Maltz Heritage Award Announces 2020 Winners

BEACHWOOD, OH — The winners of the 8th Annual Maltz Heritage Award were announced this week.

Carole F. Hoover and Vanessa L. Whiting were selected for their work in bringing positive change to the community and their philanthropic contributions in Northeast Ohio. They will be recognized during an awards ceremony on May 24.

The Maltz Heritage Award is given to persons or organizations that demonstrate leadership in the Northeast Ohio community and whose values align with the mission of the Museum — to build bridges of tolerance and understanding with peoples of other religions, races, cultures and ethnic backgrounds.

Hoover is president and CEO of Hoover Milstein, which provides financial services and real estate development. She joined the Greater Cleveland Growth Association — now the Greater Cleveland Partnership — in 1971 to lead efforts supporting minority-owned businesses. She became president and CEO of the group in 1994, becoming the first Black woman to lead a major chamber of commerce.

Hoover is currently on the Board of Directors of the Cleveland Clinic and has spearheaded Cleveland community developments like the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Gateway sports and entertainment complex and the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

Whiting is president of A.E.S. Management Corp, the Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen franchisee in Northeast Ohio. She is an attorney and has been recognized as one of the area's top 100 lawyers by Northern Ohio Live. In 1995 she launched her own firm, focusing on neighborhood-enhancing developments like affordable housing and community centers.

She is chair of the MetroHealth Board of Trustees and serves on the boards of the Tri-C Foundation, United Way of Greater Cleveland, Fairmount Presbyterian Church and the Greater Cleveland Partnership.

Whiting is also a Life Member of the NAACP and a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. She was named the Black Professional of the Year for 2019 by the Black Professional Association Charitable Foundation and was recently appointed to the Cleveland State University Board of Trustees by Gov. Mike DeWine.

Previous recipients of the Maltz Heritage Award include: Richard K. Smucker and The J.M. Smucker Company (2020), Beth E. Mooney (2019), Christopher Connor (2018), Audrey and Albert Ratner (2017), Barbara Snyder (2016), Milt and Tamar Maltz (2015), Sandy Cutler (2014), and Toby Cosgrove (2013).