Akron Mayor Shammas Malik, left, smiles after taking the oath of office at 12:01 a.m. Monday. His girlfriend, Alice Duey, center, laughts in celebration.
Akron Mayor Shammas Malik, left, smiles after taking the oath of office at 12:01 a.m. Monday. His girlfriend, Alice Duey, center, laughts in celebration as J. Bret Treier, partner in the Akron law office of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP looks on. Treier administered the oath of office to the new mayor in Akron City Council chambers. Invited guests for the ceremony included members of his transition team, incoming members of his cabinet and family and friends. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)
Stephanie Marsh toasts with Alice Duey.
Stephanie Marsh, director of communications for Mayor Shammas Malik, toasts with Alice Duey, Malik’s girlfriend, just before the new mayor’s official swearing-in ceremony in the Akron City Council chambers on New Year’s Eve 2023. Malik was sworn in as Akron’s 63rd mayor around 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2024. (Kassi Filkins / Signal Akron)
Mayor-elect Shammas Malik toasts to the new year with Akron City Council Member Sharon Connor.
Mayor-elect Shammas Malik toasts to the new year with Akron City Council Member Sharon Connor, who represents Ward 10, shortly before his official swearing-in ceremony in the Akron City Council Chambers on New Year’s Eve 2023. Malik was sworn in as Akron’s 63rd mayor around 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2024. (Kassi Filkins / Signal Akron)
Akron Mayor-elect Shammas Malik talks with attorney Gary Rosen just outside the entrance to Akron City Council chambers.
Akron Mayor-elect Shammas Malik talks with attorney Gary Rosen just outside the entrance to Akron City Council chambers prior to being sworn into his new office 12:01 a.m. Monday. J. Bret Treier, a partner in the Akron law office of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP administered the oath of office to the new mayor in Akron City Council chambers. Invited guests for the ceremony included members of his transition team, incoming members of his cabinet and family and friends. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)
Alice Duey, center, wipes away tears following the swearing-in ceremony of new Akron Mayor Shammas Malik.
Alice Duey, center, wipes away tears following the swearing-in ceremony of new Akron Mayor Shammas Malik , her boyfriend, at 12:01 a.m. Monday in City Council chambers. At left is Brittany Grimes Zaehringer, Malik’s chief of staff, and at right is the Rev. Nanette Pitt, who will serve as his chief of strategy. Invited guests for the ceremony included members of his transition team, incoming members of his cabinet and family and friends. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)
Mayor-elect Shammas Malik (left) shakes hands with Brittany Grimes Zaehringer, his chief of staff.
Mayor-elect Shammas Malik (left) shakes hands with Brittany Grimes Zaehringer, his chief of staff, as he arrives at the New Year’s Eve 2023 celebration in the Akron City Council Chambers. Malik was sworn in as Akron’s 63rd mayor just after midnight. (Kassi Filkins / Signal Akron)
Tracy Carter hugs Mayor-elect Shammas Malik.
Tracy Carter hugs Mayor-elect Shammas Malik in the Akron City Council Chambers during a New Year’s Eve 2023 gathering to swear Malik in as Akron’s mayor on Jan. 1, 2024. Carter was one of four co-chairs on Malik’s transition team. (Kassi Filkins / Signal Akron)
Mayor-elect Shammas Malik (right) shares a New Year’s kiss with Alice Duey, his girlfriend.
Mayor-elect Shammas Malik (right) shares a New Year’s kiss with Alice Duey, his girlfriend, just before his official swearing in ceremony in the Akron City Council Chambers on New Year’s Eve 2023. Malik was sworn in as Akron’s 63rd mayor just after midnight on Jan. 1, 2024. (Kassi Filkins / Signal Akron)
Mayor-elect Shammas Malik, left, hugs Toby Rosen, who said she is his "adopted mother," as her husband, Gary Rosen, takes a photo.
Mayor-elect Shammas Malik, left, hugs Toby Rosen, who said she is his “adopted mother,” as her husband, Gary Rosen, takes a photo. Malik was sworn in as Akron’s mayor at 12:01 am Monday inside the City Council Chambers. Invited guests included members of his transition team, incoming members of his cabinet and family and friends. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)
John Chames takes a picture of his wife, Elizabeth Bartz (right) and Judie Zimomra, with Shammas Malik.
John Chames takes a picture of his wife, Elizabeth Bartz (right) and Judie Zimomra, left, with new Akron Mayor Shammas Malik, after Malik took the oath of office at 12:01 a.m. Monday. J. Bret Treier, a partner in the Akron law office of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP dministered the oath of office in Akron City Council chambers. Invited guests for the ceremony included members of his transition team, incoming members of his cabinet and family and friends. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)
Supporters of Mayor-elect Shammas Malik ring in the new year inside Akron City Council chambers.
Supporters of Mayor-elect Shammas Malik ring in the new year inside Akron City Council chambers, just prior to Malik taking the oath of office at 12:01 a.m. Monday. J. Bret Treier, a partner in the Akron law office of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP administered the oath as invited guests for the ceremony looked on, including members of Malik’s transition team, members of his cabinet and family and friends. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)
Mayor Shammas Malik welcomes friends and supporters into his new office.
Mayor Shammas Malik welcomes friends and supporters into his new office after being sworn in as Akron’s 63rd mayor just after midnight on Jan. 1, 2024. (Kassi Filkins / Signal Akron)
New Akron Mayor Shammas Malik shows his office in Akron City Hall to members of his transition team, cabinet and family and friends.
New Akron Mayor Shammas Malik shows his office in Akron City Hall to members of his transition team, cabinet and family and friends after taking the oath of office at 12:01 a.m. Monday. J. Bret Treier, a partner in the Akron law office of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP administered the oath inside the City Council Chambers. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)
Toby Rosen, who calls herself “Shammas’ adopted mother,” sits in Mayor Shammas Malik’s office chair.
Toby Rosen, who calls herself “Shammas’ adopted mother,” sits in Mayor Shammas Malik’s office chair as Malik welcomes friends and supporters into his new office after being sworn in as Akron’s 63rd mayor shortly after midnight on Jan. 1, 2024. (Kassi Filkins / Signal Akron)

Editor-in-Chief (she/her)
Zake has deep roots in Northeast Ohio journalism. She was the managing editor for multimedia and special projects at the Akron Beacon Journal, where she began work as a staff photographer in 1986. Over a 20-year career, Zake worked in a variety of roles across departments that all help inform her current role as Signal Akron's editor in chief. Most recently, she was a journalism professor and student media adviser at Kent State University, where she worked with the next generation of journalists to understand public policy, environmental reporting, data and solutions reporting. Among her accomplishments was the launch of the Kent State NewsLab, an experiential and collaborative news commons that connects student reporters with outside professional partners.

Multimedia reporter/producer (she/her)
Kassi Filkins strives to be an active part of whatever community she finds herself in and joins Signal Akron in its mission to bring accessible and community-focused news to all Akronites.

Kassi was born and raised in Central Ohio and is a photojournalism graduate of Kent State University. She was a staff member at the Southeast Missourian and the Hartford Courant before working in non-profit communications.

Kassi lives in Highland Square and enjoys local coffee shops, walking along trails in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and hanging out with her dogs, cat and husband.