LADIES' GALLERY

Barbara Sears was appointed to the Ohio House of Representatives in January 2008 and elected the following November. Prior to joining the Ohio House, Sears served from 1998 to 2008 on the Sylvania City Council – serving the last four as chair of the Finance Committee and president of Council. She was also active with the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments, a regional council of governments from Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan, most recently serving as chair of the council.

In 2008, she completed her six-year term on the Swan Creek Retirement Village, a part of the Ohio Presbyterian Retirement System. Sears was active in its quality-assurance committee and was chair of the adviser board. Sears received the Ohio Association of Medical Equipment Services (OAMES) 1998 Legislator of the Year award. She remains active in her community through her involvement with her neighborhood Communities Action Team, the Northwest Ohio Association of Health Underwriters, the Sylvania Rotary and the local Chambers of Commerce.

Sears is also a co-owner of Noble and Sears, Inc., a firm specializing in employee benefits and financial planning. She attended the University of Toledo and received her associate's degree in 1983.

Biography courtesy of the Ohio House of Representatives, 2009.