The Diversity Center is saddened by the sudden passing of Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones.  Stephanie was appointed to our Board in 2001 and was a strong supporter of our mission.  Her friendship, leadership, and passion encouraged The Diversity Center staff and participants in all our programs.  She was an inspiration to all Ohioans, young and old.

Congresswoman Tubbs Jones became the first African-American woman elected to the House of Representatives from Ohio in 1998 and continued to win re-elections by large margins. Prior to her service in the House of Representatives, Stephanie served on the Ohio State Common Pleas bench, as well as a Cleveland city Municipal Court judge. She was a leading advocate for civil rights, women's issues, children, and election reform. Together with Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) she objected to the certification of the 2004 presidential election results for Ohio. Speaker Nancy Pelosi appointed her to chair the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (Ethics) in 2006. She also served on the House Ways and Means Committee.

Our deepest condolences are with Stephanie's son, Mervyn, her family, and her many loved ones.

The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Scholarship Fund, c/o The Cleveland Foundation, 1422 Euclid Ave., Suite 1300, Cleveland, OH 44115. Make checks payable to: The Cleveland Foundation, with a notation for the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Scholarship Fund.

We will miss her energy, her strength, her passion, her support, and, most of all, her friendship and love to our community.

Special thanks to our program sponsors: