Akron Reporter

The Malik administration continues to fill out with more key appointments. Today, Mayor Malik is announcing Suzie Graham Moore is joining the administration in the role of Director of Economic Development and Sean Vollman is staying on as Deputy Director of Economic Development. Kyle Julien is coming in as the new Director of Planning and LaTonda Mobley will remain as Great Streets Administrator.

“Economic Development and Planning will be key to my administration’s goals and I’m confident in the team we are assembling,” said Mayor Malik. “Both Suzie Graham Moore and Sean Vollman bring experience and creativity to their roles and will work closely to move our Economic Development efforts forward. Kyle Julien’s planning background is exemplary, and we are lucky to have him join our team as Director of Planning. LaTonda Mobley brings incredible value to the Economic Development team, and I look forward to our work together.”

Director of Economic Development – Suzie Graham Moore

For over twelve years, Suzie Graham Moore has served as President and CEO of Downtown Akron Partnership. With a keen focus on safety, beautification, creative placemaking, planning, and economic development, she has elevated the entire downtown Akron experience. Her strategic initiatives, including the first of its kind consensus-led Downtown Akron Vision and Redevelopment Plan, ignited downtown residential growth, attracted over $180M in private investment, and laid a path for ongoing neighborhood planning to benefit the entire city. Under her leadership, Graham Moore’s innovative small business support programs have successfully attracted, retained, and grown businesses while increasing storefront ownership by people of color.

Before her role at DAP, Graham Moore's dedication to community building spanned over 18 years of public service with the City of Akron. From supervising recreation centers and public pools to developing innovative programming at Lock 3, she laid the groundwork for impactful programming for Akron residents.

A Summa Cum Laude graduate of Kent State University, a member of Leadership Akron Class 29, and a 2015 Presidio Institute Cross Sector Leadership Fellow, she has had the benefit of learning from both local and national expertise. Her commitment to community is evident in her role as an Akron core team member in the national Reimagining the Civic Commons cohort since 2016 and her service on the Board of Directors of Peg’s Foundation, Advisory Committee of the Reconnecting Our Community Initiative and the Akron Bicentennial Commission.

Graham Moore is honored to have been recognized by the 2012 GAR Glass Half Full Award, the 2017 Margaret Clark Morgan Impact Award for Community Leadership, and the 2019 Akron Summit Convention and Visitors Bureau Chairman’s Award.

Graham Moore, her husband, and two children, proudly call Akron home.

Deputy Director of Economic Development Sean Vollman

Sean Vollman served as Assistant Director of Law in the City of Akron’s Law Department for over 18 years before joining the Office of Integrated Development in 2021.  Prior to joining the City, he worked in private practice at Buckingham, Doolittle and Burroughs.

As an Assistant Director of Law, Vollman focused on transactional work, particularly real estate, development, construction, finance and contracts.  Projects he has been part of include Amazon, Dave’s Supermarket/Middlebury Plaza, Mustard Seed, Whole Foods Plaza, Stark State, the Bowery Project, Industrial Realty Group East End, Hickory Development and several major downtown housing projects.  In addition, from 2009, he was tasked to be the lawyer that assisted the City’s Engineering Division with constructing the various projects comprising the City’s Combined Sewer Overflow Program. 

Vollman’s family moved to Akron in 1976 and he attended St. Vincent- St. Mary High School.  Vollman received his bachelor’s degree in American Government from Georgetown University and received his Juris Doctorate from the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.

Vollman serves on the boards of the Downtown Special Improvement District, the Downtown Real Estate Development Corporation, ConxusNEO has previously served on the Board of Trustees of Mobile Meals and Weathervane Playhouse.  In connection with his role with the City of Akron, Vollman also served as the Chairperson of the Urban Neighborhood Development Corporation.  He is a current member of Leadership Akron Class 40. Vollman resides in Akron with his wife and two daughters.

Director of Planning – Kyle Julien

Kyle Julien joins the administration after most recently serving as the Managing Director for the Western Reserve Community Fund (WRCF) at the Development Finance Authority. Julien has helped launch WRCF lending programs including the Akron Resiliency Fund, the Minority Contractor Capital Access Program (in collaboration with the Akron Urban League), and the Summit County Affordable Housing Trust Fund. WRCF has deployed nearly $8 million in low-cost and flexible financing to small businesses and nonprofit organizations in greater Akron since 2019. Two-thirds of WRCF borrowers have been minority-owned businesses, and nearly half have been women-owned businesses.

Prior to joining the Development Finance Authority, Julien held the role of Director of Urban Planning at East Akron Neighborhood Development Corporation. There he was involved in all aspects of EANDC’s development activities, including concept and site selection, securing financing, and project management. He also oversaw the Community Building and Engagement programs at EANDC and was a member of the core planning team and contributing author for the Middlebury neighborhood plan completed in 2019.

Since 2018, Julien has served on the board of the Greater Ohio Policy Center, a nonpartisan organization that advances policies supporting the revitalization of Ohio’s cities and sustainable growth across the state. In December, he completed a two-year term as the Chair of the board. He has also volunteered for PorchRokr Music and Art Festival and served on the board of the Better Kenmore Community Development Corporation.

Julien attended Hiram College and received a Master of Urban Planning, Design, and Development from Cleveland State University. He and his wife Lori have lived in Highland Square for nearly 20 years and have three adult children.

Great Streets Administrator – LaTonda Mobley

LaTonda Mobley was appointed as the Great Streets Akron Initiative Administrator in 2022.  In her current role, she has been instrumental in completing the Façade Grant Program, moving the community connections conversations forward, and participating in the development of the Neighborhood Business Districts.  In the upcoming year she aims to delve into analytics-based resource provision and small business sustainability through the current initiative. 

Mobley relocated to the City of Akron by way of Columbus, Ohio in 2018.  Her work with Downtown Akron Partnership, Akron Pride Festival Steering Committee, and several other local organizations helped her establish her career footing.  A few of her major accomplishments include partnering with Community Support Services (CSS) to provide shelter for the unhoused, consulting with Akron Aids Collaborative to bring the Bayard Rustin Resource Center to fruition and piloting the City’s first ambassador program outside of Downtown Akron.

Original source can be found here.