J. Kenneth Blackwell Cincinnati, Ohio

J. Kenneth Blackwell is Ohio’s 51st Secretary of State. He began his professional career as a middle school teacher and subsequently served as an associate professor of education at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Mr. Blackwell was first elected to public office in 1977. He has served as the Ohio Treasurer of State, as the Mayor and the Vice-Mayor of Cincinnati; and as a member of the Cincinnati City Council. In addition, Mr. Blackwell has served as a U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, as under secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and in 1998, was appointed to serve as co-chairman of the U.S. Census Monitoring Board, where he provided oversight to the preparation and implementation of the 2000 Census.

As the State of Ohio’s chief elections officer and administrator of official records, he is charged with overseeing a fair elections system throughout the state, as well as managing an efficient business services operation for companies seeking to incorporate in Ohio.

Secretary Blackwell is experienced in many public policy issues, including human rights, tax policy, electronic commerce, Social Security reform, public finance and schools. His commentaries, as well as his leadership as an elected executive officeholder, have been reported in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Investors Business Daily, the Houston Chronicle, the Chicago Sun-Times, the New York Post, The Miami Herald, The Daily Oklahoman, U.S. News and World Report, TIME Magazine, American Banker, Headway Magazine, National Review, Human Rights Quarterly, Bloomberg News, Reuters, Forbes Magazine, and The Washington Times, as well as in all major newspapers in Ohio and the National Newspaper Publisher’s Association’s newswire.

A number of his speeches on domestic and international issues have been published in Vital Speeches of the Day, and The Executive Speaker. He has appeared on the Jim Lehrer Newshour; Good Morning America; C-SPAN; CNN Business Day; The O’Reilly Factor; BET Tonight; Hardball with Chris Matthews; Crossfire; Inside Politics; the CBS and NBC Evening News program; Both Sides with Rev. Jesse Jackson; Firing Line with William F. Buckley, Jr.; Politically Incorrect with Bill Mahr; and Face the Nation.

Mr. Blackwell is an outspoken school choice advocate. His commentaries on school choice have been published in numerous Ohio and national periodicals. He is an advisory board member of Children First CEO America and a member of the Ohio School Choice Committee. Mr. Blackwell also is experienced in many other public policy issues, including human rights, tax policy, electronic commerce, the overhaul of the Social Security system, and public finance. He has testified before congressional committees as an expert witness on government operations, taxation, education and banking matters.