Biography

Mary Jo Kilroy was elected to her first term in the United States House of Representatives in 2008 and began serving the residents of Ohio’s 15th Congressional District on January 7, 2009. The 15th District includes Madison County, Union County and parts of Franklin County including the city of Columbus. 

Rep. Kilroy was selected as a member of the powerful House Committee on Financial Services. The Committee on Financial Services oversees all components of the nation’s housing and financial services sectors including banking, insurance, public and assisted housing, and the Federal Reserve Bank among others.  Kilroy serves on the Capital Markets, Insurance and Government Sponsored Enterprises, Housing and Community Opportunity and Oversight and Investigations subcommittees. 

Kilroy will continue her health care advocacy in Congress and in her first month fulfilled a campaign promise to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program so that 230,000 Ohio children do not go without the care they need. 

With over 18 years experience in public service at the local and county level, including president of the Franklin County Board of Commissioners from 2005 to 2007, Kilroy brings a wealth of practical government experience. Her dedication led to Franklin County being ranked as one of the five best-managed counties in the country by Governing Magazine. 

Kilroy will use her experience protecting residents of Franklin County as a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security. Under Kilroy’s leadership Franklin County earned national recognition from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) which ranked Columbus in the top four best prepared cities in America on its Tactical Interoperable Communications Scorecard.

In 1991— as the mother of two public school students—Kilroy won a seat on the Columbus Board of Education and served two terms. Franklin County voters elected Mary Jo to her first term as a Franklin County Commissioner in 2000, and re-elected her in 2004.  Under her leadership, Franklin County dedicated itself to fiscal responsibility, economic development, quality health care for its residents, and environmental protection and sustainability.

As a former VISTA volunteer, Kilroy joined President Obama to call for a new day in community service for America. She joined colleagues on both sides of the aisle to greatly expand service opportunities through the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act creating more than 250,000 opportunities for young people, seniors and veterans to give back to their communities.

The daughter of a pipe-fitter and World War II veteran, Kilroy understands the value of hard work and excelled through school, attending Cleveland State University for her B.A. and The Ohio State University for her J.D. She married Robert Handelman and settled in Columbus, Ohio with their two daughters, Julia and Rosa, and two dogs. 


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Representative Kilroy

The 15th District



Washington, DC Office
1237 Longworth HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2015
Fax: (202) 225-3529

District Office
1299 Olentangy River Rd, ste. 200
Columbus, OH 43212
Phone: (614) 294-2196
Fax: (614) 294-2384