Dorothy Liggett Pelanda (born March 1, 1956) is an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
lawyer and former Director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
Personal
Pelanda is married to Sam Gerhardstein, retired
Governmental Affairs Director for Columbia Gas of Ohio. She has three children: Brian Pelanda, Doug Pelanda and Zoe Pelanda.
Career
After graduating from the
University of Akron School of Law
The University of Akron School of Law is the law school at the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio, USA. Offering both the J.D. and LL.M. degrees, it was founded in 1921 as the Akron School of Law and merged with the University of Akron in 195 ...
, Pelanda returned to
Marysville, Ohio
Marysville is a city in and the county seat of Union County, Ohio, United States, approximately 27 miles (44 km) northwest of Columbus. The population was 22,094 at the 2010 census, a 38.59% increase from 2000.
Marysville's longtime slog ...
where she began a career in law.
She has 30 years experience in the legal profession in private practice
specializing in family law. After her appointment to the Ohio House, Pelanda opted to devote her full energies to her legislative duties, and she closed her law office in late 2011.
Prior to her appointment to the Ohio House, Pelanda served two terms as president of both the Marysville Library Board and U-CO Industries in Union County.
Pelanda established the Criminal Indigents of Union County in 2005, before the Union County Criminal Defense Lawyers assumed the work of representing indigent persons charged with felonies.
Ohio House of Representatives
When Senator
Karen Gillmor
Karen Gillmor (born January 29, 1948) is a Republican Party (United States), Republican politician who served in the Ohio Senate, and who now serves on the Ohio Industrial Commission. She is the widow of former U.S. Congressman Paul Gillmor.
Lif ...
was appointed to the Industrial Commission of Ohio, it set off a chain of legislative appointments which saw Representative
David Burke receive an appointment to the
Ohio Senate
The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the se ...
to finish out Gillmor's term.
Pelanda was appointed to finish Burke's unexpired term.
Pelanda then opted to seek election to Burke's former seat in the Ohio House.
Pelanda ultimately was elected to succeed Burke. She was seated on July 28, 2011. During her House service from 2011 through 2018, Pelanda served on the following House committees: Agriculture, Commerce and Labor, Government Accountability and Oversight, Criminal Justice, Judiciary, and Rules and Reference.
Pelanda was elected to her second full term in 2014, and her third full term in 2016. During her service in the House, Pelanda was elected by her peers to serve as House Majority Whip, and later as House Majority Floor Leader, the third-ranking leadership position in the House.
In March 2017, Pelanda announced her candidacy for Ohio Secretary of State. Her campaign ended in October 2017.
Ohio Department of Agriculture
On January 10, 2019, Gov. Mike DeWine announced that he was nominating Pelanda as Director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture. The nomination is subject to Senate confirmation. On January 14, 2019, Pelanda was sworn in as the first female Director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pelanda, Dorothy
1956 births
Living people
People from Marysville, Ohio
Republican Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives
Ohio lawyers
Miami University alumni
University of Akron alumni
21st-century American politicians
Women state legislators in Ohio
21st-century American women politicians