The Cleveland Council on World Affairs Welcomes Four New Members to Its Board of Directors

The Cleveland Council on World Affairs (CCWA) is delighted to welcome four new members to its Board of Directors: Kimberly Holizna, Managing Director, Global Development Global Aero Industries; Bianca Menendez, retired Foreign Service Officer; Milena Sterio, James A. Thomas Distinguished Professor of Law & LLM Programs Director, Cleveland State University; and Lucy Yasinsky, Financial Professional, B. Riley Financial Inc. They assumed their positions on July 1, 2025.

“We are delighted to welcome Kim, Bianca, Milena and Lucy to our Board of Directors. They have engaged extensively with CCWA prior to joining the board: from hosting CCWA’s international exchange participants to serving on committees, attending events, and even speaking on our panels, these four new board members have already given so much of their time and talent to CCWA! We couldn’t be happier to officially add them to our board,” states Carina Van Vliet, CCWA’s Chief Executive Officer.

Kimberly Holizna is an international business and trade professional, with an emphasis on aerospace and defense. She currently runs her own consultancy, Global Development Global Aero Industries. Prior to that, she was Director of Global Development and Member Programs at the Ohio Aerospace Institute. She also served at Kent State University's College of Aeronautics & Engineering, assisting with research opportunities for the college as well as Global Development opportunities. Kim has created a trade initiative intended to bring together the needs of manufacturers in Northeast Ohio along with the strategy of international trade and foreign direct investment and has facilitated several successful trade missions. She also served as the International Trade Manager for the City of Mentor, and as the Director of the International Trade Assistance Center at Kent State University.

Bianca Menendez served as a Foreign Service Officer at the State Department for 22 years. During her time at the State Department, she served as a Political Counselor in Bucharest, Romania, Africa Watcher at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, Chief of the Political-Economic section in Yaoundé, Cameroon, and as an officer in Belgrade, Serbia, Harare, Zimbabwe, and Hermosillo, Mexico. Since retiring from the State Department in spring 2024, she taught “Special Topics in International Relations: The Diplomat’s Perspective” at Case Western Reserve University in fall 2024 and was editor for the State Department's 2024 International Religious Freedom Report. Bianca serves on CCWA’s CCFR Leadership Committee.

Milena Sterio serves as the James A. Thomas Distinguished Professor of Law and LLM Programs Director at the Cleveland State University College of Law. Milena’s research interests are in the field of international law, with a focus on international criminal and human rights, and she is published in multiple law reviews. Milena is one of six permanent editors of the prestigious IntLawGrrls blog. In her capacity as expert on maritime piracy law, she has participated in the meetings of the United Nations Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia and has been a member of the Piracy Expert Group, an academic think tank functioning within the auspices of the Public International Law and Policy Group. Before joining the Cleveland-Marshall faculty, Milena was an associate in the New York City firm of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton and an Adjunct Law Professor at Cornell, where she taught in the International War Crimes Clinic. In spring 2013, she was a Fulbright Scholar in Baku, Azerbaijan, at Baku State University. Milena is originally from Serbia, bringing to the CCWA Board her international perspective.

Lucy Yasinsky is a financial professional, currently with B. Riley Financial Inc. Previously, she worked as a Financial Manager with Veyance Technologies and at PricewaterhouseCoopers. She transitioned to financial analysis from a career in business development with Schindler Corporation. Originally from Colombia, Lucy is very involved with the Colombian community in Cleveland and serves as the Treasurer of the Ohio Colombian Foundation. Lucy has been serving on the CCWA Audit and Risk Committee.

“This amazing group of incoming board members all share a deep commitment to CCWA’s mission, and they bring a wide range of unique international perspectives. From professional backgrounds in the Foreign Service, international law, finance and global business development, their specific global experiences will help strengthen CCWA. We feel lucky to have them joining our board,” Carina Van Vliet added.

The mission of the Cleveland Council on World Affairs is to inspire engagement in international affairs and world cultures through education, citizen diplomacy, and public dialogue. CCWA’s programs include speaker forums, global education programs varying from student programs to professional development, and international exchanges. For more information, contact Jenni Carney at jcarney@ccwa.org.

CCWA’s Board of Directors 2025-2026:

Harlin Adelman

Raj Aggarwal, Ph.D.

Christopher Blake

Daneil Bollinger

Heather Burnett

Paul Clark (Board Chair)

Elizabeth A. Molloy de Coluby

Howard B. Edelstein

Seda Ergun

David Fleshler

Hiroyuki Fujita, Ph.D.

Su He

Fritz Heintel

Kimberly Holizna

Sanjiv K. Kapur

Wael Khoury, M.D.

Michael Knall

Rebecca Kopp Levine

Kevin D. Malecek

Mindy McLaughlin

Bianca Menendez

Colleen A. Petras

Stephen J. Petras, Jr.

Richard W. Pogue

Elena Ray

Ronald B. Richard

Linda Robertson, Ph.D.

Martin C. Schulz

Fareed Siddiq

Donald A. Sinko

Milena Sterio

Carter E.  Strang

Paul Winkeler

Lucy Yasinksy

Mark Zannoni

David Zimmer

Honorary Directors

Amb. Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley

Amb. Jennifer L. Brush

Amb. Edward F. Crawford

Amb. Charles F. Dunbar

Amb. John D. Ong

Amb. William R. Timken, Jr.