Edition with fellow music journalist Anastasia Pantsios. In 1992, she helped launch the Cleveland Free Times as assistant publisher and was moved into the editor’s position three months later. During her six years in that position, the paper won many awards including awards for Barber’s own writing. During this time she served on the national board of the Association for Alternative Newsweeklies. After the Free Times, she spent a year as editor of Northern Ohio Live. She then turned her energy to her own North Collinwood neighborhood, where she co-founded the Beachland Ballroom and Tavern in March 2000, a concert venue that has become a favorite stop to hundreds of national touring bands. She has served as president of the board of her local CDC, Northeast Shores Development Corporation, and was also president of Arts Collinwood, when the organization won a Northern Ohio Live Achievement Award in Economic Development for its work in North Collinwood. Ms. Barber has also served on the City of Cleveland’s Fair Housing Board, the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, and the former Cleveland Music Group. In 2007, she was honored with a Cleveland Arts Prize for Distinguished Service to the Arts.
Maura Rogers, Programming Manager
Maura Rogers is a graduate of Baldwin-Wallace University, where she studied voice and received a degree in English and Theater. She started her artistic career at Great Lakes Theater Festival and spent nearly a decade invested in directing and acting. In the last decade, Maura has worked as a singer-songwriter in Cleveland and has released five albums since her solo debut in 2010. Her band, Maura Rogers and The Bellows, have built a supportive fanbase in Cleveland and have toured throughout the United States sharing their unique Americana sound with appreciative audiences.
David Kennedy, NOMAD Campus & Programming Mgr.
David is developing and presenting professional development, mental health and wellness, and public performance programming at Cleveland Rocks: PPF’s NOMAD Campus and around Northeast Ohio. David organizes our workshops and engages local musicians and guest professionals in sharing expertise, insights, experiences, networking, and skills with Cleveland’s diverse music community. David is also the Music Incubator Program Director and facilitates monthly meetings with its participants. You can often find him behind the counter in the Cleveland Rocks Shop or behind the mixing board producing sound and recording our live concert events.
Ryan Laubenthal, Video and Live Streaming Manager
Ryan has a background in audio and photography and runs his own studio, Onion House Productions. He is involved with many of the technical aspects of the CRPPF stream and video documentation efforts. As a part-time performer before the Covid days, he is personally invested in the effort to keep local venues alive and to make sure that as many career musicians as possible weather the storm and come out on the other side.
Kim Henderson, Marketing & Design
Kim has immersed herself in the world of design, marketing and event planning for nearly two decades serving music, entertainment, higher education and media businesses and communities. Kim joined the CR:PPF team in 2021 and helps ensure the organization’s mission, messaging, and branding are communicated cohesively to our audiences across all our communication channels.
Sarah Kennedy, Strategy and Operations Consultant
Sarah Kennedy is the Founder and Principal of SKG Consulting. Sarah’s background includes extensive experience in corporate communications, publishing, non-profit governance, and new project start-ups. From helping to launch a multi-million-dollar international imprint, to founding Collinwood’s Waterloo Arts, Sarah has worked on projects large and small that brought together resources, teams and creative approaches for maximum impact. Sarah provides a range of responsive solutions for non-profits and start-ups, including strategic planning, coaching, and full-service development assistance – from grant writing and research to marketing and communications.
Sarah puts her passion for community building and engagement to work helping organizations of all sizes achieve successful transitions. From building a new business model to launching a new event, reconnecting with constituents to jumpstarting a stalled board, Sarah is happiest when she’s helping groups work well and achieve their mission.
Lisa Paul Sierk, Fund Development
Phone: (216) 926-1702
For more than 30 years, Lisa has focused on non-profit organizations (from grass roots start-ups to international groups) to increase and diversify financial support while increasing public awareness. Since 2019, she has helped CR:PPF establish best practices in database usage, create and secure sponsorship commitments and enhance individual support.
Dylan Kanuch, Development Analyst
Dylan Kanuch supports Cleveland Rocks: PPF through database management, reporting and gift processing, ensuring our fundraising and donor operations run smoothly and efficiently. He earned his Master of Public Administration from Cleveland State University in 2024 and has worked in fundraising and development services at the Tri-C Foundation since 2023. In addition to his professional work in nonprofit development, Dylan also provides consulting support to several nonprofit organizations on fundraising, donor systems, grant writing and development operations. He serves as Chair of the EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute Junior Board. He is passionate about building strong organizations and believes the arts and music play an essential role in bringing people together, enriching neighborhoods and helping communities thrive. [LinkedIn]