Management Team
JumpStart's executive management team is comprised of individuals who have founded, led, invested in, or advised a variety of successful, early stage, high-growth Northeast Ohio companies. The staff includes:
Ray Leach
Chief Executive Officer
Ray Leach brings his energy and leadership experiences from founding five high-growth entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial endeavors in the last 20 years. Since 2003, Ray’s time has been focused on creating and leading JumpStart, one of the most active and innovative venture development organizations in the United States. Ray’s career began at IBM and has been principally focused on information technology companies previous to JumpStart. Ray is a Sloan Fellow and earned an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. He also earned a BA in Finance from the University of Akron. Ray also serves on the boards of the Council of Competitiveness in Washington DC, the Red Cross Blood Services of Northern Ohio, and is the Chairman of the Invent Now Kids board of the National Inventors Hall of Fame and Museum.
Rebecca Braun
Chief Operating Officer
Becca Braun joined JumpStart with a wealth of knowledge and experience from a variety of entrepreneurial companies. She was co-founder and initial CEO of Supplier Insight, a company that offers supplier management services and software to corporations and government agencies and that was ultimately acquired by Ariba (Nasdaq: ARBA). Becca was formerly a Vice President at Kirtland Capital Partners (KCP), a $300 million private equity firm located in Willoughby Hills, Ohio. Prior to KCP, Becca was a principal at The Parthenon Group, a strategic advisory and principle investing firm in Boston, Massachusetts. Becca graduated from Harvard Business School in 1997 and has a Linguistics degree Magna Cum Laude from Harvard University. She is a co-founder of the Boston-based Harbus Foundation, and maintains involvement in The Braun Group, an executive communications firm. She serves on the boards/advisory boards of Embrace Pet Insurance, Red Cross Blood Services and Cleveland Skating Club, and is an alumna trustee of Springboard Enterprises.
Lynn-Ann Gries
Chief Investment Officer
Lynn-Ann Gries joined the team at JumpStart Inc. after working as the Fund Manager for JumpStart, LLC, a venture capital fund dedicated to making investments in start-up companies in Northeast Ohio. Prior to joining JumpStart in August 2001, Lynn-Ann worked in the Investment Banking division of McDonald Investments. At McDonald, she had extensive experience with public equity issuance and worked on stock offerings for many McDonald clients. Prior to joining McDonald, Lynn-Ann worked for Morgan Stanley in institutional equity sales and, prior to that, for Smith Barney in Project Finance. She graduated from Smith College in 1984 with a BA in Economics and received her MBA from New York University's Stern School of Business in 1990. She currently serves on the board of the Fund of the Future of Shaker Heights, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to making pro-integrative home loans, and the Great Lakes Science Center. She is also a partner in Cleveland Social Venture Partners (CSVP), a venture philanthropy organization.
Richard E. "Duke" Jankura
Chief Financial Officer
Duke Jankura provides overall financial and administrative oversight to JumpStart, including its computer and telecommunications systems, accounting functions, financial systems, and internal controls. Prior to JumpStart Inc.'s formation in January 2004, he was the Sr. Director, Finance and Administration for Enterprise Development, Inc. (EDI). Duke is a National Development Council certified Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP), and holds a BS in business administration in management and an MBA in corporate finance from the University of Hartford, CT. Prior to joining EDI, Duke was the Manager of Financial Analysis for McDonald Investments Private Client Group and the Controller for Key Investments in Cleveland. He worked as a Financial Analyst in corporate banking and budget at Society Corporation and as a Marketing Analyst at The Travelers Companies in Hartford. Duke also served as a logistics officer in the United States Marine Corps. He served as the chairperson for the Old Brooklyn/Brooklyn Centre Business Revitalization District Review Board until June 2005, and served as Treasurer on the board of trustees for the Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation from 1999 to 2002. He was Co-President in 1996 of the Young Friends of the Cleveland Museum of Art, serving as an ex-officio member of the museum's board of trustees.
Darrin Redus
Chief Economic Inclusion Officer
Darrin joins the JumpStart team having served most recently as Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Redus Small Business Advisors, LLC, a strategic planning and management assistance firm Darrin established in 2003. Prior to establishing his own consulting group, Darrin dedicated 16 years to the commercial banking and finance industry holding a series of senior level management positions with National City Corporation and KeyCorp. At National City, Darrin served the small and middle market business community, providing leadership and support to enterprises ranging from start-ups to international firms with up to $100 million in annual revenues. At KeyCorp, Darrin held the position of Senior Vice President in charge of the companys business banking operations for Ohio, Michigan and Indiana. Darrin holds an MBA from Baldwin Wallace College and an undergraduate degree from Mount Union College. In 1999 he was selected by National City Bank and Baldwin Wallace College as an Emerging Leader in the Cleveland community, and over the past 15 years has led a series of workshops and seminars on matters of economic development and diversity.
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