Minnesota Carlson’s Geida Cleveland is centered on community

Geida Cleveland combines the personal and the professional to build community at Minnesota Carlson—and beyond. From as far back as she can remember, Cleveland has depended on a sense of community. It began in her hometown of Nogales, Mexico, when her mother became seriously ill. Her father worked in a distribution center across the border in Nogales, Arizona, to support them and pursue citizenship, and a village stepped in to provide care for Cleveland and her two older brothers. By age eight, her mother had passed away. Her father then coordinated visits and community caregiving until he could fully reunite with his children. “This was probably the foundation of realizing that although you could be in a very lonely situation, there was always someone around, someone to ask,” Cleveland says.

This sense of community has shaped Cleveland’s work at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities throughout her career. Now the executive director of wellbeing, empowerment, and belonging at Minnesota Carlson, she aims to create a space where students, faculty, and staff feel they belong. Her new role focuses on fostering a community where students can leverage their business expertise to create positive change in the world. She believes that wellbeing, empowerment, and belonging are three equally important pillars that help cultivate such a community.

“This was probably the foundation of realizing that although you could be in a very lonely situation, there was always someone around, someone to ask.”

Author’s summary: Geida Cleveland’s story ties personal resilience to institutional leadership, underscoring how belonging, wellbeing, and empowerment illuminate pathways for students to drive meaningful change.

University of Minnesota Twin Cities — 2025-11-19

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