SANDY NARAGON, RCE
Chief Executive Officer
and
MIKE VALERINO, CAE, RCE, AHWD
Chief Operating Officer
Sandy Naragon is the CEO of the Akron Cleveland Association of REALTORS. She has served the REALTOR family for 40 years. She manages a staff of twelve and her primary responsibilities include leadership development, DEI, finance, member outreach, strategic planning and governance.
Sandy serves on committees at the Ohio and National Associations of REALTORS. She is a Rotarian and volunteers for the Rotary Camp for Children with Special Needs and the Akron Canton Regional Food Bank. Sandy is a proud member of the Akron and Cleveland Realtist Associations, the Northeast Ohio chapter of the Women’s Council of REALTORS and the LGBTQ Real Estate Alliance.
She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business & Organizational Communication from the University of Akron. She earned the At Home With Diversity designation in 2020 and the REALTORS Certified Executive designation in 2003 from the National Association of REALTORS.
Sandy is married, has a stepdaughter, son-in-law, three grandchildren and one very chill German Shepherd named Zena.
Mike Valerino is the Chief Operating Officer of the Akron Cleveland Association of REALTORS®, and will become CEO starting April 1, 2022. Mike has worked for the REALTORS® in Northeast Ohio for over 20 years. In his current role Mike is responsible for developing, implementing, and managing the operational and program aspects of the annual budget. He also partners with the CEO to have overall operational responsibility for the organization.
Mike serves on committees at Ohio REALTORS® and the National Association of REALTORS (NAR). He serves on CHN Housing Capital Advisory Board, Northeast Ohio Fair Housing Collaborative, Lead Safe Cleveland Steering Committee, and Avon Lake CRA Housing Council. Mike is a proud member of the Akron and Cleveland Realtist Associations, the Northeast Ohio chapter of the Women’s Council of REALTORS and the LGBTQ Real Estate Alliance.
Mike has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communication from Ohio University. He Holds the Certified Association Executive (CAE) and REALTOR® Association Certified Executive (RCE) designations as well as NAR’s At Home with Diversity certification. In 2017, Mike received the “AE Leaders of Tomorrow Young Professionals Award” from NAR.
Mike is married with four children and a boxer dog named Penny. He enjoys coaching sports, making good barbeque, and playing bad golf.
Wow! We’re not even a week removed from last Saturday’s 32nd Chili Open, and good news continues to pour in today. Over $375,000 has been raised to support our Akron Rotary Camp.
It was a joy to experience “The Magic” that takes place at Hale Farm each February. Just when you think it can’t get any better, it does! The weather was beautiful, the food was good, and the golf and fellowship were outstanding.
Congratulations to Jeff Sheeks, Cyndi Kane, Jim Redmond, Dan Riemenschneider, Dan Reynolds, Mella Castner, Amanda Warner, other team members, as well as all our wonderful sponsors- Wayne Homes, Van Devere Auto Group, Focal Point, Whitey’s Restaurant, Hale Farm, and so many others.
Thank you to each club member for doing your part, as well as the encouragement and support of the greater Akron community, to help make the 2022 Chili Open a huge success! Heaven must be smiling to witness this continued story of love and devotion unfold for special needs children, their families, and greater Akron!
Let’s allow ourselves the opportunity to smile and rejoice.
Well done everyone!
Steve
p.s. make note that we are starting back to Bounce Innovation Hub with hybrid meetings, this upcoming Tuesday, Feb 15th, at noon.
Annually, District 6630 awards grant dollars to Rotary Clubs who qualify to receive them. The matching grant is given to a worthy project selected by Akron Rotary. One of the requirements to qualify to receive funding is by having members of our club attend a mandatory District Grant Seminar.
Mark Seward and I have served as co-chairs for several years and acted as a committee of two! President Elect Lynda Farkas has a goal of engaging more Rotarians in our Club’s community efforts. If community service and reviewing grant proposals sounds like a fit for you, register for ONE of the District Grant Seminars below:
Here are the dates!
2/24 @ 6 pm – Akron Summit Library
3/1 @ 6 pm – Middleburg Heights Library
3/5 @ 9:30 am – Mayfield Branch Cuyahoga County Library
The Rotary Club of Akron had the privilege of listening to Donald Obermeier, from the Akron Chapter of the ACE Mentor program during our Tuesday February 8th meeting.
The Akron chapter of ACE has been in existence for four and a half years. The Akron/Canton ACE program has approximately 50 students currently enrolled in their program. The ACE Mentor Program of America (ACE) was founded in 1994. ACE is a free, award-winning, afterschool program designed to attract high school students into pursuing careers in Architecture, Construction and Engineering industries, including skilled trades.
ACE is a federation of more than 75 chapters, operating in 38 states and Canada, and largely based in metropolitan areas.
At a national level what does ACE do?
Over 10,000 students participate annually, drawn from approximately 1,450 high schools.
Most ACE students (69%) are minority, and over 40% are female.
One-quarter of ACE seniors entering college are first generation students.
More than 4,100 volunteer industry professionals mentor student teams through a 35-hour-long simulation of designing and constructing a project.
Approximately $2.5 million in scholarships are awarded annually to high school seniors and alumni studying to pursue industry-related careers.
ACE also offers students summer camp and internship opportunities.
What is the ACE Mission?
To engage, excite, and enlighten high school students to pursue careers in architecture, engineering, and construction through mentoring and continued support for their advancement into the industry.
What are ACE’s Primary Goals?
Help build a large, diverse, and better-prepared workforce.
Prioritize engaging students and communities traditionally underrepresented in the industry.
Assist and guide students by providing scholarships, internships, and mentoring as they pursue career pathways into the industry.
What are the Core Values of ACE?
Inclusion – We will nurture and value the diversity of backgrounds, identities, talents and beliefs of each individual involved in our program.
Collaboration – We believe a spirit of mutually beneficial collaboration will produce the greatest results and maximize our volunteer and fiscal resources.
Excellence – We aspire to deliver the highest quality and most impactful mentor program and commit to approach our work with fairness and honesty.
How does ACE work?
ACE is made up of affiliates(chapters) serving local communities. Each affiliate has a board of directors, program leaders, and a number of student teams. Average teams are composed of 15-25 students and led by their volunteer mentors who are professionals from the build industry.
Each team is set up to emulate an actual design team, with students guided through a mock design project by their architect, engineer, construction management, and tradesperson mentors.
Mentors assist the students as they work towards a final project, introducing them to the careers, industry vocabulary, and various roles companies play in the construction industry.
ACE runs during the school year, with each affiliate setting their own schedule. The teams meet for approximately 15 sessions, for about two hours after school, usually on the same day each week. The Akron chapter meets every other week.
The meetings are held either in schools or at the offices of the firms to give the students as authentic an experience as possible. It is the students’ responsibility to get to each ACE session. ACE makes every effort to select meeting locations that are convenient for students.
Why ACE?
Besides all of the reasons stated previously, ACE exists because of the shortages in workers in the areas that ACE is concentrating on. By providing these programs, ACE hopes to recruit desperately needed employees, but also provide diversity in the careers identified. Minorities and individuals from underserved populations are significantly underrepresented in the design and construction industry workforce. ACE helps address this problem.
Kemp is a diligent connector and convener, who has forged relationships across the city Akron over the years, from faith community, civic and non-profits to profit organizations alike. He is skilled in Community Engagement, public speaking, Program Development, Sports Management, Coaching, and Athletic Training. With over a decade of leadership experience and a passion for motivating others, Kemp’s mission is to empower those around him to reach their full potential, including the men at Kenmore-Garfield High School where he serves as head football coach.