In October 2025, a global venture capital firm purchased Summa Health - one of greater Akron’s largest employers and healthcare providers. Proceeds from the sale funded the creation of a new charitable foundation committed to improving health and wellness in the area.
Join the Akron Press Club on Wednesday, Nov. 18, for a conversation with Tracy Carter, president and CEO of Trailhead Community Health Foundation of Greater Akron. Carter will discuss how the foundation is putting resources to work, its progress in fundraising and grantmaking, and its long-term vision for improving community health across five Northeast Ohio counties. There will be an opportunity for questions from the audience.
Tickets are $35 and include admission and lunch.
<< register online >>
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 11 students in 2026. The Press Club sincerely thanks Summit County, Dr. Aileen Thong, Elizabeth Bartz and Bruce Winges for their donations to the scholarship fund.
Event Details
Program: Trailhead Community Health Foundation CEO Tracy Carter
Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2026.
Time: Doors open at 11 a.m. Lunch begins at 11:30. Speech begins at noon, followed by questions from the audience.
Place: 1201 East Market St. Akron, OH, 44305. The entrance is located a few doors down from Eighty-Three Brewery, in the former Goodyear Hall space.
Cost: $35 per individual; $280 for a table of eight. Fast and easy online registration.
Or contact the Press Club administrator, Emily Henthorn, at akronpressclub@gmail.com.
Advance sale tickets only.
Reservation deadline: Friday, November 13, 2026.
Cancellations: Cancellation requests must be received no later than xxx. After that time, there will be no refunds and an invoice will be issued for payment.
About Tracy Carter
Tracy Carter is a distinguished healthcare executive and public policy leader, currently serving as president and chief executive officer of the Trailhead Community Health Foundation of Greater Akron.
Carter began her healthcare career in 1989 as an INROADS college intern at Summa Akron City Hospital. Following the completion of her undergraduate business degree and graduate training in health services administration, she returned to the organization as an administrative fellow and subsequently advanced into leadership positions spanning corporate projects, external affairs, government relations, and health policy.
In 2015, Carter joined The MetroHealth System in Cleveland, where she helped align public policy strategy with organizational priorities to advance health coverage, access, and strategic growth. She returned to Summa in 2019 to lead the organization’s government affairs and health policy portfolio, co-chairing a regional collaboration that helped 60,000 Akron-Canton residents obtain medical coverage.
She serves as a trustee of Stark State College and currently holds the role of second vice chair.
Her public service includes appointments to the Akron Civil Service Commission and the Summit County Nonpartisan Fair District Commission, and she was named co-chair of the Gun Violence Response Fund Advisory Committee.
About Trailhead Community Health Foundation
Trailhead Community Health Foundation of Greater Akron is an independent nonprofit dedicated to improving community health across the Greater Akron area through strategic grants, collaborative partnerships, and targeted initiatives. The foundation was created to invest in the health and well-being of communities across Portage, Medina, Stark, Summit, and Wayne counties.