The Appleton Award for Urban Leadership

Ilene Shapiro - summit County executive

2023 Award Winner

Each year, the Appleton Award honors individuals whose dedication and leadership have made a lasting impact on the community. This year, we are proud to recognize Ilene Shapiro, a longtime champion for Summit County, who continues to inspire through her outstanding service and commitment to the residents of the region.

Ilene Shapiro is serving her second term as Summit County Executive and leads ten unique departments and serves as the chief fiduciary officer for the County, managing a budget of over a half billion dollars. In holding this office, Executive Shapiro strives to make a positive impact on the lives of all Summit County residents. She is the first woman in Ohio to serve as county executive and under her leadership, the county has led the charge to negotiate the largest financial settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors, utilize innovative tactics to attract new and existing business investment, improve security conditions at the county jail, implement cost saving measures for a new, state of the art consolidated 9-1-1 dispatch system and place emphasis on workforce diversity. Prior to her career in public service, Executive Shapiro worked in the corporate business world and was a small business owner. She is well known for her support of women and philanthropy. Executive Shapiro is a longtime resident of Summit County and currently resides in Akron.