Jay currently serves as the Deputy Director of Legislative Services for the Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA) and has been a lobbyist for the organization since 2010. Prior to his work at OSBA, Smith served as the State Director of Government Affairs for the Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio and as a legislative aide in the Ohio House of Representatives. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from The Ohio State University and completed post-graduate coursework at the University of Akron’s Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics in campaign management and lobbying.

Jay brings a wealth of legislative experience to the OLC team and will expand our effectiveness at both the state and national level. He has worked with OLC staff and representatives of other local government organizations for many years, and is well respected by his peers and members of the Ohio General Assembly. His background has ideally equipped him to lead our legislative initiatives and effectively advocate on behalf of Ohio’s public libraries.

As Director of Government and Legal Services, Jay will be responsible for monitoring state and federal legislation relating to library issues, directing OLC’s lobbying efforts, sharing information with OLC members on legislative issues, and helping members respond to legal questions and changes in regulations.

Jay was selected for the position through an extensive process that involved an OLC Ad Hoc Committee that assisted staff in conducting the candidate search process, participating in the interviews, and recommending final candidates. The Ad Hoc Committee included members of OLC’s Board of Directors, Government Relations Committee, and Legislative Network as well as a public library trustee and fiscal officer.

Jay will be attending a number of OLC events in the coming months in an effort to meet members. Please join us in welcoming Jay to the OLC team and the public library community!