Doug Fawcett

Founder & Board President

Douglas Fawcett has been farming since he was 10 years old when his family moved to a farm. He and his father, a businessman by day, learned to grow a variety of vegetables and fruits and care for a small menagerie of domestic livestock. In addition, Doug learned beekeeping and has kept successful hives for many years.

Doug is an entrepreneur who, at the age of 25, started his first company in Cleveland — a small marketing and design firm. After 10 successful years in advertising, Doug joined two friends in establishing Kellex Corporation, which today owns and operates two furniture manufacturing facilities in the southeastern United States. He is the company’s chief operating officer.

Doug is also the managing partner of The Rally Group, a real estate holding company that owns and manages residential rental units in the greater Cleveland area. Doug has extensive experience with all aspects of running a business. With partners Anne Melfo and Joe Saponaro, Doug applies his extensive business experience to Cleveland Roots, providing strategic oversight and managing its day-to-day operations.

Doug earned his Bachelor’s of Business from Cleveland State University.

You can reach Doug at dfawcett@kellex.com.

Ebonie Randel-Joiner

Executive Director

Ebonie Randle-Joiner is a ground engaged Community Advocate and Social Entrepreneur committed to Growing The Garden Of Community. Ebonie was recognized by The Cleveland Public Library as a 2022 Martin Luther King Jr. “Unsung Hero”. Ebonie is a wife, mother of two, and a long time resident of Cleveland’s Historic Brooklyn Centre Community. Ebonie is the Founder and Lead Farmer of Shalom & Tranquility Community Garden, Executive Director at Cleveland Roots, Member of Brooklyn Centre Community Collective, and Clark Fulton Together Masterplan Resident Ambassador, and Advocate in the City of Cleveland’s Disability Community.

Ibrahim (Ebi) Jones

Garden Manager

Ibrahim Jones is an Ohio State University Certified Master Gardener. With over a decade of experience in the city of Cleveland, Ohio and its surrounding suburbs Ibrahim facilitates gardening and composting education classes to a variety of  audiences. Ibrahim, is a married father of two, who is also a trained cook. For over five years he’s been the dedicated farm manager at Cleveland Roots. Ibrahim in his free time enjoys the sharing and exchanging of information with the community.

Robert P. Chandler

Board Member

Robert P. Chandler is glad to be part of the Cleveland Roots Board to contribute his knowledge and support to this organization.  His lifelong love of gardening started early, as Bob was born in a rural community into a family whose members include farmers and grassroots distributors of produce that go back for many generations.

Bob’s boyhood experiences include husbandry of goats, chickens, ducks, hogs, and bees, as well as growing and maintaining family gardens. As an adult, he has continued to cultivate gardens. Ecology, especially composting, has over the years become an area of continuing interest and greater study for Bob. 

Mr. Chandler holds degrees in pharmacy and radiation biology. He utilized these in his career as a nuclear pharmacist, working for many organizations in various parts of the country.  His work included a period of time spent in research with the National Institute of Health. His early pharmacy education also included cultivation of plant drugs.

In retirement, Bob continues his interest in gardening as well as in the role healthy food plays in continuing physical and mental health and independence.  Bob, with his wife, is also an active member of Brecksville United Church of Christ. He participates in many ministries of that church and is particularly involved in serving meals and tutoring youth on Cleveland’s near west side in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood where Cleveland Roots is located.

Adam Eberle

Board Member

As a community volunteer and advocate, Eberle is passionate about the mission of Cleveland Roots, you will often find him volunteering and working in the community garden fields. “I joined the Board of Cleveland Roots to better understand and thereby hopefully help to lessen the serious food insecurity issues facing many families and individuals in the greater Cleveland area”

Adam recognizes the importance of giving back to the community and he is active in a variety of charitable organizations, he has a passion for helping others and brings over 25 years of business experience and advisor to Boards, business owners and management teams. Eberle was a longtime board member of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northcentral Wisconsin, serving as its Board Chairman for over five years.

Eberle is a natural leader, motivator and entrepreneurial-oriented professional offering extensive experience on software sales, operations, marketing across various industries. Strong operator that delivers performance, cascades vision down to specific goals, objectives and metrics. Then, able to build, motivate, and manage teams to deliver extraordinary results. Eberle has a diverse career and has held the role as the Chief Sales and Marketing officer of OverDrive, Inc, Chief Commercial Officer of DRB Systems, Chief Commercial Officer and General Manager of PowerSchool, Inc.

Eberle holds a Bachelor degree from the University of Wisconsin.

Mike Malley

Board Member

Mike Malley is Chairman of the family-owned Malley’s Chocolate, Inc., leading operations and personnel across the specialty retailers’ 23 regional stores and manufacturing facility headquartered in Brook Park, Ohio.

As grandson of company founder Albert Martin (Mike) Malley, and in partnership with his five siblings, he serves in the third generation of family chocolatiers since its incorporation in 1935.

Malley re-joined the family business in 2012 after a progressive 23-year career in the publishing industry. He was Advertising Director and Sales Manager at Crain’s Cleveland Business before returning to chocolate, and previously held multiple executive editorial, publisher-level and sales management positions with Questex Media and Advanstar Communications, Inc. Throughout his career, Malley was recognized for leading innovations in traditional print and electronic media, and for helping business-to-business publications expand their audiences and advertising sales revenue.

At 58, he is also active in several local and civic organizations, including as Director, Board Member for the Boys & Girls Club, and past Director, Board Member of LifeBanc, a local organ procurement agency.

He received his Bachelor of Arts in English and Psychology from Cleveland State University and recent graduate of Leadership Cleveland Class, 2018. Malley lives in Brecksville, Ohio with his wife Angela, with whom he has two adult children.

Steve Morris

Board Member 

R. Steve Morris is Managing Partner and CEO of Intervention Point , LLC in Strongsville, Ohio. Steve leads a team of creative activists in the fields of finance, global healthcare, education and publishing who are dedicated to building sustainable business models that improve the human condition while crediting brand platforms for the results in support of their corporate social responsibility goals. Mr. Morris has a Bachelor of Arts from Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina, and has spent most of his career in leadership roles in publishing.

Steve was raised on a small farm in Princeton, New Jersey and fell in love with the experience of gardening, raising animals and hosting events at their 17 acre venue founded in 1790. Since then, he has developed gardens and orchards in Orange County, California, Bucks County, Pennsylvania and most recently helped Ben Franklin Community Gardens achieve sustainability with a 90 family waiting list for their 205 plots in Old Brooklyn-Cleveland, Ohio. Volunteering through the Make A Difference Club he also engages high school, college students and seniors in volunteer efforts around the city of Cleveland. Steve resides in Brecksville, Ohio and serves on the Board of Directors for Ben Franklin Community Gardens and Make A Difference Club.

Esam Pietras

Board Member

Esam J. Pietras was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio and currently works for the Cleveland Clinic as an Owners Representative in the Building and Properties Department. Esam graduated with a bachelors degree in Construction Engineering and a Masters Degree in Professional Counseling. 

His passion for helping others has lead him to open a faith based counseling center in Richfield, Ohio – “A Foundation of Faith.” Esam has volunteered as a Guardian at Litem for CASA (4yrs), Prison Ministries (2yrs) and as a mentor to at risk youth in Broward County correctional facilities (1yr). 

Esam is married to Trisha and they have three wonderful children. The Pietras family is an active member of St. Peregrine’s Church in Richfield, Ohio.