We are looking forward to hosting Secretary LaRose at Glass City Center on February 3rd, in the Main Ballroom.
Secretary LaRose’s Biography
Frank LaRose became Ohio’s 51st Secretary of State on January 14, 2019, bringing to the office years of hard-earned leadership skills and public service developed as a U.S. Army Reservist, State Senator, U.S. Army Special Forces Green Beret, and Eagle Scout.
As Secretary of State, he oversees a statewide constitutional office responsible for administering elections and incorporating new businesses. Secretary LaRose principally serves as the state’s chief elections officer, working with 88 county boards of elections to ensure the security, accuracy, and accessibility of Ohio’s voting process. In 2020, he helped guide the state through the unprecedented challenges of a presidential election conducted at the height of a global pandemic, successfully managing the highest voter turnout election in state history.
Secretary LaRose also positioned Ohio as a leader in election security and vulnerability assessment, putting more resources than ever into cybersecurity improvements, data retention, and post-election audit protocols. He created the office’s first Public Integrity Division, launching a bipartisan Election Integrity Task Force and empowering a full-time investigative unit to review alleged violations of state election laws. He authorized the most aggressive effort in the history of the office to ensure the accuracy of Ohio’s voter rolls, requiring regular audits of registration data and working with the state attorney general to prevent and potentially prosecute non-citizen voting activity.
Secretary LaRose also modernized the office’s campaign finance disclosure system, improving the electronic accessibility and transparency of public reports, and he became one of just four secretaries of state nationwide to win a coveted award for innovative voter outreach and poll worker recruitment programs.
As the lead statewide agency responsible for helping businesses get organized and opened, Secretary LaRose’s administration assisted job creators in registering more new ventures than at any time in Ohio’s history. He also worked with the General Assembly to enact the most significant business modernization reform since 1994, providing new options for organizing LLCs and improving the office’s electronic filing system for business start-ups.
Prior to his election as Secretary of State, LaRose served as a member of the State Senate, where he led efforts to increase government transparency and efficiency, particularly in the areas of elections administration and regulatory reform. Among numerous recognitions, LaRose earned the Legislator of the Year award from the Ohio Association of Election Officials for his efforts to improve Ohio’s election process.
LaRose developed his strong work ethic and sense of responsibility at a young age while working on a small, family-owned farm in Northeast Ohio. After graduating from Copley High School, he fulfilled a lifelong dream of enlisting in the United States Army with the 101st Airborne, ultimately serving as a U.S. Special Forces Green Beret. During his decade in uniform around the globe, LaRose received numerous commendations and honors, including the Bronze Star. He continues to serve as an Army Reservist and helps to support his fellow veterans and advance the cause of patriotism as a member of the VFW and as a local board member for the Green Beret Foundation. LaRose graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in Consumer Affairs and Business. A life-long Northeast Ohioan, he now lives in Central Ohio with his wife, Lauren, and their three daughters.
