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Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro will deliver the annual State of the County speech at the John S. Knight Center on Wednesday, October 19, 2022. Doors open at 11 a.m. and the program will begin at noon.

            There will be the opportunity for questions following the speech.

            Ilene Shapiro is serving her second term as Summit County Executive. As Executive, she leads ten unique departments and serves as the chief fiduciary officer for the County, managing a budget of over a half billion dollars. In holding this office, Executive Shapiro strives to make a positive impact on the lives of all Summit County residents. She is the first woman in Ohio to serve as county executive.

            Executive Shapiro is a champion for innovative projects and initiatives that foster collaboration and position Summit County and its 31 municipalities to succeed. Under her leadership, the county has led the charge in negotiating the largest financial settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors, utilize innovative tactics to attract new and existing business investment, improve security conditions at the county jail, implement cost saving measures for a new, state of the art consolidated 9-1-1 dispatch system and place emphasis on workforce diversity.

            Executive Shapiro previously served on Summit County Council for ten years, three of those leading the county’s 11-member policymaking body as Council President. Prior to her career in public service, Executive Shapiro worked in the corporate business world and was a small business owner. She is well-known for her support of women in business and philanthropy.

            Proceeds from this speech and other Press Club events fund scholarships for students of journalism and public relations. The Press Club sincerely thanks Summit County for its generous donation to our scholarship fund. One of our scholarships is named in honor of the late County Executive Russ Pry. Russ was a supporter of the Press Club through his annual State of the County speech. Executive Shapiro continues that tradition.

            Registrations can be made through Leah Nemeth at the Akron Press Club by clicking here or calling 330-715-6372.

            All elected officials must register through Julie Tortora at the Summit County Executive's Office at jtortora@summitoh.net or 330-643-2609.

            Once again, Summit County ReWorks is partnering with us to make this a Zero Waste Event.

Program: State of the County 2022

Date: Wednesday, October 19, 2022

Time: Doors open 11 a.m. Lunch served at 11:30 a.m. Program begins at noon

Place: John S. Knight Center

Cost: $35 Individual Tickets, members and non-members

          $350 per table of 10

 Reservations required

•           Click here for fast and easy online registration (non-elected officials).

•           Elected officials must register through jtortora@summitoh.net or 330-643-2609.

•           Or, contact Leah Nemeth, Akron Press Club administrator, at 330-552-8860 or akronpressclub@gmail.com.  

            Cancellations: Cancellation requests must be received no later than 48 hours before the event. After that time, there will be no refunds and an invoice will be issued for payment.

            Funds from these events go toward scholarships for journalism and public relations students. Between the Press Club and the John S. Knight Memorial Scholarship Fund, scholarships of $5,000 were awarded to 10 students in 2022.

            Please consider a donation to the Akron Press Club to fund scholarships. They make a difference to the students who receive them. You can donate by following the link on the registration page for this event.

            To donate to Press Club scholarships: Go to https://bit.ly/370g0eZ