Gary Cates
Senator Gary Cates represented Butler County in The Ohio House of Representatives and The Ohio Senate from 1995-2011. He served as the Speaker Pro Tempore of the Ohio House from 2001-2005. Prior to his service in Columbus, he was twice elected to township trustee in West Chester Township. Prior to public service, Gary's business experience includes 18 years with AK Steel in numerous engineering assignments, all in Middletown.
Gary has been a local leader and volunteer with the Dan Beard Council, Boy Scouts of America and attained the rank of Eagle Scout when he was 16. Both of his sons attended the 2005 National Scout Jamboree in Virginia and the 2007 World Scout Jamboree in England.
He also works with HEMI (Higher Education Mentoring initiative) in Cincinati and with Saturday Morning Hoops in Over the Rhine from January through May.
He currently serves as Senior Vice Chancellor at the Ohio Department of Higher Education in Columbus. Gary works with Ohio's 23 community colleges and the adult learner program for Ohioans who never completed high school.
Originally from Norfolk, Virginia, Gary has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech and and M.B.A. from the University of Dayton. He resides in West Chester and attends Crossroads Church in Mason. His two sons, Andrew graduated from Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, and Brenton, graduated from The University of Cincinnati.
He is dancing to support the Karen Wellington Memorial Foundation for LIVING with Breast Cancer.