Dan Rice to retire in 2026 after 32 years leading the Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition

After 32 years of leadership in developing the Ohio & Erie Canalway National Heritage Area, the Towpath Trail and public parks and spaces, Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition President and Chief Executive Officer Dan Rice has announced he will retire in spring 2026.

Rice was hired as the first staff member of the Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor Coalition in 1992, following its establishment in 1989.

“Words fail to fully express our deep appreciation and gratitude for all Dan has done for OECC and the fulfillment of our mission to develop our National Heritage Area,” Board Chairman J. Bret Treier said. “His commitment has been unwavering and achievements undeniable. Although innumerable, some highlights include restoring and relocating the Richard Howe House; guiding the development of the Towpath Trail in Summit, Stark and Tuscarawas counties; leading the development of connector trails to local communities; and spearheading the redevelopment of Lock 3 and Summit Lake in Akron. Through it all, Dan has led with his trademark passion and humility. The OECC and the communities we serve are all far the better thanks to Dan’s leadership.”

Kyle Kutuchief, Akron director of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, said Rice has provided “exceptional leadership” to Akron’s Reimagining the Civic Commons team since 2017.

“Under his guidance, the Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition has secured more than $40 million to support the revitalization of Lock 3 and the creation of a new park at Summit Lake,” Kutuchief said. “Equally significant, and perhaps of even greater lasting value, are the relationships Dan has cultivated and the trust he has restored—from City Hall to the Community Center at Summit Lake. It has been an honor to learn from him, to work in partnership with him, and to call him a friend.”

Among his accomplishments during more than three decades with the coalition, Rice advocated for the designation of the Ohio & Erie Canalway National Heritage Area by Congress in 1996 and co-directed national government relations strategy, including funding requests and reauthorization legislation. He oversaw development of 90 miles of the 101-mile Towpath Trail, served as founding chair of the Alliance of National Heritage Areas, and helped secure federal, state, local and private funding totaling tens of millions of dollars for canalway projects.

Rice also raised $2.2 million for the restoration of the Richard Howe House, supported creation of the Tuscarawas County Park Department in 2004, and provided technical support to more than 150 public-private partnerships across the region. His work helped implement trail and greenway plans in Summit, Stark and Tuscarawas counties, establish more than 200 miles of connector trails and protect more than 500 acres of green space.

Stark County Commissioner Richard Regula, son of the late Congressman Ralph Regula, credited Rice with bringing his father’s early vision to life.

“My father had the vision as Village of Navarre solicitor in the 1950s to preserve the decommissioned Ohio & Erie Canal towpath as a recreational asset to local communities and visitors,” Regula said. “Dan Rice was the one who carried that vision into a reality. Dan’s ability to negotiate and collaborate with commissioners, government agencies, elected officials and many other public and private partners to reach agreements and implement projects is unmatched.”

Rice also served his local community through board memberships and committee work, including the Cuyahoga Falls Planning Commission, Summit Lake Community Development Corporation, Development Finance Authority of Summit County and the Ohio Historic Site Preservation Advisory Board.

“Dan’s contributions to the Summit County community can hardly be measured in number of dollars raised or years of service,” Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro said. “The legacy of Dan’s work will be enjoyed by generations to come, and all of us who have worked with him wish him a retirement as successful and rewarding as his work with the OECC.”

The coalition’s board of directors plans to work with an executive search firm to conduct a nationwide search for Rice’s successor.