SAMUEL D. DeSHAZIOR

Samuel D. DeShazior was appointed Deputy Planning Director for the City of Akron in 2006.

Mr. DeShazior was formerly senior director of business development with the Greater Akron Chamber.

During his years with the Chamber, DeShazior was instrumental in coordinating economic development and urban planning initiatives throughout the region.

For many years, the City of Akron has taken part in trade shows in Germany to help attract business from Europe to Northeastern Ohio. Sam DeShazior has served as chair of the Kunstoff Fair in Düsseldorf and developed marketing strategies for the Hanover Trade Show as well.

Mr. DeShazior chaired the State of Ohio's marketing effort at the National Plastics Exposition in Chicago and the Society of Automotive Engineering's World Congress in Detroit. He served as vice president and chairman of the statewide marketing committee for the Ohio Economic Development Council (now Team Ohio); Ohio's privately funded economic development marketing organization.

Sam earned a BA in public relations/marketing from Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University) and an MA in urban planning/urban economics from the University of Akron. He is also a graduate of the Economic Development Institute of the University of Oklahoma.