Wayne Mortensen to speak at FutureHeights annual meeting

Wayne Mortensen

Wayne Mortensen, director of design and development for Cleveland Neighborhood Progress and a Cleveland Heights resident, will deliver the keynote address at the FutureHeights annual meeting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 20, at the former Pontiac dealership, 3077 Mayfield Road.

Not your typical annual meeting, FutureHeights will give a brief overview of its annual activities and will then lead an interactive discussion about the state of the community. FutureHeights will present data showing current trends. In his keynote address, Mortensen will challenge participants to leverage the community’s strengths to confront its current challenges. He will highlight how similar communities have responded to adversity by defining a preferred future.

Cleveland Heights City Manager Tanisha Briley will respond, as will Deanna Bremer Fisher, executive director of FutureHeights. Participants will be able to ask questions and engage in a brief community-planning activity. In addition, Motorcars will share its plans to repurpose the iconic former Pontiac dealership that has been vacant for several years. A reception will follow.

“Cleveland Heights remains a strong and vibrant community and possesses assets that other communities desire,” said Richard Stewart, vice president of the FutureHeights Board of Directors. “We do, however, face challenges and see FutureHeights's annual meeting as an opportunity to transparently confront these challenges and try to chart a constructive path forward.”

Mortensen holds master's degrees in architecture, urban design and social work. His professional focus is on the creation of equitable housing and just communities. He is the facilitator of the Cleveland Target Area Planning Process and a project manager for the Saint Luke’s Hospital transformation. A licensed architect, Mortensen has helped lead the American Institute of Architecture Students and the National Architecture Accrediting Board, and currently serves on the Executive Committee of the American Institute of Architects. He and his wife, Jill, live in the Cedar Fairmount neighborhood.

FutureHeights is a nonprofit community-building organization that serves the cities of Cleveland Heights and University Heights. The organization engages residents by publishing the Heights Observer, hosting community forums and speakers, and presenting community events, such as the Best of the Heights and the Heights Music Hop.

The event, which is sponsored by Motorcars, The Cyrus Eaton Foundation, realtor Susan Delaney of Howard Hanna, DVUV, and Keller National, is free and open to the public. Limited parking is available onsite at 3077 Mayfield Road, and overflow parking is available at the Cleveland Heights Community Center across the street.

To RSVP for What’s Next for the Heights? Leveraging Our Strengths to Confront Challenges, visit www.futureheights.org, send an e-mail to info@futureheights.org or call 216-320-1423.