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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