Press Releases
June 11, 2025
Leadership Akron to Recognize Kemp Boyd, Robert DeJournett, and The Gorant Family as the 2025 Recipients of the Life Trustee Awards Trinity
Leadership Akron is pleased to announce the 2025 recipients of its Life Trustee Awards Trinity – a unified recognition that honors individuals whose leadership is shaping Greater Akron through service, vision, and lasting impact. First introduced in 2024, the Life Trustee Awards Trinity brings together three of Leadership Akron’s highest honors: the Read Family Difference Maker Award, the Lieberth Community Vision Award, and the Maynard Distinguished Leader Award. This year’s recipients embody the spirit of connection and purpose that continues to move our community forward
This year’s recipients are:
Tony (posthumously) and Toby Gorant – Read Family Difference Maker Award
Robert DeJournett (Signature Class 21) – Lieberth Community Vision Award
Kemp Boyd (Signature Class 33) – Maynard Distinguished Leader Award
“Each of these leaders reflects the kind of community-rooted leadership Greater Akron needs – courageous, collaborative, and committed to lifting others,” said Justin Hilton, President & CEO of Leadership Akron. “Their work deepens relationships, sparks progress, and embodies the values that keep our region moving forward.”
Read Family Difference Maker Award: Tony and Toby Gorant
To be presented at Leadership Akron’s Annual Meeting & Read Family Difference Maker Award Reception on August 21, 2025, at 1840 Manor House.
The Read Family Difference Maker Award celebrates quiet, consistent contributions that shape the soul of our community. This year’s recipients, Tony and Toby Gorant, exemplify this spirit through decades of humble, relational, and deeply impactful service to Greater Akron.
After Tony’s passing in 2011, his legacy of leadership was honored through the creation of the Tony Gorant Community Leadership Institute (CLI), a program developed by Cleveland Clinic Akron General in partnership with Leadership Akron. Spearheaded by Toby and hospital leaders, the CLI reflects Tony’s belief in balancing professional excellence with civic responsibility. The program gives health system leaders an opportunity to explore Akron’s community landscape and complete service projects in Tony’s memory – projects that continue to leave a lasting mark.
Each year, participants in the CLI class carry out service projects in Tony’s memory – past projects have included painting buildings at the IBH Addiction Recovery and installing free lending libraries in Akron elementary schools. It’s a living tribute to Tony’s belief that leadership is about showing up and giving back, no matter your title.
Tony Gorant was known not only for his leadership in the financial sector – serving as Senior Vice President at Baird and a former executive at FirstMerit – but also for the steady presence he brought to countless boards and initiatives across the region. Whether advising the GAR Foundation, stewarding resources for The University of Akron, or helping guide the Greater Akron Chamber’s finance committee, Tony was widely seen as a wise, measured, and reliable voice – “the calm in the storm,” as many described him.
His wife, Toby Gorant, has long mirrored that same commitment to community – though often in her own quiet and behind-the-scenes way. Known for being the “first to say yes” when a need arises, Toby’s fingerprints are on some of Akron’s most treasured institutions: from championing women and families through her service to the Women’s Endowment Fund and Stewart’s Caring Place, to cultivating the arts as a dedicated leader with the Akron Art Museum. While she’s never sought the spotlight, her generosity and warmth have left a mark that is both broad and deeply personal.
Together, Tony and Toby lived out a shared philosophy of servant leadership – giving consistently, connecting generously, and making sure the right people were at the table, even when they didn’t sit at it themselves. Their enduring legacy remains a powerful example of generosity grounded not in recognition, but in a deep and abiding love for Akron – one that Toby continues to embody through her ongoing service.
Lieberth Community Vision Award: Robert DeJournett
To be presented at Leadership Akron’s Lieberth Community Vision Award Breakfast on November 6, 2025, at the John S. Knight Center.
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.
Maynard Distinguished Leader Award: Kemp Boyd
To be presented at Leadership Akron’s Holiday Party & Maynard Distinguished Leader Award Celebration on December 11, 2025 (location TBD).
The Maynard Distinguished Leader Award honors an individual whose long-standing leadership reflects exceptional integrity, vision, and commitment to community. 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.
Sponsorship Opportunities Now Available
For details or to inquire, please contact Elizabeth Saraceno at esaraceno@leadershipakron.org or visit https://www.leadershipakron.org/sponsoranevent. Details for individual ticket sales will be announced at a later date.
Details for Each Event
Leadership Akron’s Annual Meeting & Read Family Difference Maker Award Reception: insert URL
Leadership Akron’s Lieberth Community Vision Award Breakfast: insert URL
Leadership Akron’s Holiday Party & Distinguished Leader Award Celebration: insert URL
About Leadership Akron
For over 40 years, Leadership Akron has inspired, strengthened, and empowered leaders to create a Greater Akron. Through unique experiences and partnerships with local leaders, Leadership Akron provides a platform for emerging and established leaders to contribute to the community's vibrancy. For more information, visit www.leadershipakron.org
