Events

11:00 a.m. Doors open. Lunch served through 12:00

11:15 a.m.–11:45 a.m. Student Policy Presentations

12:00 p.m. Welcome & Opening Remarks

Andrew Lewis, Executive Director, Portman Center for Policy Solutions 

Opening Remarks by Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus

12:10 p.m.–1:00 p.m. Federal Strategies for Affordable Housing & Thriving Communities

Rick Lazio, Chair, Enterprise Community Partners

Reggie Harris, Chief of Staff, Ohio First Congressional District and former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Development, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

Moderated by Rob Portman, Former U.S. Senator and Founding Board Member, Portman Center for Policy Solutions

1:10 p.m.–2:00 p.m. Shared Goals for Ohio’s Housing Future

Ohio Senator Michele Reynolds

Ohio Representative Dani Isaacsohn

Ohio Representative Adam Mathews

Moderated by Andrew Lewis, Executive Director, Portman Center for Policy Solutions

2:10 p.m.–3:00 p.m. What’s Worked & What’s Next for Cincinnati

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval

Former Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley

Moderated by Liz Keating, Vice President of Government Affairs and Advocacy, Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber

3:00 p.m.–3:30 p.m. Dessert reception

In 2016, Denise Driehaus became the second woman to ever be elected to Hamilton County’s Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). A life-long resident of Hamilton County, Driehaus is honored to serve her community in this role.

Driehaus is the Founding Chair of the Hamilton County Commission on Women & Girls, which has driven policy changes in areas of pay equity, access to period products, and combating domestic violence. She also serves as Executive Chair for the Hamilton County Addiction Response Coalition, which has saved countless lives since its founding by collaborating with community partners to connect Hamilton County residents to treatment and promoting long-term recovery for individuals suffering from the opioid epidemic. 

Driehaus has also implemented strategic investments in Hamilton County’s many jurisdictions to spur catalytic economic development projects and create lasting partnerships.

To promote and inform the work of Hamilton County at the state and national level, Driehaus serves as the President of the National Democratic County Officials and Vice President of the County Commissioners Association of Ohio. Additionally, Denise is a facilitator for the National Institute for Civil Discourse and a Board Member for the Community Learning Center Institute and the Portman Center for Policy Solutions. 

Prior to her service as a Commissioner, Driehaus served four terms in the Ohio House of Representatives for the 31st Ohio House District. Before entering public service full-time, she owned and operated two small businesses.

Rick Lazio is the Chair of Enterprise Community Partners, as well as senior vice president at alliantgroup, L.P., a Houston-based national provider of specialty tax consulting services, specializing in qualifying U.S. companies for various state, local and federal tax credits and incentives. He also serves as of counsel for Jones Walker LLP, a national law firm which provides a comprehensive range of legal services to a national and international corporate client base in highly regulated industries.

He was elected to the United States Congress where he served four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives; he was appointed deputy majority whip and assistant majority leader. A former prosecutor and private attorney, Rick previously served as president and CEO of the Financial Services Forum, a public policy organization comprised of the chief executives of 20 of the largest global financial services firms. Subsequently, he was named to the Executive Committee of JPMorgan Chase, a Fortune 50 Company, where he served as executive vice president and later managing director in the bank’s asset management division. He is active as a director on numerous civic, philanthropic and public company boards.

Rick is a 1980 graduate of Vassar College, where he is a member of the President’s Advisory Committee, and a 1983 graduate of American University, Washington College of Law, where he is a member of the Dean's Advisory Committee.

Reggie Harris, MSW, LISW-S, is Chief of Staff to Congressman Greg Landsman (D) in Ohio’s first congressional district. He joined Congressman Landsman’s office after serving as a Biden-Harris Presidential Appointee to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Development. Before joining the administration, Reggie was a Cincinnati City Council Member who, during his tenure, chaired the Budget and Finance Committee and the Equitable Growth & Housing Committee. 

A former professional ballet dancer with ten years of performing experience, he danced for the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, Ballet Austin, River North Chicago Dance Company, and Dances Patrelle. Reggie spent four years working in Chicago's first public performing arts high school, developing and teaching aspiring young dancers.  

As a clinical social worker and nonprofit leader, Reggie has worked in affordable housing development, LGBTQ homelessness, housing case management, and behavioral health therapy. Reggie has also worked as a consultant with EJP Consulting Group, supporting cities in applying for the competitive Department of Housing and Urban Development Choice Neighborhood Initiative grants and for Children's Funding Project, where he helped local governments expand equitable opportunities for children and youth through strategic public financing. He received his undergraduate degree from Roosevelt University and his Master of Social Work from Boston University. 

Rob Portman’s career in public service spanned three decades and included service in three presidential administrations as well as two terms in the United States Senate and six terms in the United States House of Representatives.

