About Sandra

State Representative Sandra Williams (D-11^th District) is currently serving her fourth term in the Ohio House of Representatives.  Rep. Williams proudly represents parts of Cleveland, Garfield Heights, and Newburgh Heights. 

Rep. Williams is former Public Utilities Committee Vice Chair and is now serving her second term as Ranking Minority Member.  She also serves on the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB).  To gain additional expertise, Rep. Williams attended the Institute of Public Utilities Regulatory Studies program at Michigan State University.  “Camp NARUC” focuses on the foundations and fundamentals of utility regulation as well as the economic and consumer issues facing the electric, natural gas, water, and telecom sectors.  She also serves on the Manufacturing and Workforce Development committee and the committee on Economic Development and Regulatory Reform.

Rep. Williams has spent more than two decades as a public servant working in a myriad of positions including legislative aide, corrections officer, probation officer, parole officer, and a mediator for the State of Ohio.  She also served our country as a member of the United States Army Reserve and was honorably discharged in 1995.

As a prominent member of the Democratic Party, she has built bipartisan relationships with lawmakers in Ohio and throughout the United States.    Rep. Williams has championed economic development and job creation initiatives through her tenure in the legislature as well as legislation to overhaul criminal re-entry laws that remove barriers to employment.  Williams led the charge to restructure the Cleveland Municipal School District.  House Bill 525 will provide the foundation for stronger schools, increased learning opportunities, and a brighter future for Cleveland’s children.

As the former President of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus, Williams focuses on uplifting African Americans through promoting education, voting rights, decreasing disparities in health care, increasing opportunities for minority business enterprises, and criminal justice.  As part of the Caucus' commitment to higher education, she created the OLBC scholarship fund.
Rep. Sandra Williams has an outstanding record of community service; she is a member of the Ohio Democratic Women's Caucus, NAACP, Black Women's Political Action Committee and the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World.  Rep. Williams is also a member of Olivet Institutional Baptist Church.

Rep. Williams' upbringing mirrors the working class nature of her district.  Her father was an auto worker at Chrysler's manufacturing plant and member of the United Auto Workers and her mother, a loving and supportive homemaker.

Rep. Williams grew up in Cleveland, Ohio where she attended Cleveland public schools.  The youngest of seven children, she worked her way through Cleveland State University and then attended graduate school at Tiffin University during evenings and weekends.  Rep. Williams holds a Bachelors degree from Cleveland State University in Political Science with a minor in Criminal Justice and a Masters in Criminal Justice Administration from Tiffin University.  She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Tiffin University for her committment to public service.  Rep. Williams is currently pursuing her Executive Masters degree in Business Administration at Cleveland State University.