President-Elect: John Martin

John Martin is a Member in Brennan Manna & Diamond’s Akron office. His practice focuses on general business and corporate representation, mergers and acquisitions, real estate, and financing transactions.

Born and raised on the west side of Akron, John attended Fairlawn Elementary, Simon Perkins Jr. High, and Walsh Jesuit High School (1977). He earned his B.A. in Political Science from Miami University (1981) and his Juris Doctor from The Ohio State University College of Law (1984).

John began his legal career as a clerk for Judge Ed Mahoney at the Ninth District Court of Appeals (1984–1986). He then joined Amer Cunningham Brennan, where he worked as an associate and later a partner until 2001. In 2001, he joined BMD as a Member.

A dedicated member of the Akron Bar Association, John has previously served on the Board of Trustees and as Treasurer. He was also a Trustee of the Akron Bar Foundation, and served as its President for two years.

John's commitment to the greater Akron community is further demonstrated by his involvement in various organizations: he is a Past Committee Chairman for Boy Scout Troop One in Akron, a Board Member and Secretary for Cascade Capital Corporation, an Alternate on the Copley Zoning Commission, and a Commissioner and Secretary for the Ohio Higher Education Facility Commission. He is also a graduate of Leadership Akron Class XXII.

John and his wife Karen live in Copley and have four adult children and three grandchildren, all of whom live in Northeast Ohio.

Vice President of Membership: Jill Cabe

An attorney, librarian, and teacher, Jill Cabe serves as a Managing Attorney for the Summit Legal Defenders office. Previously, she was a partner with Medvick & Cabe LLP in downtown Akron. Jill’s legal practice focuses on school law, juvenile law, elder law, and civil and criminal advocacy. She currently represents parents in contested adoptions.

Jill received her J.D. from the University of Akron and an M.A. in English Literature and MLIS from Kent State University. She brings her passionate advocacy for her clients to formal and informal opportunities. During her 20 years in urban education, Jill participated in the process of school improvement, collaborating with community partners, consultants, and teachers to affect structures and processes that result in growth for the children of Cleveland. Her areas of expertise include library and literacy advocacy, training and professional development, strategic planning, and data collection and analysis. 

Treasurer: Montrella Jackson

Montrella S. Jackson, Esq. has over 25 years of public service experience at the county and local levels.  She is currently the Chief Human Resources Officer, a cabinet member for the Mayor Malik Administration with the City of Akron.

She previously served as the Chief Executive /Court Administrator for the Akron Municipal Court and its six Judges for 12 years. Her primary duties included managing the overall operations of the court and supervising the court’s division managers, magistrates and staff attorneys for the probation, bailiff, traffic and small claims court services.  She served as a model court and human resources expert, training courts statewide on diversity efforts and recruitment strategies/ planning. She recruited, hired and managed training of all court personnel. She is an Ohio Judicial College faculty member focusing on human resources and policy management training curriculums. 

Jackson served as an in-house attorney with the Summit County Children Services Human Resources, Administrative and Legal Services Department for 13 years from 1999 to 2012.  She has experience with court litigation, human resource law and various administrative legal issues affecting government agencies.  While in that role, she created personnel policies and managed the agency’s over 600 accredited policies.  She also trained managers on employment law and compliance. Jackson further represented the agency in labor negotiations; conducted disciplinary investigations/ grievance hearings; supervised attorney and paralegal staff; and provided back-up for General Counsel.  She further served as the agency’s civil rights officer, HIPAA privacy officer and compliance manager relative to federal and state mandates/ audits / funding. 

Jackson was born and raised in Chattahoochee, Florida and moved to Battle Creek, Michigan as a teenager. She attended the University of Michigan from 1991- 1994 and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science with extensive study in international politics and Japanese language & culture.   She has expertise in international cultural exchange having worked for the Takasaki Japan government as well as travelled the countries of Thailand, Hong Kong and Korea. 

