FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 31, 2009
Contact:
Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission: Jessica Fagan – 614.995.7552; jfagan@culture.ohio.gov
House Speaker Budish Appoints Tracy Maxwell Heard
to Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission
Columbus, Ohio –Representative Tracy Maxwell Heard (D-Columbus) has been appointed by Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, Armond Budish, to the Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission. Rep. Heard will serve as an ex-officio member of the Commission.
Rep. Heard is serving her second term in the Ohio House representing District 26, serving constituents in south and east Columbus. Rep. Heard serves as Assistant Majority Floor Leader in the Ohio House, and is vice chair of the Public Safety and Homeland Security committee, and a member of the Insurance, Housing and Urban Revitalization, and Economic Development committees. She serves as secretary of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus, and is a member of the advisory council for the Women’s Legislative Network of the National Conference of State Legislatures. Also an active community member, Rep. Heard serves as treasurer of the Deaconess Board at Smyrna Missionary Baptist Church, and is a member of the Central Ohio Coalition for Safe Kids, the Near Eastside Healthy Lifestyle Center, and the NAACP.
Rep. Heard previously served as executive director of the Livingston Avenue Collaborative for Community Development, a nonprofit community development organization, and founded Millennium Solutions, Inc., her own political and public relations consulting firm. Her previous political experience also includes work as a legislative aide in the Ohio Senate and work for the Clinton-Gore re-election campaign in 1996. Rep. Heard began her career as a news anchor with an ABC network affiliate, after earning her bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Akron. She is a former ballet dancer, as well as an enthusiastic tennis player.
“I am delighted that Rep. Heard has been appointed to represent the Ohio House on the Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission. Her breadth of professional experience, combined with her history and continued interest in the performing arts, makes her perfectly suited to serve on the Commission,” stated Otto M. Budig, Jr., who serves as the Commission’s chairman.
The Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission consists of 12 members; nine voting and three non-voting. The three non-voting, ex-officio members include two legislative members, one each appointed by the Senate President and House Speaker, as well as the staff director of the Ohio Arts Council. Voting members of the Commission are appointed by the Governor, and are selected from various geographical areas of the state. For a current roster of Commission members, please visit www.culture.ohio.gov.
About the Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission
The Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission is a state agency that supports economic development, expands educational opportunities, and enhances the quality of life for Ohioans by improving the state’s cultural facilities. Since 1988, the Commission has disbursed more than $400 million in capital funds appropriated by the Legislature and Governor for facility improvement projects at nonprofit theaters, museums, historical sites and publicly owned professional sports venues. The Commission partners with nonprofit groups and local governments on more than 300 projects in 72 of Ohio’s 88 counties. For more information on the Commission, visit www.culture.ohio.gov.
