The Honorable Mary Cacioppo Scholarship

It is with great admiration and respect that The Honorable Mary Cacioppo Scholarship was established in recognition of the Honorable Mary Cacioppo at her retirement from the Ninth District Court of Appeals in 1993.

Judge Mary Cacioppo, an alumna of The University of Akron School of Law, is a woman of high personal and professional stature. She is a patriotic public servant whose career has spanned more than four decades. Judge Cacioppo is a woman of numerous accomplishments, awards, and recognitions. Many “firsts” are associated with her name and her career. Judge Cacioppo was the first woman appointed law director for the city of Akron (1954), the first woman appointed as Akron’s chief police prosecutor (1964), the first woman appointed referee in the Summit County Domestic Relations Court (1974), the first woman to serve on the Akron Board of Zoning Appeals, the first woman to be honored as an outstanding alumna of the School of Law (1987), and the first woman to receive the prestigious Sir Thomas More Award (1993).

In 1986 when she was appointed to the Ninth District Court of Appeals, Judge Cacioppo realized a lifelong goal. While serving on the Court of Appeals, Judge Cacioppo also sat, by assignment, on many cases for the Ohio Supreme Court. Even in retirement, Judge Cacioppo continues to serve the public interest, sitting by special assignment on cases throughout the state of Ohio. A personal goal is to have heard cases in every single one of Ohio’s 88 counties.

Judge Cacioppo is a role model for all men and women who aspire to public service and the legal profession. She is a person of high moral and ethical character. An avid volunteer, Judge Cacioppo also serves her community vis-à-vis her active involvement on the boards of many civic organizations, including Cuyahoga Falls General Hospital, East Akron Community House, Senior Workers Action Program, and Summit County Mental Health and Retardation and Child Guidance Foundation.

The purpose of The Honorable Mary Cacioppo Scholarship is to provide scholarship support to a law student attending The University of Akron School of Law. The Honorable Mary Cacioppo Scholar will be selected by the dean of The University of Akron School of Law, upon the recommendation of the Law School’s scholarship committee.