Our Team

Dream Team

Eddie Cheyfitz

SPONSORSHIP & EVENTS COORDINATOR

Eddie was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. He worked in Sales for Nestlé for 28 years. He started in 1987 as an Ice-Cream Merchandiser and quickly moved up to Retail Sales Manager and then Account Executive in 1989. Eddie spent 10 years calling on the various supermarket headquarters throughout northeast Ohio. In 1999, Eddie joined the Specialty Markets/New Business team where he managed the nation’s largest theater chains and their distributors. Eddie continued to build outstanding relationships with his customers and drove sales. During his long tenure with Nestles, Eddie played an integral part in driving sales and market share in his retailers and theaters through numerous, original, innovative, and successful promotions. Eddie has also been very involved in the industry though his affiliation with National Association of Concessionaires (NAC). He has been a member of NAC since 1999 and served on the board of directors. He also served as the NAC Membership Chairman and coordinated the silent auction, Eddie Co-Founded “Andy’s 9ers” Baseball Club in 1995 with his wife, Kathy, in honor of their deceased son, Andy. Eddie has been working with Believe in Dreams since retiring from Nestle in 2015.

Katie Eichenauer,MSSA

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Katie has served Believe in Dreams since its inception in 2014, first volunteering as a Program Developer and Dream Coordinator, and then in 2017, Katie was hired as the Executive Director. She has a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Case Western Reserve University and is a Licensed Independent Social Worker. She also has a Bachelor of Arts in Child & Family Studies from The Ohio State University. Katie has worked with children and families for over 24 years. She began her career in early childhood education and then spent 18 years in child mental health working as a School Based Clinical Therapist and then a Clinical and Program Supervisor in the School Based Counseling program at Bellefaire JCB. Her focus is in Human Development, Child Mental Health and Child Advocacy.

Mary Beth Hooper

DREAM COORDINATOR 

Kristen Sklodowski, LISW-S

DREAM FULFILLMENT SUPERVISOR

Kristen was born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio before moving to Cleveland for graduate school. Kristen has a Master’s degree in Social Work from Cleveland State University and is a Licensed Individual Social Worker. She also has a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from Youngstown University. Kristen has worked in the social work field for over 11 years in a variety of settings in social work. Before becoming part of the team at Believe in Dreams, she was a School Based Therapist for 9 years at Beech Brook. She currently resides in Parma with her husband and two amazing rescue dogs, T-Bone and Honey. Kristen is most looking forward to helping kids build a stronger relationship with their communities and helping them realize that all of their dreams are possible.

Paula Vocila

DREAM SUPPORT SPECIALIST

Paula has served in real estate, property and construction management for over twenty years, and has enjoyed the advantage of being part of the transformation of many communities all over Northeast Ohio. She loves being part of the team at Believe in Dreams, helping to build a positive impact on the community. “To bestow children’s dream experiences and give them hope that their situation can change for the better, is a strong and important foundation to help build.

Intern & Volunteer Team

Nicole Jordan, MSSA, LSW

DATA ANALYST VOLUNTEER

Nicole, formerly our Dream Fulfillment Supervisor has moved into a volunteer role for the organization coordinating impact and demographic data collection and analysis. Originally from the Chicago area, Nicole graduated from CWRU Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences with an MSSA in 2019. She also has a BS in Psychology from Slippery Rock University. While there, she was a research assistant where she learned many of the valuable skills she is applying to impact research for Believe in Dreams.

Dr. Tanya Quinones-Santiago, DPT

VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR

Suzanne Singerman

DREAM SHOPPER VOLUNTEER

Board of Directors

John R. DiJulius III

BOARD CHAIR, CHIEF REVOLUTION OFFICER, THE DIJULIUS GROUP, BELIEVE IN DREAMS FOUNDER

John serves as an International consultant and is a best-selling author of three Customer service books. His latest book, The Customer Service Revolution (Greenleaf Books 2015), instantly hit #1 on Amazon. John works with world class companies including The Ritz-Carlton, Lexus, Starbucks, Nordstrom, Nestlé, Marriott Hotels, PwC, Cheesecake Factory, Progressive Insurance, Harley Davidson, Chick-fil-A, and many more.

