President, 100 Black Men of Central Ohio

Brian Winston currently serves as the Director of Retention Services to the Honorable Franklin County Treasurer Cheryl Brooks-Sullivan. In his current role, he assists homeowners from losing their homes to property tax foreclosure while connecting them with resources to achieve stabilization.

Founder & CEO, Zora’s House

LC Johnson is an award-winning writer, entrepreneur, and activist with a passion for empowering women, especially women of color. A dynamic, creative, and committed social justice professional with a well-established entrepreneurial spirit, LC has 10+ years of experience with curriculum development and facilitation, program design, entrepreneurship, public speaking, and community building. She is a recognized subject matter expert whose work and writings on the topic of race and gender have appeared in outlets such as Forbes Magazine, Huffington Post, Black Enterprise, and Policy Mic.

Clerk of Courts, Whitehall City Mayor’s Court

Lorena A. Lacey is a native of Columbus and recently moved to the City of Whitehall. She was President of the 1985 Eastmoor High School Graduating Class, Member of the National Honor Society and attended the University of Cincinnati.

Lorena joined the Whitehall City Attorney’s office in March, 2017, and, immediately prior to serving as the Victim Services Coordinator, she was a licensed Surety Bail Agent in Ohio, served as a Dispatcher for Carb Communications and was a Call Lab Supervisor at Strategic Research Group.

After leaving college, Lorena was a Legal Secretary at the Law Firms of Schottenstein, Zox & Dunn and Bricker & Eckler, where she discovered an interest in politics. In 1992, she was hired by then Ohio House Speaker, Vernal G. Riffe, as the first African-American Female Sergeant-At-Arms for the Ohio House of Representatives and remained in that position until 1995 when she was selected by former State Representative Patrick J. Tiberi to join his staff.

By 1997, Lorena was discovered by attorney Thomas P. Pappas and worked for his lobbying firm as Director of Client Administration before seizing the opportunity to work as Government Affairs Manager for the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce in 2000. In January, 2001, Lorena was asked to rejoin the staff of Congressman Patrick J. Tiberi, where she would be encouraged to run for political office.

With continued determination, Lorena was then selected by Governor Bob Taft to serve as Assistant Grants Administrator for the Ohio Reads Program in 2003 and, subsequently in 2004, to serve as Special Assistant in the Governor’s Office of Faith-Based & Community Initiatives, which still exists in the current Ohio Governor’s Office.

Lorena is Lead Vocalist for the courthouse classic rock band, JUSTUS, founded by Franklin County Municipal Court Judge Paul Herbert, and thoroughly enjoys singing and performing. She has one adult son, seven grandchildren and also loves reading and spending time with family!

LinkUS Public Engagement Partner and CEO, The Saunders PR Group

Following a dynamic and award-winning career as a public relations executive and communications expert for numerous reputable Fortune 500 organizations, Saunders’ career includes serving as the liaison to the White House managing a team of 70 committee members and 100+ media outlets during former President Barack Obama’s commencement speech at OSU, media relations for NASCAR and the Memorial Tournament and acting as spokesperson on the ground during Hurricane Katrina for Nationwide.

As, founder & CEO of The Saunders Public Relations Group (TSPRG), today she leads a team of creative strategists and thinkers who deliver comprehensive, strategic and award winning PR projects for clients locally and nationally. Her company has created and led campaigns for multiple entities, including CelebrateOne’s “Real People, Real Stories” safe sleep campaign, Columbus Counts 2020 Census Campaign, the Chief and Me outreach campaign for the City of Columbus. The team currently spearheads media relations, media buys and community-wide public engagement campaigns for local and national companies and organizations.

Saunders currently serves on the board of directors for The University of Louisville Athletic Association and Jewish Family Services.

She and The Saunders PR Group have received numerous awards including: Columbus Business First C-Suite Executive of the Year, WCEO Legacy Builder of the Year, YWCA Woman of Achievement, Spectrum Ohio History Maker, PR News Diversity and CSR Honorable Mention, numerous PRISM Awards from PR Society of America, Central Ohio, The Communicator Awards, Greater Columbus Basketball Legends “My Brother’s Keeper,” PR Professional of the Year (First Person of Color) – PR Society of America, Central Ohio, Who’s Who in Black Columbus Person of Interest and Business First Forty Under Forty Award.

Senior Director of Regional Strategic Partnerships, Central Ohio Transit Authority

Aslyne Rodriguez joined the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) in April of 2020 as the Director of Government Affairs with the goal of ensuring that some of Central Ohio’s most vulnerable residents have a voice in state government. In 2023, Rodriguez was promoted to Senior Director of Regional Strategic Partnerships. In this capacity, she negotiates and establishes new strategic partnerships for COTA. These partnerships intend to grow COTA’s ridership and better its system.

Rodriguez came to COTA with a background in many areas, from education to entrepreneurism. She has worked tirelessly to promote access and equity for others through innovative initiatives and partnerships across all industries. Rodriguez founded EmpowerBus in 2017 with the mission to provide upward mobility for all by delivering dignified, reliable, and on-time transportation. She has worked as an educator through Teach For America, an executive director for an after-school program for at-risk youth and the COO for a women’s leadership development organization.

