Erskine (Ernie) Cade is a Partner with Strategic Health Care (SHC) and Strategic Government Relations (SGI Group), legislative and regulatory affairs firms well respected for expertise in public policy and impact upon decision-making at the federal, state, and local levels of government.
Ernie is recognized as one of the nation’s leading lobbyist by Black Enterprise Magazine, Who’s Who in Corporate America, and Who’s Who in Black Cleveland
Cade is a celebrated leader in Greater Cleveland’s civic sector, as a diligent and engaged member of several community boards. He currently serves as a board
member and former board chair for the Center of Families and Children (CFC) and Capital Square Foundation. He is a former board chair and member of the Ohio United Way, a member of the Executive Leadership Council (ELC), and the Levin College Visiting Committee and Advisory Board, College of Urban Affairs, at Cleveland State University. Cade is also a member of the Mentoring Committee at Cleveland State University and a member of the ADAMS Board of Cuyahoga County. He is a life member of the National Black MBA Association. He also formerly served as chairman of the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE), the Ohio Lottery Commission and the Board of Zoning Appeals with the City of Cleveland.
Ernie has over 35 years of experience as a corporate lobbyist and business executive. He recently served as Senior Vice President and Director of Government Relations for Key Corp, overseeing Key’s efforts and accomplishments on legislative and regulatory affairs. He also served as a member of KeyBank’s Executive Council. Ernie was also a member of the American Bankers Association, serving on the Government Relations Committee.
Ernie also led a meritorious career with The Standard Oil Company of Ohio (SOHIO) and BP. Among his many assignments, he served as regional director of government relations for the Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast states. Ernie spent time in the U.K. and met with members of Parliament and the House of Lords. He also held positions in consumer sales, industrial sales and retail marketing management, where he was responsible for managing more than 300 employees in 120 retail outlets, and over $150M in sales. His tenure also included working for the company’s Alaskan pipeline permitting operations, and proposed construction of a deep water oil terminal in Long Beach, California.
A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Ernie received his Business Administration degree from West Virginia State University while playing for the university’s basketball program. He earned an Executive Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. Ernie is a member of Gethsemane Baptist Church in Cleveland, OH, serving as the chairman of the Deacon’s Ministry. He is also a member of Sigma Pi Phi (The Boule), Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., and 100 Black Men of Greater Cleveland. Ernie if the proud father of Michael Cade, grandfather of Michael Jr. and Marcus Cade, and great-grandfather of Michael K. Cade.