Congresswoman Joyce Beatty
U.S. Representative (OH-03), Former Congressional Black Caucus Chair for the 117th Congress
Congresswoman Joyce Beatty is a native Ohioan with a strong history of connecting people, policy and politics to make a difference. Since 2013, Beatty has proudly represented Ohio’s Third Congressional District. In the 117th Congress, Beatty serves as Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Beatty serves on the exclusive House Committee on Financial Services as Chair of the Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion and is also a member of the Housing, Community Development, and Insurance Subcommittees. The Financial Services Committee oversees the entire financial services industry, including the nation’s banking, securities, insurance, and housing industries, as well as the work of the Federal Reserve, the United States Department of the Treasury and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. She also serves on the Joint Economic Committee, which examines economic conditions and policy.
Prior to her service in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congresswoman Beatty was Senior Vice President of Outreach and Engagement at The Ohio State University and a member in the Ohio House of Representatives for five terms. During her tenure in the Ohio House, she rose to become the first female Democratic House Leader in Ohio’s history and was instrumental in spearheading and enacting legislation to require financial literacy in Ohio’s public school curriculum, to expand STEM education, and to secure funds to help under- and uninsured women access breast and cervical cancer treatment.
Congresswoman Beatty is a vocal leader and advocate for the issues impacting Black Americans, including voting rights reform, police brutality, financial inequality, diversity and inclusion, healthcare access, and gun violence prevention. In July 2021, she was arrested while protesting for voting rights in the U.S. Senate. That same year, she was pepper sprayed in Columbus, OH, while protesting the murder of George Floyd.
As Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congresswoman Beatty has been instrumental to the crafting and passage of key bills and Executive Orders. In 2021, she was credited with uniting Democratic Congressmembers in support of the $1 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan, which will rebuild America’s roads, bridges and rails, expand access to clean drinking water, ensure every American has access to high-speed internet, tackle the climate crisis, advance environmental justice, and invest in communities that have too often been left behind. That same year, she helped achieve a decades-long goal of enshrining Juneteenth as a Federal Holiday when President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act. She also served as a key advisor to President Biden as he drafted his 2022 Executive Order addressing police brutality.
As a vocal advocate for women, Congresswoman Beatty served as a key supporter of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson during her vetting and nomination periods, and even testified on her behalf before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
A sought after public speaker and the recipient of numerous awards, she was previously named one of Ebony Magazine’s 150 most powerful African-Americans in the United States.
Congresswoman Beatty serves as a Member of the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees and is active in The Links, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., National Coalition of 100 Black
Women, Columbus Urban League, The American Heart Association—where she previously served on the board—and numerous other organizations.
Beatty received her Bachelor of Arts from Central State University, her Master of Science from Wright State University, and completed all requirements but her dissertation for a doctorate at the University of Cincinnati. In addition, she has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from Ohio Dominican University and Central State University.
Congresswoman Beatty was a loving, devoted wife and partner to attorney Otto Beatty, Jr. until his death in 2021 and is a proud grandmother to Leah and Spencer, who lovingly call her “Grammy.”