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Ohio Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission Members

James L. Stowe, Columbus, serves as chair of the Ohio Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission. Stowe is executive director of the Community Relations Commission for the City of Columbus, immediate past president of the International Association of Official Human Rights Agencies and former president of the National Association of Human Rights Workers. He also served as a staff member to the North Carolina Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission. Stowe has served on the commission since 1997.

State Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Columbus, is the minority leader of the Ohio House of Representatives, where she serves the 27th District. She also is president of Joyce Beatty & Associates, a successful consulting firm specializing in strategic planning and diversity training and owner of Pieces for Wear, an upscale boutique at the corner of Rich and High streets in downtown Columbus. Beatty was the first African American female to serve as minority leader in the Ohio House of Representatives. She also sponsored legislation designating Dec. 1 as Rosa Parks’ Day in Ohio. Beatty has served on the commission since 2002.

Dr. Fannie Brown, Ph.D., Akron, is the former executive director of Coming Together Akron and Coming Together USA. Both organizations are projects designed to mobilize community citizens and aid in forging meaningful relationships in an effort to build stronger communities locally and nationally. Brown owns and operates Tutoring Nurtures Talent, Inc., a local tutoring program serving youth in grades pre-K through fifth. She also serves as a consultant in the areas of diversity, youth conflict management, building community partnerships and youth violence cessation. Brown has served on the commission since 2000.

Mildred E. Clark, Holland, is a retired educator from the Toledo City Schools. She is the founder of the Toledo Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Oratorical Contest for youth and was instrumental in establishing the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Statewide Oratorical Contest. She also is the founder and director of the Ghanaian Foundation, which sponsors and directs the King’s oratorical contest in Toledo. Clark also has served as executive producer and director of the local television program “Step Up, Toledo!” since its inception. Clark has served on the commission since 1998.

State Senator David Goodman, R-Bexley, serves Ohio's 3rd District. He is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Civil Justice, which focuses on civil and commercial law. He also serves on the Environment and Natural Resources Committee; Health, Human Services and Aging Committee as well as the Ways and Means and Economic Development Committee. Goodman has served on the commission since 2001.

Leonard J. Hubert, Granville, is president of L. Hubert & Associates, a consulting service firm that specializes in community and public relations and governmental affairs. Hubert has more than two decades of dedicated service and experience in public sector administration and most recently served as director of External Affairs and Economic Opportunity in the Office of the Governor. In addition, Hubert serves as a member of the Ohio Civil Rights Commission and the Ohio 4-H Foundation Board. Hubert has served on the commission since 2000.

Rev. Joel L. King, Jr., Gahanna, is the chaplain for the Gahanna Police Department. He also is a member of the Columbus Baptist Pastors' Conference and the Columbus Baptist Ministerial Association. King previously served as pastor of the Jerusalem Second Baptist Church in Urbana and executive secretary for the Ohio Baptist General Convention. King represented Ohio on the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Holiday Advisory Committee in 2000. King is serving his seventh term since joining the commission in 1985.

José Luis Mas, Columbus, is an attorney in private practice. Representing a primarily Latino clientele, he also is chairman of the Ohio Hispanic Coalition, co-chair of the City of Columbus 21st Century Growth Committee, board member of the Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation, former executive director of the Ohio Commission on Hispanic/Latino Affairs and past chairman of the Ohio State Construction Compliance Council. Mas was named the 1997 Distinguished Hispanic Ohioan. Mas has served on the commission since 1997.

Norman McNeal, Massillon, retired as a traffic supervisor from Ashland Oil Inc. in 1995. He helped found the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission of Greater Canton and served on that commission until 2004. McNeal represented Ohio on the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Holiday Advisory Committee in 2000. McNeal has served on the Ohio Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission 1991.

Nanda Nair, Dublin, is the president of 3SG Corporation and CEO of QuickAccountant, Inc. Nair also serves as president of the Asian Indian American Business Group (AIABG) and as a member of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Development Committee. Nair has been on the commission since January 2007.