Hon. Chris Ronayne

Chris Ronayne is the third Cuyahoga County Executive and took office on January 1, 2023, with a vision for a Healthy Cuyahoga County with safe communities, good jobs, a fair justice system, and excellent services.

A dedicated public servant, Chris began his career with the County Planning Commission where he developed community reinvestment plans and in Cuyahoga County government where he launched the Division of Employer Resources. Here, Chris saw the best of county government, where the private, nonprofit and public sectors worked together to achieve results.

In 2001, Chris was campaign manager for Jane Campbell, the first woman elected mayor in Cleveland’s history. At the City of Cleveland, he became Planning Director, where he led initiatives like the Cleveland Lakefront Plan and the Euclid Corridor. As chief architect of the Cleveland Lakefront Plan, he and his team engaged with 5,000 residents in the visioning process, secured tens of millions of dollars in state and federal funds, and laid the groundwork for projects that have received hundreds of millions in investment. Chris then served as Chief of Staff and Chief Development Officer in Cleveland where he oversaw over 5,000 employees and managed a budget of $1.5 billion.

For 16 years, Chris served as the President of University Circle Inc. Chris achieved measurable results, transforming Ohio’s education, medical, and cultural district into a thriving complete community. He delivered more than 2,500 new and renovated neighborhood homes to the area, developed after-school and summer programs that engaged more than 10,000 students each year, helped bring a grocery store to a food desert and connected small businesses to Cleveland’s arts, education and healthcare institutions.

Chris has lived in Cuyahoga County for 40 years. He currently resides in Cleveland's Edgewater neighborhood with his wife and two children.