Barbara H. Boyd, B.S., Retired State Legislator
Barbara earned a bachelor’s degree in education from St. Paul’s College in Virginia in 1965. In 1983, Boyd became the first African-American elected to the Cleveland Heights City Council. During her tenure, she worked as a Community Relations Officer for the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Courts, undertaking countywide outreach activities for one of the oldest courts in the nation. In 1992, the voters in the 9th District sent her to the Ohio House of Representatives for the first of four terms. She is most proud of the establishment of kinship care during her tenure. Term limits forced her out of the House, but she continued her public service as an executive assistant to the Director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
In 2005, Rep. Boyd joined the Children’s Defense Fund as the Regional Manager for Northeast Ohio. In 2006, she once again won election to the Ohio House of Representatives, serving four terms. Boyd is a founding member of the Black Women’s PAC, and she is an active member of the League of Women Voters. Boyd is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, St. Andrews Episcopal Church. Boyd has received numerous awards and recognitions for her contributions to the community, including Legislator of the Year and the Alzheimer’s Award. Cleveland Magazine named her one of its 50 Most Interesting.
