Biography
State Representative Nancy Garland (D-Gahanna) is serving her first term as the voice of the 20th Ohio House District, which includes Bexley, Gahanna, New Albany, Whitehall and parts of Columbus.
Having grown up on a farm in Washington Court House in Fayette County, Rep. Garland is passionate about her family, her community, and all Ohioans. She believes being a State Representative is the ultimate means by which she can serve.
After she graduated from the Ohio University with a Bachelor’s in history and government, Rep. Garland attended George Mason School of Law, where she earned a Juris Doctorate in night classes while she worked on Capitol Hill.
Currently, she is Executive Director of the Ohio Physical Therapy Association, a role she’s held for six years. She also teaches health policy in the physical therapy doctoral program at The Ohio State University School of Allied Medical Professions.
The work Rep. Garland has performed on behalf of medical professionals in Ohio gains its foundation from years of service in the Washington, D.C. area. After working as a legislative assistant for Texas Congressman Jack Hightower (focusing on issues including health care, education, small business and civil service), she advocated on behalf of the American Optometric Association and the American Physical Therapy Association to secure better access to health care for patients across the country.
Throughout her career, Rep. Garland has championed direct access to health care and fought successfully against eliminating physical therapy coverage for patients recovering from injuries or wounds. She has spearheaded efforts to help seniors and small businesses, and she is an expert on a health care system in need of her knowledge to realize significant improvements.
Rep. Garland is looking forward to working with Governor Strickland on the State Budget during these very difficult times. Her other legislative interests include heath care coverage, fixing the education system and bringing green jobs and technology to Ohio and Franklin County.
She serves as Vice Chair of the Health Access and Affordability committee and is a member of the Criminal Justice; Education; and Financial Institutions, Real Estate and Securities (FIRES) committees.
Rep. Garland is married to Roy Landreth. They have two children.
Responsibilities
A State Representative is an elected official whose job is to serve as a direct link between those Ohioans he or she was elected to represent and state government. In order to best fulfill this role, a representative responds to constituent concerns and works to provide solutions through legislative action. In order to best serve their constituents, a state representative attends meetings of their local civic, social and business groups in addition to responding to mail, email and telephone correspondence from constituents in their district.
