Lisa Patt-McDaniel joined the Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio as the first President & CEO. The Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio was incorporated in January 2016, as mandated by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014. The Board works through the Ohio Means Jobs Center Columbus Franklin County (OMJCFC) and other workforce development agencies to provide direct services to jobseekers and create innovative workforce solutions for the Central Ohio Business Community.

Previous to this position, Ms. Patt-McDaniel was an Executive on Loan to the Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus & Franklin County to stand up a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) with the capacity to lend on housing and mixed use developments in Franklin County. She raised $2M in capital for the CDFI Fund, with another $6M in the pipeline.

Ms. Patt-McDaniel spent over 20 years at the Ohio Department of Development working in the areas of economic, workforce and community development, completing her career there as the Director of the Department and a member of the Governor’s Cabinet. While she was Director, Ohio claimed its third Governor’s Cup from Site Selection Magazine, thanks to a focus on taking the steps necessary to be competitive, even in a challenging economic environment. McDaniel joined Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing (OCCH) in 2011 as Director of Community Development where she was responsible for developing relationships and services related to community development, including working with cities and in rural areas to address vacant land and housing, leveraging resources for development, and convening local officials around common development issues.

Ms. Patt-McDaniel is a Certified Economic Development Professions (EDP) through the National Development Council. She is an officer on the boards of the Ohio Workforce Association, Midwest Urban Strategies, the Columbus Next Generation Corporation, the Greater Ohio Policy Center and Heritage Ohio. Ms. Patt-McDaniel also is a lecturer at the John Glenn College of Public Affairs where she has taught classes in public policy and strategic management. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration from Miami University and a Masters of Public Administration from the John Glenn College of Public Policy at The Ohio State University. Ms. Patt-McDaniel is married to Dana McDaniel, City Manager of the city of Dublin, and they are the proud parents of two daughters, Caitlyn and Colleen.