What happens when getting to the doctor is the biggest obstacle to receiving healthcare? Care Alliance is taking healthcare directly into Cleveland communities. In this Cleveland Pulse clip, Dr. Ken Griffin, President and CEO of Care Alliance, explains how mobile healthcare units are expanding access to care throughout Cuyahoga County. These aren't just transportation vehicles. According to Dr. Griffin, Care Alliance's mobile units are equipped to provide services including: ✅ Primary healthcare ✅ Dental care ✅ Optometry services The goal? Help eliminate transportation barriers and make quality healthcare more accessible to the people who need it. For Cleveland families, working professionals, and underserved communities, bringing healthcare closer to home can make a meaningful difference. 🎙️ Cleveland Pulse | Hosted by Edwin Hubbard Jr. 💬 Would having a mobile healthcare unit in your neighborhood make it easier to get the care you need? Subscribe for more conversations about Black leadership, healthcare equity, and Cleveland community advocacy. #ClevelandPulse #ClevelandNAACP #CareAlliance #MobileHealthcare #HealthEquity

What's the point of reaching the top if you refuse to help someone else climb? Dr. Ken Griffin, President and CEO of Care Alliance, challenges one of the biggest barriers to professional growth: gatekeeping. Too often, valuable knowledge, connections, and lessons learned are kept behind closed doors. But real leadership isn't about protecting your position. It's about helping someone else avoid the pitfalls you've already overcome. On Cleveland Pulse, hosted by Edwin Hubbard Jr., Dr. Griffin explains why sharing knowledge isn't competition. It's leadership. The question isn't what you lose by helping someone else. It's what our communities gain when you do. Watch, share, and tell us: Have you had a leader open a door for you? #ClevelandPulse #ClevelandNAACP #BlackLeadership #CareerGrowth #Mentorship

What does it really take to reach the C-suite and what happens after you get there? For a new generation of Black leaders, success is about more than job titles, corner offices, and professional recognition. It's about creating opportunities, building relationships, serving communities, and leaving a legacy that outlasts your career. In this episode of Cleveland Pulse, host Edwin Hubbard Jr. sits down with Dr. Ken Griffin, President and CEO of Care Alliance Health Center, for an engaging conversation about millennial leadership, executive career growth, community impact, and the responsibility that comes with influence. BEYOND THE TITLES: THE JOURNEY TO LEADERSHIP Dr. Griffin shares how he worked his way from entry-level positions in healthcare to the executive suite, including spending a decade as a chief operating officer before becoming a CEO in 2024. His journey offers valuable lessons for emerging executives, small business owners, nonprofit professionals, and managers who want to advance without losing their purpose. Edwin and Dr. Griffin reflect on what makes millennials uniquely positioned to lead: a foundation of traditional work ethic combined with the adaptability required to navigate changing technology, workplaces, and expectations. But climbing the corporate ladder is only part of the conversation. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE Why professional relationships and strong communication skills matter in executive leadership. How to build a practical playbook for advancing into the C-suite. Why passion, lifelong learning, and servant leadership are essential to sustainable success. How successful leaders can mentor others and expand opportunities for the next generation. Why comparing yourself to others can distract you from defining your own success. How personal loss, family values, and lived experiences influence leadership. Why effective executives must remain connected to the communities they serve. LEADERSHIP THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN CLEVELAND The conversation also highlights the important work of Care Alliance, a federally qualified health center serving Cleveland residents, including people experiencing financial barriers to healthcare. Dr. Griffin explains how access to primary care, dental services, behavioral health resources, mobile healthcare, and other supportive services contributes to healthier communities. His message is clear: leadership means showing up for people, whether you're managing an organization, building a business, mentoring a young professional, or helping a neighbor access essential resources. For Cleveland's next generation of Black business leaders, this discussion connects professional advancement with economic opportunity, health equity, and meaningful Cleveland civic engagement. FROM PERSONAL SUCCESS TO COMMUNITY POWER Cleveland Pulse is a civil rights podcast from the Cleveland NAACP focused on Black leadership in Cleveland, community advocacy, and the conversations shaping Northeast Ohio's future. We believe influence becomes powerful when it's used to open doors for others. If you're an entrepreneur, executive, manager, community advocate, or emerging leader ready to turn professional success into lasting community impact, this conversation is for you. JOIN THE CONVERSATION What leadership lesson has made the greatest difference in your career? And how are you using your position to create opportunities for someone else? Share your thoughts in the comments, subscribe to Cleveland Pulse, and share this episode with a leader who needs to hear it. Learn more about the Cleveland NAACP and discover opportunities to participate in strengthening our communities. The Cleveland Pulse #ClevelandPulse #ClevelandNAACP #MillennialLeadership #BlackLeadership #executiveleadership 00:00:00 - Opening: The Millennial Journey to the C-Suite 00:00:21 - Cleveland Pulse Introduction and Dr. Ken Griffin 00:00:59 - Dr. Griffin's Background and Career Journey 00:01:31 - Care Alliance and Cleveland Community Healthcare 00:03:11 - Healthcare Affordability and Access 00:05:05 - Why Choose a Community Health Center? 00:06:26 - Mobile Healthcare Across Cuyahoga County 00:06:57 - The Growing Role of Community Health Centers 00:08:24 - Why Millennials Lead Differently 00:10:40 - Paying Your Dues as a Millennial Leader 00:11:51 - Dr. Griffin's Journey to CEO 00:12:30 - Lifting Others as You Rise 00:14:57 - Relationships, Communication, and Leadership 00:15:41 - Competing With Yourself, Not Others 00:18:10 - Grief, Family Legacy, and Personal Motivation 00:22:05 - Finding Purpose in Nonprofit Leadership 00:26:35 - Building Your C-Suite Leadership Playbook 00:30:46 - Servant Leadership: Doing the Work 00:32:30 - Why Cleveland Is Worth Investing In 00:37:30 - Revisiting the Leadership Playbook 00:41:18 - What to Do Once You Reach the Top 00:44:49 - Music, Personality, and Life Beyond Work 00:46:37 - Final Advice: Health Is Wealth 00:47:21 - Closing Remarks

