As far back as she can remember, Geida Cleveland has relied on a sense of community. It started in her hometown of Nogales, Mexico, when her mother became seriously ill. With her father working in a distribution center across the border in Nogales, Arizona, to support them and work toward citizenship, it took a village to provide care.
A network of family, friends, and neighbors stepped in to help Cleveland and her two older brothers. By age eight, her mother was gone. That left her father to stitch together a combination of his visits and community caregiving until he could fully reunite with his children.
“This was probably the foundation of realizing that although you could be in a very lonely situation, there was always someone around, someone to ask,” Cleveland says.
Creating community
That sense of community has shaped Cleveland’s work at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities throughout her career. Now the executive director of wellbeing, empowerment, and belonging at Minnesota Carlson, she aims to create a space where students, faculty, and staff feel they belong. Her new position focuses on fostering a community where students can harness their business expertise to create positive change in the world. She believes that wellbeing, empowerment, and belonging are three equally important pillars that help cultivate such a community.
For Cleveland, her journey to higher education was driven by a desire to help students feel at home while achieving the education they need to change their futures. She started in 2009 as an admissions counselor and Latino recruitment coordinator at the University, and by 2022, she led a team at Carlson dedicated to creating supportive pathways to college for students.
One of her proudest accomplishments is the launch of the Maroon Lobby at Minnesota Carlson—a space where students can gather, study, and relax, shedding the “masks” they may feel pressured to wear in traditional business environments. It’s especially significant for students who may not see themselves reflected in those spaces. Securing the space at a busy university was a challenge, but Cleveland’s persistence paid off.
“It was the asking, asking, asking,” she says. “That pebble’s ripple effect kept going, and it finally got big enough.”
Another initiative Cleveland led is the Take What You Need Closet, a space stocked with donations of toiletries, snacks, and groceries that students can access on an honor system. This initiative removes barriers to access and combats the stigma that some students may feel from asking for help, ensuring they have what they need to succeed.
Branching out
Community-building is also a key part of Cleveland’s life outside of the University. She is a power squad leader with Poderistas, a nonpartisan organization founded by influential women like America Ferrera and Eva Longoria that helps Latina leaders develop leadership skills and engage civically. Through Poderistas, Cleveland was invited to the White House in 2022, where she met with other Latina leaders and was honored for her leadership. She was also recently voted into the Roseville Area School Board, where she will expand her influence and use her experiences to champion kids.
In addition to her professional commitments, Cleveland pursued a Master of Public Affairs degree with a concentration in human rights from the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs, which she completed in 2024.
As Cleveland transitions into her new role, she reflects on the impact of initiatives like the Maroon Lobby and Take What You Need Closet. The joy, she says, comes from knowing that capable people have taken her ideas and made them even better.
“Create change that is going to live without you in it,” she says. “That’s my wish for everything I do in life. That’s a legacy. That’s what you hope for.”
For Cleveland, this legacy is rooted in community—a value she carries with her from Mexico to Minnesota.
“There are a lot of people who have fought for me to be here,” she says. “And I am not going to have my life mean nothing. While I’m in the world, I want to do my best to leave it better for future generations.”
- Categories:
- Business and Management
