Read Family Difference
Maker Award
Leadership Akron is delighted to award the 2024 Read Family Difference Maker Award to Mark and Sandy Auburn for their distinguished community service and leadership achievements, which have substantially contributed to advancing Leadership Akron's mission.
As proud members of the inaugural class of Leadership Akron’s NEXT program, Mark and Sandy have remained highly engaged Alumni for nearly fifteen years. Their impact has included active roles in assisting with the planning and execution of the Arts and Culture days for the NEXT program, as well as through coaching and mentoring within the Diversity on Board program. Their service continues to ensure that generations of leaders are inspired, strengthened, and empowered to create a greater Akron.
Mark and Sandy's extraordinary achievements will be honored and celebrated at Leadership Akron’s 2024 Annual Meeting and Read Family Difference Maker Award Event on Thursday, August 22nd, from 5:30 to 8:00 pm at the Akron Civic Theater.
Mark and Sandy Auburn
2024 Read Family Difference Maker Award Recipients
About the Read Family Difference Maker Award
The Read Family Difference Maker Award, created in July 2017, honors the Read family (Roger, Judy, and Scott) in recognition of their involvement in:
Advancing the mission and work of Leadership Akron,
Promoting community leadership, and
Strengthening the Akron community's well-being.
Roger, Judy, and their son Scott Read have all made a difference in extending the reach and impact of Leadership Akron. Roger and Judy were pivotal in the creation of Leadership Akron’s endowment fund, which enabled Leadership Akron’s initial expansion to reach additional audiences. One of those new audiences was senior leaders participating in Leadership Akron: NEXT, in which Roger served as a key member of the design team. Judy joined him in participating in the charter class and Roger chaired the steering committee for the first six classes. In 2003-2004, having recently graduated from Leadership Akron Class 19, Scott Read joined with fellow Leadership Akron grad Jefferson Satterfield to launch Torchbearers, which today has grown to serve a membership of over 100 young leaders and is the affiliated community partner with Leadership Akron for emerging community leaders.
Each year the award recognizes an individual or group of individuals whose efforts have been instrumental in expanding the scope or impact of Leadership Akron's mission and work.
The Read Family Difference Maker Award was created not only as a form of recognition but as an opportunity to create something meaningful for others. The resulting concept was an installation of Gingko trees, provided by the City of Akron, at Cascade Locks Park that would add to the environmental and scenic quality of the area for the benefit of all. At the site stands the sculpture crafted by Michael Marras (Mair – us) to honor the Read family and the award recipients. The sculpture, Together We Grow, conveys the growth and connectivity that benefits the Akron community. Each year, a new tree will be planted at the site in honor of the recipient(s).
Award Criteria
The criteria below will be considered in determining the awardee(s):
Primary Responsibility - the recipient(s) will be those primarily responsible for initiating and/or significantly advancing a specific effort that strengthens the mission, impact, and/or reach of Leadership Akron. The effort may be a new or revamped program, a major event/activity, or a strategic goal of the organization.
Durability of Impact - The effort that the recipient(s) initiated will have long-term influence on Leadership Akron, and extend to present and future generations of leaders.
Past Honorees
2017 - Roger & Judy* Read, recognized for establishing the Leadership Akron Endowment Fund, extending the reach and impact of Leadership Akron across the spectrum from Junior Leadership Akron to NEXT.
2017 - Scott Read, recognized for his efforts to launch Torchbearers, an independent affiliate of Leadership Akron that focuses on connecting, developing, and engaging emerging leaders to serve the Akron community.
2018 - Laura E. Culp, Ronald S. Kopp, Kyle Kutuchief, Amanda Leffler, and Brian Pollack, recognized for their work on the Leadership Akron and Torchbearers Partnership Agreement Team that forged the formal partnership between Leadership Akron and Torchbearers in 2009.
2020 - Dr. Cynthia Capers, John Williams, Jim Mullen, Roxia Boykin, Ethel Vinson, Robert DeJournett, Bernett Williams, & Dr. Steve Ash, were recognized for their work as the visionaries behind the Diversity on Board program.
2021 – Danny Zampelli, recognized for his role as the visionary behind the Lieberth Community Vision Award, and co-chair of the event committee which plans and executes the unique one-of-a-kind event experience that raises awareness and significant funds in support of Leadership Akron’s mission and vision.
2022 – Ken Babby & the Akron RubberDucks, recognized for launching a monthly speaker series for Leadership Akron Alumni members and Torchbearers called Leadership on Main. This speaker series highlights change-making leaders from different sectors each month, and it has become an essential monthly event for many Leadership Akron alumni members. Moreover, he and the ARD’s host hundreds of Leadership Akron participants each year thereby advancing Leadership Akron’s work in a significantly experiential and immersive way.
2023 – Dan Rice, recognized for cementing more than 150 community partnerships over 30 years and having been instrumental in the development of the Ohio & Erie Canalway National Heritage Area and Towpath Trail. A Diversity on Board Coach, and a key Subject Matter Expert for our Leadership Akron programs, his commitment to organizational development, public/private partnership building, and community betterment is nothing short of exemplary.
2024 – Mark & Sandy Auburn, Mark & Sandy have been instrumental in the coaching portion of DOB. They have “created what we know it as today” and have mentored almost every coach who is/has been a part of coaching. Before DOB 7, the boardroom experience did not exist. When Henry presented his idea of real and practical use on a program day, Mark dove in and wrote each of the scenarios used. That went so well, we used them for class 8 and are already preparing to use them for class 9.
*deceased