Columbus, Ohio – Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and Transition Chair Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman announced today the following appointments: Henry Guzmán, director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety; Robert Boggs, director for the Ohio Department of Agriculture; Angela Cornelius, director of the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services; and Patrick Gannon as the chairperson of the Ohio Industrial Commission.
Guzmán will begin his service on February 12.
“Henry brings a wealth of leadership and public policy experience that makes him exceptionally qualified to lead the Ohio Department of Public Safety,” Strickland said. “His dedication to the safety and security of all Ohio citizens will guide his management of this critical department.”
Boggs will take office on January 24.
"Robert's years of service in the public sector -- particularly his efforts on behalf of Ohio's farmers -- have prepared him to be director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture," Strickland said. "I look forward to working with Robert, especially through our efforts to make Ohio a leader in next generation energy and in our work to protect and promote Ohio's crucial agricultural industry."
Cornelius will begin her service on March 5.
“Angela’s spirit and experience will help us ensure that more Ohioans are freed from the bonds of drug and alcohol addiction,” Strickland said. “Her past work in the education, prevention and treatment of drug and alcohol addictions I believe make her uniquely qualified for leadership in this department.
These three appointments mark 14 total cabinet appointments made by Strickland.
Gannon becomes chair of the Industrial Commission immediately.
“Patrick’s years of experience, both in the public and private sectors, provide him with a well-rounded understanding of the system and ensure that he will be fully capable to fairly and effectively carry out the duties of the Ohio Industrial Commission,” Strickland said.
“Today’s appointments continue the precedent set by the Strickland-Fisher Administration in gathering a team of the most experienced and talented individuals to lead Ohio’s critical cabinet positions,” Coleman said. “Joining together, this group will play an essential role in moving Ohio in the right direction and carrying out the Turnaround Ohio plan.”
Henry Guzmán, director of Ohio Department of Public Safety
Guzmán brings more than 25 years of experience in management and public policy to his role at ODPS. Since January 2004, Guzmán has served as director of the city of Columbus Department of Public Service, where he oversaw the operations of the divisions of Fleet Management, Refuse Collection and Transportation, and served as acting mayor, when Mayor Michael B. Coleman was out of the city. Guzmán is vice chair of the executive board of the Franklin County Emergency Management Agency and a member of the Policy Board of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission.
“Henry Guzmán has been great for Columbus. He has championed my pedestrian safety initiatives with great success and created efficiencies in the Department of Public Service that saved tax dollars while moving the city forward. Henry is also a close personal friend,” Coleman said. “Henry will be good for Ohio, and I look forward to continue working with him on safety issues.”
From 1999-2002, Guzmán was director of the Department of Public Safety for the city of Cleveland, where he also served, from 1992-1999, as director of the Department of Public Service. From 1990-1992 Guzmán was director of Program Development for the office of the Ohio Attorney General. In that role, he revised procedures for the DARE Program, resulting in more efficient responses to grantees. From 1987-1990, Guzmán served as deputy director of the Ohio Department of Liquor Control.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to use my years of experience in agency management and public service to keep Ohioans safe and secure and to also maintain an effective and efficient Department of Public Safety, ” Guzmán said.
While serving in the U.S. Army in Vietnam, Guzmán was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star for Valor. He received a certificate in equal opportunity law from Antioch Law School in Washington, D.C., and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Youngtown University.
Guzmán and his wife, Nydia, have four grown children and nine grandchildren.
ODPS provides safety and security of all Ohioans through eight critical divisions: Homeland Security, Highway Patrol, Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Emergency Management Agency, Emergency Medical Services, Investigative Unit, Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services and Administrative.
Robert Boggs, director of Ohio Department of Agriculture
Boggs, a former state legislator, school teacher and coach, served as a Ashtabula County Commissioner since 1997, and his accomplishments include helping to retain and create more than 10,000 jobs and constructed and acquired more than 100 miles of new water and sewer lines. He also served as the president of the County Commissioners Association of Ohio.
From 1973-1997 Boggs was both a state representative in the 97th House District and a state senator in the 18th Senate District. During his time in the state legislature he authored and co-sponsored numerous bills pertaining to Lake Erie development, water quality, inter-modal transportation, economic development, education and natural resources.
“As a life-long public servant I look forward to being part of Governor Strickland’s plan to boost our agricultural economy by making next generation energy, including farm product-based alternative fuel sources, a priority in his energy policy,” Boggs said.
Boggs received his bachelor’s degree in government from American University in Washington, D.C., and a master’s in public administration from Kent State University.
ODA provides regulatory protection to producers, agribusiness and consumers, while promoting Ohio agricultural products in our country and around the world and educating the public about Ohio’s agricultural industry.
Angela Cornelius, director of Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services
Since 1988, Cornelius has served as the executive director of Project Linden, Inc., a private non-profit outpatient alcohol and drug treatment and prevention services center. The agency works to prevent and eliminate drug abuse through education, intervention and treatment by reaching out to current drug users and identifying at-risk individuals. Before becoming the executive director of Project Linden, Inc., she served as a clinical director. Prior to joining the organization, Cornelius worked for the State of Ohio as an employer services specialist from 1986-1987 and a vocational rehabilitation counselor from 1985-1986 for the Rehabilitation Services Commission in Dayton.
She is currently a member of the ODADAS Workforce Development Committee, chair of the Hazel Booth Sutton Christian Learning Center and the Mental Health Association’s Raising the African American Potential Committee.
“Governor Strickland and I are committed to helping Ohioans reach their full potential, especially Ohio’s children, and the only way that can happen is for our communities to fight drug and alcohol abuse,” Cornelius said. “Education, prevention and successful treatment will lead to better educated, more productive Ohio citizens.”
Cornelius received her bachelor’s degree in rehabilitation education, a master’s degree in counseling and guidance and second master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling from Wright State University.
ODADAS plans and coordinates the state’s services to prevent substance abuse and treat Ohio’s addicted populations. The department’s goal is to promote health, safety and economic opportunity to an addiction-free Ohio.
Patrick Gannon, Chairperson of the Ohio Industrial Commission
Gannon was appointed to the Industrial Commission by Governor George Voinovich in 1994 to an unexpired term and reappointed in 1995, serving as chairman from 1995-1996. He was reappointed by Governor Bob Taft in 2001. While on the commission, Gannon assisted in the development of the commission's first permanent total disability rules and overhauled the permanent total disability determination process, reducing processing time from several years to less than one year.
Gannon began his workers' compensation career at the Bureau of Workers' Compensation in 1974 where he served as a claims examiner, investigator, public inquiry officer, and hearing officer for both the IC and BWC.
Additionally, Gannon represented the Ford Motor Company in workers' compensation matters. In private practice, he represented both state fund and self-insured employers and union and non-union injured workers. He has served as special counsel for a number of groups including: the President of the International Association of Firefighters, Local 4301 of the Communications Workers of America, Local 93 of the International Association of Firefighters, and the Cleveland Chapter of the American Red Cross.
“I am pleased to continue my work with Governor Strickland to provide fair and efficient workers' compensation resolution for Ohio's workers and businesses,” Gannon said.
Gannon earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, W.Va., and he received his law degree from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University.
The IC provides expeditious and arbitrary resolution of issues surrounding workers' compensation claims between employers and injured workers.