Jeff Wilhite has over thirty (30) years of Public Service and Private Business experience. Mr. Wilhite has served The Greater Akron Community in a dedicated manner in the areas of housing, hunger, the environment, education, economic development, and invention/intellectual property.
ALL of these areas are critical pieces to the success of AMHA clients and programming.
Housing
Jeff Wilhite serves as Vice President of Summit County Council representing District 4. District 4 covers a very diverse portion of the county population from the ALICE (Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed) population to the very affluent population of Bath Township. He chairs the Planning and Economic Development Committee and serves as Vice Chairman of the Health and Human Services Committee.
Mr. Wilhite served on the Board of Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority (AMHA) from 1999 to 2002. As Deputy Director of Planning for the City of Akron, he worked with AMHA on obtaining two Hope VI Grants from the Department of Housing and Urban Development in several capacities from the initial planning sharets to assisting in building the many collaborations that made both projects successful and award winning. The AMHA team brought the Akron Public Schools, Akron Zoological Park, Urban League, City of Akron, County of Summit, and several community service groups together to make the projects happen.
Daily as Executive Director of Family Promise of Summit County, 2013 to the present. Mr. Wilhite works with many organizations to assist homeless families with children stay together and achieve sustainable independence and housing.
Hunger
Jeff Wilhite has serve on the Board of the Akron Canton Regional Foodbank from 1987 to 1999. In that time the Foodbank grew to serve eight counties in Ohio. Mr. Wilhite lead the initiative to establish the endowment fund now serving the Foodbank in covering costs associated with capital needs.
Mr. Wilhite served on the Board of the Stark County Hunger Task Force where he founded the “Spot Site” initiative where vacant lots were transformed into community gardens for growing produce for families in need.
The Environment
Jeff Wilhite served as the founding Executive Director of the Summit/Akron Solid Waste Management Authority covering all of Summit County, Ohio, 1992 - 1998. MR. Wilhite was responsible for implementing the taxing authority for the implementation of Ohio’s H.B. 592 directing counties in Ohio to plan a solid waste disposal plan for managing solid waste, scrap tires, household hazardous waste, yard waste and recycling programs.
Mr. Wilhite was recognized by the National League of Cities for planning and building Ohio’s first Household Hazardous Waste Recycling Center. The Center was an award winning solution to keeping household hazardous materials from being landfilled, poured down the drains of homes or buried.
Mr. Wilhite successfully petitioned the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to create a pilot business hazardous waste recycling center, known as BIZMAT™. The center allowed small businesses classified as “exempt” under OEPA rules to have a safe and affordable place to handle their business hazardous wastes while adding a solution to further protect soil, water, and air from contamination.
As Founder and Partner in Hydrogen Energy Systems, 2008 – the present, Mr. Wilhite has successfully secured two patents on technology that allows small internal combustion engines (ICEs) to run on hydrogen, natural gas and methane. Small ICEs are the largest air polluter in the US. The technology reduces greenhouse gases dramatically from the emissions of the engines.
Education
Jeff Wilhite served as Deputy Mayor for Administration and Deputy Planning Director for the City of Akron, 2000-2006, where he was on the leadership team that increased Akron’s Income tax to match the State of Ohio School Facilities Funding to rebuild or renovate all of the Akron Public School’s buildings. The project was an $800M project whereby the City and School Board partnered to create Community Learning Centers allowing for maximum use of the new facilities.
Mr. Wilhite served on the Woodridge Local Schools Foundation as President. The Foundation is a separate 501(c)(3) funding source for special projects. Mr. Wilhite successfully raise $300K to establish the Biomedical & Engineering Academy. The Academy places students with interest in biomedical and/or engineering interests in cooperative learning labs with area hospitals and engineering firms.
Economic Development
Jeff Wilhite Serves as Chair of the Planning and Economic Development Committee of Summit County Council where he sits on the Economic Development Team (EDT) for the County. EDT reviews weekly, the needs of business attraction, business development, business retention, and coordination of services for positive impact in the business community.
Mr. Wilhite serves on the Summit County Landbank. The Landbank was establish to assist the county in securing tax delinquent properties and returning them to productive parcels again.
Invention/Intellectual Property
Jeff Wilhite served as Chief Operating Officer for the National Inventors Hall of Fame, 1998- 2000. He created the “Meet the Inventors” and expanded the “B.F. Goodrich Collegiate Inventors Program” wherein the HOF show cased the inductees and linked them to school students for inspiration and mentoring.
Mr. Wilhite has patented technology for small Internal Combustion Engines (ICEs)
Additional experience:
1989 – 1992: Director, Government Affairs, Browning Ferris Industries, for the Northeast Ohio Region.
1984 – 1989: Director, Government Affairs and Policy, Foster & Kleiser Outdoor Media.
Education: Bachelors of Science, Business Administration, the University of Akron, Akron, Ohio
Boards and Organizations Served:
- Vice Chairman, National Museum of Education
- Board Member and President, Woodridge High School Foundation
- Founding Board Member, Akron/Canton Regional Foodbank Endowment Fund
- Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority
- Habitat for Humanity Capital Campaign
- The Urban League Capital Campaign
- Akron/Canton Regional Foodbank Capital Campaign
- Akron Zoological Park
- Visiting Nurse Service, Former Board Chair and Board Member
- Akron Community Action Earned Income Tax Credit Initiative
- Time Warner/Akron Marathon Planning for the Inaugural Committee
- Canton Hunger Task Force
- Chaired Kids Voting Campaign
- Past Harvest for Hunger Campaigns
Personal:
Mr. Wilhite is married and has two children; a son Jordan and daughter-in-law Laura, granddaughter Olivia and daughter Katie. His wife Cindy, an Educator and Administrator, is a retired Akron Public Schools and currently serves as
Principal of the Woodridge Intermediate School.
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