Kahlil Seren (born October 17, 1978) is an American politician, former local government advisor, and the first directly elected

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Cleveland Heights, Ohio Cleveland Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, and one of Cleveland's historical streetcar suburbs. The city's population was 45,312 at the 2020 census. As of the 2010 census, Cleveland Heights was ranked the 8th larges ...

. Before becoming Mayor, Seren served for ten years as a Policy Advisor for

Cuyahoga County Council The Cuyahoga County Council is the legislative branch of the government of Cuyahoga County in Ohio. Cuyahoga, along with Summit, is one of only two of Ohio's 88 counties not governed by a three-member commission. The council and county executiv ...

and six years as a Cleveland Heights City Council member. Seren took office as Cleveland Heights' first directly elected

strong mayor Strong may refer to: Education * The Strong, an educational institution in Rochester, New York, United States * Strong Hall (Lawrence, Kansas), an administrative hall of the University of Kansas * Strong School, New Haven, Connecticut, United St ...

on January 1, 2022.

Early life and education

Seren was born in Cleveland Heights, Ohio but spent his childhood in

East Cleveland, Ohio East Cleveland is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, and is the first suburb encountered when travelling east from Cleveland. The population was 13,792 at the United States Census 2020, 2020 census. East Clevela ...

. He attended several elementary schools, including the Lillian Ratner Montessori Day School ( Lyndhurst, OH),

Gilmour Academy Gilmour Academy is an independent, Catholic, coeducational, college-preparatory day and boarding school in the Cleveland suburb of Gates Mills, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1946 by the Brothers of Holy Cross, Gilmour Academy has three division ...

( Gates Mills, OH), Prospect Elementary School (East Cleveland, OH), and FOCAS/SCOPE Elementary (East Cleveland, OH). Seren relocated to

Beachwood, Ohio Beachwood is a city in eastern Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, and a suburb of Cleveland. As of the 2020 census the city's population was 14,040. History The land that eventually became Beachwood was originally part of the Connecticut We ...

, in 1991, attending Beachwood Middle School and

Beachwood High School Beachwood High School is a four-year college preparatory public high school located in Beachwood, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. It is part of the Beachwood City School District. Recognition Beachwood has earned three U.S. Department of Education Bl ...

, where he graduated in 1997. After high school, Seren studied at

Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...

(

Ypsilanti, MI Ypsilanti (), commonly shortened to Ypsi, is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,648. The city is bounded to the north by Superior Township and on the west, south, an ...

) before transferring to

Cleveland State University Cleveland State University (CSU) is a public research university in Cleveland, Ohio. It was established in 1964 and opened for classes in 1965 after acquiring the entirety of Fenn College, a private school that had been in operation since 1923. ...

(

Cleveland, OH Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

), where he earned a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in

Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

and

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

. After completing his undergraduate degree, Seren continued at Cleveland State University's

Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs The Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs (Levin) is an accredited college of urban studies, public administration, urban planning, environmental studies, and nonprofit management at Cleveland State University located in Cleveland, Ohi ...

, earning a

Master of Science degree A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

Urban Studies Urban studies is based on the study of the urban development of cities. This includes studying the history of city development from an architectural point of view, to the impact of urban design on community development efforts. The core theoretica ...

Career

Seren began his career in the area of public policy in 2007 as the Communications Coordinator for Policy Matters Ohio, a non-profit policy research institute. After a massive public corruption scandal in

Cuyahoga County Cuyahoga County ( or ) is a large urban County (United States), county located in the Northeast Ohio, northeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is situated on the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the Canada–United States border, U.S.- ...

government and subsequent restructuring of County Government, Seren entered public service in 2011 as a Policy Advisor to the newly established

, the legislative authority of the county government. Seren primarily advised on matters related to

economic development In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and o ...

community development The United Nations defines community development as "a process where community members come together to take collective action and generate solutions to common problems." It is a broad concept, applied to the practices of civic leaders, activists ...

workforce development Workforce development, an American approach to economic development, attempts to enhance a region's economic stability and prosperity by focusing on people rather than businesses. It essentially develops a human-resources strategy. Work-force deve ...

, and

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

, serving as a Policy Advisor to County Council until 2022.

Cleveland Heights City Council

Seren entered elective office in February 2015, appointed to an unexpired term on Cleveland Heights City Council, filling a vacancy when former Council member

Janine Boyd Janine Boyd (born February 5, 1971) is an American politician who served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives for the 9th district from 2015 to 2022. She resigned from her House seat in April 2022 to take a position in the United State ...

won a seat in the Ohio House of Representatives. Seren ran to keep the seat in November 2015, winning his first four-year term. In November 2019, Seren successfully sought reelection to Cleveland Heights City Council, winning a second term beginning January 2020, at which time the Council selected him to be Vice Mayor and Vice President of Council.

Mayor of Cleveland Heights

Election

On January 25, 2021, Seren announced his candidacy in the City of Cleveland Heights' first mayoral election, which was to be held later that year. Seren was one of three candidates on the September 14, 2021, mayoral primary ballot, finishing second with 38% of the vote and advancing as one of two candidates in the general election. On November 2, 2021, Seren won the general election for Mayor of Cleveland Heights with more than 60% of the vote.

Tenure

2022

Seren took office as Cleveland Heights' first directly elected, strong Mayor on January 1, 2022.

References

External links

Mayor's Office , Cleveland Heights, OH
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seren, Kahlil Mayors of places in Ohio Living people 21st-century African-American politicians 21st-century American politicians African-American people in Ohio politics Cleveland State University alumni Ohio Democrats African-American mayors in Ohio 1978 births