Board of Directors

Meet The Executive Board

Dr. Matthew Akers, President
Dr. Akers holds a dual role at The University of Akron, serving as special assistant to the president for government relations in the Office of the President and as associate director of the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics in the Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences.

As special assistant to the president for government relations, Akers represents the University in interactions with local, state, and federal elected officials, community leaders, and University stakeholders. As associate director of the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics, Akers assists with the management of day-to-day activities of the Institute, including programs, projects, events, student scholarships and internships, and other activities. He also contributes to academic components of the Institute, including teaching courses.
Akers earned his B.A. in English from The University of Akron and his Ph.D. from Drew University in Madison, N.J.
He resides in Doylestown, Ohio, with his wife, Elisabeth, and their four children, all four of whom participate in Summit Choral Society.

Brian Moore, Vice President
Brian is a partner with the law firm of Roetzel & Andress. He practices real estate and finance law. He is currently President of the Akron Bar Association.

In addition to Summit Choral Society, Brian currently serves on several community boards including Akron Community Foundation where he serves as Secretary, Northeastern Ohio Golf Charities Foundation, Grace House (Secretary) and Downtown Akron Partnership (Executive Committee). His past board service includes Blue Coats of Summit County (Past Chair), Red Cross (Past Chair), United Way of Summit County (Past Board Member and 2011 Campaign Chair), Portage Country Club ( Past Chair), Akron Bar Association, Akron Civic Theater, Greenleaf Family Center (Past Chair), Leadership Akron Alumni Association (Past President), and the Akron Jaycees (Past President).
Brian is a past recipient of the Leadership Akron Alumni Association "Lieberth Community Vision Award", Red Cross’ Peter H. Burg Award, and Greenleaf Family Center's Betty Dalton Community Service Award. He is a cantor and choir member at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Brian is also a member of the Metropolitan Choir.

Jared Coleman, Asst. Vice President
jared Coleman is President of Diogenes Asset Management UA LLC and Executive Director of UAkronPark, Inc. In these roles he manages compliance, stakeholder relations, capital projects, and strategic planning for the parking concession at the University of Akron. He was previously the Director of Parking and Transportation Services at the University of Akron, which is also his alma mater.

Born in Akron, Jared grew up attending a church with a cappella congregational singing. This inspired a love for choral music. He has fond childhood memories of going with his family to hear the Akron Derbytown Chorus and many barbershop quartets perform at the Civic Theatre. The joy of singing, combined with a love of education and desire for equality make Jared a firm believer in the mission and values of Summit Choral Society. Jared currently lives in North Canton, Ohio with his two children.

John Roll, Treasurer
John is from New Philadelphia, Ohio originally and has lived in the Cleveland/Akron area since 2013. He is a 2008 graduate of The Ohio State University with a B.S. in Finance and Accounting. He is a Director at The Siegfried Group, an accountant consulting firm. Prior to Siegfried he worked as a public accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers and Ernst & Young. He is active in the community, volunteering time to a variety of groups and charities, including the YMCA, Habitat for Humanity, and Business Volunteers United, focusing on helping high school students and parents navigate and complete applications for financial aid and scholarships. John and his wife Amanda reside in Copley.

Ben Comston, Asst. Treasurer
Ben Comston is the Vice President of Operations for Concora Credit, working there
since 2017. His previous positions were in primarily in credit card servicing and risk
management for Signet Jewelers and Genesis Financial Solutions. Ben has also earned
an MA in Financial Economics from Kent State University and a JD from the
University of Akron. Ben and his wife Laura have been married since 2016. They love
the greater Akron areas and both believe strongly in the value of Summit Choral's
programs and the value of exposure to the arts. Ben has been a member of the Board
of Directors since 2016.

Sarah Wenner-Bloomhuff, Secretary
With a Bachelor’s degree in Apparel Merchandising and Product Development from Bowling Green State University and an Associate’s degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology, insurance has always been in Sarah’s blood, dating back to her grandfather! After completing her higher education, she joined her father’s agency, Jones & Wenner Insurance, beginning her own insurance career. Sarah specializes in insurance for trucking companies and has built a network of clients over the past 15 years that confidently refers her into new relationships. Jones & Wenner Insurance joined forces with SeibertKeck Insurance Partners in 2018. Sarah resides in Copley with her husband, Jeff, and sons Holden (6) and Chase (4.)