OHIO STATE LEGAL SERVICE ASSOCIATION - Key Persons


Ben Horne

Job Titles:
  • LASC Advocacy Director

Debera Diggs

Job Titles:
  • Community Representative

Dianna Parker

Job Titles:
  • Director of Pro Bono & Community Engagement

Helena Jones

Job Titles:
  • Community Representative

Ideal For

Job Titles:
  • New Attorneys, Litigators, Corporate Counsel ( Co - Counseling Option Available )
Legal Aid also offers several court-based clinics for tenants with eviction hearing in Franklin, Muskingum, and Fairfield counties. Attorneys handle eviction hearings or negotiate resolutions, including drafting agreed entries. For the majority of cases, in-person representation is necessary. Court-mandated social distancing, mask wearing, and other safety precautions are in place.

Jamie McKenna - CFO

Job Titles:
  • Chief Financial Officer

Jamie Shier - COO

Job Titles:
  • Operations Director

John Biancamano

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Kate McGarvey

Job Titles:
  • Executive Director
Kate McGarvey serves as the Executive Director of the Ohio State Legal Services Association (OSLSA), which is the umbrella organization that includes The Legal Aid Society of Columbus, Southeastern Ohio Legal Services, and the Ohio Poverty Law Center. She has been involved with LASC since 2001, starting out as a Law Clerk while she was in pursuit of her JD. In 2003, she became a staff attorney with LASC where she focused on health and education law. During her early stint with LASC she also acted as the Project Director for The Child Advocacy Project and Coordinator for The Legal Aid Neighborhood Services Program. In 2005, she moved to California where she started working as a Staff Attorney and Health Consumer Alliance Project Director with the National Health Law Program (NHeLP). In this position she had many roles, including providing technical assistance on cases, drafting report and policy briefs and leading advocacy efforts among HCA partner organizations. In 2007, she returned to LASC as the Managing Attorney for the Health and Public Benefits Unit. In that role, she has been involved in a wide variety of individual representation, administrative advocacy and litigation efforts including serving as lead counsel in the Homewood case, which reinstated Medicaid coverage for 150,000 people across the state. In January of 2015, Kate became Deputy Director for LASC, in December of 2016 she became the Director, and in February 2019 she became Executive Director.

Kristen Lewis

Job Titles:
  • SEOLS Advocacy Director

Lisa Tomes

Job Titles:
  • Community Representative

Melanie Tobias

Job Titles:
  • Columbus City Attorney

Melissa Dutton

To learn about more ways to give, connect with Development Director, Melissa Linville

Melissa Linville

Job Titles:
  • Development Director

Natalie Kochte

Job Titles:
  • Community Representative

Ohio Poverty Law

Job Titles:
  • Ohio Poverty Law Center Director

Phyllis Violet

Job Titles:
  • Community Representative

Sandra J. Anderson

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees
  • Retired Attorney

Sara Frank - CHRO

Job Titles:
  • Human Resources Director

Susan Jagers

Job Titles:
  • Ohio Poverty Law Center Director

Suzannah Crowder

Job Titles:
  • Community Representative

Tanya Long

Job Titles:
  • Community Representative