Release Date: May 29,2025
Program Created by Akron Municipal Court Administrative/Presiding Judge David Hamilton Receives Statewide Recognition
Akron, Ohio, May 28, 2025 – On Saturday, May 17, 2025, Leadership Ohio and the Compassion, Opportunity, Mentoring, Purpose, Achievement, Success, Stepping forward (COMPASS), created by Administrative/Presiding Judge David Hamilton, partnered on a special event at the Akron Municipal Courthouse.
COMPASS was featured during a two-day Leadership Ohio event and in addition to presentations by Judge Hamilton and Probation Officer Livia Young, several COMPASS graduates served on a panel and recalled their time in the program. Leadership Ohio participants posed questions to the panel as part of a question and answer segment.
Leadership Ohio wanted to showcase COMPASS to their 2025 class of fellows.
COMPASS, which Judge Hamilton launched in 2020, was created for males who are high risk to reoffend. This provides an alternative to jail. The target demographic for COMPASS has a traumatic family history (including family members who also have a criminal history), a history of dealing with trauma/mental illness, a housing issue such as homelessness, a lack of work/underemployment and a lengthy criminal record.
It is the mission of the COMPASS Program to provide young men who are adjudicated in the Akron Municipal Court with the support, skills and resources needed to chart a new course for their lives. Following graduation from COMPASS, an individual’s fines and court costs are waived, the case is dismissed and the record is sealed.
The stop at the Akron Municipal Courthouse was quite an honor as Leadership Ohio is a statewide program.
“I was delighted to meet the 2025 Leadership Ohio fellows and share the success of COMPASS with them,” said Judge Hamilton who is a 2023 Leadership Ohio graduate. “Watching COMPASS graduates share how the program has changed their lives was one of my proudest professional moments.”
Leadership Ohio chose to showcase COMPASS to their current class because of Judge Hamilton’s passion for the program and its impact on the community.
“Judge Hamilton continues to be one of our most active Leadership Ohio alumnus,” said Leadership Ohio Executive Director Lisa Duty. “It was an absolute pleasure for our group to visit the Akron Municipal Courthouse and learn about this innovative program.”
About Judge David Hamilton
Judge David Hamilton was born and raised in Akron. He is a graduate of Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy (CVCA) and received his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology as well as minors in Criminal Justice and Criminology from the University of Akron. Judge Hamilton earned his Juris Doctorate at the Western Michigan University’s Thomas M. Cooley School of Law.
Judge Hamilton was elected to the bench in both 2019 and 2023. He was selected to be the Administrative/Presiding Judge for the Akron Municipal Court in both 2023 and 2025.
He is involved in many civic and non-profit organizations. He is a former Board Member of Victim Assistance, AxessPointe Community Health Centers, Summit County Land Bank, The First Tee of Greater Akron and the Akron Zoo. David was appointed to the Ohio Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism in 2023 and currently serves on the Board of Directors for ArtsNow.
He is a graduate of Leadership Ohio Class of 2023 and a Class 34 Graduate of Leadership Akron. Leadership Ohio honored David with their Community Impact Award in 2024.
David was awarded the Harold K. Stubbs Humanitarian Award, The Akron Bar Association Diversity Award, the BMe Genius fellowship, Crain’s Cleveland Business Forty under 40, the Greater Akron Chamber’s 30 for the Future award, the Omicron Delta Kappa Alumni Award from the University of Akron and the Akron Urban League Rising Star Award.
About Leadership Ohio
Leadership Ohio is Ohio's most prestigious, non-partisan statewide leadership development program, founded in 1992. Success in our mission creates a unifying movement of diverse, connected leaders who make Ohio the best state to live and work. More information about Leadership Ohio can be found by visiting https://www.leadershipohio.org.