About This Year's Recipient

Laura Bailey Culp

2026 Bert A. Polsky Humanitarian Award Recipient

Laura Bailey Culp is the 2026 recipient of Akron Community Foundation's Bert A. Polsky Humanitarian Award.

Culp is regarded in the Greater Akron community as an influential philanthropic leader due to her decades of nonprofit board service and volunteerism, as well as her generous charitable contributions.

She has provided strategic counsel and service to numerous organizations across the Greater Akron area, including Akron Community Foundation, the Corbin Foundation, the GAR Foundation, the Akron Area YMCA, the Greater Akron Chamber, Leadership Akron, United Way of Summit & Medina, and many more.

Numerous awards have been bestowed upon Culp for both her professional and philanthropic achievements, including the Dr. Frank L. Simonetti Distinguished Business Alumni Award from the University of Akron College of Business in 2007, the Lieberth Community Vision Award from Leadership Akron in 2017, and the Hunsicker Family Service to Youth Award from the Akron Area YMCA in 2018. Culp, an Akron resident for over 40 years, is a tax director, wealth advisor and former partner at Sikich, where she advises owners of privately held businesses on tax strategy, wealth management and long-term financial planning strategies.

2026 Award Dinner

Akron Community Foundation will honor Laura's lifetime of giving at the annual Bert A. Polsky Humanitarian Award dinner on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Akron Fairlawn. We're grateful to the many generous sponsors and contributors who make this event possible.

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