CINCINNATI — Cincinnati City Manager Sheryl Long credits her grandmother's unwavering belief as the foundation for her historic role leading Ohio's third-largest city.
Long, who has served as city manager for almost three and a half years, is only the second Black female to hold the position in Cincinnati's history. She oversees daily operations and more than 6,000 employees while steering the city through billion-dollar budgets and challenging periods.
"I am the result of my grandmother's prayers," Long said. "It is amazing. I'm a first-generation college student."
Long's grandmother, Dorothy Mooney, raised her granddaughter to embrace her uniqueness and set high expectations that Long said she carries with her today.
"She kept on telling me that I was going to go somewhere," Long said. "She made sure I knew that I was unique. She made sure that she knew that I was not the same as everyone else, and I started embracing that uniqueness, right? Rather than saying that this is wrong, I'm like, it's okay for me to be who I am."
Long said her grandmother held her to a standard that made her feel that disappointing her would be unacceptable.
WATCH: Sheryl Long sits down with WCPO 9 anchor Tanya O'Rourke to talk about her advice for future generations
As city manager, Long serves as the chief executive officer of city operations, implementing the vision of Mayor Aftab Pureval and Cincinnati City Council.
"The mayor would have never put me in this position if I couldn't execute upon his vision," Long said. "We are right in line and in sync with each other, and same thing with (City Council). My job is to bring their things to life."
Long said her appointment as city manager reflects Cincinnati's commitment to selecting the best candidates regardless of appearance.
"Cincinnati, my hometown, is a community that is welcoming for all and understands that it's in your ability, regardless of what it looks like, that we want the best people running the organization," Long said.
Long said she believes Cincinnati gets unfairly criticized despite having women of color in key leadership positions.
"Cincinnati, Ohio, gets a bad rap, but at the end of the day, look who they're allowing and blessing to run these cities," Long said. "That's amazing."
Long actively engages with young people through her "Rock the Block" program, visiting schools throughout the city to show students that City Hall careers are accessible.
"I'm in every high school. We are in every elementary school," Long said. "We're going out there, bringing City Hall to these kids to let them know you too can be in City Hall. These are career jobs. These are opportunities for you to have upward mobility."
Long's advice to the next generation? Dream without limits.
"Dream big. Make sure that you don't let a job description limit what you're going to do," Long said. "Every one of us has, in our core, a dream, and it has a mission on this earth that we are here to actually bring to life, and it is within us to have the power to whether that actually happens or not."
Editor's Note: We erroneously reported that Long had been in her position for nearly two and a half years. It has been corrected to note she has been city manager for nearly three and a half years.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
