Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor was the tenth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio and the first woman to lead the state judicial branch of government. She was the first chief justice to retire from the office and upon her retirement was the longest-serving statewide elected woman in Ohio history.

During her tenure, she improved access to justice by advocating for constitutional bail practices and ability to pay assessments for court fines and fees. She convened a task force to study grand jury proceedings in Ohio, created a committee to examine the administration of the death penalty and led efforts of an eight-state initiative to combat the nation’s opioid epidemic and its impact on families and courts. Her time on the court ended during Ohio’s contentious and historic battle over gerrymandered electoral districts and a looming flight over how voters can approve amendments to the state’s constitution.

Chief Justice O’Connor (retired) will speak at the 2023 OCMA Annual Conference on her long service to Ohio and what the future of leadership looks like in Ohio.

Steve Stivers is the President and CEO of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, the state’s leading business organization whose mission it is to aggressively champion free enterprise, economic competitiveness and growth for the benefit of all Ohioans.

Prior to joining the Ohio Chamber, Stivers represented Ohio’s 15th Congressional District from 2011 until 2021. He served on the Financial Services Committee and was the Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development, and Insurance. He served on the Ohio Senate from 2004 until 2008.

Throughout his career, Steve Stivers has supported programs and initiatives to encourage job creation, and promote economic development. Stivers also served over 30 years in the Ohio Army National Guard and holds the rank of Major General. He served the United States overseas during Operation Iraqi Freedom, receiving the Bronze Star for his leadership throughout the deployment.

Stivers received his bachelor’s degree and his MBA from The Ohio State University and a master’s degree in strategic studies from the Army War College. He resides in Upper Arlington with his wife, Karen, and children, Sarah and Sam.

A Tale of Two States: Ohio’s Demographic Trends

Alison Goebel is Executive Director of the Greater Ohio Policy Center (GOPC). She has been with GOPC since 2010 and has held a number of positions within the organization during that time. Today, Goebel is responsible for charting GOPC’s strategic direction, directing the research, advocacy, and outreach teams, and securing resources for this work. She is the author of a number of research reports and policy briefs related to the revitalization of weak-market, legacy cities, transportation funding, and local governance structures in Ohio.

From 2005 to 2009, Goebel periodically lived in Mansfield, Ohio where she conducted long-term qualitative research on social relationships in a small city setting.  Goebel is a graduate and board member of Leadership Ohio and was elected by her class for the 2014 “Leader Among Leaders” award.  She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in anthropology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and received her B.A. from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio).