Michael Matthews

Michael is the CEO of P5 Ventures, Inc., which specializes in business development, training, and project management. In this role, Michael provides support to individuals and entities building their capacity to improve neighborhood conditions, community-based organizations that desire to increase their effectiveness engaging community residents and initiatives focusing on equity, access and public health.

Michael is also a consultant and instructor with the Non Profit Center at the La Salle School of Business, the oldest University based Nonprofit Center in the US, and is leading the nonprofit development in the Cleveland State University Center for Public and Non Profit Management. In these roles, Michael facilitates and teaches strategic planning processes, leads training on authentic youth engagement, diversity, power and privilege, building sustainable, comprehensive community collaborations, and intermediary design for effectively implementing and engaging residents in large scale system changing initiatives.

Michael also leads planning processes and focus groups for resident led community initiatives addressing environmental and access inequities within urban communities including those pertaining to structural racism and those targeting public and personal health disparities. Additionally, Michael facilitates board development sessions for a number of nonprofit organizations and educational institutions.

Over his 30 years of experience, Michael has served as the Associate Director of the grassroots resident leadership organization Neighborhood Leadership Institute, while also simultaneously serving as the Project Director for MyCom. MyCom is the county wide youth development network founded by the Cleveland Foundation, the largest public foundation in the US, and Cuyahoga County, through its Families and Children First Council, that brought together over 750 partners in 22 neighborhoods across Cuyahoga County to create an effective system of support for youth, from kindergarten through graduation.

During his tenure, Michael increased the annual average budget from two million to over nine million dollars and worked collaboratively with a number of network partner organizations including executive leadership from the Cleveland Foundation, the City of Cleveland, the United Way of Greater Cleveland, Cuyahoga County Executive’s office, a number of local, regional and state elected officials and Superintendents and leadership from several urban and suburban school districts.

Michael and Co-Leader Juan Goodwin, also formed the Community Cup Classic Foundation, an Ohio based 501 c 3 non profit organization created where youth are shown appreciation by those within their community, their social groups and most importantly those who reside in their homes.

Raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Michael received his Bachelors of Arts and Masters of Liberal Studies from the University of Miami, Florida, a Certificate in Non Profit Management from Case Western Reserve University, a Certificate in Executive Leadership and Community Coaching from Coachnet Global and a Certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University.