The CAC Board of Trustees is appointed by the Cuyahoga County Commissioners in accordance with Ohio Law, Chapter 3381.05 (PDF, 172 KB). By law, all power and authority for CAC is vested in its Board of Trustees. Board members serve rotating three-year terms.

The CAC Board of Trustees currently meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 10:00 am at the Ideacenter, 1375 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH.

All CAC Board of Trustees meetings are open to the public. Board approved minutes of all CAC meetings are posted and available for download.

Board of Trustees Members

Linda Abraham-Silver
Term: October 1, 2007 – March 31, 2009

Dr. Linda Abraham-Silver became the second president and executive director of the Great Lakes Science Center on August 1, 2004. Prior to her appointment in Cleveland, Linda spent 13 years with the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, an institution which attracts over one million guests annually to its three locations: the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park, the Page Museum at the La Brea Tarpits, and the William S. Hart Museum, most recently serving as the Vice President of Education and Guest Relations.

David Bergholz, Secretary (2007)
Term: April 1, 2007 – March 31, 2010

David Bergholz served as Executive Director of the Cleveland, Ohio-based George Gund Foundation from 1989 to 2003. During his tenure, the foundation supported many efforts aimed at the improvement of the Cleveland Public Schools and the public schools of the inner ring suburbs. He served on the Boards of the Independent Sector and the Council of Foundations.

Chris Coburn
Term: October 1, 2007 – March 31, 2010

Chris Coburn is the Cleveland Clinic's chief commercialization officer, serving as Executive Director of CCF Innovations (since its establishment in 2000). He is a recognized authority on technology commercialization and has consulted, testified and spoken on the subject throughout North America and in 18 countries. He leads a team of nearly two dozen industry veterans. Mr. Coburn serves on the board of directors of CleveX, Merlot Therapeutics, PeriTec, PrognostiX, and BioEnterprise. He is a trustee of Hathaway Brown School, Northeast Ohio Council of Higher Education, and Town Hall of Cleveland. He is a former Vice President and General Manager of Battelle Memorial Institute, director of the U.S. Enrichment Corporation (NYSE:USU) and author of numerous articles and book chapters on technology commercialization. He was editor and co-author of Partnerships, the key reference book on public technology commercialization. He served as Ohio's first Science Advisor, Assistant Director and Deputy Director of the Ohio Department of Development and Executive Director of Ohio's Thomas Edison Program.

Steven Minter, President (2007)
Term: April 1, 2007 – March 31, 2008

Steven Minter was appointed Executive-In-Residence at Cleveland State University in September 2003, following his retirement after 28 years from The Cleveland Foundation. At Cleveland State he assists the President in strengthening collaborative relationships between the university and community and is a Fellow, Center for Nonprofit Policy and Practice, Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs.

Santina Protopapa, Vice President (2007)
Term: April 1, 2007 – March 31, 2009

Santina Protopapa is the Executive Director of Progressive Arts Alliance (PAA) and a founding member of the organization. Prior to launching PAA, she spent five years in the Education Department at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum where she eventually served as Education Programs Manager and oversaw a wide variety of programs that examined topics ranging from hip-hop culture to social justice.