Hearcel F. Craig

(Chair: Administration; and Veterans Affairs Committees)

Committee Member of: Development; Small & Minority Business Development; Public Safety & Judiciary; Public Service & Transportation; and Public Utilities Committees.

Hearcel F. Craig has dedicated his professional career in the private and public sectors to building a stronger Columbus community and helping others. Councilmember Craig currently chairs the currently chairs the Administration Committee and the Veterans Affairs Committee, announced in September 2011 to better meet the needs of Veterans, service personnel, and their families.

A lifelong resident of Columbus, Craig was sworn in as a member of Columbus City Council in April of 2007.

Craig’s commitment to the citizens of Columbus began decades ago when he worked as Legislative Liaison for the Ohio Department of Youth Services (IDES). During his tenure at ODYS, Craig drafted and secured legislative sponsorship for bills introduced in the General Assembly, including H.B. 812 which secured $83 million for much needed capital improvements to ODYS facilities.

Craig continued his work with young people when he served as Director of Recruitment & Admissions for City Year. City Year is a highly successful program which recruits young adults to work full-time for one year on various social service projects around Columbus. In return, the City Year corps members receive valuable training and leadership skills that benefit them later in their professional lives.

Hearcel Craig also understands the importance of reinvesting in our neighborhoods to continue expanding the local economy. As former Executive Director of the Hilltop Civic Council, he managed a comprehensive social service agency which served 10,000 people annually in one of Columbus’ historic areas. Directing the Hilltop Civic Council’s 35-person staff and administering its $1.2 million annual budget, Craig supervised programs for a comprehensive community health care center, youth and senior services, a resettlement center for new Americans, and a food and clothing pantry.

During the past three decades Craig has volunteered his time serving as a trustee on numerous community service boards, many focusing on education. He has served as a member of the Columbus Public Schools Equity Task Force, the Columbus State Community College Department of Business and Industry Technology Curriculum Committee, the Southside Learning and Development Center’s Board of Trustees, the Ohio Hunger Task Force Board of Trustees, and the Columbus Cultural Arts Center Board of Trustees. He is currently serving on the statewide board of AMVETS Career Center. Craig also served as Board Chair for the Alliance for Cooperative Justice, Board Chair for the Franklin County Prevention Institute and Chair of the State Education Committee for the Columbus Chapter of the NAACP. Craig was named the 2011 Public Servant of the Year by Community Shares of Mid Ohio (CoSMO).

Craig earned a Master of Science in Administration degree from Central Michigan University and is currently working on a Master of Divinity degree from the Ashland Theological Seminary. He was a Join Together National Leadership Fellow at Boston University School of Public Health. He also served in the United States Army from 1970-1972.