LOCAL PRODUCTION
Akron Roundtable
Established in 1976, the Akron Roundtable is a community forum that inspires and promotes dialog by presenting speakers who inform and educate listeners on diverse topics of importance to the region, the nation and the world. To date, more than 400 major corporate executives, writers, government officials, artists and civic leaders from around the country have shared their ideas with the region.
Each Akron Roundtable event will be recorded by media studies students working for the Z-TV television station, with guidance from PBS Western Reserve and Ideastream producers, offering a valuable, hands-on learning experience for the students.
All AKRON ROUNDTABLE episodes are available to stream on-demand at PBSWesternReserve.org or the PBS App following their broadcast premiere.
Next on Akron Roundtable
PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):
Wednesday, June 11, at 5 PM
Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Saturday, June 14, at 2 PM
Thursday, June 26, at 6 PM
Mayor Shammas Malik, The State of the City
Mayor Shammas Malik gives his second State of the City Address. The event is planned for Tuesday, June 3, at the newly renovated Lock 3 Park. Park gates will open at 4 PM and the public address will begin at 5 PM. This event is free, open to the public, and will take place outdoors — weather permitting. A contingency is in place for inclement weather, and will be shared by the city of Akron by 9 AM on the day of the event.
Mayor Malik was sworn in as Akron’s 63rd Mayor on Jan. 1, 2024. He was born and raised in Northwest Akron, graduated from Firestone High School, and went on to attend The Ohio State University and Harvard Law School. Mayor Malik began a career in public service in 2016, first serving as an assistant director of law for the city, then winning a seat on Akron City Council, before taking on his current role as Akron’s Mayor. He is Akron’s youngest mayor and first mayor of color.
Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Thursday, July 3, at 6 PM
Akron Innerbelt
“Reimagine Akron after the Innerbelt” with speakers Siqi Zhu, director of planning and urban technology at Sasaki; Mordecai Cargill, the co-founder and creative director of ThirdSpace Action Lab; and Esther Thomas, the city of Akron’s director of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Stream AKRON ROUNDTABLE
Past Episodes
May 2025
Maribel Pérez Wadsworth, President and CEO, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The May episode of AKRON ROUNDTABLE hosts Maribel Pérez Wadsworth, president and CEO of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Wadsworth is the first woman to serve in the role for the foundation. Her career evolved from reporter and editor to a key figure in Gannett’s corporate team, where she led the company’s digital transformation. As President of the USA Today Network and later publisher of USA Today, she led a team of more than 4,000 journalists in more than 200 communities. During her tenure, Gannett newsrooms were recognized with five Pulitzer Prizes.
In addition to her professional achievements, Wadsworth is committed to diversity and inclusion, receiving the News Leaders Association’s Robert G. McGruder Award for Diversity Leadership in 2019.
April 2025
Madhu Sharma, Executive Director, International Institute of Akron
Farhad Sethna, Attorney, Immigration America
AKRON ROUNDTABLE presents “In Search of Solutions to the Challenges Facing U.S. Immigrants and Refugees,” hosted by scholar and journalist Steven T. Savides in conversation with Madhu Sharma, the executive director of the International Institute of Akron, and Farhad Sethna, an attorney at Immigration America.
Sethna works with individuals and corporations to navigate the challenging and ever-changing processes surrounding immigration. Sharma has been serving as the executive director of the International Institute of Akron since 2017. Sharma, an Indian immigrant herself, has represented migrant workers, unaccompanied minors, victims of state sponsored torture and human trafficking.
March 2025
Lisa Petit, Superintendent, Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Chart the history and future of Ohio’s only National Park with Lisa Petit, PhD. Lisa Petit has been at Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) for 25 years and has been superintendent since 2021.
Lisa’s top priorities are to build strong, interdependent relationships between the park and the surrounding communities; to protect and restore the natural and cultural heritage of the Cuyahoga Valley; and fulfill the purpose of CVNP as a “National Park to the People” by making CVNP more accessible and relevant to the full diversity of residents in Northeast Ohio and the American public.
February 2025
Linda Nageotte, President & Chief Operating Officer at Feeding America
Why is food insecurity so pervasive in this country? Does it have to be this way?
In the February episode of AKRON ROUNDTABLE, Feeding America President and COO Linda Nageotte will focus on food insecurity in America, sharing insights into why this problem exists so consistently — and pervasively — in every community across this nation. She’ll talk about hungers’ disparate impact on people and communities, and she’ll talk about how we can come together to end hunger in America.
January 2025
Jeannette Sorrell, Conductor and Founder of Apollo’s Fire
In this moment of national debate about the fate of immigrants in America, Jeannette Sorrell shares her secret story. Growing up in a small and close-knit family with very little money, she knew that her beloved Papa had a mysterious past. But he wouldn't talk about it, and Mom didn't seem to know either. Finally in 2018, on the eve of her Carnegie Hall debut, Jeannette discovered with a shock who Papa actually was – thanks to DNA testing and a trip to the Holocaust museum in Washington.
