Full Biography

Congresswoman Joyce Beatty

Ohio 3rd Congressional District

Congresswoman Joyce Beatty is a native Ohioan with a strong history of connecting people, policy and politics to make a difference. Since 2013, Beatty has proudly represented Ohio’s Third Congressional District.

She sits on the exclusive House Committee on Financial Services and serves on three Subcommittees: Chair of Diversity and Inclusion, Housing, Community Development and Insurance, and Oversight and Investigations. The Financial Services Committee oversees the entire financial services industry, including the nation’s banking, securities, insurance, and housing industries, as well as the work of the Federal Reserve, the United States Department of the Treasury and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. As Chair of the newly created Financial Services Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion, Beatty will lead efforts to ensure the financial services industry works better for all Americans.

Prior to her service in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congresswoman Beatty was Senior Vice President of Outreach and Engagement at The Ohio State University and a member in the Ohio House of Representatives for five terms. During her tenure in the Ohio House, she rose to become the first female Democratic House Leader in Ohio’s history and was instrumental in spearheading and enacting pieces of legislation to require financial literacy in Ohio’s public school curriculum, to expand STEM education, and to secure funds to help under- and uninsured women access breast and cervical cancer treatment.

Congresswoman Beatty has dedicated her life to helping make an impact by delivering results and through service to Central Ohio. Highlights include: $30 million in federal funds to help launch a $225 million revitalization project of Columbus’ Near East Side; the $40 million Smart City Challenge to transform Central Ohio’s transportation network and make it safer, easier to use, and more reliable; more than $3 million in federal funds to help Central Ohio youth at-risk of homelessness; $4 million in federal funds to address Columbus’ infant mortality rate—one of the highest in the nation—and another $45 million to ensure more Ohio students can succeed in and outside the classroom.

In Congress, Beatty has had numerous pieces of legislation signed into law, including two measures to combat human trafficking, and another to empower college students to make more informed financial decisions. She also spearheaded legislation officially designating the National Veterans Memorial and Museum located in downtown Columbus, Ohio, as well as a bill to make the tax deduction permanent for out-of-pocket expenses paid by elementary and secondary teachers for supplies and expenses. Finally, her advocacy proved critical in enacting a law to help more stroke victims gain access to fast, high-quality care.

Congresswoman Beatty is Vice-Chair of the powerful Congressional Black Caucus, Regional Whip for Region 10, and is an influential member of the Democratic Seniors Task Force, Co-Chair of the Financial and Economic Literacy Caucus and Congressional Heart and Stroke Coalition, Deputy Vice-Chair of the Congressional Voting Rights Caucus, and founder of the Congressional Civility and Respect Caucus. Outside of her committee and numerous caucus memberships, Beatty is a committed and vocal supporter of early education, women’s equality, concussion awareness, and the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion (OMWI), which seeks to increase the participation of women and minorities in all facets of the financial marketplace, among many other priorities.

A sought-after public speaker and the recipient of numerous awards, she was previously named one of Ebony Magazine’s 150 most powerful African-Americans in the United States.

Congresswoman Beatty is active in The Links, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Columbus Urban League, The American Heart Association—where she previously served on the board—and numerous other organizations.

She received her Bachelor of Arts from Central State University, her Master of Science from Wright State University, and completed all requirements but her dissertation for a doctorate at the University of Cincinnati. Congresswoman Beatty has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from Ohio Dominican University and Central State University, as well as a juris doctor from Capital University Law School.

Congresswoman Beatty is married to attorney Otto Beatty, Jr. and a proud grandmother to Leah and Spencer, who lovingly call her “Grammy.”