Lisa Patt-McDaniel

Lisa Patt-McDaniel, a lecturer at the John Glenn College of Public Affairs teaching courses in public policy and strategic management. has had a distinguished career in economic, workforce and community development. As the first CEO of Aspyr (formerly the Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio) since November 2016, she has led efforts to develop strategies for placing job seekers on paths to family-sustaining careers and collaborating with employers to build talent pipelines. The board, under her leadership, directs the Ohio Means Jobs Center Columbus Franklin County and partners with other agencies to deliver innovative workforce solutions for the Central Ohio business community.

Patt-McDaniel’s experience includes over 20 years at the Ohio Department of Development, culminating as the director and a member of the Governor’s Cabinet. In this role, she helped Ohio secure its third Governor’s Cup from Site Selection Magazine by focusing on competitiveness, even during challenging economic times. Later, as director of community development at the Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing, she was responsible for building relationships and services related to community development, addressing vacant land and housing, leveraging development resources and bringing local officials together on common development issues. She established the Community Development Finance Fund at the Affordable Housing Trust to generate resources for investment in economic development and housing in Franklin County and the City of Columbus.

She is a Certified Economic Development Professional and serves on several boards, including the Ohio Workforce Association, Midwest Urban Strategies, Columbus Next Generation Corp., Heritage Ohio and U.S. Conference of Mayors Workforce Development Council, where she co-chairs the Policy and Advocacy Committee. She earned a bachelor’s degree in public administration from Miami University and a master’s in public administration from the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University.

Patt-McDaniel is married to Dana McDaniel, a partner with the Management Advisory Group, and they have two daughters, Caitlyn and Colleen.