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Retired judge chosen as 50th Polsky Award recipient

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Headshot of Judge Carla Moore
Judge Carla Moore

The Honorable Carla Moore was named this year's recipient of Akron Community Foundation's Bert A. Polsky Humanitarian Award. She will receive the award Tuesday, Oct. 17, at the Hilton Akron/Fairlawn, becoming the 50th recipient of this prestigious honor.

The Polsky Humanitarian Award honors those who have shown selfless dedication to humanitarian causes in Akron.

In 2004, Moore was elected to the Ninth District Court of Appeals, where she served as a judge for 13 years until her retirement in February 2017. Prior to that, she served on the Akron Municipal Court. Moore was the first black woman judge elected to each of these courts and was known among her peers for treating those who appeared before her with dignity and respect.

Next to her judicial career, Moore is best known for her support of local women and children through her charitable giving, volunteer service and individual outreach. As a volunteer for Greenleaf Family Center's Teen Parent Program, she helps young parents complete their education and make productive parenting choices. She is also a board member of the Law and Leadership Institute, a statewide initiative that inspires and prepares high school students from primarily urban public school districts for later success through a four-year academic and life skills program.

Peers in the legal field know Moore for her personal involvement surrounding the courtroom. One example occurred in the late 1990s, when she witnessed the struggle of a homeless woman who appeared before her court. After the case concluded, Moore invited the woman to her family's home for dinner, and following that dinner, invited the woman to stay with her until she saved up for an apartment.

From 2013 to 2015, Moore led the Ohio State Bar Association's 9th District Pro Bono Committee, which involved determining the needs for those who could not afford legal counsel and encouraging local attorneys to donate their time.

Moore has served on more than two dozen boards and committees -- often in leadership roles -- for local and national nonprofit and professional organizations, including Akron Community Foundation, Akron Children's Hospital, The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law National Council, and the Lawrence School, Northeast Ohio's leader in the education of K-12 students with learning differences. She has served on campaign committees for organizations like the Akron Symphony Orchestra and has co-chaired events such as the Inventors Hall of Fame weekend. She has also received numerous awards for her professional accomplishments and commitment to the community, including the Sir Thomas More Award from the Akron Bar Association.

Before beginning her judicial career, Moore practiced law in the Ohio Attorney General's office, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District, and at Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs LLC. She was also an adjunct law professor at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. Moore received her bachelor's degree from the University of Akron and a Juris Doctor degree from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.

The Honorable Carla Moore was selected to receive the Polsky Humanitarian Award by a committee of past honorees. Recent recipients include Oak Associates Ltd. founder Jim Oelschlager and his wife, Vanita; GOJO Industries Chairman and CEO Joe Kanfer; RDA Hotel Management Company President Rennick Andreoli; former FirstEnergy CEO H. Peter Burg and his wife, Eileen; and retired cardiologist and author Terry Gordon.

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