1006 - Edward Stockhausen
Edward Stockhausen (Performing with Teagan Reed)
Senior Vice President of Advocacy & External Relations
Cleveland Neighborhood Progress
Edward Stockhausen serves as the Senior Vice President of Advocacy & External Relations at Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, a local community development intermediary in Cleveland, Ohio. His responsibilities include working with public officials on legislative and administrative policy changes, leading marketing and public relations, and supporting the organization’s fund development work.
Prior to joining the team at CNP, Ed spent five years at Open Doors Academy, Cleveland’s leading out-of-school time organization serving over 500 kids and families per year, as its Chief Advancement Officer. Responsibilities included oversight over all aspects of fundraising, marketing, and government relations. Under his leadership, ODA led the effort to reverse a decision by the Ohio Department of Education to withhold funding for afterschool programs, and he secured an invitation for ODA to testify before Congress during its inaugural Education Innovation Summit. Before ODA, Ed worked for the Mental Health & Addiction Advocacy Coalition as its Northeast Ohio Director and for the Ohio Senate, where he ran legislative affairs and communications for the Assistant Minority Leader.
Ed earned a Master’s Degree in City & Regional Planning from The Ohio State University, received bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and Philosophy, Politics, & the Public from Xavier University, and is a graduate of Cleveland’s St. Ignatius High School.
He currently serves on the boards of Motogo, a motorcycle-based nonprofit focused on STEM education; the Cleveland Leadership Center; and the Near West Theatre.
Behind the Scenes Video
Go behind the scenes of the It Takes Two! 2023 creative process and hear from celebrity dancer Edward Stockhausen, Senior Vice President of Advocacy & External Relations at Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, and GroundWorks DanceTheater Company Artist Teagan Reed. Click here to watch the video.
Better Know Edward
Family Shoutout: Boyfriend Will Riddle, and dogs Franklin & Rockefeller
Favorite Book: The Guns of August, by Barbara Tuschman
Favorite genre of music: Diva Pop Music (Kylie, Beyonce, Ava Max, etc., etc., etc.)
Name one thing on your bucket list: Seeing the stars of the southern hemisphere
Favorite dessert: I have an epic sweet tooth, and there’s not a dessert I don’t like.
As a child I wanted to be a: A concert pianist. And then I discovered that my hands are thick and can barely reach one octave.
When I am not working, I like to: Kill grass, plant perennials, and play with my dogs – in the dirt, at the beach, and on the front porch.
1. Why did you decide to be an It Takes Two! celebrity dancer? There were several reasons. First, Suzanne Hamilton asked me, and I’m never going to say no to her. Second, GroundWorks is a tenant of Shaker Square, and I work for the company that bought Shaker Square in order to stabilize and restore it. So this is a way of supporting the businesses and tenants that make Shaker Square a Cleveland icon. Last, you should do something every day – or, in my case, every year – that scares you. Performing on stage terrifies me, so be kind.
2. How has it been working with your GroundWorks dance partner (s)? Teagan is amazing. He made me feel comfortable the second I stepped onto the dance floor. He listened to me when I told him what I was worried about and what I wanted to do. He’s adaptive, innovative, and thoughtful. It’s been amazing, and I look forward to our practice sessions – because I’m practicing at home and don’t want to let him down!
3. What has surprised you about the creative process? It’s not the world I operate in, so the entire creative process is like a new world to me. It is constantly surprising.
4. What about dance in general connects with you? Very little. I am not flexible. I do not have rhythm. Despite all of that, I can be honest about those things and still find space in myself to try and do this.
5. Why should people vote for you? Vote for me because I’m terrified and I’m still doing this! And I hope we surprise you and give you something to remember at the end of the night.