Lesa Evans

CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER, MAI CAPITAL MANAGEMENT

Lesa is the Chief Human Resources Officer at MAI, joining the firm in 2019. She is responsible for all aspects of Human Resources, providing both strategy and operational execution in partnership with the leadership team. Lesa’s experience includes succession planning, talent management, recruiting, onboarding, employee development, training, culture leadership and compensation structures. Prior to MAI, she worked for KeyBank as the Chief Administrative Officer for the corporate and investment banking divisions. Prior to that role, she was the HR Director supporting 2,500 associates in corporate bank, risk management and asset management. Lesa has earned several certifications in industry programs including the the 360° Feedback System, Lominger Career Architect and Myers Briggs.

Camille Ho-A-Lim, CPA, CGMA

Jeff Kavlick

MORELAND CONNECT, LLC

Jeff is the founder of MorelandConnect, a U.S.-based consultancy following his leadership role at Accenture where he specialized in leading large, complex custom software projects for some of the world’s largest companies. His lighthearted style, eye for crisp designs, and focus on accuracy can only come from a person who writes with his left hand throws with his right. Today he leads significant projects that deliver the impossible with contagious optimism and exuberance. Jeff studied Systems Engineering at Case Western Reserve University where he was twelve-time letterman in football and track. He has developed and delivered courses in software development and business leadership throughout his career. Jeff has contributed to a number of non-profit organizations over the years. He served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Borromeo College, as the Board Chair at Cleveland Catholic Charities, and as a member of the Board of Directors at Shoes and Clothes for Kids and the Case Western Reserve University Alumni Association. In his spare time he coaches elementary school sports and spends the summer months searching for his third hole-in-one.

Erin E. Leebow

ESQ.

Erin most recently served as in-house legal counsel for Fairmount Santrol Holdings Inc., a publicly traded sand mining company, from 2014 to 2017, with primary responsibility for securities and compliance matters through the company’s transition to a public company. Previously, she was in-house legal counsel for GrafTech International Ltd., an international manufacturing company in the carbon and graphite business, and led the company through several mergers and acquisitions from 2010 to 2012. From 2004 to 2009, she served as a transactional lawyer for large, international law firms – Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP and Jones Day. Erin graduated magna cum laude from Case Western Reserve University School and Law and Weatherhead School of Management with a JD/MBA degree and cum laude from The Ohio State University with a B.A. in political science and international studies.

Erin has contributed to various non-profit organizations over the years, acting as an advisor to the Board of Directors of the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland, Inc., a member of the Board of Directors (Treasurer) of Heartbeats, a Vice President of the International Lawyers Group of Cleveland and a volunteer for Global Volunteers.

Erin enjoys hiking, yoga, sports, health and wellness and spending time with family and friends, husband Jonathan, and their six children, Justice, Natalia, Max, Maya, Alexander and Miles.

Tani Malhotra, MD

UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS

Jess Pischel

PREMIER RESEARCH

Rob Platt

FINANCIAL SERVICE PROFESSIONAL, TRUE NORTH FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS

Rob Platt has lived in Cleveland for 52 years. He attended the Ohio State University and received a Bachelor of Arts & Science Degree. Rob is a Financial Service Professional with True North Financial Solutions. He finds true satisfaction in educating his clients on what is possible with a multitude of strategies geared towards each family or individual’s circumstance and sharing his knowledge in helping them reach their financial goals. Rob is currently a member of the Board of Trustees at The Temple Tifereth Israel and participates in the membership and annual appeal committees. Rob has focused much of his local charitable work both personally and professionally in helping the underserved youth in the Cleveland Metropolitan area. He has served on the following Board of Directors; Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters, The 250 Committee, United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation and the Beachwood Chamber of Commerce. He is passionate about fundraising and helping organizations move the needle forward. He enjoys riding his motorcycle on a sunny Sunday afternoon with his wife exploring little diners, drive-ins and country stores across Northeast Ohio. He also enjoys working out, playing with his dogs, reading books on business and spending time with family and friends. He lives on Chagrin Falls with his wife Jane. They have 5 adult children; Carly, Katie, Rachel, Sam and Ben.

Greg Roche

Avatera Medical

Egon P. Singerman

Esq.

Harvey Siegel

Coit Cleaning & Restoration Services of Cleveland

Friends of Believe in Dreams Advisory Board

Kayt Binns

Justin Binns

SHERWIN WILLIAMS

Deidra Roberts

Agratonix LLC