Gavin DeVore Leonard

Gavin DeVore Leonard is Ohio Voice's Executive Director. Ohio Voice seeks to improve the collective impact of under-represented communities, particularly those in the New American Majority (young people, people of color, and unmarried women).

Gavin also serves as the State Director for One Ohio Now, a statewide coalition currently made up of over 100 partners – health and human service organizations, labor unions, and advocacy groups. One Ohio Now believes that great public services lead to stronger communities, and we need revenue to pay for those services.

Gavin previously served as the State Director for Ohio’s Center for Progressive Leadership, building a statewide institution that worked with community and union organizers, elected officials and campaign staff, non-profit advocacy leaders and more.

Before doing statewide work around policy and politics, Gavin was a co-founder, and former Executive Director of Elementz – a non-profit organization that runs a hip hop-based youth center, leadership development programming, and civic engagement projects in Cincinnati. He also worked in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood on construction and project management for non-profit community development corporations focused on affordable housing, as well as police accountability projects.

Originally from Chicago, and raised in rural Northwest Ohio, Gavin attended New York University before leaving school to pursue full-time social justice work. Gavin also canvassed for environmental organizations in Denver, Cleveland, and Columbus.

Gavin is also actively engaged with The 365 Project and its Police Policy Subcommittee on racial justice and police issues in his village of Yellow Springs, and loves to read, hike, play sports and games, and cook. He is married with two children.