PRESIDENT/CEO

Gwen L. Robinson-Benning has served as President/CEO of the Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency since 1995. Since taking leadership of the agency, she has been laurelled for leading a turn-around effort which positioned the agency to become a major human services/economic development institution serving the entire county. As the agency continued to expand its programs and services, it became a financially sound institution, recognized throughout the state for its progressiveness in service of children and families. She has placed the agency in the forefront by building two new multi-million dollar facilities, with its corporate headquarters housing a public library, health clinic, and SuperJobs site.

As the mother of two, Ms. Robinson-Benning understands the importance of providing quality care to all children and plays a major role in new initiatives for early childhood education. She is a co-founder of Every Child Succeeds, a collaborative program providing home visits for first-time, at-risk mothers. Equally concerned with individuals and families in Greater Cincinnati, she served as the Cincinnatus Association’s first African American President, leading the organization in making recommendations on the issues and needs of the community.

A revered leader, mentor, educator, advocate, and role model, Ms. Robinson-Benning serves on many boards and has received numerous awards throughout her career. She is the President of the Ohio Association of Community Action Agencies' Board of Trustees and a board member for Hoxworth, DCI, the Public Library Foundation, the Public Benefit Board for the State of Ohio, and the Fifth Third CRA board.

Some of her awards include the Cincinnati Enquirer's 2006 Women of the Year Award, the Leading Women of the Year Award, the YWCA Career Women of Achievement Award, the 2006 NAACP Wright Overstreet Award, Radio One Empowerment Award, and the Dada Rafiki Award. She was also honored for the 2010 Profiles in Courage and the 2007 Ladies of Distinction.