General & Vice Chair to lead volunteer efforts for 2026 Enshrinement Festival

The Pro Football Hall of Fame and Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce have named two longtime community volunteers to the top leadership positions for their annual joint festivities this summer.

Bill Smith will serve as General Chair and Mike Gallina will serve as General Vice Chair of the Enshrinement Festival.

Smith and Gallina will lead the more than 2,500-person volunteer contingent that helps with the planning, coordination and execution of all events surrounding the annual festivities. The volunteers provide a world-class experience to the thousands of fans who will occupy the Canton area in July and August.

This year’s annual event kicks off the NFL’s 107th season and centers around the Enshrinement for members of the Class of 2026 presented by Visual Edge IT – DREW BREES, ROGER CRAIG, LARRY FITZGERALD, LUKE KUECHLY AND ADAM VINATIERI – that will take place Saturday, Aug. 8, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.

“The Enshrinement Festival could not find itself in any more capable hands than those of Bill Smith and Mike Gallina,” said Jim Porter, president & CEO of the Hall of Fame. “Each has devoted thousands of hours to our community, and now they are committing to two full years in these leadership roles. I’m excited to see the imprints they make on the Enshrinement Festival events to keep them special for local residents and the many guests coming to town.”

Smith lives in Canton Township with his wife of 50 years, Diana. They have two married children: Bill and his wife, Amy; and Jennifer and her husband, Jerry. Together, Bill and Diana enjoy spending time with their 12 grandchildren. Bill graduated from East Canton High School in 1974 and has been running Smith’s Waco Market since 1976. He also manages several commercial properties through Waco Properties.

A hot-air balloon pilot since 1988, Smith holds a commercial/instructor rating in lighter-than-air, hot-air balloons. He has served on the Hall of Fame Balloon Classic Committee and is the field announcer for the event.

Smith is serving his third term as a Stark County commissioner. Prior to his election to that office, he served as a Canton Township trustee from 2002 to 2016. He has participated in the Canton Local Long Range Planning Committee and served as levy chairman. He is an honorary board member of the East Central Ohio Food Dealers Association and a past chairman of the board. He is also a member of the Canton South Rotary and involved in the St. Francis of Assisi Church Finance Committee. In 2023, Smith received the honor of becoming a Hall of Distinction member at Canton Local.

Gallina is currently the Vice President of Organizational Development and Community Engagement for the Aultman Health System. Prior to joining Aultman, his career spanned 30 years in the field of education – 24 of those years spent as a school administrator with the final 19 years in the role of superintendent in the Minerva Local and North Canton City School districts.

In 2009, Gallina was chosen by the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation as Ohio’s Superintendent of the Year.

Gallina is a 1978 graduate of Minerva High School, where he excelled in the classroom and in athletics. He was valedictorian of his senior class and captain of the football, basketball and baseball teams, earning all-league honors in football and baseball.

Gallina majored in Elementary Education at the University of Mount Union and was a four-year baseball letter-winner. At Mount Union, he was honored by the M-Club Athletic Hall of Fame with their Award of Excellence. He has been inducted into both the Stark County and Tuscarawas County Amateur Baseball Halls of Fame.

A sought-after motivational and keynote speaker, Gallina has spoken at presentations and retreats across Ohio and several other states. He serves on numerous boards and civic organizations in and around Canton and Northeast Ohio.

He and his wife of 41 years, Lynnette, live in Canton. Their son, Kiel, teaches at Lake Elementary School. They have two grandsons, Xavier and Colton.

Smith and Gallina will work alongside staff members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce to provide guidance and resources to enhance an already solid foundation of dedicated community volunteers. The volunteer corps provides the support necessary to host the large celebration each summer in Canton. The annual Enshrinement is a celebration of the Hall of Fame’s important mission to “Honor the Greatest of the Game, Preserve its History, Promote its Values and Celebrate Excellence Together.”

The celebration, through collaboration with the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce, has grown remarkably over the past 60-plus years, generating economic impact exceeding $40 million for the Canton/Stark County area and nearly $65 million for the state of Ohio. In addition, millions of people tune in to experience the events that are televised nationally. In one of the greatest spectacles in sports, more than 100 Hall of Famers are expected to return to Canton to participate in the festivities this summer.