Meran Rogers

About Meran Rogers

Meran Rogers is a proud community leader with more than 15 years of experience in the nonprofit and education sectors. Meran currently serves as the Founder and Executive Director of Global Ambassadors Language Academy (GALA)- the first Mandarin and Spanish immersion school in Ohio. During her time at GALA, she has demonstrated success in planning and implementing the launch of a new school start up, as well as continued growth and operations of the school. Her experience includes language immersion education, program management, marketing and community outreach, crisis communication, family engagement, student recruitment, fundraising (individual donors, foundations, corporate giving, federal grants, events, campaigns), grants management, operations management (technology infrastructure, purchasing, human resources, safety, food program), board governance, engaging with legal counsel when necessary, compliance, finance and budgeting, audits, school policy, diversity training, professional development, and general elementary school management. At GALA, Rogers\' has raised more than $4M over 5 years, including a $1.2M grant from the U.S. Department of Education and a grant from the Ohio Department of Education. She has also grown GALA from 60 K-1 students and 10 staff in 2016 to 320 K-8 students and 35 staff members. Most recently, Rogers led the acquisition of a school building for GALA\'s future home, including the development and design of the new school building program design, historic registry of the building, capital project finance planning, and securing $1.2M in Ohio Preservation Tax from Cuyahoga County and from the City of Cleveland. Prior to starting GALA, Rogers was a founding staff member of Global Cleveland, serving as Director of Community Affairs; leading services for volunteers, international newcomers and the Asian Initiative. Rogers also spent several years working in Cleveland public schools during her tenure as an Executive Fellow of the Cleveland Leadership Center, City Year Cleveland, and Director of the Cleveland Campaign for Grade Level Reading. Rogers has spent significant time abroad: teaching in Taiwan, volunteering in Kenya and Uganda, and has traveled to Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand, India, Rwanda, Tanzania, South Africa, Zambia, Honduras and Nicaragua. Rogers is a lifelong Cleveland resident, a proud graduate of Cleveland and East Cleveland public schools, a first-generation American and college graduate, and resides in Cleveland Heights with her family.

Experience

1. Founder, Executive Director

   Global Ambassadors Language Academy Gala

   May 2012 — Present · Cleveland/Akron, OH, US

   https://galacleveland.org/

Education

• The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business

  Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)

  2015 — 2016

• Case Western Reserve University

  Bachelor of Science, Business Management, Entrepreneurial Studies

  2001 — 2005

• Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University

  Master of Nonprofit Organizations, International Development

  2007 — 2009