In the George W. Bush Administration, he served in two cabinet-level jobs, as Director of the Office of Management and Budget as well as United States Trade Representative. Under President George H.W. Bush, he served as an Associate Counsel to the President and Director, White House Office of Legislative Affairs. 

Known for his civility, successful bipartisan policymaking, work ethic, and grasp of a broad range of complex issues, over 220 of Portman’s bills were signed into law by Presidents Biden, Trump, and Obama during his tenure in the Senate. He served as the lead Republican negotiator on the bipartisan infrastructure law that is making historic improvements to our nation’s roads, ports, rails, bridges, broadband, and more.

He played a key role in U.S. foreign policy through his seat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and as co-chair and founder of the Senate Ukraine Caucus. He made ten trips to Ukraine since the Revolution of Dignity in 2014 and is a key advocate for congressional support of Ukraine against Russia’s unprovoked war of Aggression. 

Portman currently serves as the Founder of the Portman Center for Policy Solutions at the University of Cincinnati and a Distinguished Visiting Fellow in the Practice of Public Policy at the American Enterprise Institute. He also serves on the corporate boards of P&G and the Bechtel Corporation.

Rob was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he still lives today with his wife, Jane. Together they have three adult children: Jed, Will, and Sally. 

Senator Michele Reynolds is serving her first term in the Ohio Senate. She represents the people of Madison and Pickaway counties as well as the residents of Franklin County in Reynoldsburg, Canal Winchester, Grove City, Westerville, New Albany, Groveport, Lockbourne, Obetz, Gahanna, Galloway, Blacklick, Urbancrest, Prairie Township, Jackson Township, Madison Township, Truro Township, Hamilton Township, Franklin Township, Blendon Township, Plain Township, Jefferson Township, Mifflin Township, and portions of Columbus.

As a lifelong resident of Ohio, Senator Reynolds has an extensive background representing the community, including serving on the Madison Township Board of Trustees. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati, a Master of Arts in Public Administration and Urban Studies from the University of Akron, a Master of Law from Thomas Jefferson School of Law, an Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy from CICA International University, and Seminary, and All But Dissertation for her earned doctorate degree in Business Administration from Northcentral University. She attended Hondros College and is a licensed Real Estate Salesperson in the State of Ohio, specializing in Commercial Real Estate. 

Senator Reynolds has received multiple awards for her outreach work and humanitarian efforts. In 2016, she was bestowed with a Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award from former President Barack Obama. In 2018, she was conferred an honorary Doctorate degree in Humanities from CICA University and International Seminary. In 2019, she was inducted into the Ohio Commodores and received a 2019 Central Ohio Social Justice Award for Outstanding Leadership.

In addition to her public service, Senator Reynolds is a third-generation business owner and non-profit CEO. She and her husband pastor a church in Franklin County called The Destiny Center. Senator Reynolds and Rick have six children and reside in Canal Winchester. 

State Representative Dani Isaacsohn is currently serving his second term representing Ohio’s 24th House District. The district includes Downtown Cincinnati, Fairmount, Price Hill, Westwood, and surrounding neighborhoods. He currently serves in House leadership as Minority Whip.

Rep. Isaacsohn sees his role as an elected leader in the state as one of making people’s lives better above anything else. He is committed to fighting for a world-class public education for every student, better childcare for parents, smarter housing policy to bring down prices and increase supply, and making sure that seniors have what they need to age with dignity. He is also committed to creating a more just and equitable criminal justice system in Ohio. A through line in his legislative work is Rep. Isaacsohn’s understanding that we must tackle racial and income inequality head-on to make lasting progress.  

Rep. Isaacsohn is a Walnut Hills High School graduate, and received a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University, a master’s degree from Cambridge University, and a J.D. from Yale Law School. He serves as the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee and is a sitting member of the House Finance and Energy committees.

State Representative Adam Mathews is serving his second term in the Ohio House of Representatives. He represents the 56th Ohio House District, which encompasses southwest and central Warren County including Lebanon, South Lebanon, and Mason.

Rep. Mathews worked as a civilian engineer for the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program before returning to Notre Dame to become an intellectual property attorney. He continues to practice and represents inventors, small businesses, and entrepreneurs. He formerly served as the Vice Mayor of Lebanon. 

Mathews is also very involved in his community. He has served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for Elizabeth’s New Life Center, a network of pro-life women’s centers throughout Southwest Ohio. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Cincinnati Federalist Society, St. Thomas More Society of Cincinnati, the Warren County Republican Party, and Kiwanis of Lebanon. 

Mathews acts as Chairman of the Intellectual Property Section of the Ohio State Bar Association, Vice President of the Notre Dame Club of Dayton, and a member of the St. Francis de Sales Parish Council and Knights of Columbus. 

He married his wife Amanda in 2011, and they live with their five children in Lebanon.

