State Representative Jay Goyal (D-73rd District) was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in November 2006 when he was elected as the first Indian-American to the Ohio General Assembly. Goyal proudly serves his hometown of Mansfield and other areas of Richland County in the Ohio House of Representatives.

In his freshman term at the Ohio House of Representatives, Goyal has been appointed to Ways and Means where he serves as the Ranking Member, Public Utilities, Healthcare Access and Affordability, and the Financial Institutions, Real Estate and Securities Committees – a clear testament to his work ethic and diverse background.  He was named the 2007 Ohio Young Democrat of the Year and was one of two members of the Ohio House of Representatives selected by a bi-partisan panel to receive a fellowship for the Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development.

Goyal’s interest in politics started as a grade school student. The Mansfield native served as class president in his four years at Lexington High School. He then graduated from Northwestern University with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering. Internships at General Motors Corporation and the National Cooperative Business Association supplemented his class work.

He came home after graduation to become vice president of Goyal Industries, the manufacturing firm founded by his father. Rep. Goyal has been responsible for personnel management; directing many key functions of the mass transit and passenger rail manufacturing business; coordinating the negotiation, purchasing, production, and installation of various projects; and expanding the company's market share to Boston, New York, and Chicago. Rep. Goyal has been an active member of the mass transit manufacturing community, serving with the American Railroad Engineering and Maintenance Association and as the working group chair to the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers Committee on Railroad Electrification.

Goyal’s sense of service extends far beyond the political realm. His work within Richland County includes a seat on the Board of Directors for the United Way of Richland County, the Rehabilitation Center of North Central Ohio, the North Central State University Foundation, and the University and College Access Network.  He also serves on the United Way’s Allocations and Community Relations Committees, the Richland County Citizens’ Vision Board, the Richland County Manufacturing Coalition, the Richland County Democrat Party, chairs the Progress Industries Business Advisory Board, and is involved with the Mansfield-Richland Chamber of Commerce. 

Goyal’s parents, Prakash and Kiran, still live in Mansfield. His sister Anjali works at a non-profit company in New York that promotes Asian-American literature.

To learn more about Jay Goyal, visit his website:   
http://www.jaygoyal.com/