Nan Whaley

Nan Whaley grew up in a small town in Indiana. She learned the values of hard work, strength, and resilience from her dad, a union autoworker who lost his job but never lost his dignity, and her mom, who went to work at the laundromat behind their house to help make ends meet, according to her official biography.

Whaley became the first person in her family to graduate from college when she matriculated at the University of Dayton. She met her husband, Sam, and fell in love with her adopted hometown, eventually running for City Commission and serving as mayor.

Under her leadership, Dayton has turned a corner. She brought folks together to take on the community’s toughest challenges, including tackling the opioid crisis, cutting overdose deaths by half and saving hundreds of lives. She led the fight to take on a broken education system and provide quality pre-k to every three- and four-year-old in the city.

Whaley is running for governor because she says Ohio is fundamentally broken. She said she will build a better Ohio — an Ohio where one job is enough to provide for your family. An Ohio where your kids have real opportunities. An Ohio where everyone — no matter your zip code — can thrive.