Organizations founded, boards served, and coalitions built in Cleveland, the Midwest, and beyond
Richard T. Herman is a Cleveland immigration attorney, nonprofit co-founder, former board member, and longtime advocate for using immigration as a tool for economic renewal.
Richard helped found Global Cleveland and served on its early board. He was a founding adviser and early board member of Global Detroit, co-founded Go Global Cleveland and TiE Ohio, and co-founded the Immigrant & Minority Business Alliance. He is a former board member or trustee of the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, the Cuyahoga County Bar Association, the Cleveland Council on World Affairs, and the Global Issues Resource Center at Cuyahoga Community College.
| Civic activity | Selected examples | Reach |
|---|---|---|
| Organizations helped found or launch | Global Cleveland; Global Detroit (founding adviser); Go Global Cleveland; TiE Ohio; Immigrant & Minority Business Alliance | Cleveland, Detroit, Northeast Ohio |
| Board and trustee service | Legal Aid Society of Cleveland; Cuyahoga County Bar Association; Cleveland Council on World Affairs; Global Issues Resource Center; Global Detroit; Global Cleveland | Cleveland, Northeast Ohio, Detroit |
| Civil-rights leadership | Former Civil Rights Director, LULAC Ohio | Ohio |
| Policy movement building | Rust Belt “high-skill immigration zones”; immigrant-friendly city movement | Great Lakes region and national |
| Public event organizing | Global Urban Fusion; Multicultural Alliance for Immigration Reform gathering; Mother Teresa statue fundraiser | Cleveland |
| Community education | Immigrant entrepreneurship workshop in Dayton; WE Global Network keynote; Know Your Rights seminars | Ohio and the Midwest |
The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History names Richard Herman as the most notable of the civic activists who promoted attracting immigrants to reverse Cleveland’s population decline and revive its neighborhoods. Cleveland Scene reported that he was among the core group behind the “Blueprint for Talent, Ideas and Innovation,” the planning document that became Global Cleveland. He served on the organization’s early board and later stepped down after advocating a more assertive immigrant-attraction strategy.
Sources: Encyclopedia of Cleveland History · Cleveland Scene, “The Job Machine” · Cleveland Scene, “A Global Mess”
Richard’s immigrant economic-development work extended to Detroit, where he advised on the launch of Global Detroit and served on its early board.
Sources: FreshWater Cleveland · Global Detroit
An early nonprofit effort to connect Northeast Ohio to international talent, business networks, and cross-cultural economic relationships.
Sources: Wright State University · Super Lawyers
Richard helped organize the Ohio chapter of TiE, an entrepreneurship network for founders, investors, and mentors, and presented its International Entrepreneur Awards as co-chair in 2011.
Sources: ClevelandPeople, 2011 TiE Awards · Newswire
An early regional effort to support immigrant- and minority-owned businesses. La Prensa identified Richard as the alliance’s co-chair in 2007.
Sources: Avvo profile · La Prensa, January 2007
Richard served on the board of the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, which provides civil legal services to low-income residents. Its 2006 annual report lists him among its board leadership.
Richard served on the board of the Cuyahoga County Bar Association, which merged into the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association in 2008.
Richard served as a trustee while developing his ideas for attracting international talent to Northeast Ohio.
Richard served on the board of Cuyahoga Community College’s international-education initiative.
Richard is a former Civil Rights Director of LULAC Ohio, the state organization of the League of United Latin American Citizens.
Beginning in the 2000s, Richard argued that older industrial cities could use international talent, immigrant entrepreneurship, and foreign investment to reverse population decline and rebuild their economies.
A published law-and-policy source describes Richard as a principal organizer of an effort spanning Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Erie, Youngstown, Detroit and Ann Arbor, and Buffalo to create an immigrant enterprise zone in Rust Belt manufacturing cities. Site Selection magazine reported in 2008 that Richard and his associates were circulating the related “high-skill immigration zones” concept among national policy leaders.
That regional campaign became part of a wider national movement. Richard spoke around the country for the Partnership for a New American Economy, a coalition of mayors and business leaders making the economic case for immigration.
Sources: Journal of Law, Economics & Policy · Site Selection, May 2008 · Speaking engagements
A City of Cleveland press release named Richard committee chair of the inaugural Global Urban Fusion at City Hall, a celebration of Cleveland’s diversity that brought together young professionals from many communities to build intercultural business relationships.
With Councilwoman Dona Brady and FICA president Asim Datta, Richard created an intercultural fundraiser for the Mother Teresa statue in the Albanian Cultural Garden. More than 75 Latino, African American, Asian, Jewish, Arab, and European community leaders joined the committee.
Richard convened a sold-out gathering of about 200 people from immigrant, minority, business, nonprofit, labor, and civic groups to build support for immigration reform and an immigrant-friendly Cleveland.
At the first WE Global Network convening, organized by Welcoming America with Global Detroit, more than 150 participants from nearly a dozen Midwest regions met to discuss how cities can attract and retain immigrants. Richard delivered the keynote, “The Immigrant-Friendly City.”
Richard helped lead a free half-day workshop at Wright State University on making Dayton a better place for immigrant entrepreneurs, for educators, students, business owners, and government officials.
The Youngstown Vindicator reported that Richard led a constitutional-rights seminar for members of Youngstown’s Latino community, one of a series of similar community talks.
Richard’s civic work spans more than two decades, from his first board and founding roles in the early 2000s through regional and national advocacy. It connects his immigration practice to legal aid, bar governance, international affairs, higher education, entrepreneurship, and civil rights, and reaches from Cleveland to Detroit, Dayton, Youngstown, and national policy networks.
Richard helped found Global Cleveland, co-founded Go Global Cleveland and TiE Ohio, and co-founded the Immigrant & Minority Business Alliance. He was also a founding adviser and early board member of Global Detroit.
Yes. The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History identifies Richard as a leading advocate of an immigrant-attraction strategy for Cleveland, and Cleveland Scene reported that he was part of the core group behind the planning blueprint that became Global Cleveland. He served on its early board.
Yes. Richard served on the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland board from 2006 to 2009, and the organization’s 2006 annual report lists him among its board leadership.
Richard has served on the boards of the Cuyahoga County Bar Association, the Cleveland Council on World Affairs, the Global Issues Resource Center at Cuyahoga Community College, Global Detroit, and Global Cleveland, in addition to the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland.
Richard is a co-founder and charter member of TiE Ohio and served as its co-chair and as a trustee. In 2011 he presented the chapter’s International Entrepreneur Awards as co-chair.
Richard chaired the inaugural Global Urban Fusion diversity celebration at Cleveland City Hall in 2010, co-created a 2012 intercultural fundraiser for the Mother Teresa statue in the Albanian Cultural Garden, and convened a 2013 multicultural gathering in support of immigration reform.
Richard was a principal organizer of a Rust Belt effort to create immigration incentives, including “high-skill immigration zones,” that would direct international talent, entrepreneurs, and investment toward economically distressed cities such as Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Detroit, and Buffalo.
Yes. Richard is a former Civil Rights Director of LULAC Ohio. He has also led Know Your Rights seminars for immigrant communities and organized coalitions in support of immigration reform.
