Shammas Malik

Shammas Iqbal Qammar Malik (born April 10, 1991) is an American lawyer and politician who is currently serving as the 63rd mayor of Akron, Ohio since January 1, 2024. He previously served as the city councilor of Ward 8 from January 1, 2020, until November 7, 2023. He was an assistant director of the Akron Law Department from 2016 to 2018.

Life
Shammas Iqbal Qammar Malik was born and raised in Ward 8, Northwest Akron, Ohio in a Muslim family. He is Pakistani and White. His mother, Helen Qammar, was a chemical engineering professor at the University of Akron. Brandon Choi is an uncle-in-law. In 2009, he graduated from Firestone High School with an International Baccalaureate Diploma. He earned dual bachelor's degrees in political science and international studies from the Ohio State University in 2013. Malik completed a J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 2016. During law school, he completed several summer internships in Washington, D.C., including at The Pentagon.

Akron Law Department
From 2016 to 2018, Malik was an assistant director of the Akron Law Department. For almost a year, he worked as an associate at Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease.

Akron City Council
In the 2019 Akron City Council Ward 8 Democratic primary on May 7, 2019, Malik won the nomination, prevailing over Curtis T. Walker, Sr. On November 5, 2019, Malik was elected, defeating Republican Brian N. Fortney. He started his term on January 1, 2020, succeeding Marilyn Keith. In the role, he advocated for a civilian oversight board for the Akron Police Department. He served on four council committees, Public Safety, Budget and Finance, Parks and Recreation, and Rules.

2023 mayoral election
In the 2023 Akron mayoral Democratic primary on May 2, 2023, Malik won the nomination, prevailing in a field of seven candidates. In May, he announced his transition team. In the 2023 Akron mayoral election on November 7, 2023 he was duly elected as the mayor of Akron.