The Greater Akron Chamber's podcast this week welcomes Meghan Meeker who is the Senior Manager of Social Media at Vericast but also serves as the President of the Board of Directors of Torchbearers here in Akron. Steve Millard discusses her experience growing up in Northeast Ohio and why she decided to stay and network here in our region as a professional and how that brought her to Torchbearers.

On this episode of Dreamers, Drivers, and Doers, Steve Millard is joined by Renato “Ren” Camacho, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Akron-Canton Airport. Growing up in the Bronx, Ren has had transportation in his blood since an early age.  His career has spanned working in engineering at the New York and New Jersey Port Authority, to Cleveland's Department of Port Control. A job that brought him to Northeast Ohio. Now in charge of one of the greater Akron area's most important assets, Ren talks about what got him there and how he and his team have helped the Akron-Canton Airport grow and flourish even through some challenging times.

Going out to our listeners this week, Steve Millard welcomes Chancellor Dr. K.L. Allen of WGU Ohio, an online undergraduate and graduate degree university for traditional and non-traditional students. Dr. Allen brings a unique perspective on learning in our society today. Specifically, how the accessibility to higher education and workforce development enables WGU to better partner with businesses to reach the talent they need. 

This week, Steve Millard has a conversation with Jackie Hemsworth, the Executive Director of ACCESS, an emergency shelter in Akron providing for the needs of homeless single women and homeless women with children. Having been on a path to be of service in this space since entering the workforce after college, Jackie talks about how her various career roles have helped her understand the challenges faced by many in our community.

Our guest today on Dreamers, Drivers, & Doers is Daine Johnson-Owens of the Humane Society of Summit County. Diane has had many stages in her professional career including jobs in the legal and medical professions. But it is her role serving the animal members of our community that is her true passion. Steve has a chance to talk to Diane about the path that led her to where she thought she would be all along.

When you think about dealing with challenges as a leader, imagine taking the reins of a large cultural venue in the middle of a global health crisis. Our guest today did just that. Jon Fiume is the Executive Director & CEO of the Akron Art Museum. Steve Millard sits down with Jon to talk about the non-traditional path to his current role in our community, and how he and the museum team are making art and culture accessible to everyone right here in Akron.

With a long history of community involvement, our guest today has worked with individuals from all walks of life as a business counselor and as the Director of Inclusive Entrepreneurship at Akron's Bounce Innovation Hub. Steve Millard catches up with Ace Epps and finds out what drives his desire to help people and how business opportunities grow when we come together. 

As the Executive Director of the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship, Don Pagett works tirelessly to bring one of the key annual sporting events in the United States right here to the Akron region. Don talks with Steve about growing up in the world of golf and how a major activity like this impacts our community economically and socially.