Tuesday, February 15, 2022 – Cleveland, OH — Today, Mayor Justin M. Bibb announced two key roles he plans to add to his new administration. Holly Trifiro will serve as the Chief Education Officer and Sonya Pryor-Jones will serve as Chief of Youth & Family Success. Both positions will report to the Mayor.
“Education is the foundation for a stronger future and Cleveland’s children are a priority for this administration,” stated Mayor Bibb. “In order to implement our new vision, we need collaborative city-wide efforts to deliver an ecosystem of support that strengthens families and neighborhoods. These two leaders will focus on the success of our children and their families from early childhood to adulthood.”
About the new hires:
Since 2012, Holly has served as the Executive Director of Teach For America in Greater Cleveland and more recently across Ohio. In this capacity Holly has had the opportunity to work closely with young people, educators, school leaders, and executives in education to shape the opportunities available for students.
Holly was inspired to enter the education field after witnessing educational inequity first hand while growing up in Northeast Ohio and in her experiences volunteering in local schools as an undergraduate at Ohio University. Holly holds a Master’s degree in Teaching from Johns Hopkins University.
Sonya Pryor-Jones most recently served as the Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer at The Fab Foundation (Boston-based non-profit providing communities with knowledge and access to technology). During her 6½-year tenure, Sonya managed a $10M partnership with Chevron to support STEM learning across the U.S. She also launched a mobile STEM education program for over 6,000 students with the Boston Celtics, The GE Foundation, and Boston area schools, and established a new $1M program for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
A Cleveland native from the Glenville neighborhood and a graduate of Cleveland public schools, Sonya earned a Master’s degree in Education from Cleveland State University and a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Kenyon College.
These latest roles reinforce the administration’s commitment to improving educational support and services for the children of Cleveland and their families.