Yvette McGee Brown (born 1960,
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...
, United States) became the first
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
female justice on the
Ohio Supreme Court when she took office on January 1, 2011. She was the founding president of the Center for Child and Family Advocacy at
Nationwide Children's Hospital, and was a judge of the
Franklin County Court of Common Pleas for nine years.
Brown was inducted into the
Ohio Women's Hall of Fame
The Ohio Women's Hall of Fame was a program the State of Ohio's Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Department of Job and Family Services ran from 1978 through 2011. The Hall has over 400 members. In 2019, the Hall's physical archives a ...
in 2008 and the
Central Ohio Business Hall of Fame in 2014.
She is noted for a number of community service awards, public service, and her dedication to child and family protection. She currently serves as Partner-In-Charge of Diversity, Inclusion & Advancement at the global law firm of
Jones Day
Jones Day is an American multinational law firm. As of 2021, it was the eighth largest law firm in the U.S. and the 13th highest grossing law firm in the world. Originally headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Jones Day ranks first in both M&A le ...
.
Education
Brown received her undergraduate degree in Journalism and Public Relations from
Ohio University
Ohio University is a Public university, public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confeder ...
; her Juris Doctor from
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
,
Moritz College of Law; an honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from
Ohio Dominican University
Ohio Dominican University is a Private university, private Dominican Order, Dominican liberal arts university in Columbus, Ohio. The university has approximately 1,700 students and offers undergraduate degrees in 40 majors as well as nine graduat ...
; and honorary Doctorates from Wilberforce University and Central State University.
Career
In 1992, Brown was elected to the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations and Juvenile division. She was the first African-American woman to be elected to this court, where she served for nine years. As lead Juvenile Court Judge, she led the creation of the Family Drug Court and the SMART Program, a truancy and educational neglect intervention program.
Brown was the founding President of the non-profit Center for Child and Family Advocacy at
Nationwide Children's Hospital, an organization dedicated to the treatment and prevention of
child abuse
Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical, sexual, and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to a ...
and
domestic violence
Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...
, since 2002.
She has served on the boards of
Ohio University
Ohio University is a Public university, public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confeder ...
,
The Ohio State University Medical Center, the
Columbus Academy
Columbus Academy (CA) is a selective, independent college-University-preparatory school, preparatory school for students from pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade. The school is located on a large, secluded campus surrounded by wooded areas in Gahann ...
, the
Community Shelter Board, M/I Homes, Inc. and
Fifth Third Bank of Central Ohio.
On December 10, 2010,
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Ted Strickland
Theodore Strickland (born August 4, 1941) is an American politician who was the 68th governor of Ohio, serving from 2007 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States House of Representatives, representing ...
appointed Brown to The
Ohio Supreme Court effective January 1, 2011, to fill the remainder of the term of Associate Justice
Maureen O'Connor, who was elected chief justice November 2. She was defeated in her bid for re-election by
Sharon L. Kennedy. Her term ended on December 31, 2012.
Brown joined the Business and Tort Litigation practice of
Jones Day
Jones Day is an American multinational law firm. As of 2021, it was the eighth largest law firm in the U.S. and the 13th highest grossing law firm in the world. Originally headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Jones Day ranks first in both M&A le ...
in 2013 in its Columbus office. In February 2015, she became the firmwide Partner-in-Charge of Diversity, Inclusion & Advancement.
Politics
Brown is a member of the
Democratic Party.
Judge Brown served in the
Franklin County Court of Common Pleas,
Division of Domestic Relations and
Juvenile Court
A juvenile court, also known as young offender's court or children's court, is a tribunal having special authority to pass judgements for crimes that are committed by children who have not attained the age of majority. In most modern legal s ...
. She was the first
American of African Ancestry and the second
woman
A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...
to be
elected to this court. First elected in 1993, she retired in 2002 to develop the Center for Child and Family Advocacy.
2010 elections
On January 19, 2010, Governor
Ted Strickland
Theodore Strickland (born August 4, 1941) is an American politician who was the 68th governor of Ohio, serving from 2007 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States House of Representatives, representing ...
announced that he had chosen Yvette McGee Brown as his running mate for his second term, replacing
Lieutenant Governor
A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
Lee Fisher
Lee Irwin Fisher (born August 7, 1951) is an American attorney, politician, and academic. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 64th lieutenant governor of Ohio, with Governor Ted Strickland, from 20 ...
, who was departing the post to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by
Republican George Voinovich
George Victor Voinovich (July 15, 1936June 12, 2016) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from Ohio from 1999 to 2011, the 65th governor of Ohio from 1991 to 1998 and the 54th mayor of Cleveland from 1980 to 1989, th ...
.
Brown would have become the fourth female lieutenant governor and the second
American of African Ancestry lieutenant governor in Ohio history. The Strickland/Brown ticket lost to
John Kasich and his running mate
Mary Taylor on November 2, 2010.
Awards
Brown was inducted into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2014, she was inducted into the Central Ohio Business Hall of Fame.
She has been honored for her community service with many awards. Most notably, she has won the Public Service Award from Ohio University; The Medal of Merit Alumni Award from Ohio University; the Distinguished Service Award from The Ohio State University; the William Oxley Thompson Alumni Award for Distinguished Achievement Award from The Ohio State University Alumni Association; the
Champion of Children Award; and the
YWCA
The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries.
The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...
Woman of Achievement Award.
Personal life
Yvette McGee Brown was born in urban
Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio
Columbus may also refer to:
Places ...
to a single teenage mother. Yvette was raised by her mother and a grandmother, and the importance of education was stressed to her as she grew up. She was a first-generation college graduate. She is a
Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...
.
She is married to Anthony Brown. They have three children. During Brown's campaign for lieutenant governor of Ohio, she referred to her grandmother, who advised her to "Go run, tell that!", when others were talking about her. She told voters to "go run" and "tell" others about the facts of the Strickland-Brown 2010 governor-lieutenant governor campaign.
See also
*
List of African-American jurists
References
External links
Campaign site*
{{DEFAULTSORT:McGee Brown, Yvette
1960 births
Justices of the Ohio Supreme Court
Living people
African-American judges
Ohio University trustees
Ohio University alumni
Ohio State University Moritz College of Law alumni
Lawyers from Columbus, Ohio
Ohio Democrats
20th-century American judges
20th-century American women judges
21st-century American judges
21st-century American women judges
21st-century African-American people
21st-century African-American women
20th-century African-American people
20th-century African-American women