After working for two years in Takasaki, Japan as an English Instructor / Sister City Ambassador for the Takasaki Board of Education, she moved to Akron to attend the University of Akron School of Law in 1996. She also worked for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Michigan in 1997 researching criminal, civil and international law.  She clerked for Judge Carla Moore at the Akron Municipal Court in 1998. Jackson finished her law degree and passed the Ohio bar exam in 1999. 

Jackson has received numerous awards and recognitions for her work championing diversity and inclusion, and she has also served on many community boards. She currently serves on the boards of the Women's Network Leadership Institute, Ohio Board of Bar Examiners and Akron Children’s Hospital.

Secretary: Michael Creveling

Michael A. Creveling has over 30 years legal experience, practicing predominantly in the areas of general civil litigation and employment law.  Mike is an army veteran and served overseas in Operation Desert Storm as an intelligence analyst.  Mike graduated from the University of Akron School of Law in 1993. He currently serves as a Trustee on the Akron Bar Association Board and as Chair of the Bar Applicant Committee, having represented the Akron Bar in this capacity before the Ohio Supreme Court.

Mike practices with his wife Wendy S. Creveling in Fairlawn, Ohio.  Together they are proud parents to twin daughters currently attending the University of Cincinnati (Go Bearcats!)  For fun Mike plays pickleball and guitar.  Neither one particularly well :-)

Director: Eric McDaniel

Eric S. McDaniel is the managing partner at Malyuk McDaniel Kasper LLC.  Attorney McDaniel focuses on Social Security Disability claims, Short-Term and Long-Term Disability plans, Ohio State Disability pensions, and Probate Administration as his primary areas of practice.  In addition to helping his clients, Attorney McDaniel provides educational lectures to medical professionals regarding their role in the Social Security Disability claims process and provides informational seminars to local organizations serving the disabled community.  As a member of the Akron Bar Association, Attorney McDaniel has served on various committees and is currently the Co-Chair for the Lawyer Referral Service and the Disability Law Section.  He is also a founding member of the Downtown Cuyahoga Falls Partnership and a member of the Cuyahoga Falls Chamber of Commerce.  In his personal time, Attorney McDaniel enjoys spending time with his wife and six children, hobby farming, beekeeping, and studying his personal genealogy.  He has traced his lineage back to several Pilgrims and takes pride in being a member of the Ohio Society of Mayflower Descendants. He currently serves on the board of the Western Reserve Colony and is also a member of the Ohio Chapter of the Order of the Founders and Patriots of America, The Descendants of the Green Mountain Boys, The Descendants of Brian Boru, and The Order of the Norman Conquest.

Director: Job Esau Perry

Attorney Job Esau Perry has practiced criminal defense law in Ohio since 2005. He served as an elected member of the Akron Public Schools board from 2022-2024. In October 2024, he was appointed as a magistrate in Summit County Probate Court in addition to his criminal defense practice.

Attorney Perry is the proud father of two teenage sons and looks forward to serving Summit County and the Akron community for years to come.

Director: Richard Schroeter

Rick is a shareholder at Stark & Knoll Co., L.P.A. in Fairlawn whose practice focuses on corporate matters, real estate, and civil litigation.  Rick has been involved in several sections and committees with the Akron Bar Association, including the New Lawyers’ Section, the Bankruptcy and Commercial Law Section, of which he is a past chair, and the Investigative Subcommittee and Grievance Committee.  Rick is a 2017 graduate of the Akron Bar Association Leadership Academy as well as a recipient of the Akron Bar Association Outstanding Section Chair of the Year award.

Rick is a lifelong resident of the Akron Area, growing up in Coventry Township and now residing with his wife, Lindsay, an NP at Akron Children’s Hospital, and their three children in the Fairlawn Heights neighborhood where they are involved in a number of activities and organizations including St. Hilary School and Parish, West Akron Baseball League, and the Fairlawn Heights Neighborhood Association.

When Rick’s time is not taken up by his law practice or family commitments, which is rare, he enjoys tearing into home renovation projects.