From Hoop Dreams to Community Leader

Born and raised in West Ashley, Odell Cleveland was a star basketball player at Middleton High School when they won the State Championship in 1977. He then went on to become captain of the National Champion Division II University of South Carolina at Spartanburg (now USC – Upstate) basketball team. But these days Reverend Odell Cleveland is finding success in different arenas.
While his life journey’s starting point may have been on Sycamore Avenue, hard work, street smarts, an “I’ll show them” attitude, and knowing what it takes to be a winner have led to success in whatever Cleveland sets out to do. Cleveland recently reflected back on his journey from his West Ashley community to the flight he was taking, returning from Washington D. C. following a meeting with Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.
As Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the nationally renewed Welfare Reform Liaison Project in Greensboro, NC, Cleveland has been at the frontline in Washington DC and was an invited guest at President Barrack Obama’s last State of the Union Address.
His achievements have been acknowledged in many ways: Induction in the USC Upstate Athletics Hall of Fame, recipient of the Pinnacle Congressional District), designed to address critical community issues.
Cleveland has demonstrated his excellence in a number of different community leadership capacities, including serving as Chair of the Degree Matters program, Nominating Committee Chair for the local Boy Scout Council, and serving on the boards for such major community institutions as the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro and the United Way of Greater Greensboro.
Cleveland has shared his message in a number of different venues. He has authored or produced several different books and DVDs that reflect his Charleston area roots, such as “Jerry O. Waters: Born to be a Coach”” and “Go Hard or Go Home”, the story of Tony Eady. He is co-author of the nationally recognized book “Pracademics and Community Change.” He has been featured in events as varied as the Duke University Poverty Forum, Urban Institute (Washington D.C.) workshops, the National Community Action Partnership Convention (San Francisco) and the Lumina Foundation (Dallas). His perspective on poverty, coupled with a belief in the value of finding common ground around important community issues, has led such diverse national leaders as Speaker of the House Ryan and Melissa Rogers, Director of the Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships for President Obama, to seek his viewpoint on community issues.
While Cleveland has often been asked to work in regional, national, and even international arenas, his Charleston roots are never forgotten. He frequently visits with area family members, including his mother, siblings and aunt. He remains in touch with friends and follows events in Charleston closely.
Cleveland currently serves as the Chief Administrative Officer of Mount Zion Baptist Church of Greensboro (NC), Inc., a 4,000 member predominantly African American Church. Earlier in his career, Cleveland developed Cal Tee Solutions, LLC as a way to continue to share his expertise to broader community segments.
Cal Tee’s work focuses on three primary areas: Creating Common Ground to build relationships for lasting change; Entrepreneurial Mentoring, helping the passionate achieve effectiveness, both in the nonprofit and for profit world and; Eradicating Poverty, moving from dependency to self-sufficiency. He accomplishes these tasks through consulting services, motivational/inspirational speaker, meeting facilitation and serving as a trainer.