136th General Assembly House Freshmen Series – Part 1

01/29/25

136th General Assembly House Freshmen Series – Part 1

There is a whopping 27 freshmen Representatives in the 136th GA. All but two (2) are new to the Statehouse, with one of those exceptions being former Senate President and incoming Speaker of the House Matt Huffman. In this class, there are 11 Democrats and 16 Republicans. In this series, we’ll be giving you a brief bio of the new legislators of the General Assembly.

House District 5 – Meredith Lawson-Rowe (D – Reynoldsburg)

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Representative Lawson-Rowe is a former Reynoldsburg city Councilwoman, and first black woman to serve on the Reynoldsburg City Council. She is a longtime professional Executive Assistant for large corporations, including a long tenure at Wendy’s corporate headquarters.

Committees: Community Revitalization, Local Government, Veterans and Military Development

House District 6 – Christine Cockley (D – Columbus)

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Representative Cockley is a former staffer for former U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown in both the legislative office as well as on his campaign team. Prior to joining the Legislature, Representative Cockley worked in the nonprofit sector. Most recently, she was the Executive Assistant to the President & CEO of YWCA Columbus, a Board Member for Highland Youth Garden, and the Director of Development for Moderation Management, an organization that seeks to support those who wish to change their relationship with alcohol consumption.

Committees: Agriculture, Insurance, Technology & Innovation

House District 10 – Mark Sigrist (D – Grove City)

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Representative Mark Sigrist is a former Grove City Councilman on the southwest side of Franklin County. Prior to public service, he had a long career at Honda. During most of his 33-year career with the international automaker, he met regularly with the president of Honda North America in its Marysville, Ohio, headquarters. Sigrist also owns a business specializing in organizing 5k runs.

Committees: Development, Small Business, Ways and Means

House District 11 – Crystal Lett (D – Columbus)

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Representative Lett worked as a social worker at North Central Mental Health (NCMH) where she worked with children between the ages of 14 and 21 years old who suffered from severe and symptomatic mental illness. In this role, Crystal connected children to vital community resources and often partnered with local schools, housing providers, non-profit organizations, faith-based organizations, local business partners, and healthcare providers to ensure kids were living successfully in the community.

Committees: Children and Human Services, Medicaid, Small Business

House District 13 – Tristan Rader (D – Lakewood)

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Representative Rader is a former Lakewood City Councilman from the near west side of Cleveland. Prior to public service, he worked at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, where he connected thousands to critical resources and successfully lobbied for increased state funding. During his tenure on Lakewood City Council, he secured Lakewood’s 100% clean energy commitment, initiated the city’s first Climate Action Plan, and raised the minimum wage for city employees. While serving on City Council, Lakewood became the first Ohio suburb to commit to renewable energy, demonstrating his ability to combine visionary policies with practical outcomes. He also championed transparency reforms, affordable housing initiatives, and the creation of new public parks, ensuring that government serves the needs of all residents.

Committees: Commerce and Labor, Energy, Government Oversight, Natural Resources