2025 Holiday Party & Maynard Distinguished Leader Award Celebration

2025 Holiday Party & Maynard Distinguished Leader Award Celebration
Honoring Kemp Boyd (Signature Class 33)

Thursday, December 11, 2025, 4:00-7:00pm
Location TBD

Esteemed Alumni – You're invited to an inspiring evening of connection, celebration, and inspiration at Leadership Akron’s 2025 Alumni Holiday Party and Maynard Distinguished Leader Award presentation! This year, we are proud to honor Kemp Boyd, an unwavering community champion and graduate of Signature Class 33, as the recipient of the 2025 Maynard Distinguished Leader Award. This award is part of the Leadership Akron Life Trustee Awards Trinity.

Join us in recognizing Kemp’s exceptional leadership and commitment to building a more connected and compassionate Greater Akron. Together, we’ll honor the past, celebrate the present, and look ahead to a bright future as we recognize the incredible leadership shaping Greater Akron.

4:00 – 5:00 PM | VIP Reception

  • Exclusive gathering with Kemp Boyd, along with past award awardees, and Leadership Akron alumni

  • Enjoy appetizers and one complimentary drink ticket as you connect with some of Greater Akron’s most impactful leaders in an intimate setting

5:00 – 7:00 PM Alumni Holiday Party & Award Presentation

  • Celebrate with fellow Leadership Akron alumni during an evening filled with connections and inspiration. Highlights include:

  • Connect with fellow alumni and community partners

  • Celebrate Akron’s spirit of leadership with the presentation of the 2025 Maynard Distinguished Leader Award

  • Reflections on our impact and a look ahead at what’s next for Leadership Akron

  • Appetizers and one complimentary drink ticket. Additional beverages are available for purchase.

Don't miss this inspiring and festive evening as we honor transformational leadership and raise a toast to the future of our shared community.

**Details for individual ticket sales will be announced at a later date.

About Kemp Boyd
Kemp Boyd is a visionary leader and servant-hearted advocate whose work has bridged communities, inspired collaboration, and uplifted youth across Greater Akron. As Executive Director of Love Akron, he leads a citywide coalition of churches, nonprofits, and civic partners committed to fostering unity, addressing systemic challenges, and promoting transformational leadership rooted in faith and service.

A graduate of Leadership Akron Signature Class 33, Kemp’s leadership extends across multiple sectors, including mental health, faith-based initiatives, education, and youth development. He is a respected speaker, co-pastor at Garden City Church, and head football coach at Kenmore-Garfield High School, where he inspires student-athletes far beyond the game.

Kemp is known not only for his accomplishments but for his authenticity, integrity, humility, and unwavering belief in Akron’s potential. His leadership embodies the values of service, empathy, and inclusive progress—making him a truly distinguished honoree.

Kemp Boyd
2024 Maynard Distinguished Leader Awardee

The Maynard Distinguished Leader Award honors an individual whose long-standing leadership reflects exceptional integrity, vision, and commitment to community. This award is part of the Leadership Akron Life Trustee Awards Trinity. This year’s recipient, Kemp Boyd, Executive Director of Love Akron, embodies these values through his tireless work to foster unity, lead with humility, and bridge divides across Greater Akron.

With a background that spans sports, ministry, and nonprofit leadership, Kemp’s journey has been anything but conventional – but his mission has always been consistent: to create spaces where people feel seen, valued, and heard. At Love Akron, he has led transformative initiatives that bring together faith communities, civic leaders, and organizations across sectors to address pressing issues with honesty, empathy, and collaboration.

A member of Leadership Akron Signature Class 33 and its Executive Board, Kemp has become a trusted voice in times of both celebration and crisis. From leading prayer gatherings and unity events during times of civic unrest, to facilitating honest dialogue around race, equity, and healing, Kemp shows up with both strength and grace – guiding our city toward deeper connection and shared purpose.

Whether mentoring young men through athletics, leading corporate culture change workshops, or offering spiritual guidance as a pastor, Kemp approaches every role with a servant’s heart and a leader’s vision. His leadership is deeply relational, boldly collaborative, and firmly rooted in his faith and love for Akron.

Through Love Akron, he has built bridges with civic leaders, churches, corporations, and nonprofits – bringing diverse voices together to solve problems and build trust.

In honoring Kemp Boyd, we celebrate a leader who doesn’t just talk about change – he builds the trust, relationships, and momentum required to make it real.