GLORIFYING THE LIONS

MEET THE 2025 LIONS

Patricia A. Bready retired from Cincinnati Bell in 2004 as Director of Southwest Ohio Government Relations, following over 30 years of corporate service. In 2007, she launched a successful consulting practice, Quest Management Consulting, bringing her expertise to corporate, government and nonprofit organizations. She is a trusted advisor who excels at bridging differences among diverse groups, fostering collaboration and driving effective solutions.

Ms. Bready is widely recognized for her ability to support, coach, and inspire others. She generously donates her time and talents as a board member of several organizations, including: the City of Cincinnati Manager’s Advisory Group, Lighthouse Youth Services, WCET PBS Channel 48, and many more. She is best known for her current role as the facilitator of AALDP, the Urban League’s Premier Leadership Development program where she has coached and inspired hundreds of leaders to reach their full potential.

Alva Jean Crawford’s entire career has centered on encouraging young people to pursue education for success. A graduate of Tennessee State University with a B.S. degree in mathematics and a master’s degree in education from Xavier University, Mrs. Crawford served as a mathematics teacher and school counselor for 32 years in 5 states including the Cincinnati Public Schools.

Mrs. Crawford took a small break from teaching to join the fight for integration. The Urban League of Memphis, TN approached her with the opportunity to apply to be the first Black ticket agent in the mid-South for American Airlines. She applied and landed the job, spending two years as an agent before returning to teaching.

Passionate about music and the arts, Mrs. Crawford has been a dedicated volunteer for numerous arts organizations. She served as co-chair of the Cincinnati Opera’s 80^th Anniversary Gala and has served on the boards of the Cincinnati Opera, Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and the Music Hall Revitalization Company.

In addition to the arts, Mrs. Crawford has generously volunteered as a Girl Scout leader, serves as a mentor at the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative and the Cincinnati Woman’s Club and is a math tutor at the Crossroads Church Community School. She has also served on several boards, including the United Way, Cincinnati Public Radio, the FreeStore FoodBank and many, many more.

Mrs. Crawford is a Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber Great Living Cincinnatian along with her loving husband of 61 years, Dr. Alvin Crawford.

Alvin H. Crawford, MD, FACS, Hon Causa GR, UC USA, is a Harvard trained, world-renowned Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon. His academic research approach to the study and treatment of complex pediatric bone conditions of the spine is considered state-of-the-art and taught across the United States and globally. Dr. Crawford has operated and lectured in 43 countries, authored countless articles, chapters and books, and trained hundreds of postgraduate fellows and Orthopedic residents. He is most proud of successfully developing and establishing the academic Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center where he served as director for 29 years. Upon his retirement, Cincinnati Children’s endowed Chairs in Pediatric Orthopedics and Spinal Surgery and the Crawford Spine Center was dedicated in his name.

Retired but not slowing down, Dr. Crawford established Black Men in Medicine Cincinnati in 2019 to mentor undergraduate medical students of color. He is a minority owner of the Cincinnati Reds and as a former college music major, continues his involvement with music as a clarinetist with the Queen City Concert Band and the University of Cincinnati Alumni Community Band. In 2023 he released his autobiography, Bone Doctor’s Concerto: Music, Surgery, and the Pieces in Between.

The list of accolades Dr. Crawford has received is far too numerous to list, but he is especially proud of being named a Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber Great Living Cincinnatian along with his wonderful wife of 61 years, Alva Jean Crawford.

Howard D. Elliott built a legacy that revolved around helping minority businesses have an opportunity to compete. A graduate of UC Berkeley with a BS in Industrial Engineering, Mr. Elliott enjoyed a 32-year career with Procter & Gamble culminating in his role as corporate leader for Supplier Diversity. During his tenure, Procter & Gamble spent over $4 billion with minority-owned businesses and Mr. Elliott served as board chair of the Cincinnati Minority Supplier Development Council, helping to establish the Greater Cincinnati African American Chamber of Commerce.

Upon retiring from P&G in 2002, Mr. Elliott’s dedication to helping others continued with the founding of OTR Connections, a company designed to hire and train people of color to fabricate electrical components for machine tools while learning essential workplace skills.

In 2004, Mr. Elliott founded Elliott Management Group specializing in supplier diversity and economic inclusion consulting. This led to the creation of the South Central Ohio Healthcare Supplier Diversity Consortium which generated an increased spend of $100 million per year with minority and women-owned suppliers.

