Jan L. Roller has been an ardent supporter, leader, donor, fund-raiser, cheerleader
and visionary for Near West Theatre for
more than 14 years. Whenever she sees a
critical challenge facing the organization,
she helps organize a way through.
Roller stepped into the role of organizational leader for the theater in 1994, when
she approached Executive Director
Stephanie Morrison-Hrbek with the desire
to improve the Near West Theatre advisory
committee. By 1996, the theater was guided by a new board with a variety of professionals from the Cleveland community.
From there, Roller and the advisory board
began to explore the possibility of becoming
an independent entity. Under her leadership, Near West underwent a three-year
process, at the end of which the theater
achieved independence from the financial
affiliate with which it had been engaged.
From that point on, Roller worked with the
advisory board and the staff to form a governance structure for the fledgling organization.
Roller, a partner with Davis & Young LPA,
was the driving force behind Near West’s first
annual benefit event. As the leader of a newly
independent organization, Roller realized
creating some sort of fund-raising event was
necessary for the continued operation of the
theater.
Roller obtained corporate sponsorships
and leveraged the organization’s relationships to ensure the fund-raising pieces of
the puzzle were in place. She helped to
define the event, proposing a location in a
handicap-accessible downtown venue
because, while accessibility is a core value
of Near West, its current home is not handicap accessible.
The first benefit was a great success, and
Roller has remained involved. For the past
10 years, she has helped organize and stage
all 10 of the annual benefits — both as benefit committee chair and in other roles with
the benefit committee.
Roller went on to serve as the president of Near West’s board of trustees, a board
she helped form and grow. Responding to
the need for an accessible space, she
became actively involved in Near West’s
building committee. She helped spearhead
a search for a building that could become
the theater’s future home. Roller then
began working with the Gordon Square
Arts District and its economic development project to help it achieve its fund-raising goal — which will allow Near West to
move into a brand-new, accessible building.
HOW TO REACH: Near West Theatre, (216) 961-9750 or
www.nearwesttheatre.org
