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Dr. N.J. Akbar in front of Weathervane Playhouse in Ward 8
Dr. N.J. Akbar for Akron Logo

WARD 8 FORWARD

Meet Dr. Akbar 

ARMY VETERAN . PUBLIC SERVANT . BUSINESS OWNER. 

ACHIEVED IN SPITE OF, NOT BECAUSE OF!

EARLY YEARS: Born with a lisp, stutter, and reading challenges, Dr. Akbar spent their early years in Special Education. They grew up in a low-income inner city neighborhood, facing the added difficulty of having parents who battled drug addiction and alcoholism. Despite these hardships, his story reflects the definition of resilience and determination in overcoming early obstacles.

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RESIDENCY: Ward 8 (Winston Rd now, previously Thornhill Dr.)

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ELECTED EXPERIENCE: Elected Democratic Party Precinct Captain – Ward 8J, (Current), Board President (2021-2023)​​, Akron School Board Member (2019-2023), Elected Democratic Party Precinct Captain – Ward 8G (2021 – 2022)​​

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EDUCATION: 

  • Ph.D. in Cultural Foundations of Education (Policy and Sociology) - Kent State University

  • Master of Arts in Educational Leadership for Higher Education

  • Bachelor of Science in History and English for Education (7th through 12th Grade), 

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COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Executive Director of Black Elected Officials of Summit County, Vice Chair of Alpha Library Committee, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Eta Tau Lambda Chapter, DEIA Chair of Akron Art Museum Board of Directors, At-Large Board Member - Summit County Progressive Democrats, Advocacy Chair of Akron Urban League Young Professionals, 100 Black Men of Akron, Legacy Building Project and Ohio Equal Rights

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MEET DR. N. J. AKBAR

Dr. N. J. Akbar is a proud product of public schools; he is the son of hardworking parents, the late Toyi C. Akbar (1955-2017) and the late Nadir Akbar (1943-2024). N. J. experienced struggles early on in school.  The combination of his limited vocabulary, short stature, a lisp, stutter and reading challenges all impacted his ability to access education. 

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By the third grade, Dr. Akbar attended four different elementary schools, with varying levels of support. With the help of his parents and some amazing teachers (Ms. Deacon specifically), Akbar received specialized support for his speech and reading difficulties. ​Despite financial hardships, love was the dominant force for the Akbar family, combined with the assurance that strong educational success was possible and the way, even for children living in poverty. As fate would have it, N. J. would graduate from high school as Salutatorian (2nd in his class). In his senior year, he experienced, along with the rest of the country, the tragedy of 9/11. 

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With a family history of military service and the tragedy of 9/11, he was inspired to raise his hand to serve in the Army National Guard. In the Army, Specialist (E-4) Akbar served as a Human Resources Specialist in a Signal Battalion (Communications and radio unit) and Military Police Brigade. 

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Dr. Akbar credits the Army for instilling in him many core values that he holds today and helping him to pay for college. In addition to receiving the G.I. Bill, he received many one-year scholarships to attend Eastern Michigan University (EMU), as a first generation college student. 

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After working at EMU, University of Michigan and receiving his Master’s degree in Educational Leadership, Akbar relocated to the Akron area after accepting employment at Kent State University (KSU) in 2009. For fourteen years, he served in many roles at KSU; his final role was Associate Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. After leaving Kent State, he worked as the ACLU National Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer and now as the President and Senior Principal for B4U Services, LLC., an Akron-based consulting firm supporting organizations with their diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, strategic planning, assessment and research needs. 

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Since moving here in 2009, Akron has become home for Akbar and he has made the northwest Akron neighborhood (Ward 8) his home. Akbar has received several awards for his work at Kent State and within the community that include: National Association of Social Workers Ohio Chapter’s 2020 Elected Official of the Year, 2020 Advocate Magazine’s Champion of Pride, 30 for the Future Award in 2015, 2016 Harold K. Stubbs Humanitarian Award in Education and the 2017 Ohio Black Women’s Leadership Caucus’ Significant African American Males Award, just to name a few.

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In 2019, Dr. Akbar earned his Ph.D. in Cultural Foundations of Education with a particular focus on Sociology of Education and Educational Policy from Kent State University. Also in 2019, Dr. Akbar was elected to the Akron School Board as a member, receiving the highest votes of any candidate in Ward 8 (and second overall in total votes in the race). In his first year, his board colleagues nominated and elected him Board Vice President. He would go onto serving as Board President in 2021 and 2022. 

 

Dr. Akbar married the love of his life, Alex, in a beautiful ceremony in Akron in May 2022. They have a rambunctious lovable 3 year old Fox Terrier mix, Aries and a new puppy Adora, a Yellow Lab mix. They are have plans to start the foster to adopt process this year in hopes of becoming loving parents to a child or siblings in need of a supportive stable home.

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DR. AKBAR'S
COMMUNITY
INVOLVEMENT

  • Elected Precinct Captain – Ward 8J, Summit County Democratic Party Central Committee (2024 – Current)

  • Executive Director, Black Elected Officials of Summit County (2023-Current)

  • Board Vice Chair (Current), Alpha Library Committee Board of Directors (501c3)

  • Advocacy Chair (2024) & Member (2016-Current), Akron Urban League Young Professionals

  • Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion Chair (2022-Current), Akron Art Museum Board of Directors (2021-Current)

  • Member (2018-Current), NAACP - Akron Chapter

  • Member (2021-Current), 100 Black Men of Akron, Inc.

  • At-Large Board Member (2021-Current)/Assistant Treasurer (2019-2021), Summit County Progressive Democrats PAC (2017-Current)

  • Membership Director; Founding Program Director, Alpha Core of Excellence Mentoring Program; Parliamentarian; Historian; and Director of Education, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Akron Alumni Chapter (2009-current)

  • Chief of Staff (2020-2023), Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Midwestern Region

  • Member, President (2021, 2022)/Vice President (2020), Akron Board of Education

    • Chair (2021-2023)/Member, Legal, Contracts, and Board Policy Committee

    • Member (2021 & 2022), Equity Committee

    • Member (Current, 2021-2023), Finance & Capital Management Committee

    • Member (Current, 2020-2023), Joint Board of Review

    • Member (2021 & 2022), Student Achievement and Instructional Policy Committee

    • Chair, Superintendent Search (2021)

  • Elected Precinct Captain – Ward 8G, Summit County Democratic Party Central Committee (2021 – 2022)

  • Member, Akron Public School Board’s Student Behavior and Discipline Committee (2018)

  • Member, Akron Public Schools’ Counselor Advisory Committee (2015-2018)

  • Member, Akron Public Schools’ Healthcare in Progress Committee (2012-2015)

  • Member, Akron Public Schools’ BECOME Scholarship Committee (2012-2015)

  • Member, House of Zoe Board of Directors (501c3) (2019-2020)

  • Member (2018-2021), Northeast Ohio Young Black Democrats

  • Member, Akron Ward 8 Dems (2017-2019)

  • Member (2017-2020), Summit County Young Democrats

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