WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) released the following statement after the Biden Administration announced the appointment of former Ohio State Representative Janine Boyd to serve as the U.S. Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Director of Region 5, which serves Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
 
“This is an excellent choice by the Biden-Harris administration to appoint Janine Boyd to serve as the Region 5 Director for HHS,” said Brown. “Janine has committed her life to public service and, with her years of expertise and advocacy on child welfare and civil rights, she will continue her work to support vulnerable communities in Ohio and across Region 5.”
 
“Representative Janine Boyd has been an impactful advocate for children, especially in enforcement care and adoption.  She has worked throughout Ohio on behalf of children.  She has always had the best interest for children in her heart and actions,” said Adam Jacobs, CEO, Bellefaire JCB. 
 
Janine R. Boyd is a pediatric speech and language pathologist turned advocate and state legislator. With almost two decades of experience in health and human services advocacy and policy as a government affairs professional, Boyd has been actively involved in Ohio’s state budget process and identifying federal opportunities on behalf of programs that serve the most vulnerable citizens. Through her experience with the state legislative process, Boyd has been an advocate for change in Columbus and has developed strong working relationships with agency directors, statewide elected officials, and lawmakers from all backgrounds and political parties. As a former Cleveland Heights council member, Boyd worked to establish a mentoring and juvenile diversion program and catalyzed the expansion of human rights laws to increase protections for members of the LGBT+ community.
 
In Ohio’s Legislature, Boyd served as Ranking Minority Member on the House Health Committee, as well as the Committee on Community and Family Advancement, among other committees. Boyd co-founded the first statewide Black Maternal Health Caucus and sits on the board of the Ohio Children’s Trust Fund. Boyd has also been a servant leader in her community, as a trustee on the board for the Heights Emergency Food Center and for Beaumont Catholic High School, her alma mater. She follows the longtime public service example set by her mother, Barbara Boyd.
 
 

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