Elan Justice Pavlinich

Director of Community Engagement 

Office of Professional Standards

Cleveland, Ohio

elanjustice@gmail.com

Elan Justice Pavlinich (EJ) is a doctor with over fifteen years of experience teaching and developing inclusive practices in a variety of institutional settings ranging from universities to public service. Currently, he is the Director of Community Engagement for the City of Cleveland, where he connects diverse communities to government resources, renders complex legal documents more accessible to the public, and maintains strong working relationships with elected officials. Formerly, he was an assistant professor of English at Wabash College where he taught Medieval and Early Modern Literatures, Medievalisms, and Gender Studies. EJ also innovated Business and Technical Writing Courses, Digital Humanities, and Writing for the Web. Additionally, he chaired the Gender Issues Committee, managing cultural events and public outreach that fosters diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Having earned his doctorate with graduate credentials in Women's and Gender Studies, EJ’s recently published book is about representations of race, class, gender, and sexuality in popular culture. But his work is not limited to academic observations. As a leader for inclusion initiatives at four institutions, and the chair of three philanthropic committees, a long record of initiatives demonstrates EJ’s consistent and ongoing commitment to enhancing inclusion. 

As the advisor to ‘shOUT, an LGBTQ+ student group, EJ increased participation by 333%. He regularly organized diversity initiatives for both the Malcolm X Institute for Black Studies and La Alianza: the Hispanic Alliance, to provide institutional support for the cultures and representations of people of color, and thus fostering a sense of belonging. Moreover, his strategic communications via social networks garnered charitable donations, and eventually, an established budget allotting thousands of dollars to fund cultural events, such as a film and lecture series and panel discussions. The resources EJ developed garnered two awards and international recognition, including the CARA Award for Excellence in Teaching and honorable mention for Outstanding Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Field of Writing Across the Curriculum. He was granted a Lilly Equity and Inclusion Fellowship for his open-access video series on inclusive writing practices, which provide strategies for employing gender-neutral language, avoiding racial and cultural biases, creating multi-modal and accessible documents, as well as best practices for professional comportment. 

Additionally, he is responsible for organizing the first campus-wide celebration of LGBTQ+ History Month at a private college. Then, he adapted this research, as well as information gathered from GLSEN and Campus Pride, to construct the first self-guided digital Safe Space training program. Furthermore, to facilitate connections to the community in which we are situated, he collaborated with students to publish an open-access digital map that documents diverse local histories featuring unique contributions by marginalized people. This civic engagement demonstrates a shared commitment to inclusion beyond the boundaries of the institution. 

Currently, as the Director of Community Engagement, EJ employs statistical data and analysis to develop and track marketing to non-engaged stakeholders by means of publications that are tailored to specific communities. He collaborates effectively with City Council to ensure they are meeting the specific needs of culturally-distinct districts, and he works closely with the data analyst to identify areas for innovation and to monitor progress. Within his first six months with the City of Cleveland, EJ increased public interactions with the Office of Professional Standards by 62%. He regularly documents such progress and future goals by means of executive summaries, formal reports, and press releases shared with local media outlets.

Email: elanjustice@gmail.com