2026 Ohio Presidential History & Politics Conference

September 17 - 18, 2026

William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum

800 McKinley Monument Drive NW, Canton, Ohio, 44708

The conference will be an even-handed, non-partisan, and scholarly examination from a variety of perspectives of the actions, consequences, and legacies of Ohio presidents and their administrations, and/or topics that connect the American presidency in some way to Ohio.  It is cosponsored by the Departments of History and Political Science, and the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at The University of Akron.

Conference Schedule

Download the conference schedule:   DAY ONE      DAY TWO

Keynote Address

Ambassador Frank Lavin, Reagan White House and National Security Council
Presidential Leadership: Lessons from the 1980s

Thursday, September 17, 2026

• 5:45 - 6:45 p.m. - Reception for those attending the Keynote Address
• 7:00 - 8:15 p.m. - Keynote Address
• 8:30 - 8:50 p.m. - Book Signing: Frank Lavin, Inside the Reagan White House: A Front Row Seat to Presidential Leadership (Post Hill Press, 2025)

Biography

Ohioan Frank Lavin, born and raised in Canton, served as U.S. Ambassador to Singapore and Under Secretary for International Trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce in the George W. Bush Administration. Lavin also served in the George H.W. Bush administration where he was Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asia and the Pacific in the Department of Commerce. Lavin began his public service in the Ronald Reagan Administration where he served on the transition team, in the White House Office of Public Liaison, as Deputy Executive Secretary of the National Security Council, and finally as White House Political Director.

Lavin is active in U.S.-Asia policy, U.S. domestic politics, and trade policy matters. He served as a Fellow at the University of Southern California, a Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution, and as a Director of the Asia Society of Northern California. He has previously served in senior finance and management positions in Hong Kong and Singapore with Bank of America and Citibank.

Lavin is a columnist for Forbes and has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and elsewhere. He is also the author of Inside the Reagan White House, The Smart Business Guide to China E-Commerce, co-author of Export Now, and author of Home Front to Battlefront, a World War II history book.

Lavin also is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and serves on the Advisory Board of ECIPE, a Brussels-based think tank. Lavin has participated in two humanitarian missions to Ukraine. He formerly served as a Lt Commander in the U.S. Naval Reserves.

Lavin earned a B.S. from the School of Foreign Service and an M.S. in Chinese Language and History (both Georgetown University); an M.A. in International Relations and International Economics from SAIS (Johns Hopkins University); and an M.B.A. in Finance from Wharton (University of Pennsylvania).

Registration:

If you would like to attend all or part of the conference, please send an email to bliss@uakron.edu. 

For those who wish to visit the National First Ladies Library and Museum on Thursday morning before the conference, they will be offering one of their regular public tours at 10:00. Tours are on a first-come, first served basis with a limit of 15 people per tour, so it would be a good idea to show up early. More information can be found here: https://firstladies.org/home/visit/plan-your-visit

Lodging

Blocks of rooms have been reserved for a discounted rate at two hotels:

DoubleTree by Hilton ($133/night): 320 Market Ave. S, Canton, OH, 44702. Ph:330-471-8000.

• Deadline for reduced rate is August 17
• Rate does not include breakfast or overnight garage parking, although there is complimentary street parking around the hotel
• To make your reservation at the DoubleTree, just click on this link: https://www.hilton.com/en/attend-my-event/ohiopresidentshistory/

 Embassy Suites ($169/night): 7883 Freedom Ave. NW, North Canton, OH, 44720. Ph:330-305-0500

• Deadline for reduced rate is August 27
• includes breakfast, including omelet bar, and an evening reception with complimentary beer, wine, and mixed snacks
• A few rooms also have been reserved at the same rate for the night of September 16th, for those who plan to fly or drive in the day before the conference.
• To make your reservation at the Embassy Suites, just click on this link: https://www.hilton.com/en/attend-my-event/2026ohiopresidentialhistoryandpoliticsconference/
  

Travel Information

For those who are driving, the address of the William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum is: 800 McKinley Monument Drive NW, Canton, Ohio, 44708. Parking is free.

 For those traveling by air, the nearest airports are: Akron-Canton (CAK) [10 mi.], Cleveland Hopkins (CLE) [62 mi.], Pittsburgh (PIT) [120 mi.], and Columbus (CMH) [130 mi.]

Questions:

David B. Cohen, Ph.D.
Professor of Political Science
Director, Applied Politics Program
The University of Akron
O: 330.972.6045
E: dbcohen@uakron.edu 

Kevin F. Kern, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of History
The University of Akron
O: 330.972.7215
E: kkern@uakron.edu