Andrew Lewis is the Executive Director of the Portman Center for Policy Solutions at the University of Cincinnati, a position he has held since the inception of the center in July 2023. Lewis is also an Associate Professor in the School of Public and International Affairs at UC.

Lewis’s research interests are at the intersection of law and politics in America, with specific expertise in religion and politics in the U.S. His research engages the fields of political behavior, law and courts, interest groups, law and society, and religion and politics. 

Lewis authored The Rights Turn in Conservative Christian Politics: How Abortion Transformed the Culture Wars (Cambridge, 2017) and co-authored The Full Armor of God: The Mobilization of Christian Nationalism in American Politics (Cambridge Elements, 2023), along with many peer-reviewed social science articles. He is the winner of the 2018 Humbert Morken Award for the best book in Religion and Politics from the American Political Science Association. Lewis has also authored op-eds at The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, FiveThirtyEight, Vox, and other national media outlets.

A dedicated teacher, Professor Lewis was awarded the 2022 A. B. Dolly Cohen Award for Excellence in Teaching by the Office of the Provost at the University of Cincinnati. He is also currently the Co-Editor-in-Chief of the political science journal Politics and Religion. 

Aftab Pureval is the 70th Mayor of Cincinnati. He was raised in Southwest, Ohio, the son of first-generation Americans. He is making history as Cincinnati’s first Asian-American Mayor. He has made equitable economic growth a top priority of his administration, as well as a comprehensive reform and improvement of public safety, affordable housing, and environmental action.

Since taking office, Mayor Aftab has guided Cincinnati through a significant economic recovery, while advancing the City’s key strategic priorities for equitable growth. Early accomplishments include establishing the City’s first-ever annual commitment to an affordable housing trust fund, leading on a comprehensive zoning reform to bring more housing options to neighborhoods, and implementing a new policy to send unarmed mental health professionals to some nonviolent 911 calls. Under his leadership, the City’s budget was balanced after multiple years of structural deficits, and the City committed for the first time to carbon neutrality by 2050.

Mayor Aftab previously served as Hamilton County Clerk of Courts from 2016 to 2021, where he was the first Democrat to hold this office in over 100 years. Prior to this, he served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney and worked as an attorney at Procter & Gamble.

Mayor Aftab graduated from The Ohio State University and the University of Cincinnati College of Law, where he represented victims of domestic violence who could not afford an attorney. He resides near the University of Cincinnati with his wife, Whitney, and their sons, Bodhi and Rami. 

John Cranley is Of Counsel at KMK Law, practicing in the Real Estate Group, and is co-chair of the firm’s Government Affairs practice area. Cranley focuses on complex public-private finance, where he has extensive experience with tax increment financing, New Markets Tax Credits, and municipal bond issuance. 

Prior to re-joining KMK Law, Cranley served as the 69th Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio from 2013-2022, where he led an unprecedented revitalization of the city. Under Cranley’s leadership the city reversed six decades of population loss, the first major Ohio city to ever do so. Under his leadership, Cincinnati grew twice as fast as the state of Ohio and reduced poverty 1.5x faster than the state. Cranley led efforts to build the largest municipal solar array in the country, helped lead efforts to bring FCC to Cincinnati, and helped usher in over 20,000 new jobs and over $10 Billion in new investments.  

In addition, Cranley served eight years on Cincinnati City Council. From 2001-2008, John served as chair of the Finance Committee, and in 2003, he was instrumental in creating Tax Increment Finance Districts in Cincinnati, which have led to increased economic development in the city.

Cranley was the founder and co-director of the Ohio Innocence Project at the University of Cincinnati College of Law (2002-2006), which, through the use of DNA-technology, has exonerated more than 30 innocent Ohioans. During that time, he was also an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. 

Cranley earned his J.D. from Harvard University, a Masters in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School and his Bachelor’s Degree from John Carroll University. John lives in Cincinnati with wife Dena and son Joseph.

Liz Keating is the VP of Government Affairs & Advocacy at the Cincinnati Chamber. In that role, she builds coalitions to help advocate for more investment and growth throughout our region. Keating previously served on Cincinnati City Council where she was a proponent for housing, fiscal discipline, and innovation in government. Keating also served as Marketing Director for The Jim Stengel Company, a consultancy and think tank, and the team behind The CMO Podcast. Keating has a degree in Political Science – International Relations from UCLA, where she competed on the swim team and served as team captain.

Keating has also served her hometown of Cincinnati in numerous roles, including as a board member of OKI Regional Council of Governments, Talbert House, Downtown Cincinnati Improvement District, UC Lindner College of Business Advisory Board, Honor Flight Tri-State and Cincinnati Para-Swim Open. 

Keating was honored as a 2016 Business Courier Forty Under 40, 2023 Senators Taft & Schuler Elected Official of the Year, and the 2025 UC Lindner College of Business Distinguished Service Award. Keating and her husband live in Cincinnati with their two young children.