(Connie is available for coaching and advising up to 10 hours a month for CAAO’s BESTT donors.)   Connie Holdipp served as the Executive Director of the Consortium of African American Organizations (CAAO) from April 2001 to December 2011 (currently, Executive Director Emeritus). In her role at CAAO, she was responsible for the implementation of the mission and principles of this collaborative organization for the black professional organizations of Northeast Ohio. CAAO (pronounced K-O) acts as a conduit and collaborative point of reference to assist with entrepreneurial development, professional development, and leadership development for those organizations and their members. CAAO currently has 12 member organizations and 4 collaborative member organizations with over 10,000 active members and an outreach of over 30,000.

Ms. Holdipp is a seasoned entrepreneur, a published author, a motivational speaker, a life coach, an adjunct college professor, and an international business consultant, having served on many community boards, including the Business Advisory Council of John Carroll University, the U.S. – South Africa Business Development Council, the Cleveland World Trade Association, the Greater Cleveland Minority Technology Council, the Northern Ohio District Export Council, the Cleveland Job Corps, the SBA Advisory Council, Cleveland Skilled Industries, Cleveland Bridge Builders Advisory Council, NorTech Advisory Council, the Supplier Diversity Initiative Council of Case Western Reserve University, the vendor diversity steering committee for the Cleveland Clinic, and others.

As the owner of a consulting and training company, Ms. Holdipp wrote and facilitated training curriculum on 25 subjects, including an 11 chapter self-paced training manual for investment associates, meeting leadership training manual, and administrative training programs and documentation for government entities, as well as for the financial, industrial, and medical environments in the private sector.

As an international business consultant, Ms. Holdipp led two trade missions to South Africa and was selected to serve on a Bi-national Commission as an advisor to Secretary of Commerce Daley and Vice President Gore on $2.6 billion economic development budget between the USA and South Africa and participated in developing the first Trade Initiative Framework Agreement between the U.S. and South Africa since the end of apartheid with Vice President Gore, Secretary Daley, and President Thabo Mbeki.

Ms. Holdipp is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of John Carroll University and a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Cuyahoga Community College and has received numerous honors and awards, including:

MLK Jr. Community Service Award from the City of Cleveland, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the GCP, 2007
Athena Finalist, Inside Business Magazine, 2006
Toast of Midtown Award for Community Service, 2006
Community Impact Award, Black Pages Ohio, 2006
BrownFlynn Circle of 10 finalist out of 63 nonprofits in Northeast Ohio “for defying the traditional definitions of creativity and excellence – thinking outside the box to ensure the healthy future of their organizations,” March 2006
Community Impact Award, Cleveland Northeast Ohio Chapter of the National Black MBA Assn., 2005
Woman of Note, Crain’s Cleveland Business, 2005
Panelist, National Town Hall Panel, aired on C-Span and Word Network, PowerNetworking 2003
Hall of Fame Inductee, Salem High School Alumni Association, Salem, Ohio (1999)
International Business Development Award, Cleveland World Trade Association (1998)
Outstanding Business Services and Community Leadership Award, Kaleidoscope Magazine (1996)
Fifty of Our Finest Award, John Carroll University, School of Business (1995)
Graduate, Leadership Cleveland (1995)
Minority Service Firm of the Year, City of Cleveland (1992)
Inducted into National Jesuit Honor Society, Alpha Sigma Nu (1992)
Honoree, Black History Month, East Ohio Gas Company (1991)
Business Woman of the Year, Iota Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc., Epsilon Chapter (1989)
Featured in articles by - The Cleveland Plain Dealer, Crain’s Cleveland Business, The Call and Post, Western Reserve Business Review, Kaleidoscope Magazine, Inside Business, Northern Ohio Live, Cleveland Enterprise, John Carroll Alumni Journal, Cuyahoga Community College, The Salem News, The Morning Journal, the SBA Annual Report, and a variety of customer / client publications.

PUBLIC SPEAKING EXPERIENCE (partial list)
Workshop Presenter, Building a Stronger, More Effective Coalition Workforce, CADCA Conference, 2008.
Keynote Speaker, Cleveland State University, Entrepreneurial Options, 2008.
Opening Speaker, Hospitality Presentation to Republican National Convention Site Selection Committee, 2006.
Keynote Speaker, Annual Meeting, CSU Black Alumni, 2006.
Workshop Moderator, 2006 Women of Color Conference, Using
Professional Communication Skills Effectively. Workshop Moderator, 2005 PowerNetworking Conf, The Advantages and Challenges of Buying an Existing Business.
Workshop Moderator, 2004 PowerNetworking Conference, The Next Big Business Idea.
Town Hall Panelist, 2003 PowerNetworking Conference, Building Collaborations That Work (2003).
Keynote Speaker, African American Faculty & Staff, CWRU, Using all of your resources (2003).
Guest lecturer, CWRU, Mandel School, teaching others how to rise above poverty (1993 - 1999).
Guest lecturer, CWRU, Weatherhead School, entrepreneurship (1994 - 1998).
Guest lecturer, Kent State University, international business opportunities in South Africa (1997 - 1999).
Guest lecturer, John Carroll University, importance of interpersonal skills in the business world (1997).