Leadership Akron Announces 2026 Life Trustee Awards Trinity Recipients
Jennifer Venarge DiSalvo, Marty Hauser, and Howard Parr to be recognized for service, vision, and lasting impact across Greater Akron
Leadership Akron is pleased to announce the 2026 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 are:
Jennifer Venarge DiSalvo, Signature Class 38 – Read Family Difference Maker Award
Marty Hauser, Signature Class 11 – Lieberth Community Vision Award
Howard Parr, Signature Class 30 – Maynard Distinguished Leader Award
Jennifer, Marty, and Howard each represent the kind of leadership that strengthens Greater Akron for the long haul,” said Justin Hilton, President and CEO of Leadership Akron. “Their service, vision, and lasting commitment have expanded opportunity, deepened community connection, and reminded us that leadership is measured not by title, but by the impact we make alongside others.”
Read Family Difference Maker Award: Jennifer Venarge DiSalvo
The Read Family Difference Maker Award honors individuals whose efforts have been instrumental in expanding the scope or impact of Leadership Akron’s mission and work.
Jennifer Venarge DiSalvo, a member of Leadership Akron Signature Class 38, is being recognized for her dedicated service to Junior Leadership Akron, where she has attended every program day for four years, assisted with program planning and advisement, and helped coach and mentor students. Her leadership also carries forward a meaningful family legacy, as her mother, Cheryl Venarge of Signature Class 8, helped transition the program from the Junior League of Akron to Leadership Akron over 35 years ago.
DiSalvo will be honored at Leadership Akron’s 2026 Annual Meeting & Read Family Difference Maker Award Reception on Thursday, August 20, at Our Lady of the Cedars.
Lieberth Community Vision Award: Marty Hauser
The Lieberth Community Vision Award honors a leader whose life and work reflect vision, pragmatism, and a tireless commitment to community causes.
Marty Hauser, a retired healthcare executive and member of Leadership Akron Signature Class 11, has spent nearly 45 years in the healthcare industry, including founding and serving as President and CEO of SummaCare. His leadership has extended throughout Greater Akron through long-standing civic and board service, including his current role as the first board chair of the Trailhead Community Health Foundation of Greater Akron. Marty has served on the Leadership Akron Board of Directors and facilitates Leadership Akron’s prestigious Insight program.
Hauser will be honored at the 2026 Lieberth Community Vision Award Breakfast on Thursday, November 5, at the John S. Knight Center.
Maynard Distinguished Leader Award: Howard Parr
The Maynard Distinguished Leader Award recognizes Leadership Akron alumni who have made extraordinary and notable contributions for the betterment of the community by voluntarily helping drive a project or issue of critical relevance and impact on Greater Akron.
Howard Parr, Executive Director of the Akron Civic Theatre and a member of Leadership Akron Signature Class 30, is being recognized for his long-standing leadership in strengthening Greater Akron’s arts and culture ecosystem. His work has helped advance collaboration, shared infrastructure, and community access across the region’s arts and culture sector, including his role in the 2013 Landscape Study on Arts and Culture and as a founding board member of ArtsNow.
Parr will be honored at Leadership Akron’s 2026 Holiday Party & Maynard Distinguished Leader Award Celebration on Thursday, December 10, at Greystone Hall.
Additional details about each recipient and their community impact will be shared in the coming weeks and months as Leadership Akron celebrates each honoree throughout 2026
Sponsorship Opportunities Now Available
Sponsorship opportunities are now available for the 2026 Life Trustee Awards Trinity events. For details or to inquire, please contact Matthew Wilson at mwilson@leadershipakron.org or visit https://www.leadershipakron.org/sponsoranevent2026. 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:
Leadership Akron’s Lieberth Community Vision Award Breakfast:
Leadership Akron’s Holiday Party & Maynard Distinguished Leader Award Celebration:
About Leadership Akron
For more than 40 years, Leadership Akron has inspired, strengthened, and empowered leaders to create a greater Akron. Through immersive experiences and community connections, Leadership Akron serves as the only community platform experientially connecting leaders across sectors, backgrounds, and generations. With a network of more than 2,000 alumni, Leadership Akron continues to expand the experience of leadership, fostering relationships, building knowledge, and catalyzing impact for the future of Greater Akron. For more information, visit www.leadershipakron.org