STAFF
The Deaconess Foundation’s staff is comprised of individuals who provide their expertise and passion to help achieve long-term community impact and continue to address our community’s ever-changing workforce development challenges.
Cathy Belk
President and Chief Executive Officer
Cathy Belk is the President and CEO of Deaconess Foundation, a position held since October 2020. In this role, she works every day to generate impact by building networks and partnerships which enable people in need to build careers that sustain them and their families.
Cathy came to Deaconess Foundation after serving as President of JumpStart, a Cleveland-based non-profit unlocking the full potential of entrepreneurship to transform entire communities. Under the leadership of Cathy and her colleagues, JumpStart’s entrepreneurs contributed $6 billion in economic impact, raised more than $2B in additional capital, and created more than 10,000 good jobs; 45% of its entrepreneurial clients were women or people of color.
Cathy has also spent more than 20 years in the private sector, creating impact by stewarding brands and developing new businesses at Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, and American Greetings. She started her career in middle-market finance at Bank of America in Charlotte, NC, and in the greater DC area.
Cathy’s work includes acting as a member of the boards of the New Growth Innovation Network (Miami, FL) and Cleveland-based Church of the Saviour Foundation and the Cleveland Leadership Center. In the past, she served on several boards including Forward Cities (Durham, NC), the Shaker Schools Foundation and Adoption Network Cleveland. Cathy is a graduate of Leadership Cleveland 2012, a Crain’s Cleveland Woman of Note, and is an active, frequent speaker in national and local conferences and events.
Cathy was a Keller Scholar and received her MBA from Duke University and a BA in economics from Davidson College. A proud native of Ohio, Cathy, and her husband have two adult sons.
Danielle Crawford
Vice President, Grantmaking
Danielle Crawford is a philanthropic professional with 15 years of experience serving nonprofits, philanthropic intermediaries and foundations. Danielle has cultivated a career in philanthropy since graduating from college. Prior to her arrival at Deaconess Foundation, Danielle served as the Director, Grantmaking and Community Partnerships at United Way of Greater Cleveland. Prior to that she worked in both metro Detroit and New York City serving underrepresented communities across the United States. Danielle believes its critical to support grantmaking with a racial equity and justice lens.
Danielle earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 2006 and her Master of Art in Teaching and Education from Bard College in 2011.
Danielle was a 2022 Crain’s Business “40 under Forty” awardee.
Danielle, a native of Shaker Heights, currently resides in Cleveland Heights and enjoys music, dance, and time with family and friends.
Mary Margevicius
Vice President, Finance & Operations
Mary has been with the Foundation since its inception in December 1994. Mary began her career with Deaconess in 1987 and held a variety of positions in the accounting department of Deaconess Hospital, the Foundation’s predecessor. She is responsible for operational and financial management functions for the Foundation. Mary has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Dayton. Mary is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive).