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Amy Acton, former Director of the Ohio Department of Health, gubernatorial candidate.
Amy Acton (née Stearns; born 1966) is a physician and researcher who is currently running for governor of Ohio. Acton previously served as the director of the Ohio Department of Health from 2019 to 2020. She led Ohio's COVID-19 pandemic response and accompanied Governor DeWine during his daily afternoon press conferences throughout the spring of 2020. Prior to and immediately after serving as director of the Ohio Department of Health, she worked at the Columbus Foundation. She left her position at the foundation upon announcing her candidac
Amy Acton, former Director of the Ohio Department of Health, gubernatorial candidate.
Amy Acton (née Stearns; born 1966) is a physician and researcher who is currently running for governor of Ohio. Acton previously served as the director of the Ohio Department of Health from 2019 to 2020. She led Ohio's COVID-19 pandemic response and accompanied Governor DeWine during his daily afternoon press conferences throughout the spring of 2020. Prior to and immediately after serving as director of the Ohio Department of Health, she worked at the Columbus Foundation. She left her position at the foundation upon announcing her candidacy for the 2026 Ohio gubernatorial election.
Early life and education
Amy Acton grew up in the north side of Youngstown, Ohio.[1][2] Following her parents' divorce, Acton described experiencing neglect, abuse, and periods of homelessness.[3] By 7th grade, she moved in with her father, found more stability, and at Liberty High School, she joined the National Honor Society.
She earned her bachelor's at Youngstown State University, then paid her way through college[4] and received her medical degree from Northeast Ohio Medical University in 1990.[5] She completed residencies in pediatrics and preventive medicine,[6] earned a master's in public health from Ohio State University,[1] and trained at Albert Einstein College of Medicine[5] and Nationwide Children's Hospital.[1]
Career
Acton taught at Ohio State University as an associate professor of practice in the area of public health.[1][7] She worked at the Columbus Foundation as a grants manager.[8] She was director of Project LOVE (Love Our kids, Vaccinate Early).[6]
Acton was introduced to political organization when she volunteered for Barack Obama's presidential campaign. She created a local email group for her hometown of Bexley, Ohio called "Bexley, Yes We Can!" and publicized campaign events using Facebook.[9]
Director of the Ohio Department of Health
See also: COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio
In February 2019, Ohio governor Mike DeWine made her his final cabinet pick as director of the Department of Health.[1][10] The search process was lengthy, as DeWine had been determined to have the right person in charge in a crisis.[6] Acton was the first woman in the post.[5][11][12] The two previous incumbents were a lawyer and a marketing director; DeWine mentioned wanting to "rethink how we approach this department".[13]
In 2020, prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic, Acton advised Governor Mike DeWine, who became the first U.S. governor to close schools and limit gatherings to no more than 100 people. Acton soon after estimated that Ohio's then 5 confirmed cases likely translated to 100,000 actual cases, making national news.[14] In mid-March, she predicted cases could peak in late April to mid-May.[15]
On March 12, Acton said of the pandemic, "This will be the thing this generation remembers."[14][16][17] Ohio House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes called her "the real MVP of Ohio's coronavirus response."[1] The Dayton Daily News called her "Ohio's trusted face during the pandemic."[6]
Acton was an advocate of postponing the 2020 Ohio Democratic presidential primary, which was slated for March 17, 2020. The day before the scheduled election, Governor DeWine declared it canceled, only for a judge to rule that he did not have the authority to do so. Acton then ordered polling places closed due a public health emergency.[18] It was later determined that the election would be conducted entirely by mail-in absentee ballot for those who had not participated in early voting.[19] In April 2020, CNN called her "the Buckeye state's version of the straight-talking Dr. Anthony Fauci".[2]
Sign in support of Acton during pandemic
Anti-stay at home protester outside Acton's home
On April 1, Governor DeWine was reported as "quick to defer to Dr. Acton for specific questions on the virus and its spread" during daily news briefings, "reminding Ohioans that the state's decisions are driven by science."[10]
In May 2020, a group of 35 gyms sued the Ohio Department of Health, Acton, and the Lake County General Health District over coronavirus-related health restrictions, and Lake County Court of Common Pleas Judge Eugene Lucci issued a preliminary injunction blocking the state from "imposing or enforcing penalties solely for non-compliance with the director's order" against gyms and fitness centers, "so long as they operate in compliance with all applicable safety regulations."[20] The state appealed the decision, but Acton had signed an order permitting gyms to reopen in the interim,[21] and a court of appeals later dismissed the case as moot.[20][22] The gym reopening was part of an effort announced by Governor DeWine's administration on May 14, 2020, to reopen various economic venues with the implementation of safety protocols, including physical distancing, whenever possible, and use of face masks.[23] At the time of the gym reopening, it was not yet known that people with COVID-19 are contagious even before they develop symptoms.[21][24]
Beginning in May 2020, protesters began showing up at Acton's home in Columbus[25] and at press conferences. Acton was assigned a security detail.[26]
On May 20, 2020, the Ohio Senate unanimously voted against a proposal advanced by state House Republicans (and approved by the House on a nearly party-line vote) that would have limited the power of DeWine and Acton by restricting Ohio Department of Health orders to 14 days and requiring any extensions to be approved by a state joint legislative committee.[27]
Resignation from the Ohio Department of Health
After Republican state legislators in Ohio introduced bills intended to limit her emergency powers, she became worried about being asked to sign a health order that would violate her Hippocratic Oath.[28] For that reason, on June 11, 2020, she resigned from her position and became a chief health advisor for DeWine's administration.[20][29] Acton has stated that her resignation had nothing to do with protestors or the controversy surrounding her and Governor DeWine's stay-at-home orders. She was succeeded by Lance Himes as interim director.[29] In early August 2020 she announced she had left her position as advisor to the administration.[30]
Later career and gubernatorial campaign
Due to her work during her time as the Director of the Ohio Department of Health, she received a Profile in Courage Award from Caroline Kennedy and Jack Schlossberg. The New York Times called her "The Leader We Wish We All Had".[31]
After her resignation, she resumed working for the Columbus Foundation.[28][32] On February 4, 2021, Acton stepped down from her position in the Columbus Foundation as she considered a run for the Senate in 2022 to succeed Rob Portman.[33] However, Acton chose not to run in April 2021 while thanking Ohioans for an "outpouring of support".[34]
In 2022, Acton was named as president and chief executive officer of RAPID 5, a nonprofit organization that is attempting to improve access to parks in Franklin County, part of the greater Columbus area.[35] She left this position in May 2023. [36]
In the summer of 2024, Acton attended the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where she first expressed interest in running for Ohio Governor.[37] On January 7, 2025, she announced her candidacy for the 2026 Ohio gubernatorial election, filing paperwork earlier the same day.[37][38] She is running as a Democrat.[38] In 2025, Acton gave a speech where she stated that she was a doctor not a politician and that she was solely running to help people in Ohio.[39]
Awards and honors
2015: Excellence in Teaching Award, The Ohio State University College of Public Health[40]
2021: Profile in Courage Award, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum[41]
2022: Ohio Honoree, USA TODAY's Women of the Year[42]
Personal life
In 2010, Acton married Eric Acton, a middle-school teacher and track coach.[3][8][5] The couple live in Bexley and have six children between them.[1][8] She is Jewish.[43]
She was previously married to Douglas Beech, with whom she had three children.[9] They divorced in 2008. [44]
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