All aboard! Our annual Canal Boat Captain's Ball raises imperative funds to support our mission of developing, maintaining and activating the Ohio & Erie Canalway, Towpath Trail, connector trails and public spaces. We establish support for the protection, preservation, development and enhancement of the historical, natural and recreational resources along the route of the historic Ohio & Erie Canal.
2025 Virtual Auction Fundraiser: April 30 - May 7
Register an account and sign up to receive auction notifications! Get notified when the auction opens, when you've been outbid, and before the auction closes. The Virtual Auction will go live at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 30 and will close at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7.
Our annual Virtual Auction provides great gift baskets, getaway packages and experiences from across the Canalway and beyond! If you are interested in supporting our mission by making an auction donation, please contact Lauren Anderson at landerson@ohioeriecanal.org or (330) 374-5657.
Each year, a community leader is honored for their exemplary dedication and commitment to their community within the Ohio & Erie Canalway. Our 2025 honorary Canal Boat Captain is Laura Duda, Senior Vice President & Chief Communications Officer at The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company!
Laura Duda is Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. As the Chief Communications Officer, Duda leads all internal and external communications for the company, including public and media relations, employee communications, corporate reputation management, philanthropy and community relations, as well as Goodyear’s fleet of world-famous airships. Duda joined Goodyear in 2016, serving as Vice President of Communications for the company’s Americas business unit. Before joining Goodyear, Duda led corporate, utility and commercial communications for Chicago-based Exelon Corporation and corporate and utility communications for Tampa, Fla.-based TECO Energy, Inc. Raised in St. Petersburg, Florida, Duda attended Western Carolina University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Writing & Editing. She later received her Master of Arts degree in Mass Communication from University of Florida and her Master of Business Administration degree from The University of Tampa. She is accredited in Public Relations and is a member of the Arthur W. Page Society and a graduate of Leadership Tampa, Leadership Greater Chicago and Leadership Akron.
In 2023, Duda was named a Top 50 Chief Communications Officer by the National Diversity Conference. In 2020 and 2021, she was named to the National Diversity Council’s Power 50, honoring women in the C-suite from top corporations who endeavor to improve not just companies, but communities as well. She was also named to PR Week’s 2021 Hall of Femme, recognizing inspiring women who set the bar higher within their organizations, nominated by their peers and colleagues, and as one of the 2021 Women of Note by Crain’s Cleveland Business. Duda is an executive sponsor of the Goodyear Black Network, a board member of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce and a trustee of the Institute for Public Relations and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In early 2023, she was named to the advisory board of Signal Akron, a nonprofit news organization producing independent public service journalism online.
Make a contribution in honor of Laura Duda
The Canal Boat Captain's Ball is supported by: Akron Children's Hospital, Alpha Phi Alpha Homes, Inc., Apex Skin, ARCOA, Bill & Becky Considine, Chemstress, David Lieberth, Dr. Clifford Deveny, Envision, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, GPD Group, Greater Akron Chamber, HM Miller Construction, Meaden & Moore, Metis Construction, Northern Trust, Novatny Electric, Roetzel & Andress, Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro - Dept. of Job and Family Services, Thomarios, United Way of Summit/Medina, The University of Akron, Vorys, W.E. Quicksall & Associates and Zimmer Biomet.