Board of Trustees

Ohio History Connection is governed by an independent volunteer Board of Trustees who ensure the organization manages its operations, finances and programs to further its mission and strategic goals by providing dedicated leadership and support.

The Board of Trustees meets four times per year, with most meetings held at the Ohio History Center in Columbus, Ohio. To obtain meeting minutes, attend or to reach a Trustee, please contact the Executive Director’s Office:

Ohio History Connection
800 E. 17th Avenue
Columbus, OH 43211
Tel: 614.297.2350 or

Visit our "Contact Us" page and select "General Inquiries" from the drop-down menu.

Next Board Meeting

The next board meeting is June 23 at 1 p.m. at the Ohio History Center.

For more information on our open meetings policy and previous meeting minutes, please refer to our board resources.

Governor Appointed Trustees

James F. Dicke II

New Bremen, OH

Serving 2nd Term

Term Ends 2022

Jon T. Elsasser

Zoar, OH

Reappointed for 3-year term

James B. Hadden

Columbus, OH

Serving 1st term

Term ends 2023

Richard F. Hillis

Powell, OH

Reappointed for 3-year term

Term ends 2024

Charles R. Moses

Dublin, OH

1st Term

Term ends 2022

Robert M. Roach

Upper Arlington, OH

2nd Term

Term ends 2023

Heidi M. Samuel

Columbus, OH

Serving 1st term

Term ends 2022

Gregory H. Simpson

Milford, OH

2nd Term

Term ends 2024

Elizabeth A. Weibel

Chagrin Falls, OH

C. Ellen Connally

Cleveland, OH

3rd Term

Term ends 2022

R. Anthony Joseph

Bexley, OH

1st Term

Term ends 2024

Steve Coon

Louisville, OH

1st Term

Term ends 2025

Ex-Officios

Mike DeWine, Governor, State of Ohio

Designee: Jennifer Brown, Deputy Director of Boards & Commissions

Senator Matt Huffman, President of Ohio Senate

Designee: Senator Michael A. Rulli

Senator Kenny Yuko, Minority Leader, Ohio Senate

Representative Robert L Cupp, Speaker, Ohio House of Representatives

Designee: Representative Laura Lanese

Representative Allison Russo, Minority Leader, Ohio House of Representatives

Designee: Representative Joe Miller

Christy Davis, President, Ohio Local History Alliance

Dr. David Staley, President, Ohio Academy of History

Randy Gardner, Chancellor, Ohio Department of Higher Education

Designee: Gary Cates, Senior Vice Chancellor

Michael Woytek, President, Ohio Academy of Science

Lydia Mihalik, Director, Ohio Department of Development

Designee: Matthew MacLaren, Director, TourismOhio

Board of Trustees

Next Board Meeting

Board Resources

Governor Appointed Trustees

James F. Dicke II

Jon T. Elsasser

James B. Hadden

Richard F. Hillis

Charles R. Moses

Robert M. Roach

Heidi M. Samuel

Gregory H. Simpson

Elizabeth A. Weibel

Member Elected Trustees

Ann Bair

Thomas V. Chema

Chief Billy W. Friend

Alex Hastie

Suhas Kakde

Robert W. Lucas

Jen Miller

Guadalupe Velasquez

Melody Young

Board Elected Trustees

C. Ellen Connally

R. Anthony Joseph

Steve Coon

Ex-Officios

Mike DeWine, Governor, State of Ohio

Senator Matt Huffman, President of Ohio Senate

Senator Kenny Yuko, Minority Leader, Ohio Senate

Representative Robert L Cupp, Speaker, Ohio House of Representatives

Representative Allison Russo, Minority Leader, Ohio House of Representatives

Christy Davis, President, Ohio Local History Alliance

Dr. David Staley, President, Ohio Academy of History

Randy Gardner, Chancellor, Ohio Department of Higher Education

Michael Woytek, President, Ohio Academy of Science

Lydia Mihalik, Director, Ohio Department of Development

Laura P. Battocletti, Director, Capitol Square Review & Advisory Board

Suhas Kakde, Chair, OHC Foundation Board

Superintendent of Public Instruction