Dwight Tillery

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Dwight Tillery
65th Mayor of Cincinnati
In office
1991–1993
Preceded byDavid S. Mann
Succeeded byRoxanne Qualls
Personal details
Born (1948-03-10) March 10, 1948 (age 76)
Cincinnati, Ohio
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Cincinnati (BA)
University of Michigan Law School (JD)

Dwight Tillery (born March 10, 1948) is an American politician and social justice activist with more than 50 years of service working towards equity for African Americans and other minorities in politics, business and public health.  His leadership transformed the lives of Black residents in the city of Cincinnati in the areas of racial justice, education, civics, community health and politics.  Tillery was the first popularly elected Black Mayor in Cincinnati, Ohio, serving from 1991-1993, and he served on the Cincinnati City Council for 8 years.  Tillery co-founded the United Black Students Association at the University of Cincinnati, was the Founder, President and CEO of The Center for Closing the Health Gap, and co-founded The Black Agenda of Cincinnati.  Tillery also served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Cincinnati and at Miami University.

Early life[edit]

Tillery grew up in Cincinnati’s West End and Evanston[1] and attended public schools , graduating from Withrow High School in 1966.[2][3]

Education[edit]

Tillery received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Cincinnati in 1970.[2][4]  At UC he co-founded United Black Association,[4][5] now the United Black Students Association, one of the first Black organizations to receive funding from the university.[4] Tillery and his classmates’ activism was instrumental in the foundation of UC’s African American Studies department and recruitment of Black faculty members and trustees.[4][5] Tillery and other members of the association pushed for creation of an African American Cultural and Resource Center, which would finally be established in 1990.[4][6][7] Tillery received his Juris Doctor at University of Michigan Law School in 1972.[2][8]  He also received an Honorary Doctorate of Technical Letters from Cincinnati Technical College in 1992.[9]

Career[edit]

Tillery is licensed to practice law in the State of Ohio, as well as the Federal District Court, the Sixth Circuit Appellate Court, and the United States Supreme Court.[2]   He joined the law firm of Waite, Schneider, Bayless and Chesley Co., L.P.A. in 1991,[10] and was the founding  partner at the law firm of Tillery and Associates in 1977.[11]  He served as Assistant Solicitor for the City of Cincinnati from 1973-74[5][11] and as Senior Assistant Attorney General of Ohio, 1983 to 1985.[5][11]  He was also a consultant for the Office of Attorney General, Columbus in 1985.[11]  He served for 2 years as the Vice President of the National Bar Association.[2] He was a delegate to the 6th Circuit Judicial Conference from 1981 to 1985.[citation needed]  Tillery co-founded the Black Lawyers Association of Cincinnati in 1974.[citation needed]  He was elected twice as Vice President of the National Bar Association.[2]

Tillery was an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Law and an Assistant Professor of African American Studies at the University of Cincinnati from 1975-1977,[2][11] where he created the groundbreaking course “The Law and Black People,"[5] and he was an Assistant Professor of Business Law at Miami University in 1985.[11]  He also served as University of Cincinnati Vice President from 1974-1977,[11] and as Law School Consultant for UC from 1977-1978.[11]  In 2016 the Tillery Fellowship was established in 2016 to recognize and support Master’s of Public Health students dedicated to improving public and community health for vulnerable populations.[12][13]

Tillery stunned the city and became the first popularly elected Mayor of the city of Cincinnati in 1991 and served until 1993.[2][8][14]  As Mayor, he established a task force on small business.[15]  He was elected as Mayor after serving for ten months as a member of the Cincinnati City Council.   He again served on the Cincinnati City Council from 1993-1998.[8][10] He served as the Chair of the City Council’s Finance Committee, Vice Chair of the Law and Public Safety Committee and a member of the Community Development, Housing and Zoning Committee.[10] A major focus of Tillery’s political career was to increase involvement of the Black community in economic, political, and educational development.[14]  As Mayor, he created the Mayor’s Commission on Children, Reshaping Youth Priorities, which was the first anti-violence initiative targeting youth offered by the Cincinnati Health Department.[16][17][18][19] He played a key role in establishing a venture capital fund of eleven million dollars for African American businesses, and he assisted in establishing a mentoring program for minority businesses.[20][21][22][23][24] One of the most significant businesses started through these efforts was the Blue Chip Broadcasting Company, which ultimately licensed 13 radio stations which was valued at $188 million when it merged with the Urban One family of companies in 1995.[25][26][27] Mayor Tillery also enabled the first-time appointments of minorities to the operating boards of the OHIO Gas & Electric Co. and the Cincinnati Bell Telephone Company.[24] As a City Council member, Tillery founded Grassroots Academy, an organization which taught hundreds of people of “low to moderate income” leadership skills, strategic planning, understanding government and identifying resources, thus empowering residents to help their communities.[28]  In response to concerns that the Avondale Community (a predominantly Black neighborhood) did not have a grocery store, Tillery persuaded City Council to provide the resources to a group of Avondale ministers interested in revitalizing the Avondale Town Center.[29] He also negotiated the appointment of Cincinnati’s first Black Assistant Police Chief.[30]

