• Veteran community volunteer, working in public and community service over the past 25 years.​​
  • Running to continue her service on the Board to help assure that important reforms have a chance for success. 
  • Working to assure that the District finances are more transparent to the community.
  • Working to assure that the budget has a sharp focus on prioritizing funding to serve our students and schools.

For the columbus board of education 

Endorsements

  • Franklin County Democratic Party
  • Stonewall Democrats of Central Ohio
  • OAPSE/AFSCME LOCAL 4 , Columbus School Employees Association (CSEA)
  • Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council
  • Columbus Education Association
  • Franklin County Young Democrats
  • Franklin County Adelante Democrats
  • Central Ohio Labor Council, AFL-CIO
  • Columbus Association of Realtors ®

Highlights

About Mary Jo

Mary Jo is a veteran community volunteer, working in public and community service over the past 25 years.​


She has served as Director of the Department of Insurance on Governor Ted Strickland’s cabinet (2007-2011) and as a member of Columbus City Council (2004-2007) where she chaired the Jobs and Economic Development Committee. She was the first openly gay elected official in Columbus. 


She has also served as a member of several local and national nonprofit boards, including the Women's Fund of Central Ohio, the United Way of Central Ohio and the Human Rights Campaign.  


Last year, Mary Jo was appointed to the Columbus Board of Education to fill the remaining term of the former board president, who resigned at the end of 2013.  This partial term ends in 2015.  Mary Jo is running to continue her service on the Board to help assure that the District and Board effort for reform have a chance for success.