News

The Women’s History Project of the Greater Akron Area, a program of the Summit County Historical Society of Akron, OH, will be hosting its annual Woman of the Year Awards virtually at noon on Thursday, March 25, 2021. The theme is “Heroines of the Pandemic.” Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro, the first female County Executive in the state, will give the welcome.

Summa Health will again be the presenting sponsor. Society board members Dr. Kitty Endres and Dr. Theresa S. Beyerle are co-chairs of the event.

Dr. Amy Acton, director of the Ohio Department of Health from 2019–2020 under Governor Mike DeWine, will be the keynote speaker for the program. Dr. Acton has been praised for her steady approach to the novel corona virus, COVID-19, in guiding the state at the onset of the pandemic. Now living near Columbus, Dr. Acton is a northeast Ohio native hailing from Youngstown. Ohio House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes, an Akron and Summit County native and resident, has referred to Dr. Acton as "the real MVP of Ohio’s coronavirus response." Sykes was the 2020 Women’s History Project keynote speaker the week before Ohio shut down due to the pandemic.

Woman of the Year Award recipients are the following:

Dr. Shanu Agarwal, Summa Health – Special Pandemic Health Lisa Aurilio, Akron Children’s Hospital – Special Pandemic Health

Olive Beason (Husk) – Posthumous

Nealie D’Abate, Western Reserve Hospital – Special Pandemic Health

Bhutanese Mask Makers of North Hill, Greater Akron Hindu Sewa Samittee, Inc. -Perseverance Josy Jones – Creativity

Reverend Nanette Pitt – Faith

Christy Rohm, Cleveland Clinic Akron General – Special Pandemic Health

Donna Skoda, Summit County Health Commissioner – Integrity

Ellie Payne and Mary Myers, students of University of Akron Metalsmithing professor Sherry Simms, have been selected to make the 2021 awards that will be given to the recipients in shadow boxes.

The event is free and open to the public but registration is required via EventBrite. Booklet ads and sponsorships are still available by contacting the Society at 330.535.1120 or Leianne@summithistory.org.

Eventbrite Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/womens-history-project-woman-of-the-year-awards-virtual-tickets- 144508850863