An Ohio native, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in political science from Ohio University and a Master of Science in early childhood education at Pace University.

Her notable work garnered her the “40 Under 40 in Transportation” award from Mass Transit in 2019 and the “40 Under 40” award from Columbus Business First in 2020.

Chief, Minority Business Development Division, Ohio Department of Development

Monica L. Womack is the Chief for the Minority Business Development Division at the Ohio Department of Development (Development). In her role, Monica provides vision and leadership to support the growth and sustainability of minority, women, and disadvantaged businesses in the state of Ohio. In doing so, she engages with strategic partners at all levels of government, develops private-sector partnerships, and listens to the needs of business owners.

Prior to her newest role, Monica served as an Associate Vice President with the Columbus Urban League. She provided leadership and operations oversight to both the Financial Empowerment Services department and the Workforce and Career Services department. In this role, Monica was able to leverage resources between programs to support constituents and business owners in the Central Ohio community.

Monica has a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Financial Management Services and a Master of Public Administration, both from Franklin University. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in business administration with a focus on supporting the growth and sustainability of minority-owned businesses. She lives in Columbus, Ohio, and has one adult son, William Maynus II, who is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and lives in Lexington, Ky.

Community Impact Director, American Heart Association

De’Leah is a graduate from Florida State University where she received her Bachelor’s in Environmental Science and Policy in 2021. She then continued her educational career and earned her Master’s in Public Health from Florida International University in 2023.

De’Leah has a passion for maternal and fetal health. She allows this passion to be her main drive to combat the social determinants of health that those in her community face. She also wants to work to ensure health equity especially amongst the African American community.

Her drive led her to pursue an internship with the American Heart Association this past summer as the community impact intern in her hometown of Orlando, FL. She fell in love with the work that the American Heart Association was doing in her community through powerful partnerships and decided this was the organization that she wanted to begin her career with.

This January De’Leah started her position as the Community Impact Director with the American Heart Association here in Columbus. Through her time with the organization so far, she has had the opportunity to collaborate with external partners to push heart health and stroke prevention initiatives. She has also had the privilege to empower others with CPR education in hope that they will use those skills to save a life if ever faced with the challenge.

De’Leah is a new member of the Columbus Urban League’s Young Professional network. She hopes to use this as an opportunity to not only network but to build personal relationships.

Founder & Vice Chairman, Adelphi Bank, Franklin County Commissioner

Kevin L. Boyce is a Franklin County Commissioner who grew up in an extended family of modest means but one rich with life lessons on hard work and education.

Commissioner Boyce would overcome the poverty of his past and earn a Master’s Degree in Public Administration; serve on Columbus City Council where he improved city neighborhoods and finances; lead a non-profit dedicated to improving public schools, be appointed State Treasurer of Ohio, be promoted as managing director of a New York-based investment banking firm; and serve in the Ohio House of Representatives, all by age 40.

Chairman & CEO, Adelphi Bank Franklin County

Jordan A. Miller, Jr. is a Business and Community Advisor and currently resides in Columbus, Ohio. He is a leader in the Columbus community and serves on several boards and fundraising initiatives. He is currently the Chairman and CEO of Adelphi Bank, a new bank that is located in a historic black neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio. Adelphi Bank was approved by the FDIC and Ohio Department of Financial Institutions (ODFI) in January of 2023. Adelphi is the 21st Black bank in the country and first in Ohio. The goal is to help families, individuals and businesses build wealth and self sufficiency that can enrich their lives. Prior to this new venture, he was the Regional Chairman at Fifth Third Bank of Central Ohio and leader of the local Advisory Board. His focus was to expand the Bank’s footprint in the Commercial, Consumer, and Wealth Management areas. He was also committed to the Bank’s efforts to expand affordable housing and help women and minority owned businesses gain access to capital.

During his career at Fifth Third Bank, his other roles included President and CEO of the Central Ohio region, President and CEO of Fifth Third Securities Inc. (a full service investment and Brokerage) and senior vice president and manager of Fifth Third Investment Advisors (Cincinnati).

Prior to Fifth Third, Jordan served as chief financial officer and business manager for another regional Bank in Columbus, Ohio. He started his banking career as a bank examiner with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

Candidate for Ohio State Representative, Ohio State House District 5

For over 30 years, Meredith Lawson-Rowe has been immersed in public service, first as a community member, then as a councilwoman, and always as a wife, mother, and grandmother. Her commitment to our community is driven by a deep-seated belief that we can and must do better for our families, our neighbors, and future generations. She is running to bring this vision to life, a vision that includes securing essential funding for affordable housing, advocating for robust public transportation, protecting women’s healthcare rights, and ensuring our seniors receive the comprehensive care they deserve.

The values she strives to uphold and fight for are the values that define our party: equity, justice, and a compassionate community that cares for all its members. As a member of the Reynoldsburg City Council, she has worked tirelessly to turn these values into action, and now, she is ready to bring this same commitment and energy to the Ohio House.