The Cleveland Museum of Art Elects Two New Members to Board of Trustees

CLEVELAND (November 11, 2021) — The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) announced today that Rebecca C. “Becky” Heller and John Sauerland have been elected to five-year terms as standing members of the Board of Trustees.  

“Becky and John are invested in the northeast Ohio community and are leaders in the industries in which they work and organizations they support,” said Scott C. Mueller, chair of the Board of Trustees. “I look forward to working with them.”

“We’re excited for Becky and John to join the Board of Trustees,” said William M. Griswold, director of the CMA. “Their passion for the community will benefit the institution as we advance our mission and work to achieve the goals outlined in our strategic and diversity, equity and inclusion plans.”

Heller is a trustee of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland and University Hospitals’ Rainbow Foundation. She and her husband, J. David Heller, president and CEO of the NRP Group, are supporters of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, University Hospitals, Joseph and Florence Mandel Jewish Day School and the Regents of the University of Michigan.

Heller studied speech-language pathology and psychology at Case Western Reserve University. Upon graduating in 1989, she served as a senior consultant at Medimetrix Group, a nationally based health care consulting firm. She and David have four children.

“I am honored to be elected as a trustee of the Cleveland Museum of Art. My hope is to bring my collective experience and passion to continue fostering the mission, vision and promise of the museum,” said Heller.

Sauerland is the CFO of Progressive Corporation and serves as a trustee and treasurer of the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. From 2016 through 2021, he served as a director of Beazley PLC, a specialist insurance business based in London. He holds a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics from UCLA and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago. He and his wife, Leanne, have four children.

“I’m honored and thrilled to join a very impressive board and leadership team in stewarding this incredible institution,” said Sauerland.

The CMA’s board is composed of 39 local and national arts leaders who help guide and support the CMA in its mission, vision and promise. As the museum pursues the ongoing implementation of its strategic plan and its diversity, equity and inclusion plan, the election of new trustees is integral to the success of those efforts.