Mr. White is the Vice President of External Affairs, Strategic Initiatives,
and Business Development, and serves as In-House Counsel at the
Center for Science and Industry (COSI). Mr. White began his tenure at
COSI in February 2018 to contribute to COSI’s strategic vision, mission,
and leadership.
In his position as Vice President, Mr. White is directly responsible
for: (1) creating and implementing a global strategy for government
relations at the city, state, and federal levels; (2) leading the development
and execution of COSI’s Strategic Plan; (3) developing and optimizing
an entrepreneurial business model for current and novel COSI
opportunities, including leveraging the corporate landscape; (4) serving
as the Executive Leadership Team for the COSI Science Festival; and (5)
serving as COSI’s general legal counsel. In this role, Mr. White works
across the institution and with all departments.
Mr. White is a well-known and respected figure in the local, state, and
federal civic communities with over a decade of experience in navigating
the political and policy landscape towards effective partnerships and
positive outcomes. He previously served as the General Counsel and
the Central Ohio Director for U.S. Senator Rob Portman where he was
instrumental in establishing and cultivating critical relationships that
positively impacted several key areas, including workforce development,
K-12 education, career technical education, college attainment, and
public-private partnerships in Ohio. He also previously worked at the
Ohio Supreme Court, the Ohio Senate, and the law firm of Taft Stettinius
& Hollister LLP. Mr. White’s acumen for creating strategies with bold,
sustainable, and effective collaborations are examples of his ability to
deliver results. He was instrumental in the creation of the Ohio Advanced
STEM-CTE Leadership Caucus, working with the City of Columbus to
win the Smart City Challenge in 2016, helping to attract and retain key
businesses to the Columbus Region, such as Avnet Inc., and creating a
statewide framework for funding to combat the opioid crisis.
Moreover, Mr. White has a strong passion and career-long dedication to
serving our community, helping those in poverty, and employing “The
Columbus Way” model of collaboration to advance the needs of the
region and state. He serves on a number of boards, including the state of
Ohio STEM Committee, the Columbus Metropolitan Club, the Ohio Farm
Bureau Foundation, the Ohio Supreme Court Moyer Commission, the
Public Policy Committee for the Association of Science and Technology
Centers and more.
Mr. White has won numerous professional awards and has been
recognized for his commitment to community service, including being
named as Columbus Business First’s 40 Under 40, Columbus CEO
Magazine’s Future50, and the John Glenn College of Public Affairs’
Young Alumni Achievement Award. He also serves as a recognized voice
on critical STEM public policy matters, with previous talks at national
conferences, TEDx, testimony to the State of Ohio General Assembly, and
more.
As a first generation student, Mr. White earned three degrees, all from
The Ohio State University, including his B.A. in English and Political
Science, J.D. from the OSU Moritz College of Law, and his M.A. in Public
Policy and Management from the OSU John Glenn College of Public
Affairs.