Board Member: Annie McFadden
Chief of Staff, United Way of Summit & Medina County
As Chief of Staff, Impact and Communications, Annie McFadden works closely with the CEO, organizational staff and community leaders to help develop and execute strategies to fulfill the mission and vision of United Way of Summit & Medina. She oversees the areas of policy and advocacy, marketing and community impact – which includes 211, housing, financial empowerment, health and education. As Chief of Staff, she works directly with the president and CEO, and as a key strategic leader fosters collaborative and meaningful relationships with community leaders and partners in Summit and Medina counties.
Prior to joining United Way, Annie served as Deputy Mayor for Administration and Chief of Staff to Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan. She oversaw the day-to-day operations of the Office of the Mayor, Cabinet priorities and functions, as well as strategic initiatives and special projects as designated by the mayor. Annie also managed the City’s communications staff, which oversees public relations, press relations, and social, digital and traditional media communications.
Annie started her career in 2004 at the Summit County Board of Elections as a Ballot Layout Manager, playing an integral role in the switch of Summit County’s voting system from punch cards to a Precinct Count Optical Scan System in 2006. She has served in numerous leadership roles in our local community, including acting as campaign manager or lead strategist on over a dozen public awareness campaigns for non-partisan ballot issues in Summit County since 2012. She worked as an account manager at TRIAD Communications, Inc., before creating her own campaign management firm, 5eleven Consulting, in 2015.
Annie is a graduate of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, a Greater Akron Chamber 30 for the Future Awardee, a member of Leadership Akron Class 37 and a Board Member at Habitat for Humanity Summit County. She is a native of Akron and a 2000 graduate of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies & Advertising from Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, IN. She currently lives in West Akron with her husband, son and labrador retriever.