Cuyahoga County Names Cynthia Sich as the First Director of Consumer Affairs

Posted on

Media contacts:  
Jeane’ Holley:  (216) 698-2544 or jholley@cuyahogacounty.us


CLEVELAND – Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald named Cynthia Sich to the Cuyahoga County Department of Consumer Affairs. Sich is the County's first director of Consumer Affairs which is made up of two divisions, Weights and Measures and Consumer Protection. Sich has 24 years of experience in consumer protection education and enforcement, plus 3 1/2 years in overseeing weights and measures.

“The consumer affairs experience that Cynthia brings to Cuyahoga County will ensure that our citizens and business owners stay informed and protected. As the new Director of Consumer Affairs, Cynthia will play a vital role in our overall mission to create a responsive government that is committed to ensuring the safety of the public. We are confident that with Cynthia’s ability to create, develop, and implement programs, we will be able to get that accomplished,” said Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald.

Created by ordinance in December 2012, the Cuyahoga County Department of Consumer Affairs is responsible for promoting consumer and financial literacy; investigating alleged violations relating to weights and measures; educating consumers and businesses; mediating disputes between consumers and businesses; and collaborating with businesses, non‐profit organizations, and government agencies on programs relating to consumer affairs.

In July 2005, Sich returned home to Northeast Ohio and was appointed the first director to launch the Office of Consumer Affairs for Summit County, Ohio charged with creating, developing, implementing and managing all program goals, objectives, policies and procedures for the consumer affairs office where none existed. Under her leadership the office reached out and educated thousands of consumers, mediated complaints, issued licenses, offered foreclosure intervention, taught financial literacy, investigated and fined businesses for violations of county consumer codes. Prior to that role, Cynthia served as Consumer Protection Regional Manager in Green Bay for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection where she oversaw both consumer protection and weights and measures programs and for 12 years, worked for the Arizona Attorney General's Office Consumer Protection Section as a legal assistant/investigator. Cynthia has served as past president for the North American Consumer Protection Investigators (NACPI) and former board member with the National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators (NACAA).

"I am very excited to bring my knowledge and skills to Cuyahoga County. With scams and identity theft continuously changing and evolving, it is my goal for the department to educate and protect residents of Cuyahoga County and its visitors by working with local leaders, community/consumer organizations, other county/city offices, businesses, and many others," says Cynthia Sich, Director of Cuyahoga County Consumer Affairs. "Starting next month, the Department will be launching information on the county's web page that will provide consumers and businesses alike with vital tips and resources."

Cynthia holds a Graduate Certificate in Gerontology and Bachelors of Arts from the University of Arizona and Associate of Applied Science in Legal Assistant Studies from Pima Community College.

  
How could we make it better?
   Please leave a comment before submitting.
Thank you for your feedback
Your feedback means a lot to us. We use it to improve the experience of all of our users.