| State Senator Hearcel F. Craig currently represents Ohio's 15th Senate District and holds the position of Assistant Minority Leader. Craig has an extensive background in public service at the state and local levels. Prior to being elected to the Ohio Senate in 2018 and 2022, he served in the Ohio House and on Columbus City Council. Craig serves as the Ranking Member on the Senate Insurance and Veterans and Public Safety Committees. Senator Craig also sits on the Senate Finance; Medicaid; and Rules and Reference Committees. Additionally, Senator Craig serves as Sergeant-at-Arms for the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus.
Senator Craig earned a Master of Science in Administration degree from Central Michigan University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from Franklin University. He also studied at Ashland Theological Seminary as part of their Master of Divinity program and was a Join Together National Leadership Fellow at Boston University School of Public Health. Senator Craig completed the Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development (BILLD) in 2015. He was certified as an NASD Arbitrator in 2007, and proudly served our nation in the United States Army from 1970 - 1972.
Craig's career as a public servant began when he worked as a legislative liaison for the Ohio Department of Youth Services (ODYS). During his tenure at ODYS, Craig drafted legislation and secured legislative sponsorship for bills introduced in the Ohio General Assembly. One of the pieces of legislation he helped bring to fruition was House Bill 812, which secured $83 million for much-needed capital improvements to ODYS facilities. Senator Craig then served as Director of Recruitment & Admissions for City Year, where he worked to improve the lives of young professionals through service and leadership development. The City Year program recruits young adults to work full-time for one year on various social service projects around Columbus.
During his time serving on Columbus City Council, Craig was named President Pro Tempore and chaired committees that dealt with the city's infrastructure, such as the Public Service & Transportation Committee, Small & Minority Business Development Committee, and the Recreation & Parks Committee. Additionally, Craig had the opportunity to chair committees that allowed him to interact directly with the people of Columbus. These committees included the Health & Human Services Committee and the Veterans' Affairs Committee, where he continued advocating for the wellbeing of the community while meeting the needs of veterans, service personnel and their families. He worked tirelessly to connect veterans with existing services and resources in the community and created new initiatives, such as the Better Municipal Care for Veterans Home Fund, which helps veterans and their families make needed repairs to their homes.
Senator Craig also has senior leadership and management experience in both the public and private sectors. As the Executive Director of the Hilltop Civic Council, he managed the comprehensive social service agency which served approximately 10,000 people annually in one of Columbus' historic neighborhoods. Craig was also appointed as Auto Policy Issue Manager at JC Penney Casualty Insurance Co.
Throughout his career, Craig has volunteered his time as a trustee on numerous community service boards centered on education and is a lifetime member of the NAACP. He has served as a member of the Columbus Public Schools Equity Task Force; Columbus State Community College Department of Business, Industry Technology Curriculum Committee; Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance; Southside Learning and Development Center's Board of Trustees; Ohio Hunger Task Force Board of Trustees; Columbus Cultural Arts Center Board of Trustees; and Prince Hall Masons. He previously served on the board of the Military Veterans Resource Center and as board chair for the Alliance for Cooperative Justice, Franklin County Prevention Institute, and State Education Committee for the Columbus Chapter of the NAACP. Senator Craig has also completed Leadership Columbus, Leadership Ohio, and the Ohio Executive Institute.
Senator Craig and his wife, Linda, are the proud parents of four children, eleven grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Craig serves as an Associate Minister at the First Church of God and continues his dedication to Ohioans in his new role as Assistant Minority Leader in the Ohio Senate.
Senator Craig serves on the following Committees, special committees, councils and boards-
Ohio Legislative Black Caucus, Sergeant-at-Arms
Correctional Institution Inspection Committee (CIIC)
Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB)
Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JACRR)
Joint Legislative Ethics Committee (JLEC)
Legislative Service Commission (LSC)
Ohio Commission for the U.S. Semiquincentennial
Commission on Minority Health
Expo 250 Task Force
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Steering Committee
Ohio Holocaust and Genocide Memorial and Education Commission
Ohio Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission
Ohio Rare Disease Advisory Council
Developmental Disabilities Caucus, Co-Chair
First Business Caucus
Ohio's Children Caucus
Ohio Veterans Caucus
National Black Caucus of State Legislators
Midwestern Legislative Conference Executive Committee
Midwestern Legislative Conference Education and Workforce Development Committee, Co-Chair
Chamberlain School of Nursing Advisory Board |