“Sir, do you belong here?” For Kevin Clayton, that question carried a weight far beyond the moment. In this Cleveland Pulse clip, Clayton recounts being singled out while traveling and repeatedly questioned about whether he belonged at his hotel. He describes the encounters as racism and connects them to experiences he has faced as a Black man elsewhere, including here at home. His story raises a larger question: What does it mean to truly belong when you still find yourself having to prove that you do? 🎙️ Watch Kevin Clayton share his experience on Cleveland Pulse. #ClevelandPulse #KevinClayton #ClevelandNAACP #BlackExperience #CivilRights #PowerInThePulse

Voting matters, but Kevin Clayton says using your voice can't stop at the ballot box. In this Cleveland Pulse conversation, Clayton talks about fighting for policy, pursuing opportunities, and demanding a seat at the tables where decisions are being made. He also shares his perspective on the continuing struggle over civil rights and opportunity, including recent federal actions affecting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. The takeaway from this conversation: civic engagement isn't something we save for Election Day. It's also about understanding what's happening, recognizing what's at stake, and participating in the decisions that affect our communities. 🎙️ Watch Kevin Clayton on Cleveland Pulse. #ClevelandPulse #KevinClayton #ClevelandNAACP #CivicEngagement #PowerInThePulse #CivilRights

Why do racial and economic divides remain visible across Cleveland neighborhoods? In this Cleveland Pulse clip, Kevin Clayton discusses the history of redlining and the deliberate policies that restricted where Black Clevelanders could live, buy property, and build wealth. Clayton connects that history to patterns still visible in cities across America, where concentrations of poverty and racial segregation often reflect decades of housing discrimination and disinvestment. Understanding that history matters because today's neighborhood conditions didn't develop overnight. 🎙️ Hear Kevin Clayton's perspective on Cleveland Pulse and join the conversation about Cleveland's past, present, and future. #ClevelandPulse #KevinClayton #ClevelandNAACP #Redlining #ClevelandHistory #EconomicEquityOhio #BlackCleveland #PowerInThePulse

What happens when diversity, equity and inclusion stop being corporate buzzwords and become part of how an organization actually does business? On this episode of The Cleveland Pulse, host Edwin Hubbard Jr. sits down with Kevin Clayton, Executive Vice President and Chief Impact & Equity Officer for Rock Entertainment Group, for a wide-ranging conversation about the state of DEI, Black leadership in Cleveland, corporate responsibility, civic engagement, faith, purpose and what it means to keep doing the work when the political and cultural environment changes. Clayton’s story begins in Cleveland. Raised in the Lee-Harvard area before attending Shaker schools, he left Northeast Ohio and spent 35 years building a career across the country before returning home. That journey ultimately brought him into leadership with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Rock Entertainment Group. The conversation examines how corporate America responded to the murder of George Floyd in 2020 and what happened when some organizations later backed away from their DEI commitments. Clayton explains why he views diversity and inclusion not simply as social initiatives, but as business strategies that help organizations tap into the experiences, perspectives and abilities of their people. For business owners, executives and managers, this episode raises an important leadership question: Are you bringing different people into the organization simply to have them there, or are you actually creating an environment where their experiences and perspectives can contribute to the organization’s success? Edwin and Kevin also discuss the Cleveland Cavaliers’ decision to continue their equity and inclusion work while other organizations reconsidered theirs, as well as the importance of creating pathways for people to feel valued and able to contribute. But this conversation goes far beyond the workplace. Kevin and Edwin reflect on traveling together to Israel, experiencing the realities of conflict firsthand, and how Kevin’s additional journey through Bethlehem, Jordan and other biblical locations transformed his understanding of faith and personal purpose. Kevin describes returning to Cleveland with a different lens for understanding community, inequality and his responsibility to serve. That perspective leads into a powerful Cleveland-focused discussion about redlining, opportunity, the Black experience, policy and civic participation. The conversation explores why representation alone is not enough, why people need access to decision-making spaces, and why participation extends beyond simply casting a ballot. For Black Clevelanders building careers, raising families, buying homes, leading organizations and thinking about the legacy they will leave behind, this episode is ultimately about power and participation: understanding the systems around us, using our voices and continuing to create opportunities even when progress becomes difficult. The episode closes on a personal note as Kevin shares how horseback riding and adventure help him recharge, along with his advice to the next generation: value your time, stay curious, ask questions and have the confidence to take the first step even when you cannot see the entire path ahead. This is Cleveland community advocacy through a business and leadership lens: a conversation about economic opportunity, equity, Black leadership Cleveland, Cleveland civic engagement and what meaningful inclusion looks like when the headlines change. Listen, share this episode with someone in your network, and join the conversation about what meaningful leadership and civic participation should look like in Cleveland. 00:00:00 — The State of DEI 00:00:16 — Edwin Hubbard Jr. Introduces Kevin Clayton 00:00:48 — Kevin’s Role With Rock Entertainment Group 00:01:24 — Growing Up in Cleveland & Returning After 35 Years 00:02:36 — Building Diversity and Community Engagement With the Cavaliers 00:04:19 — George Floyd, Corporate America & the DEI Response 00:05:26 — Were Organizations Ever Serious About DEI? 00:07:47 — The Cavaliers’ Approach to Equity and Inclusion 00:09:49 — Why the Cavaliers Stayed Committed 00:11:28 — Equity vs. Favoritism 00:12:39 — Why Diversity Became a Business Strategy 00:14:48 — The Power of Perspective and Lived Experience 00:15:19 — Edwin and Kevin Reflect on Their Israel Experience 00:17:18 — Kevin’s Journey to Bethlehem and Jordan 00:20:27 — Finding Purpose and Returning to Cleveland 00:22:03 — Israel, Conflict and a Changed Perspective 00:23:07 — Redlining, Cleveland and the Black Experience 00:25:53 — Why the Work Can’t Stop 00:26:03 — Policy, Civic Participation & Using Your Voice 00:27:32 — Continuing the Fight and Finding Hope 00:28:05 — What Kevin Sees for the Future 00:31:22 — Getting Personal: How Kevin Relaxes 00:31:36 — Horses, Skydiving and an Adrenaline-Filled Life 00:33:39 — Kevin’s Advice to the Next Generation 00:35:11 — How to Follow Kevin Clayton

Presidential elections get the spotlight, but the decisions made by your governor, senators, and members of Congress affect our everyday lives, too. From economic opportunity to education and community investment, these races matter to Cleveland families and neighborhoods. 🗳️ Make sure you understand who's on your ballot and how to participate. Your voice belongs in every election. #ClevelandVotes #OhioElections #CivicEngagement #ClevelandPulse