Beginning January 2022, Benjamin Holbert started the second term as mayor of Woodmere Village. Prior to becoming the community’s chief executive officer, he served on village council and as its president for five years.
He is a member of the Cleveland Leadership Center’s Class of 2020. The program brings senior-level leaders from the nonprofit, corporate, civic, private, and public sectors together to explore collaborations and what can be done to enhance the success of the region. Mayor Holbert also served as president of the Valley Enforcement Regional Council of Governments (VerCog).
In 2021, the mayor was featured in a public service announcement on WOIO-CBS TV encouraging viewers to get vaccinated against COVID-19. His career in journalism and communications spans over 35 years. Mayor Holbert has served as a reporter/anchor at several media outlets including WKYC TV-NBC, WVIZ-PBS, WUAB-TV-43/WOIO-CBS, and WJMO-1490-AM. He received four EMMY’s from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
Throughout his career, Mayor Holbert has held many key positions including director of communications at Omega Psi Phi Fraternity; interim chief communications officer at the Cleveland Metropolitan School District; and senior partnership specialist at the U.S. Census Bureau.
Holbert has received numerous honors and community awards. In 2021, he was named “Citizen of the Year” by Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Zeta Omega Chapter. He was previously recognized with the Kent State University Outstanding Alumni Award and Benedictine High School Hall of Distinction, Knights of Peter Claver-Image Award, and the Akron (Ohio) Broadcasters Hall of Fame “Personality of the Year”.
Mayor Holbert is a graduate of Kent State University where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1984 and later earned a M.B.A. from University of Phoenix in 2012. He is married to Joyce and the couple have adult children.
