Akron Roundtable Podcast

The Crypto Conundrum - Breaking Down Bitcoin Basics talk will trace the evolution of digital currencies and their importance in our modern digital world. It will cover Bitcoin's history, blockchain technology, and its decentralized nature. The chat also discusses mining, security, and privacy aspects. The discussion examines Bitcoin's advantages, risks, and drawbacks, as well as its impact on the...

Join us for a facilitated session as leaders from agriculture and energy come together to discuss the pressing issues and promising pathways for the future of climate change. Through an engaging facilitated discussion by Zaria Johnson, we will unpack the intricate relationship between energy, agriculture, and climate change. Panelist Mike Chadsey and Erin Fitzgerald will share valuable insights in...

What does freedom mean to the individual citizen or an entire race? Whose history, whether made by an individual or an entire community, deserves reverence, protection, and preservation? In celebration of Juneteenth, this talk by Brent Leggs will highlight a galaxy of Black American sites representing generational citizenship and a profound national identity. 

 Cindy Hohl, MBA/MLIS, is a member of the Santee Sioux Nation and director of policy analysis and operational support at the Kansas City Public Library She is a past president of the American Indian Library Association and committed to focusing her work around creating welcoming spaces where library workers know that they belong there. In her work on the DEIA committee with the National Informatio...

As president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Loretta J. Mester participates in the formulation of U.S. monetary policy and oversees more than 1,000 employees in Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh who conduct economic research, supervise banking institutions, and provide payment services to commercial banks and the U.S. government. She assumed her role as pr...

Katie Moon will talk with moderator and  Track & Field News correspondent Dave Hunter about her 2020 Olympic experience and related track and field accomplishments, as well as her current training path leading to the 2024 Olympics.

Born and raised in Akron, Ohio, Congresswoman Emilia Strong Sykes grew up on the city's west side and has dedicated her career to strengthening her community. For 8 years, Emilia served as the State Representative for Ohio House District 34, otherwise known as the "Birthplace of Champions." During that time, she served for four years in Democratic leadership, including three years as the House Min...

Theron Brown will take us on a musical journey from past to present as he unpacks the stories and spirit of Howard Street. He'll reveal the cultural significance of this gift to the city of Akron and a new synergy around the realization of wealth that was formed during an important era of jazz history in our community.

TABLEAU 2022: Tableau is Akron Roundtable's annual fundraising dinner which sets the stage for an evening of great discussion with a celebrated speaker. Our special guest, Connie Schultz, will step away from the podium to share personal insights and life experiences in an intimate conversation with Justin Hilton, Executive Director, Leadership Akron. Your generosity by attending this fundraiser wi...

Speaker: Rich Kramer is Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. He became CEO in 2010 and was elected Chairman by Goodyear's Board of Directors later the same year. For more event details and full speaker bio please visit bit.ly/3iQdj8w

Speaker: Jerika L. Richardson is Senior Vice President for Equitable Justice & Strategic Initiatives at the National Urban League. She leads the organization's advocacy, public education, and strategic work on civic engagement, voting rights, police reform, criminal justice reform, and other justice related areas. Moderator: Marlene Harris-Taylor is director of engaged journalism which includes ma...

Speaker: Christopher Wilkins became Music Director of the Akron Symphony in the fall of 2006. Since then the orchestra's programming has reflected his strong interest in community-oriented projects. He has developed partnerships with many artists and organizations based in Northeast Ohio, including the Akron Art Museum, Akron-Summit County Public Library, Firestone High School, Summit County Histo...

Presentation: The role of public education is to ensure every child in America is provided an opportunity to reach their full potential in ways that prepare them for success in a global society. The pandemic, however, exposed glaring inequities in America's education system, and school districts were forced to rethink the way they've operated over the last century. Hear Christine Fowler Mack, Supe...

Speaker: Mike Crawford is the Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer for Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company and its subsidiaries, including Hall of Fame Village powered by Johnson Controls, which he joined in December of 2018. Mr. Crawford spent almost 25 years at the Walt Disney Company. He rose to Senior Vice President and General Manager of Shanghai Disney Resort...

Presentation: Why do Black American women suffer a 300% maternal mortality rate as compared to white women? Why do Native American babies suffer the highest infant mortality rate in the developed world? Why are BIPOC Americans charged and incarcerated at a rate of 6-9 times that of white Americans despite comparable crime rates. And how do we R.I.S.E. up to these challenges in a meaningful way? Sp...

Presentation: This presentation, given on August 18th, 2016, was part of the Akron Roundtable's 40th Anniversary series, in which several key speakers from over the decades were invited to return to the Roundtable podium. Speaker: Dr. Austen, born and raised in Akron, Ohio, received his BS degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his MD degree from Harvar...

Presentation: The last two and a half years has been a time of significant disruption. Carey will share theories on societal and business disruption and how GOJO continues to leverage its values to support the world's increased need for PURELL® products despite this disruption. Speaker: Carey Jaros has led GOJO Industries as President and Chief Executive Officer since January 2020 and has been wit...

Presentation: Many would acknowledge that we are entering a third wave of access to public higher education in America. We will review the first two waves of access, the markers of this third wave, and discuss changes in who pays for the cost of earning a college education, with Kent State University offered as an example of these trends. Speaker: Todd Diacon became Kent State University's 13th pr...

Presentation Ohio is an aging state. Explore Ohio's plan to take on ageism, eliminate disparities and inequities among older Ohioans, and create a state where Ohioans live longer, healthier lives with dignity and autonomy. Speaker Jennifer Carlson is the Ohio Department of Aging's Assistant Director. In the role, she drives the development of innovative policy and programs to improve the health, w...

Presentation Widely recognized as one of the defining features of our community, Summit Metro Parks celebrated its centennial anniversary in 2021. With the support of Summit County residents, the park district protects 15,000 acres of green space and hosts nearly six million visits each year. Informed by the stories of its past and its vision for the future, the park district enters its second cen...

Bob Spitz was born, lived, went to high school and college on the same street, in Reading, Pennsylvania. Once he strayed off the block, however, his life veered into diverse and fascinating realms. A longtime musician, he retired from the music business in 1980 to pursue his love of writing. His biography, Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child, was published on the centenary of her birth, in...

Speaker: Amy Freitag comes to New York Restoration Project (NYRP) with a professional background that includes serving in the Bloomberg Administration as Deputy Commissioner for Capital Projects in the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation for six years and Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. While at the NYC Parks Department, she administered a $3 billion capital program – during what is con...

Presentation: Voting rights are being tested all around the country at the local, state and federal levels. Join a conversation to discuss the need for voting rights expansion and the fight against voter suppression from an expert at the League of Women Voters. This is part of the Point/Counterpoint two-part series offered by the Akron Roundtable in which speakers help create a public dialogue aro...

Presentation: Election integrity is a fundamental requirement of a functioning democratic republic. In the freest nation in the world, our system of government and our very liberty depend on free, fair, and honest elections. Americans must be able to trust the process, or the democratic system itself breaks down. The U.S. has a long and unfortunate history of election fraud and we must take steps...

Presentation: The secret is out that we're all living on borrowed time, so the question is whether we're merely tolerating our work and going through the motions in our lives, or whether we're doing the work that fulfills us and Living with a big "L"… Living with the pursuit of maximum aliveness, living lives we'd be proud to look back on, without the faintest whiff of regret on our eventual death...