In 2014, Mr. Elliott partnered with two former Procter & Gamble colleagues to form WEB Ventures, a management consulting company focused on economic inclusion on large, commercial development projects. The group has played a vital role in ensuring women and minority businesses have received significant opportunities on several major projects, including the development of the MLK and Reading Road corridor, the UC Digital Futures Complex, the UC Health Gardner Neuroscience Institute and the Avondale Towne Center.

Mr. Elliott is a decades-long member of the University of Cincinnati Lindner School Business Advisory Group. He is the recipient of many awards, including: the Boy Scouts Whitney Young Award, African American Chamber Business of the Year, UC Lindner School of Business Distinguished Service Award, Lighthouse Youth Services Beacon of Light Award and the 2024 Men of Honor.

Edna G. Keown is known as Cincinnati’s full-time community advocate extraordinaire. At the conclusion of a successful career in human resources and consulting, Mrs. Keown dedicated herself to excellence in volunteering. She is currently spending her time and talents with the following organizations: Cincinnati Parks Foundation Board, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Board, Montgomery Community Church and the Woman’s City Club. She is a member of the Cincinnati Chapter of The Links, Inc., and has volunteered in various capacities with the Greater Cincinnati Foundation including as a member of the Black Giving Circle.

She is a former board member of the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio, a founding member of The Ambassadors of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and an experienced interpreter and docent for the center. She has chaired the King Legacy Breakfast, served on the MLK Coalition and volunteered at the Polls in the last three presidential elections.

For her outstanding service to the community, Mrs. Keown has received numerous awards most recently being named to the 2022 Class of the Cincinnati Enquirer Women of the Year.

Jack Rouse earned his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and began his career as a college professor; first at the University of Wisconsin and later at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music (CCM), where he was hired to establish the nation’s first musical theatre program. Transitioning from academia, Mr. Rouse was hired as an executive with Taft Broadcasting Company during the early development of Kings Island. He played a key role as one of the management investors responsible for the leveraged buyout of the theme park division from Taft, leading to the creation of Kings Entertainment Company.

In 1987, Mr. Rouse left Kings Entertainment Company to form his own firm — Jack Rouse Associates (JRA). With colleagues Keith James and Amy Merrell, JRA became one of the most recognized global names in experiential design. The firm specialized in creating dynamic, immersive experiences for a wide range of clients, including history and children’s museums, zoos, sports facilities, entertainment complexes, and corporate environments. In 2008, Mr. Rouse was honored with the Thea Award for Lifetime Achievement, one of the highest recognitions in the themed entertainment industry.

A lifelong advocate for creating comprehensive audience experiences, Mr. Rouse’s approach has always been to meet audiences where they are—emotionally, intellectually, and geographically. Today, he applies his professional expertise and passion to foster a more vibrant, inclusive, and relevant arts and culture community in Cincinnati. He was a founding member of 3CDC and served as chair of The Port for seven years. In addition to his community involvement, Mr. Rouse teaches part-time at the Graduate School of the Arts at Columbia University in New York. He also serves on the boards of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, ArtsWave, Playhouse in the Park, and Theatre SilCO of Silverthorne, Colorado.

Steve Shifman currently serves as Executive Chair of Michelman, a large privately held global technology and manufacturing company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. He previously served as President & CEO from 2003 to 2021, leading the organization to significantly increased revenue and an impressive expansion throughout Europe and into India, Singapore, and China. Mr. Shifman’s business acumen and excellence led to his being named the 2013 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in the manufacturing sector.

Mr. Shifman has been an active member of many organizations, including the United Way of Greater Cincinnati, where he served as Chairman of the Board and previously served as Major Gifts Chair, an Executive Committee Member and on the Steering Committee for the Child Poverty Collaborative. He also served as Board Chair for Teach for America in Southwest Ohio, as co-chair of the Cincinnati Regional Business Committee, and as an Executive Committee member and Education Committee co-chair.

Currently Mr. Shifman is a member of the Board of the Minority Business Accelerator and as a Trustee of the Washington Institute, a D.C. think tank focused on the foreign policy of the United States in the Near East. He previously served on the board of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati. He now also serves on various for-profit boards and as a coach and mentor for CEOs of purpose-driven, generational enterprises.