Akron Roundtable: Ismail Al-Amin and Butch Reynolds

Date and Time

• Thursday, Jul 16, 2026  12pm

Location

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Details

Ismail Al-Amin is a veteran educator, concert promoter, and social entrepreneur with 20 years of experience as a teacher and professor in Akron, Ohio’s public, charter schools and universities. Al-Amin’s successful dual career path in education, art and culture supports his innovative approach for professional learning. Al-Amin holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of the Akron and a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of the District of Columbia.

He is also the founder and president of Keepers of the Art Education (KOTA), a non-profit organization designed to preserve the integrity of urban communities through progressive education and live entertainment outlets. Since its inception, KOTA has founded and produced the first all hip-hop radio program in the city of Akron. They also founded and produced the Akron Hip-Hop Showcase and the Keepers Music Showcase. Both events are firsts of their kind in the city of Akron, and in Northeast Ohio, respectively. Al-Amin has 15-plus years of concert promotion concerts for countless national and international music artists.

Al-Amin has added a third tentacle to his productive career by pursuing his dream of directing documentary films. Al-Amin made his directorial debut with False Positive, a full-length ESPN 30 for 30 documentary film about his long-time friend, Olympic gold medalist and world-record holder Butch Reynolds, which made its national television debut June 11, 2024. False Positive can be streamed via the Disney+ and Hulu.