Full Name
Lydia Mihalik
Job Title
Director of the Ohio Department of Development
Company
Ohio Department of Development
Speaker Bio
Lydia Mihalik is the Director of the Ohio Department of Development, a state agency committed to empowering communities to succeed by investing in the people, places, and businesses of Ohio.
Prior to her appointment by Governor Mike DeWine in 2019, Director Mihalik served as the 55th Mayor of the City of Findlay in northwest Ohio. Her vision and leadership led to the revitalization of the city’s downtown, attracting new job creators from around the world, and Findlay being recognized by Site Selector Magazine as the top micropolitan in the nation for economic development and job creation every year since 2013.
Director Mihalik is putting that experience to work for Governor DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted to make Ohio the best place to live, learn, work, and visit. Under her leadership, Development is bringing public- and private-sector partners together to accomplish the Administration’s priorities to build a thriving economy, invest in small, minority, and disadvantaged businesses, prepare communities for the future, improve broadband access, and expand the skills of our workforce.
Under the leadership of Governor DeWine and Lt. Governor Husted, Ohio’s economy has seen significant growth. That record of success has secured some of the biggest economic development projects in Ohio’s history. Not only are automotive giants like Honda, GM and Ford investing billions of dollars to produce electric vehicles in Ohio, but Intel selected the Buckeye State as the site of what could be the largest semiconductor facility on the planet.
Director Mihalik earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Findlay and received an honorary doctorate in public service from the University of Rio Grande. She serves as chair of both the Ohio Tax Credit Authority and Third Frontier Commission, as well as co-chair of the Governor’s Expo 2050 Task Force. She is also a member of the Governor’s Executive Workforce Board, Ohio Exposition Commission, Broadband Expansion Authority, Ohio Economic Development Association Board of Directors, and SMART Columbus Board of Directors.
She and her husband, Drew, live in Findlay with their three children, Joseph, Elizabeth, and Delaney.
Prior to her appointment by Governor Mike DeWine in 2019, Director Mihalik served as the 55th Mayor of the City of Findlay in northwest Ohio. Her vision and leadership led to the revitalization of the city’s downtown, attracting new job creators from around the world, and Findlay being recognized by Site Selector Magazine as the top micropolitan in the nation for economic development and job creation every year since 2013.
Director Mihalik is putting that experience to work for Governor DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted to make Ohio the best place to live, learn, work, and visit. Under her leadership, Development is bringing public- and private-sector partners together to accomplish the Administration’s priorities to build a thriving economy, invest in small, minority, and disadvantaged businesses, prepare communities for the future, improve broadband access, and expand the skills of our workforce.
Under the leadership of Governor DeWine and Lt. Governor Husted, Ohio’s economy has seen significant growth. That record of success has secured some of the biggest economic development projects in Ohio’s history. Not only are automotive giants like Honda, GM and Ford investing billions of dollars to produce electric vehicles in Ohio, but Intel selected the Buckeye State as the site of what could be the largest semiconductor facility on the planet.
Director Mihalik earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Findlay and received an honorary doctorate in public service from the University of Rio Grande. She serves as chair of both the Ohio Tax Credit Authority and Third Frontier Commission, as well as co-chair of the Governor’s Expo 2050 Task Force. She is also a member of the Governor’s Executive Workforce Board, Ohio Exposition Commission, Broadband Expansion Authority, Ohio Economic Development Association Board of Directors, and SMART Columbus Board of Directors.
She and her husband, Drew, live in Findlay with their three children, Joseph, Elizabeth, and Delaney.
