A local nonprofit, appointed by the Court, accountable to the community.
Adult Guardianship Services of Summit County protects adults who have been found unable to make their own decisions and who have no one else to do it. The Summit County Probate Court, led by Judge Elinore Marsh Stormer, remains the superior guardian. AGS is the nonprofit the Court appoints when a person is considered "indigent" (has no money to hire a professional guardian) and whose family cannot serve.
The work began inside the Court. In 2015, Judge Stormer asked Mary Ann Freedman to build a volunteer guardian and senior visitor program. By 2020, more than 100 volunteers were serving more than 300 people. After the pandemic, the Court and community partners - Summit County Public Health, Job and Family Services, the City of Akron, the ADM Board, and the Developmental Disabilities Board - built a nonprofit that could also serve people whose cases were too complex for a volunteer alone.
AGS opened on January 1, 2022. Carla Bayonnet, RN, MSN, led the organization from 2023 until her retirement in summer 2026. Mary Ann Freedman remains a professional guardian.
A volunteer board of local health, human service, and community leaders governs AGS. Meet the board and staff.