Ohio Chief Justice Named Glenn College 2021 Outstanding Public Service Awardee

Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor has been selected to receive the Glenn College’s Outstanding Public Service Award for 2021 for her exemplary contributions at the intersection of law and public policy. 

The Glenn College and Ohio State Moritz College of Law have a long-standing partnership in offering a dual JD and MPA degree to address problems citizens and communities face that often involve law, public policy, administration and delivery of public services, and the required financing to support these endeavors. These dual degree graduates see the connections and work across fields and disciplines to craft and implement creative and impactful solutions. 

“Maureen O’Connor’s actions as Supreme Court Justice embody this interconnected and collaborative approach, most notably her efforts to bring together multiple actors to combat the opioid epidemic in Ohio,” Dean Trevor Brown said. “She also has been a leader in fighting racial injustice in the judicial and legal system, an issue that is front and center nationally and within the hearts and minds of so many Glenn College students.” 

O’Connor is the first woman to lead the state judicial branch, where she has made justice system reform the centerpiece of her tenure. She led the creation of the nation’s first multistate body fighting the opioid epidemic. In addition to racial justice, issues she has championed include sentencing fairness, representation for the poor and reform of bail, fines and fees as well as grand juries. Before she was elected chief justice in 2003, she was Ohio’s lieutenant governor.