Your Partner in Philanthropy
For more than 70 years, Akron Community Foundation has worked hand-in-hand with the region's professional advisors to help their clients achieve their goals through philanthropy.
Professional Advisor Council
This diverse group of tax, estate and financial planning experts brings perspective to our work. From CPAs to attorneys to wealth managers, the members of our Professional Advisor Council are adept at using philanthropy to strategically meet their clients' financial and charitable goals.
Michael L. Wear, AEP®
Professional Advisor Council ChairPartner
Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs
John R. Adams, CFP®
CLU®, ChFC®, CASL®, RICP®Founder and Principal
Adams, Gut & Associates
Tyler Amos, CFP®
Vice President – Sr. Financial ConsultantCharles Schwab
Jim Barsella
Senior Managing DirectorClearstead
Trey Bennett
PartnerStark & Knoll Co.
Gina Betti, CFP®
ChFC®, AAMS™, CRPS™Financial Advisor
Edward Jones
Alane Boffa, CPA
MT, AEP®Partner, Tax
Cohen & Company
Thomas Clark, CFP®
Managing PartnerClark Guilliam Bertsch Wealth Management
Neal Colby
Member and Chief Financial OfficerCM Wealth Advisors
Steven Cox
Attorney/ShareholderRoetzel & Andress
Julie Firestone
Principal Singerman, Mills, Desberg & Kauntz Co.
Naomi D. Ganoe, CPA, CFP®
Managing Director & Private Client Services Practice LeaderCBIZ MHM, LLC
Diane Johns Gilger
Relationship Manager and Senior Vice PresidentKey Private Bank
Jamie Haren
PartnerBuckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs
Jared Hoffman
Investment AdvisorBroadleaf Partners
Jesse Hurst, CFP®, AIF®
PresidentImpel Wealth Management
Dan Ishee, AIF®, PPC®
PrincipalIshee Investment Consultants
Lia Jones
Senior Fiduciary Strategist and Senior Vice PresidentKey Private Bank
David M. Koly, CPA
PrincipalW3 Global Accounting
Rob Malone
Business Practice Group Leader Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs
Bill Manby Jr.
CEO Paradigm Equity Strategies
Don Miksch
Vice President, Wealth & Investment Team LeaderHuntington Private Bank
Kimberly S. Miller, WMCP®
Vice President and Financial AdvisorBaird
Angelina Milo, CPA
Vice President, Tax Services Group Meaden & Moore
Taylor Papiernik, CFP®
Wealth ManagerFairway Wealth Management
Reilly Perme
Assistant Vice President, Commercial BankingPNC Financial Services Group
Karyn Sullivan
VP/Financial AdvisorBernstein Private Wealth Management
David Supelak, CPA
PrincipalCLA Akron
Allan Sweet
PartnerPalumbo & Sweet
Richard Tanner, CAP®, AEP®, CLU®
PresidentOwnership Advisors Inc.
Benjamin Tegel
Principal and Wealth AdvisorFarther Finance
Christopher Teodosio
CounselTucker Ellis LLP
Jessica Tepus, CPA
Director – Taxation ServicesBober Markey Fedorovich
Jim Thompson
Vice President and Wealth AdvisorSequoia Financial Group
Samuel Trecaso
Financial AdvisorWells Trecaso Financial Group
Todd Williams
Financial ConsultantFidelity Investments
Kyla Williger
Attorney at LawKrugliak, Wilkins, Griffiths & Dougherty Co.
How We Help
Are your clients selling a business? Managing an inheritance? Building an estate plan?
Our experienced staff works with advisors to create giving strategies that are meaningful, tax-wise and effective for clients from all walks of life. We are the charitable arm of your professional team, supporting you and your clients through every step of the giving process while you retain complete control of your client relationships.
What We Offer
- Customized, tax-smart giving solutions to meet your clients' needs
- Ability to accept a wide range of gifts, including more complex gifts like closely held stock
- In-depth knowledge of the region's issues and nonprofits
- Charitable fund options that offer tax benefits today while preserving your clients' legacies forever
- The Center for Family Philanthropy, a dedicated charitable resource for philanthropic families
How We Compare
Private Foundations
If your client is considering establishing a private foundation, a donor-advised fund may be a simpler, less expensive solution. Donor-advised funds offer many of the same benefits as a private foundation, but with none of the administrative hassles or payout requirements. We minimize the paperwork, allowing your client to focus on the joy of giving and creating a lasting legacy in the community.
Commercial Funds
Starting a donor-advised fund at Akron Community Foundation is just as easy as starting a fund at Vanguard or Fidelity. And unlike the large national organizations, the community foundation is based right in the heart of Akron. We're experts on local issues and nonprofits, and we offer personal grantmaking assistance that commercial funds cannot match. We also offer a broader range of charitable options, including permanent endowments that honor a family's legacy.
Outside Investment Managers
We recognize the importance of longstanding relationships between clients and their investment managers. That's why we offer opportunities for qualified investment managers to continue to manage the charitable assets of their clients.
This partnership reassures donors that their assets will continue to be managed by professionals they know and trust, while also rewarding advisors for maximizing the fund's grantmaking potential.
Options for Your Nonprofit Clients
We help nonprofits sustain their charitable missions forever through endowment funds held right here at Akron Community Foundation. The advantages include:
- Permanent Funding: A permanent source of funding for the agency's mission that is not dependent on market performance or annual appeals
- Proven Growth: Access to the foundation's prorated investment fees and superior long-term returns
- More Giving Options: The ability to accept complex gifts that can be difficult for nonprofits to process
- No Administration: No burdens of gift processing, tax acknowledgments or financial reporting





