New Cleveland School Board Members Sworn In

CLEVELAND, OH -- On Monday, Mayor Frank G. Jackson reappointed four board members to the Cleveland Municipal School District Board of Education and administered the oath of office to Anne Bingham, Chair; Robert M. Heard, Sr., Vice Chair; Dr. Lisa Thomas, and Willetta Milam. The Board members will serve full terms ending June 30, 2021.

Anne Bingham has been a member of the Cleveland Municipal Board of Education since 2014. Ms. Bingham is a Vice President with First Federal Lakewood and has over 30 years of experience in banking and finance. Ms. Bingham earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in French from DePauw University, and a Master of Business Administration in Finance degree from Indiana University.

Ms. Bingham lives in the West Park neighborhood of Cleveland.

Robert M. Heard, Sr. has been a member of the Cleveland Municipal Board of Education since 2004. He served as the Board Chair from 2007 to 2009. Mr. Heard currently serves as a Trustee at the Ohio School Boards Association and the Northeast Region of the Ohio School Boards Association. He is also a member of the Federal Relations Network of the National School Board Association. Mr. Heard is twice retired, from State Farm Insurance and the Cleveland Clinic. He is a graduate of John Adams High School and he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Cleveland State University.

Mr. Heard is a resident of the Glenville neighborhood where he lives with his wife of 28 years, Gennorris, also a CMSD graduate. They have four children, all are adults and two of whom are CMSD graduates.

Dr. Thomas has served with various municipal governments for over two decades and brings a great deal of experience managing large sector public agencies. Dr. Thomas has served on the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board of Cuyahoga County and has significant senior-level management experience with municipal government, including the cities of Cleveland, Lakewood and North Olmsted. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, an M.B.A. from Baldwin-Wallace College and a Ph.D. in urban policy and public affairs from Cleveland State University. She lives in the Euclid Park neighborhood of Cleveland.

Ms. Willetta Milam is the president and founder of Help Resources, a community-based organization that assists in educating people about their legal rights. A graduate of John Hay High School, she holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh, Bradford Campus and a Juris Doctorate degree from Antioch School of Law in Washington, D.C. She lives in the Buckeye-Shaker neighborhood of Cleveland and is the proud mother of two CMSD students. Ms. Milam was reappointed and sworn in as a Board member of the Cleveland Municipal School Board of Education.

Photo Of Anne Bingham Courtesy of Cleveland Municipal School Board