Biography
After graduating from the University of Dayton School of Law, Debbie worked in real estate and with the Legal Aid Society of Dayton. She joined the Montgomery County Auditor's Office as Director of Real Estate and served in that position for 10 years before becoming the Chief Deputy Auditor in 2001.
Debbie served on the first City of Clayton Council and was re-elected in 2001. She was elected to the Montgomery County Commission in 2004 and is currently in her fifth term.
Debbie co-chairs the Montgomery County Reentry Council with U.S. Judge Walter Rice. She received the "Liberty Bell" award from the Dayton Bar Association for her work in Reentry. She has also served on the University of Dayton School of Law Alumni Board.
Additionally, she serves on the Downtown Dayton Partnership Board, co-chaired the Culture Connects 20/20 Committee, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance.
Debbie is one of the leading champions for improving early childhood learning outcomes in Montgomery County, serving on the Learn to Earn Dayton Board and co-chairs the Preschool Promise Advisory Committee. She also received the "Champion for Children" award from Voices for Ohio's Children
Debbie was recognized as a "Woman of Influence" by the Dayton Area YWCA. She also received the Southern Christian Leadership Conference National Coretta Scott King award for her efforts on inclusion and diversity. She was named one of the 2012 "Ten Top Women" by the Dayton Daily News.
She provides an exceptional example for women, with the Dayton Business Journal naming Debbie one of the "25 Most Influential People of the Decade." She was named the Dayton Business Journal Regional Leader of the Year in 2014, becoming the first elected official to receive that award. The DBJ has given her the Power 50 award for the last nine consecutive years, recognizing her as one of the 50 most influential female leaders in the region. Women In Business Networking /Better Business Bureau (BBB) named her one of the 2016 "25 Women to Watch." Also that year, Debbie was awarded the Congressman Dave Hobson Dayton Region Advocate Award by the Dayton Development Coalition.
Debbie is the President of the Board of Directors for the County Commissioner's Association of Ohio (CCAO) and currently serves on many of CCAO's committees, including the Joint Committee on Administration of Elections.
She is a current Governor appointee serving on the Ohio Housing Trust Fund. Previously, she co-chaired the Ohio Governor's 21st Century Transportation Task Force and served on the Ohio Local Government Innovation Council.
Debbie was elected to the National Association of Counties Board of Directors in 2015 and is Vice Chair of the Human Services and Education Steering Committee. She is a member of the Economic Mobility Leadership Network and was also elected Chief Elected Official of the Greater Ohio Workforce Board (formerly Area 7), representing 42 Ohio counties.
Debbie has a rich family life with her husband Dennis, a litigator and defense attorney. Debbie and Dennis received the Dayton Broadcasters Hall of Fame Community Service Award in 2019. They have two sons, David and D.J.
Mailing Address
451 W Third Street, 11th Floor
P.O. Box 972
Dayton, OH 45422-1110