In 2004, Tillery founded The Center for Closing the Health Gap in order to address significant health differences between African American, Latino and White Appalachian populations.  The Center quickly gained national acclaim as a model for addressing health disparities.[31] Tillery served as Founder, President and CEO until 2019.[2][32][33]  The center works with more than 100  different organizations, including the City Council, the Cincinnati chapter of the National Action Network, the Baptist Ministers Conference, and the Black Nurses Association of Greater Cincinnati as well as a host of other universities, hospitals, government associations and businesses. Some of the Center’s initiatives include the Do Right! Campaign which works with individuals to adopt healthier lifestyle choices regarding diet and exercise, the Cincinnati Fresh Food Retail Financing Fund and the City of Cincinnati Food Access Task force, which works to address the issue of food deserts in the city,[34] and an Annual Health Expo attended by thousands[35] which provides free health screenings for early detection of more than 20 health issues.[31] The center also works to raise awareness of health disparities, increase cultural competency and encourage diversity in the health care provider work force.[36]

In 2016, Tillery was the co-convener of The Black Agenda Cincinnati.[37][38][39][40][41]  Among other things, the Black Agenda partnered with The Cincinnati Herald newspaper to create Cincinnati Black History, a digital platform that provides a space for people to “share and preserve unfiltered stories of Black Heritage.”[42]

Appointments[edit]

Assistant City Solicitor, Cincinnati[1]

Fellow Member, Cincinnati Scholarship Foundation 1974-1975[citation needed]

Assistant Executive Vice President for Administration and Associate University Council 1974[1][8]

Adjunct assistant professor of law and adjunct assistant professor of Afro-American Studies 1975-1977[1]

Vice Chair, Cincinnati Human Rights Commission 1975-1980[8]

Member, Cincinnati Board Health 1976-1980[8]

Chair, Cincinnati Board of Health's Advisory Council on Youth Violence 1991-1993[10]

Vice Chair, Ohio State Personnel Board of Review – 2009-2012[43]

Member, Board of Directors, W. Montague Cobb/National Medical Association (NMA) Health Institute 2012[11]

Host, “The Calling” talk show on Radio One 2018-2019.[44] 

Member, Guiding Coalition, Urban League of Southwestern Ohio[45]

Chair, Ad Hoc Committee on Community Engagement, W. Montague Cobb/National Medical Association (NMA) Health Institute 2015-2023[46]

Trustee, Retirement Board of the City of Cincinnati *DATES*  <CNCLBLRB>  Can we get this from Dwight?[10]

Vice President, National Bar Association[2]

Awards[edit]

1992 honorary degree from Cincinnati Technical College[9]

1992 University of Cincinnati President’s Award for Excellence[47]

1992 Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Equal Opportunity Center, Ohio Department of Administrative Services[48]

2014 Center for Clinical and Transitional Science and Training Community Health Advocate Award[49]

2015 Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio Glorifying the Lions honoree[50]

2016 Georgia E. Beasley Legacy Award, University of Cincinnati[5]

Memberships[edit]

