New members bring unique perspectives to help Team NEO advance strategies
The board of directors of Team NEO has appointed two prominent Northeast Ohio executives to the organization’s board: Carol Caruso, President, Caruso Public Affairs, LLC, and Aaron J. Swartz, Office Managing Partner – Akron, Ernst & Young LLP.
Caruso and Swartz join a prominent group of Northeast Ohio business leaders dedicated to building a more robust and equitable regional economy.
“We look forward to the contributions that these two leaders will make in support of our mission,” said Team NEO Chief Executive Officer Bill Koehler. “Carol brings long-standing experience working within the economic development system as the former Senior Vice President of Government Advocacy for the Greater Cleveland Partnership and the Board of Directors at JumpStart on important issues such as diversity, equity and inclusion. Aaron will provide valuable perspectives relating to Northeast Ohio’s supply chain resilience strategies due to his work advising companies across several key industries and EY’s commitment to advance manufacturing transformation.”
Team NEO Board Chairman Peter W. Broer, President and CEO of Lumitex Inc. added, “As Team NEO enters its 20th year as Northeast Ohio’s business development partner, we feel fortunate to welcome these influential leaders who bring fresh perspectives and help us create a more vibrant regional economy.”
About Carol Caruso
As President of Caruso Public Affairs, Carol provides clients with strategic and government advocacy advice in the areas of workforce development, broadband technology, and economic development.
Prior to creating her firm, Carol was Senior Vice President of Government Advocacy for the Greater Partnership (GCP) where she led several initiatives and projects that continue to deliver economic benefits to our region. She led efforts on behalf of the GCP to gain voter approval of the transformation of our county government and served as the community’s lead advocate in the successful fight to keep more than 2,000 DFAS jobs here in Cleveland. Working at the state, federal and local levels, her work encompassed a wide range of policy and regulatory issues of importance to Northeast Ohio.
As a member of the Bord of Directors for JumpStart, Carol serves on several committees, including the Midtown Development Task Force and the Advancement Committee. She has co-chaired the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee for the past six years and is actively engaged in efforts to bring the Centro Villa 25 project to fruition.
As past Chair of the Cleveland Water Alliance, Carol worked to develop collaborations that will lead to increased political and public awareness of the value of Lake Erie, the Cuyahoga River, and all elements of our water-based economy.
Carol resides in Solon with her husband Joe and their cat Ted Lasso. She spends her personal time supporting the mission of the Cleveland Animal Protection League, following all things NASA and space exploration-related, and enjoying all that Cleveland has to offer.
About Aaron J. Swartz
As the Office Managing Partner – Akron for Ernst & Young, Aaron oversees all professional services and business development initiatives throughout the Greater Akron and broader Northeast Ohio market and is a community ambassador with focus on economic development, equity, inclusion and education.
Aaron also previously led EY’s audit business having operational oversight throughout Ohio, Western Pennsylvania, and West Virginia (5 offices). In that capacity he was responsible for service quality, talent and experience management, and audit quality and innovation matters.
As an audit partner, Aaron also serves multi-national SEC registrants and private equity portfolio companies, primarily in consumer and diversified industrial products industry sectors and has extensive experience advising clients on complex and technical transactions.
Aaron holds a Master of Science in Accountancy from the University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, Indiana), and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, with a concentration in Finance, Quantitative Analysis and Marketing, from the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio.
He serves on a number of boards, including the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network (MAGNET), where he is the Finance Committee Chair; United Way of Summit and Medina Counties; the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce where he serves as a member of the Chair Circle; as well as the Boys and Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio as a member of the Audit Committee.
Aaron resides in Bath with his wife and three children.
About Team NEO
Team NEO is a private, nonprofit economic development organization accelerating business growth and job creation throughout the 18 counties of the Northeast Ohio Region. As the designated JobsOhio Network Partner, we align and amplify local economic development efforts in the region’s 18-counties; we conduct research and data analysis to inform local conversations and influence solutions; we market the Northeast Ohio Region; and we work to increase access to jobs, education, and training for the region’s 4.3 million people. We do this to build a more vibrant regional economy; one that is more talented, equitable, competitive, innovative, resilient, and prosperous. For more information, visit teamneo.org.