Page 29 - BHM Program 2021

SENATOR CHARLETA B. TAVARES

For more than three decades, whether in elected office or the private sector,

Charleta B. Tavares has advocated for and enacted policies to help everyone
have a chance for health, happiness and success in life.

In 1993, after work on the staffs of state Representative Ray Miller and Ohio

Attorney General Lee Fisher, Ms. Tavares became the first Black woman from
Franklin County to serve in the Ohio General Assembly. In 1996, when she was

chosen by her colleagues to serve as House Minority Whip, she became the first
Black woman ever to hold a legislative leadership position in Ohio.

From 1999 to 2010, Ms. Tavares served as

a member of the Columbus City Council.
She was elected to three terms and was the
highest vote-getter among eight candidates
on the ballot in 2007. She returned to the

Statehouse and the Ohio Legislative Black
Caucus in 2011 after being elected to the

first of two terms in the Ohio Senate.

Today, Ms. Tavares continues her long-
standing work in the health and human

services arena as chief executive officer of
Primary One Health, a network of local

community health centers.