April McClellan-Copeland

April McClellan-Copeland is a senior writer at Kent State University with an extensive background in journalism, strategic communications and community relations.

She spent nearly 15 years as a reporter and columnist at The Plain Dealer, where highlights of her career included writing stories about the Cleveland Indians’ run for the World Series in 1995 and covering President Barack Obama’s historic election in 2008.

While a reporter at The Plain Dealer, she was part of a team honored by Columbia University for coverage of the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of Cleveland, where she was raised, in a series titled “Can We Save Our Neighborhood.” She also enjoyed representing the newspaper on Feagler & Friends on WVIZ/PBS.

McClellan-Copeland started her career at The Kansas City Star. There she wrote news and feature stories.  

Before joining Kent State, McClellan-Copeland was a senior communications coordinator at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. At the Fed, she crafted stories and communication strategies for the Employee Communications Department.

McClellan-Copeland has won industry awards from the Ohio Associated Press, the National Association of Black Journalists and the Public Relations Society of America.