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Charleta B. Tavares is a committed public servant who has served as a member of Columbus City Council since 1999. Tavares’ state and national reputation as a leader in the areas of health and human services was instrumental in her appointment to serve as the Chair of the Council’s Health, Housing and Human Services Committee. She also chairs the new Council Committee on Workforce Development. In addition, she serves on the Finance, Development, Public Service and Transportation, Recreation and Parks and Zoning Committees.
Tavares was the chief sponsor of and successfully passed some of the most significant legislation in recent history in the areas of health, housing and human services including:
- The Clean Indoor Air Act
- The Housing Preservation Fund
- Living Donor Paid Leave Program
- Emergency Human Services Capital Fund
- Columbus Foreclosure Resolution
- Columbus/Franklin County Affordable Housing Trust
- Columbus Legislative Internship Program (CLIP)
- The Columbus Youth Safety Helmet Law
Prior to joining Council, Tavares left a legacy for the citizens of Ohio during her 5 ½ year tenure in the Ohio General Assembly as the State Representative in the 22nd House District. Tavares was the first African-American female to serve in the state legislature from Franklin County and the first African-American woman ever to hold a leadership position in the Ohio General Assembly.
Tavares currently serves as Executive Director of Multiethnic Advocates for Cultural Competence (MACC), a statewide non-profit membership organization whose mission is to enhance the quality of care in Ohio’s behavioral healthcare system and to incorporate cultural competence into systems and organizations that provide care to Ohio’s vulnerable and at risk populations.
Tavares formerly served as the Chief of the Children’s Protection Section in the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. In this position, she played a leadership role in developing and advocating for policy and legislative initiatives to protect the health, safety, education and security of Ohio’s children. She also served four years as Associate Director of the Public Children Services Association of Ohio and as a Legislative Assistant and chief staff person to the Human Resources Subcommittee of the Ohio House Finance-Appropriations Committee.
Boards:
National:Former Board Member, National League of Cities Board of Directors (NLC); NLC Advisory Council (Chair); National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials ,NBC-LEO-(President-Elect); Past Chair of The NLC Human Development Steering Committee; WAND Education Fund (Board Chair); State: The Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation (President); Local: Columbus Compact, Franklin County Family and Children First Council; Access Health Columbus; Community Research Partners (Immediate Past Chair), Columbus/Franklin County Housing Advisory Board (Vice-Chair), and the Ohio Commission on Local Government Reform and Collaboration.
Memberships:
Corporate Sisters; Ohio Business and Professional Women’s Organization; The Ohio Municipal League; Hispanic Elected Local officials (HELO-NLC); Women in Municipal Government (WIMG-NLC)
Previous Boards:
Central Community House (President); Metropolitan Human Services Commission (Secretary); Ohio Commission on Minority Health. (Commissioner); The National Black Caucus of State Legislators; National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women; and Women in Government (Director)
She has received more than 200 national and state honors and awards including the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill’s Legislative Leadership Award for her work in drug, alcohol and mental health parity legislation, Ohio Hispanic Coalition Award, Ohio Tobacco Control, Central Ohio Breathing Association, Friends of the Homeless Leadership Award, NASW-Ohio Chapter Legislator of the Year Award, Metropolitan Area Church Council’s Living Faith Award, Southeast Mental Health’s Public Official of the Year. Most recently, she received the Columbus Education Association’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award and the City Year MLK Day Dreamer Award. In addition, she was named a 2001 YWCA Woman of Achievement and was selected as one of 35- 1996 Flemming Fellows, a member of the American Council of Young Political Leaders and the Darden Institute’s Executive Leadership Program.
Tavares is a founding member and former Vice President of the Columbus Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. She serves on the Executive Committees of the Franklin County and Ohio Democratic Party and served as a member of the 1988 Platform Committee and attended or served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention from 1984-2008.
Tavares is a graduate of Eastmoor High School and attended Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia and The Ohio State
University.
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