Public Education Matters

Ohio's lingering redistricting fight has clearly shown that who sits on the Ohio Supreme Court matters. And beyond redistricting, the Ohio Supreme Court justices also make important decisions on major issues that impact public education, educators and students. That's why OEA members have recommended Justice Jennifer Brunner, Judge Terri Jamison, and Judge Marilyn Zayas for election to three open seats on Ohio's highest court this fall. They introduced themselves to members at a Member Activist Forum last spring.

• Justice Jennifer Brunner, candidate for Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice
  • https://www.justicebrunner.com/
  • On November 3, 2020, Jennifer Brunner was elected Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court.  Previously she served as a judge of the Tenth District Court of Appeals for 6 years and the Franklin County Common Pleas Court for nearly 5 years. As a trial court judge Brunner founded the county’s adult felony drug court, known as the TIES (Treatment is Essential to Success) Program, now in operation for more than18 years. She was elected Ohio’s first woman Secretary of State on November 7, 2006, and held the office for four years. While in that office, she became the first Ohioan to receive the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award from the bipartisan board of the JFK Library and Museum in Boston. Justice Brunner was a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2010.  She has 17 years of private law practice experience and has provided rule of law technical expertise to the government of the Republic of Serbia, election observation in the Arab Republic of Egypt, and rule of law instruction at the bar association of Sri Lanka through the U.S. state department (USAID), as well as provided remote technical training through the American Bar Association (ABA) to the Republic of Kazakhstan, and in August 2022, in-person assistance to the Republic of Benin’s Human Rights Commission.  She has gained a deep understanding of the importance of a strong and well-functioning judiciary to preserving peace and growing democracy through the rule of law.  A native of Springfield, Ohio, Justice Brunner has been married to Rick Brunner since 1978.  They have 3 adult children and 6 grandchildren, 3 dogs and 2 cats and spend time at their home in Columbus and at their farm in Columbiana County in Northeast Ohio.
• Judge Marilyn Zayas, candidate for Ohio Supreme Court Associate Justice
  • https://judgemarilynzayas.com/
  • Judge Marilyn Zayas learned from an early age that everyone should be treated fairly and equally. This is a core belief and guides Marilyn in her personal and professional life. She was born in Spanish Harlem and grew up in a tough New York City neighborhood. Although she earned a college degree in computer science and moved to Cincinnati to become an IT Manager for Proctor & Gamble, Marilyn always dreamed of becoming a lawyer. After six years, in 1994, Marilyn left P&G and pursued her dream, enrolling in and then graduating with a law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 1997. In addition to realizing her dream, Marilyn also knew she had found a wonderful home in Ohio where she could raise her children. She went to work serving her community and eventually built her own law firm representing everyone from the poor to millionaires to refugees. Throughout her career, she never lost sight of her passion for justice. In 2016, Marilyn was elected to the First District Court Of Appeals of Ohio. She was proud to know she was the only Latina judge on any district court of appeals in the state. Her reputation for fairness grew. Her commitment to faithfully apply the law and the constitution was recognized by her peers. So Judge Zayas was asked to sit in on cases as a visiting judge on the Second, Sixth, Eighth and Tenth District Courts of Appeals. Judge Zayas was also selected by the Ohio Supreme Court’s Chief Justice to be a sitting judge on the Ohio Supreme Court for a recused justice. In 2022, Judge Zayas decided to run for the Ohio Supreme Court.
    Judge Marilyn Zayas’s family includes her three adult children and two adopted rescue dogs, Thor and Sparkle Lou.
• Judge Terri Jamison, candidate for Ohio Supreme Court Associate Justice
  • https://www.votejudgejamison.com/
  • Judge Terri Jamison’s journey from the coal fields of West Virginia to the highest reaches of the legal profession is a testament to her strength, intelligence, perseverance, and persistence. Judge Jamison worked as one of the few women in the underground coal mines, made Columbus her home, later opened and ran her own insurance agency for over 16 years, and attended college while working full time. Terri sold her agency and enrolled in the Capital University School of Law and obtained her Juris Doctorate in 2004. As an attorney, Terri worked in the Franklin County Public Defender’s Office representing indigent clients in the Municipal Court System and served as a Hearing Officer for the Ohio Unemployment Compensation Review Commission. She practiced in the US District Court, Southern District of Ohio. She opened her own law office, practicing Criminal, Juvenile, Domestic Relations, and Probate law at the trial and appellate level. She was admitted to practice at the Supreme Court of the United States in 2007. In 2012, she was elected judge of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, Division of Domestic Relations and Juvenile Branch. She was overwhelmingly reelected to the Common Pleas bench in 2018 and then elected to the Tenth District Court of Appeals in 2020. During her time on the bench, Judge Jamison has used her experience, perspective, talent, and knowledge to develop new strategies to empower families. She also devoted considerable time, energy, and attention to issues related to equal access to justice, diversity, inclusion, and the need to develop alternatives to detention for juveniles. Along with her many other accomplishments, Judge Jamison is most proud of being a spouse to Ricardo “Ty” Gary, a retired Franklin County Deputy Sheriff who has started a new career as a realtor with E-Merge Realty. Their blended family includes three sons, Tremayne, Demetrius, and Sean, seven grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter.

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• The Ohio Education Association represents about 120,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals who work in Ohio’s schools, colleges, and universities to help improve public education and the lives of Ohio’s children. OEA members provide professional services to benefit students, schools, and the public in virtually every position needed to run Ohio’s schools.
• Education Matters host Katie Olmsted serves as Media Relations Consultant for the Ohio Education Association. She joined OEA in May, 2020, after a ten-year career as a television reporter, anchor, and producer. Katie comes from a family of educators and is passionate about telling educators' stories and advocating for Ohio's students. She lives in Central Ohio with her husband and two young children.