2025 Lieberth Community Vision Award Breakfast Honoring Robert DeJournett
Lieberth Community Vision Award Breakfast
Honoring Robert DeJournett (Signature Class 21)
Thursday, November 6, 2025, 7:00-9:00am
John S. Knight Center
This isn’t your typical awards breakfast.
Join Leadership Akron for an unforgettable morning as we pay tribute to an extraordinary leader whose vision, collaborative spirit, and unwavering commitment have left an indelible mark on Greater Akron. This year, we are honored to present the prestigious 2025 Lieberth Community Vision Award to Robert DeJournett, a champion of equity, economic opportunity, and inclusive leadership.
The Lieberth Community Vision Award recognizes individuals who reflect the values of its namesake, Dave Lieberth—demonstrating thoughtful, pragmatic leadership that brings people together to move Akron forward. Robert's lifelong dedication to building bridges across business, civic, and faith communities makes him a powerful embodiment of this spirit.
Prepare to be inspired, entertained, and deeply moved as we celebrate a leader whose life’s work has helped shape a more inclusive and connected Greater Akron. More than an event, this one-of-a-kind experience—crafted with the signature creativity and spirit only Leadership Akron can deliver—brings Robert DeJournett’s legacy to life in powerful and unexpected ways.
About Robert DeJournett:
Through his former role as Vice President of Opportunity & Inclusion for the Greater Akron Chamber, his ongoing leadership as Senior Pastor of St. Ashworth Temple, and now as President of the Black Chamber of Commerce – Summit County, Robert has helped shape policies, partnerships, and programs that advance equity and economic development in the region.
He is a sought-after speaker and mentor, recognized for his ability to bring diverse groups together to drive meaningful change. Robert has served on numerous boards and initiatives, including the Summit County Executive’s COVID-19 Economic Recovery Task Force, the Mayor’s Racial Equity & Social Justice Taskforce Team, Project Ujima, Leadership Akron Alumni Association, the Love Akron Network, the Huntington Bank Regional Advisory Board, the Akron Metro Transit Authority, the American Heart Association Summit/Portage County, the National American Heart Association Diversity Leadership Committee, and the Akron Zoo Board of Trustees.
His visionary leadership continues to inspire and elevate Greater Akron’s next generation of leaders—making Robert DeJournett a fitting recipient of this year’s Lieberth Community Vision Award.
Become an Event Sponsor Today!
Robert DeJournett
2025 Lieberth Community Vision
Award Recipient
The Lieberth Community Vision Award recognizes a leader whose broad perspective, courageous collaboration, and unwavering commitment to the greater good have left a lasting imprint on Greater Akron. This year, we are honored to present the award to Robert DeJournett, whose decades of leadership across sectors have shaped a more equitable and connected community.
Robert’s career has been defined by his ability to bridge divides and elevate voices too often left unheard. As President & CEO of the Black Chamber of Commerce Summit County, and previously as Vice President of Opportunity Inclusion at the Greater Akron Chamber, Robert has been a catalytic force in advancing inclusive economic development, building pipelines of opportunity for minority-owned businesses, and advocating for systems-level change that reaches far beyond one institution.
But Robert’s vision for the community doesn’t stop at strategy. A proud member of Leadership Akron Signature Class 21 and a respected faith leader, he brings heart, humility, and spiritual depth to every table he sits at. He serves as pastor of St. Ashworth Temple Church of God in Christ, where he continues to mentor, inspire, and uplift leaders across generations. His dual calling gives him a unique lens through which he leads: one that centers dignity, calls out potential, and builds trust across all walks of life.
Over the years, Robert has helped launch initiatives that connect Black and minority-owned businesses to capital, contracts, and customers. He has worked closely with major employers to develop inclusive hiring practices, and he has counseled countless community leaders – emerging and established – on what it means to lead with both boldness and compassion.
Through every role, Robert has stayed rooted in the values of collaboration, access, and belonging. His leadership has shaped policies, inspired coalitions, and moved conversations forward. But perhaps most importantly, it has lifted people up – one relationship at a time.
In honoring Robert DeJournett, we recognize a leader who sees possibility in every person and purpose in every partnership. His vision has made Greater Akron more inclusive, more interconnected, and more hopeful for all.
Supporting the Lieberth Community Vision Award Event is an opportunity to align your brand with the values that Robert DeJournett and Leadership Akron epitomize. As Leadership Akron celebrates Robert, your event sponsorship takes on a deeper significance, showing your dedication to a vibrant Greater Akron and a legacy of leadership.
Choose from our tailored sponsorship tiers and let your contribution reverberate through the heart of Greater Akron.
**Individual ticket sales will start on October 6, 2025.
Fair Market Values
- Presenting Sponsor: $7,200 is tax-deductible
- Empowering Transformation: $2,900 is tax-deductible
- Inspiring Impact: $1,100 is tax-deductible
- Strengthening Synergy: $300 is tax-deductible
- Curating CommUNITY: $150 is tax-deductible
About the Award
Leadership Akron created the Lieberth Community Vision Award in November 2012, to honor the life and leadership of Dave Lieberth upon his retirement as Deputy Mayor and Chief of Staff of the City of Akron. A founder and life trustee of Leadership Akron, Lieberth has been known for bringing vision, pragmatism, and a relentless work ethic to his involvement in countless community causes.
Criteria
The Lieberth Community Vision Award will be given each year to a leader who exemplifies the type of leadership that Dave has modeled and Leadership Akron seeks to foster, in consideration of the criteria below:
COMMUNITY-CENTERED LEADERSHIP
The recipient will be known for putting aside individual agendas and looking at opportunities, challenges, and issues through the lens of the whole community.
IMPACT ON AKRON
The recipient’s leadership has shaped the Akron community in significant ways.
MULTI-DIMENSIONALITY
The recipient’s leadership has impacted multiple sectors in the Akron community, not just one specific area.
INVOLVEMENT IN LEADERSHIP AKRON
The recipient has played a meaningful role in advancing the mission and work of Leadership Akron. S/he may or may not be an actual graduate of Leadership Akron.
PRAGMATISM/HARD WORK
The recipient is known for his/her work ethic, willingness to go the extra mile, and problem-solving ability when advancing community. S/he does not hesitate to plunge into the sometimes unglamorous details to get the job done.
Meet Our Past Honorees
We have had the honor of celebrating the leadership of these individuals with the Lieberth Community Vision Award.
2024 | Sylvia Trundle | “A Heart For The Community”
2023 | Laurie Zuckerman | “Creating Communities of Love and Respect”
2022 | Ron Kopp | “Leadership Mastered”
2021 | Karen Talbott | “A Lifetime of Leadership”
2019 | Dr. David W. James | “All About the Kids”
2018 | Robert W. Malone | “Riding the Wave of Leadership”
2017 | Laura Culp | “A Story of Extraordinary Leadership”
2016 | Theresa Carter | “Grace in Motion”
2015 | Brian Moore | “Leadership in Harmony”
2014 | Tim Fitzwater | “Leadership in Motion”
2013 | Marie Covington | “In the right hands, the seed of a dream comes to life”
2012 | Dave Lieberth | “Celebrating the Art of Dave Lieberth”