Biographical Information
Twitter
Training and Experience
Chief Executive Officer, USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation (2019-Present); Intelligence Officer, US Navy (2002-Present); Chief of Staff, US Office of Personnel Management (2018); Principal, The Dovilla Group (2006-2017); State Representative (2011-2016); Executive Director, Chief Human Capital Officers Council, US Office of Personnel Management (2003-2006); Professional Staff Member, Sen. Voinovich (2001-2003); Management Analyst (Presidential Management Fellow), US Department of State (1999-2001)
Volunteer/Community Service
Member, Berea Civil Service Commission; Life Member, VFW Post 3345; Member, American Legion Post 91; Member, Berea Historical Society; Board Member, Northeast Ohio Classical Academy; Co-chairman, Cleveland Gold Star Families Memorial Monument
What are your top priorities and how will you address them?
1. Supporting private sector job creation with a particular emphasis on growth industries that will continue to modernize and expand Ohio’s economy. 2. Preparing the next generation of Ohioans with a strong K-16 education system that produces a world-class workforce across economic sectors. 3. Improving Ohioans’ trust in government through greater transparency and accountability from an efficient, effective public sector that respects taxpayers.
What changes do you support or oppose to voting and elections policy?
In Ohio, it should be easy to vote and hard to cheat. Having worked extensively on election law as chairman of the House Policy and Legislative Oversight Committee (2013-2014), I believe Ohio offers eligible voters fair and robust access to the ballot box so they can carry out their right and responsibility to participate in our elections.
How should government bring economic and job opportunities to Ohio?
Government does not create jobs, but it can help create an environment favorable to job creation through low taxes and regulations. If elected, I plan to continue my previous legislative work (2011-2016) to reduce taxes, streamline bureaucracy, and make government more efficient, effective, and economical for Ohio's taxpayers and job creators.
What are your aspirations for K-12 and higher education?
As the first member of my family to graduate from college, and having since earned two master’s degrees and a doctorate in education, I believe strongly in the value of high-quality education at all levels. Regrettably, American students continue to fall behind global competitors in academic achievement and job preparation for our modern economy. That’s why I support universal school choice so parents can select an option for their children that features student-centered learning, encourages innovation, and allows funding to follow the child. Moreover, every student should learn about the history of our great nation and its form of government, as citizenship is the prime imperative of public education in a republic based on self-rule.
Under what circumstances should the state support or check local government?
I believe in a collaborative partnership between state and local government and worked diligently to develop a symbiotic relationship during my prior service in the legislature. Although home rule is a time-honored component of the Ohio Constitution, there are certain issues on which uniform, statewide law provides greater certainly and stability for all concerned. These issues generally fall into areas of complex public policymaking like energy and natural resources, where state officials have more wherewithal to carry out their responsibilities for ensuring businesses and residents can prosper while also protecting our environment.
State your position on healthcare policy.
Overall, I believe that citizens should have greater control over their health care expenditures, and we must strengthen the doctor-patient relationship. I support efforts to expand and strengthen Health Savings Accounts, allowing more Americans to obtain affordable health care by using tax-free dollars.
State your position on environmental policy and natural resource management?
Energy is a vitally important policy issue with national security and economic implications. The U.S. must advance a comprehensive, sustainable energy policy that employs our nation's diverse resources and serves as a mechanism to create new jobs for Americans - all while carrying out our obligation to steward the environment. I support an all-of-the-above energy policy that expands the use of domestic resources and maintains safeguards to protect Ohio's residents and natural resources, ensuring the state’s energy extraction is performed in a safe and responsible manner.
What role, if any, should government take to ensure no person is discriminated against?
The best way the American people and our government at all levels can fight discrimination is not to institutionalize such pernicious beliefs. Our nation has come a long way over the past half-century in addressing these challenges. My faith teaches that we must treat each individual as a beloved child of God, uniquely created in His image. The Declaration of Independence elegantly sums up the American ideal on this matter: the self-evident truth that God creates each person as equal and endows him or her with unalienable rights – and that government is instituted among people to protect such rights.