Tiffany Peters is the Interim Executive Director at Barberton Community Foundation, whose mission is to strengthen the Barberton community for current and future generations by providing leadership, fostering collaboration, and creating a legacy of giving to do good. She has been with the Barberton Community Foundation since March 2022 after serving six and a half years in finance leadership of another, local nonprofit. Prior to pursuing a career in nonprofit, Tiffany worked in public accounting for ten years performing business valuations and financial analysis for tax and litigation support, and she spent four years prior to that in corporate finance.

Although Tiffany was born in Portage County and grew up in the Greater Akron area, she and her family moved to Florida when she was in her teens, and she attended high school in Tarpon Springs. Tiffany did her undergraduate work with a major in Finance at Florida State University and earned her MBA from the University of South Florida. Her family decided that they loved their home state and region too much to stay away for long, however, and moved back to Akron in 2002.

A true boomerang, Tiffany has delighted in raising her family in the Akron area, enjoying the activities, parks, and culture that are rich in this area. Tiffany and her family have made many wonderful memories hiking in Summit Metroparks, attending Cleveland Orchestra concerts at Blossom Music Center, and attending the Akron summer concert series productions in the local parks. She currently resides in Barberton with her husband and two children, where the most frequent green space they see are their children’s baseball fields, though they continue to attend local productions and art shows in support of their family, friends, and community.

1. What is your earliest memory of the arts (attending a function, organization, or art-making)?

My earliest memory of the arts was attending the play, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, when I was in grade school at St. Patrick’s School in Kent. I remember how I felt like I was being transported to another place and I felt like I was looking at the world from the perspective of the characters. This was very formative in my development and cultivated a lifelong desire to understand life from the perspective of others.

2. What was your first introduction to the arts/culture scene in Summit County?

Having spent so many years away from Ohio, I came back to the arts and culture scene as an adult. After moving back and having my first child, the most impactful thing that reconnected me with arts and culture was Akron’s summer concert series. Being out in the fresh air, on a blanket with my loved ones, experiencing dance, music, and theatre was such a warm and wholesome experience that reinforced my love for raising a family in this area.

3. How do arts/culture/environment in Summit County impact your life?

Arts, culture, and environment are some of my favorite ways to reconnect with what is truly important in life and to broaden my perspective. Browsing through an art collection, at a museum, gallery, or elsewhere, or attending an orchestra performance is meditative and it draws the mind away from life’s noise and back to beauty and introspection.

4. What artist/arts organization in Summit County do you wish more people knew about?

I wish the people in the community would attend local and school art shows and performances even when their children are not participating. Understand I’m coming at this with bias, but I am continuously blown away by the quality of performances by the Barberton High School theater department. The leaders of this program are amazing at motivating and bringing out the best in their student performers, and the performance quality is just wonderful. We also have an unbelievably special group here in town, the Magical Theatre Company, that provides thoughtful and enriching programming and performances for all ages, but they are particularly magical with children.

5. What is a “can’t miss” Summit County arts/culture/environment experience?

Because it was where I fell back in love with this area and its art, culture, and environmental offerings, I have to say the Summit MetroParks are not to be missed. If you’re up for a somewhat challenging hike with an absolutely beautiful view, try O’Neil Woods – it’s gorgeous.

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