Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro will deliver the annual State of the County speech at the John S. Knight Center on Thursday, October 12, 2023. Doors open at 11 a.m. and the program will begin at noon.
The speech is sponsored by the Akron Press Club. There will be the opportunity for questions following the speech.
Ilene Shapiro was appointed county executive in 2016. She was elected to the office the following November, becoming Summit County’s first elected woman county executive. She currently is serving her second term as county executive. She is a former county council president who served on the council for nearly 10 years.
Shapiro is the chief fiduciary officer for the county, managing a budget of more than $500 million with 10 departments.
Under her leadership, the county negotiated the largest financial settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors, attracted new and existing business investment, improved security conditions at the county jail, implemented cost-saving measures for a new, state-of-the-art consolidated 9-1-1 dispatch system and emphasized workforce diversity. The county continues to have a strong credit rating.
Spanning her business career to her time in office, Shapiro has received recognition from the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Women's Network, ATHENA International, the Akron Urban League, Crain’s Cleveland, Team NEO and Direction Home. In 2022, she received the Greater Akron Chamber’s H. Peter Burg Award and the Victim Assistance Program Bernard Rosen Community Service Award.
Proceeds from Akron Press Club events fund 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 2023. The Press Club sincerely thanks Summit County, Dr. Aileen Thong, Elizabeth Bartz and FirstEnergy for their donations to the scholarship fund.
One of the scholarships is named in honor of the late County Executive Russ Pry, a long-time supporter of the Press Club. Ilene Shapiro continues that support with her State of the County speech.