Meredith R. Lawson-Rowe Biography

Meredith R. Lawson-Rowe is serving her first term in the Ohio House of Representatives representing the 5th House District, encompassing parts of Reynoldsburg, Canal Winchester, Columbus, Madison Township and all of Groveport, Obetz, and Hamilton Township. 

Rep. Lawson-Rowe has built a strong career in community engagement and public service. While attending Clark Atlanta University, she became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and is currently a member of the Columbus (Oh) Alumnae Chapter. For over 20 years, she worked as an Executive Administrative Assistant supporting C-suite level executives.

In 2019, she made history becoming one of the first Black women elected to Reynoldsburg City Council, where she represented Ward 4 before being elected Council President in 2023. Under her leadership, she passed legislation updating the city’s zoning code to expand affordable housing there and to declare racism a public health crisis, and established the Reynoldsburg Juneteenth Celebration, now a city-sponsored annual event and community staple.

Lawson-Rowe again made history in 2024, being elected the first Black person to represent House District 5 in the Ohio House of Representatives. A fierce and relentless advocate, she has sponsored more than a dozen pieces of legislation, including Avery’s Law, a complete modernization of the state’s dog laws, which was signed into law in December 2025. For her efforts, thus far, in the legislature, Rep. Lawson-Rowe has received the Matriots Education Fund’s Bridget Kelly Founders’ Award and is an inaugural inductee of Mahogany Columbus’ Class of Extraordinary Women.

She is the fourth of six generations of Ohioans and an active Reynoldsburg resident. She has been married to Rondal Rowe, Jr., for 32 years. They are the proud parents of three children and four grandchildren.