Board + Staff

Zac has long considered Akron to be the epicenter of the universe. Growing up in the Westside of Akron, he traded over to the Eastside in 2012. That is where his wife, Beth, and he bought and rehabbed a home for their three sons.  Zac founded The Well CDC in 2016 and decided to repurpose a hundred-year-old church building. When he isn’t coming up with awesome ideas, he loves investing in his local church as a pastor and coaching his sons’ soccer teams.

Jen is a Middlebury resident and has called Akron home for the last 11 years. She graduated from The University of Akron with a BA in Education and stayed in Akron because of her love for the city and its people. She started on the team 5+ years ago running our Akron Hope program as a part time employee, grew to be the manager, and was promoted in November 2022 to be our Fund Development Director. She has 9+ years of experience working in the non-profit sector and loves the work she gets to do everyday.

In the first year of The Well CDC’s inception I was able to connect with Reuben to install a hardwood floor in one of the properties. I was shocked that he showed up on a Saturday to help, and even more surprised by how well he did working on the project. This attitude has been demonstrated by all The Well CDC team members, day in and day out. Already being a Middlebury resident and appreciative of The Well CDC’s cause, joining the organization felt like hitting the lottery. I hope my love of power tools and passion for craftsmanship will encourage my neighbors to get building…together!

Reuben Auck is a Middlebury resident and a member of the Restoring Housing team for The Well CDC. He received his degree in Construction Engineering Technology from the University of Akron in 2012. Prior to joining The Well CDC staff, he worked for Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity as a Construction Site Supervisor and served as a Board Member for The Well CDC. He joined staff in 2017 and has been involved in the purchase and renovation of 70+ units in Middlebury.

AJ has a passion for ministry in the city context, and loves to work with his hands, using the gifts God has given him to serve others. He also mentors high schoolers in the neighborhood through Akron Youth Mentorship and volunteers with The Vincent House’s after school program. 

After graduating from The Univeristy of Akron in 2021 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing, Anna decided to combine her love of coffee with her desire to invest in her community at The Well CDC as a Compass barista. Five months later, she came on full-time as the part-time Finance Coordinator and part-time Lead Barista. Now she assists in managing The Well’s social media, communications, and special usage as the Marketing Coordinator, but every once in a while you can still find her down in the cafe, practicing her latte art.

Erica is a true Akronite. She graduated from Firestone High School, went on to Central State University to obtain a degree in Sociology, and then returned home to pursue a career in social services for 7 years. It was then she wanted to open her own Restaurant and Lounge in Akron. With almost 4 years of food entrepreneurship under her and understanding the complications yet rewards of starting a business, she found herself helping food entrepreneurs start and grow their business at The Well CDC.

After studying psychology at Kent State University, Marta had a series of opportunities to support creative new endeavors across the country. She worked for start-ups in San Francisco, led teams on commercial rebranding projects in Idaho, and built a sustainable business line for a National Park. Whatever the enterprise, Marta believes that a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion must be central to her work. Now back home in Akron, she has found The Well CDC to be the perfect place for her commitment to equity and passion for program development to come together. As Workforce Manager and leader of the Middlebury Workforce Coalition, Marta is humbled by the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of our community, its challenges, and most importantly, its resources.

Born and raised in Akron Ohio, Alex is an experienced nonprofit professional with 20+ years of serving families and youth. She takes pride in being passionate about those who are underserved and under-represented, and leaving others feeling empowered, resilient, and hopeful for their future. In her not so spare time, Alex enjoys being active in her church, The House of the Lord, as the Director of Youth Ministry, serving on non-profit boards, mentoring, spending time with my family, and completing her Master of Divinity degree. She’s proud to bring her knowledge and heart to join the work of “people first and people last” as the Community Engagement Manager.

Angela was born and raised in Dayton, OH but her college education led her to Akron. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Akron in Mechanical Engineering and a master’s degree from Liberty University in Worship Studies and Ethnomusicology. Angela has a heart to serve people and began her time with the Well helping with Holidays of Hope in 2023. In addition to her work with Akron Hope, she also serves as the Worship Pastor at The House of the Lord Church. Angela has been married to her husband Jerrett for 28 years and they have two beautiful daughters.

Makita is a Middlebury resident and single mother of four. Local to Akron, she’s a Firestone High and Kent State graduate, and is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Business at Franklin University. Makita has always enjoyed community involvement, and began volunteering at a young age, which brought her to The Well CDC! Outside of work and homework, Makita loves traveling, reading, listening to podcasts, and spending time with her family.

Meaghan is a life-long resident of Goodyear Heights and a current member of The Well’s finance team. Before joining the staff full-time in early 2023, she was an accountant at local CPA firm Sikich, where she worked closely with The Well as one of their accountants. Meaghan left Sikich in early 2022 to start her own business, Diaz Bookkeeping, which allowed her to focus on the parts of accounting that she loves the most – working directly with small businesses to organize and maintain their financial information. Joining The Well’s staff has allowed Meaghan to continue with the line of work she loves and support an organization she’s worked with in various capacities over the years.