Jody Bacon

Jody Bacon, a creative and innovative thinker, is committed to helping social agencies in Summit County, Ohio.

Born in Mount Pleasant, Mich., Bacon received her early education there and completed high school in Jackson, Mich. A graduate of Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, Bacon also earned a degree in Journalism from the University of Michigan.

While in Jackson, Bacon served as executive director for the Jackson Community Foundation and the Hurst Foundation. In addition to her work administering donations to the community, Bacon was president of the Junior League, a trustee of the Jackson Symphony Orchestra and the Ella Sharp Museum. She served as vice president of the Literary and Arts Foundation and was the Community Event coordinator for the Jackson Hot Air Jubilee.

In 1990, Bacon accepted the position of executive vice president of the Akron Community Foundation, a foundation that gives grants to area arts and cultural organizations, and moved to Akron. She was later named executive director and president and continues to serve in that capacity.

Citing her father as a guiding influence in her desire to help take care of people, Bacon encourages everyone to find something for which they have a passion and a commitment.

An avid reader, Bacon enjoys walking in the parks and along the towpath in the Akron area. She is also very proud of her son, a geologist in Ann Arbor, Mich., and her daughter Jill Bacon Madden, a community relations specialist for Summit County (Ohio) executive James B. McCarthy. She has four grandchildren.

The recipient of numerous awards, Bacon recently was named the 2003 Buckingham, Doolittle and Burroughs "Stellar Performer." In 2002, she was featured in Northern Ohio Live as one of the “Five Most Influential Women in Northeast Ohio.”

Serving as past president of the Akron Roundtable and Association of Fundraising Professionals, Bacon has not hesitated to get involved within the community. A graduate of Leadership Akron, she is a past board member of the Grantmakers Forum, Ohio Donor’s Forum, National Board of Directors, Girl Scouts of America, Summit Social Services Board, the Akron Rotary and the Summit Education Foundation.

In addition to working with the Akron Community Foundation, Bacon currently serves on the boards of the Akron Regional Development Board and the advisory board of WKSU. She continues working with the Akron Roundtable, the Association of Fundraising Professionals and Leadership Akron.

Awards and distinctions given to Bacon include the 1995 Woman of Distinction Award from the Western Reserve Girl Scouts, the 1998 Harold K. Stubbs Humanitarian Award and the 1999 Rainmaker Award. In 2000, she was named a “Great Community Leader for the 21st Century,” by the Boy Scouts of America.

--Penny Fox