{"id":58223,"date":"2025-05-29T15:02:46","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T19:02:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jumpstartinc.org\/?p=58223"},"modified":"2025-05-29T15:56:17","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T19:56:17","slug":"jumpstart-inc-announces-new-board-chair-cindy-torres-essell-following-leadership-transition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jumpstartinc.org\/press-releases\/jumpstart-inc-announces-new-board-chair-cindy-torres-essell-following-leadership-transition","title":{"rendered":"JumpStart Inc. Announces New Board Chair Cindy Torres Essell, Following Leadership Transition"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-1 fusion-flex-container nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1248px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-0 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:0px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-1\"><p>JumpStart Inc. today announced the appointment of Cindy Torres Essell as Chair of its Board of Directors, effective immediately. The transition follows the voluntary resignation of Jos\u00e9 Vasqu\u00e9z, who has stepped down to pursue new opportunities in fund and venture development.<\/p>\n<p>Vasqu\u00e9z, a dedicated entrepreneur and longtime advocate for inclusive innovation, has served on the Board since 2017 and was appointed Chair in 2024. His decision to resign reflects his ongoing commitment to strong governance and his desire to focus fully on emerging opportunities in the venture ecosystem.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJos\u00e9\u2019s leadership has been instrumental in strengthening JumpStart\u2019s regional presence and advancing our mission to drive economic vitality by connecting entrepreneurs to the opportunities and resources they need to succeed,\u201d said Julie Jacono, CEO of JumpStart. \u201cWe are deeply grateful for his service and look forward to the continued impact of his work across Ohio and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The JumpStart Board has appointed Cindy Torres Essell to succeed Vasqu\u00e9z as Chair. A respected leader with a wealth of legal experience and deep expertise in human resource management and talent strategy, Essell currently serves as chief People Officer for Heinen\u2019s Grocery Stores, a regional grocer headquartered in Cleveland. She has served on the Board since 2020. She has held key leadership positions, including Chair of the HR and Compensation Committee, the CEO Search Committee, and most recently, Vice Chair of the Board.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCindy brings a clear strategic vision, proven governance expertise, long term connections with the regional corporate community and a deep passion for inclusive economic development,\u201d added Jacono. \u201cHer leadership will be critical as we continue to scale our impact and deepen our work across the region.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Essell\u2019s term as Board Chair will run through the end of 2027. In this role, she will help guide JumpStart\u2019s long-term strategy, expand collaborative partnerships, and champion innovation-driven growth throughout Ohio.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am honored to step into this role at such an exciting time for JumpStart,\u201d said Essell. \u201cI look forward to working closely with the Board and executive leadership to advance our mission and support the entrepreneurs and communities we serve.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:20px;margin-bottom:20px;width:100%;\"><div class=\"fusion-separator-border sep-single sep-solid\" style=\"--awb-height:20px;--awb-amount:20px;border-color:var(--awb-color3);border-top-width:1px;\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-2\"><p><strong>About JumpStart<\/strong><br \/>JumpStart Inc. is a nationally recognized entrepreneur support organization based in Cleveland, Ohio. For over 20 years, JumpStart has been accelerating the growth of driven and ambitious entrepreneurs through a combination of capital, high-impact services, and deep partnerships across the public, private, and philanthropic sectors. By investing in innovation, removing barriers, and fostering a dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem, JumpStart drives economic transformation and strengthens communities throughout Ohio and beyond.<\/p>\n<p>For media inquiries, please&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:callie.reynolds@jumpstartinc.org\">contact Callie Reynolds via email<\/a>&nbsp;or by calling 216-363-3430.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":58226,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-jumpstart-news","category-press-releases"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v26.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>JumpStart Inc. 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