  • Fellow, American Bar Association[11]
  • Lifetime member, National Bar Association[11]
  • Member, Cincinnati Bar Association[11]
  • Member, Association of Trial Lawyers of America[11]
  • Founder and Member, Black Lawyers Association Cincinnati[11]
  • Member, University of Cincinnati Men of Metro Service Honorary, 1969
  • Omicron Delta Kappa National Honorary Society, University of Cincinnati[1]
  • Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Furlow, Bill.  “Dwight Tillery: neighborhoods are on his mind.” The Cincinnati Post, August 26, 1975, p. 9.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Dwight Tillery Fellowship Program" (PDF). Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  3. ^ "Class of 1966". Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e "African American Heritage at UC". Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Onyx and Ruby Past Recipients". alumni.uc.edu. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  6. ^ fullerdm (January 7, 2013). "UC s African American Cultural and Resource Center Plans Grand Reopening". UC News. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  7. ^ fullerdm (January 16, 2013). "WATCH: Renovated African American Cultural and Resource Center Reveals UC s Black History". UC News. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Barsan, Sophie (February 19, 2021). "African American Political Leaders in the History of Cincinnati". The Voice of Black Cincinnati. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Twenty-fifth Annual Commencement Exercises" (PDF). Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Councilmember Tillery". homepages.uc.edu. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n James Craddock (2016). Who's Who Among African Americans 31st Edition. Internet Archive. Gale, Cengage Learning. ISBN 978-1-4103-1729-2.
  12. ^ Pence, Katie (November 1, 2016). "Tillery Fellowship to Benefit Students of Public Health". UC News. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  13. ^ "UC sets up Tillery Fellowship for public-health students". The Enquirer. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Leavy, Walter. (1992, March). New Black mayors take charge; 'a new beginning' in Memphis, a big victory in Cincinnati." Ebony, Vol. 47, no. 5. P. 106. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A11840216/AONE?u=txshracd2542&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=18d18226
  15. ^ Peale, Cliff (1992, November 23). Tillery's report card. Cincinnati Business Courier (Vol. 9, Issue 28). link.gale.com/apps/doc/A13270160/GBIB?u=txshracd2542&sid=bookmark-GBIB&xid=a0d7c5a5
  16. ^ "The Cincinnati Post 29 Feb 1992, page 6". Newspapers.com. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  17. ^ "The Cincinnati Post 02 Dec 1991, page 6". Newspapers.com. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  18. ^ "The Cincinnati Enquirer 19 Oct 1993, page Page 12". Newspapers.com. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  19. ^ "The Cincinnati Enquirer 06 Jun 1993, page Page 18". Newspapers.com. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  20. ^ "The Cincinnati Enquirer 18 Dec 1992, page Page 20". Newspapers.com. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  21. ^ "The Cincinnati Enquirer 21 Dec 1992, page Page 14". Newspapers.com. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  22. ^ “Small Business Division Opens, City Hall.” The Cincinnati Post, April 29, 1993.
  23. ^ “Investment Venture Capital for Black Business Lead by Mayor Tillery.” The Cincinnati Enquirer, December 21, 1992.
  24. ^ a b "The Cincinnati Post 05 May 1993, page 14". Newspapers.com. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  25. ^ "Blue Chip Broadcasting General Information". Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  26. ^ "SUBSIDIARIES OF URBAN ONE, INC". www.sec.gov. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  27. ^ “James Brown may revive music Landmark”  The Cincinnati Post, June 4, 1997, p. 33.
  28. ^ Crispino, Caroline. "News: Leadership for the Rest of Us". Cincinnati CityBeat. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  29. ^ “Shopping center key to rebirth: Avondale Town Center target for organizers.” The Cincinnati Post, September 1, 1994, p. 13A.
  30. ^ “Dwight Tillery negotiated the appointment of Cincinnati’s first Black Assistant Police Chief.” The Cincinnati Herald, July 11, 1998.
  31. ^ a b Curnutte, Mark. "Blacks sicker, die sooner than whites; center not giving up". The Enquirer. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  32. ^ "Our Story". The Health Gap. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  33. ^ "Dwight Tillery". Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  34. ^ Curnutte, Mark. "Health disparities emerge on modern civil rights front". USA TODAY. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  35. ^ "Center for Closing the Health Gap – Cincinnati Cares". Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  36. ^ Saker, Anne. "$25K state grant to Center for Closing the Health Gap". The Enquirer. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  37. ^ Horn, Dan. "Former Mayor Dwight Tillery leaving Center for Closing the Health Gap". The Enquirer. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  38. ^ Mutasa, Tammy (June 11, 2016). "Black Agenda Cincinnati Movement to improve quality of life in black community". WLWT. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  39. ^ "Black Agenda Cincinnati, Finding Solutions For Community Challenges". WVXU. June 6, 2016. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  40. ^ "The Cincinnati Enquirer 12 Jun 2016, page Page A4". Newspapers.com. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  41. ^ Herald, Cincinnati (November 21, 2018). "Cincinnati Black leaders make call to fight for end of institutional racism". The Cincinnati Herald. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  42. ^ “Cincinnati’s Black community and their untold stories.” The Cincinnati Herald, Nov. 17, 2017.
  43. ^ "2021" (PDF). Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  44. ^ Aldridge, Kevin S. "'The Buzz,' Cincinnati's urban talk radio station, is back". The Enquirer. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  45. ^ "The State of Black Cincinnati 2015 Two Cities" (PDF). Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  46. ^ "Leadership". www.thecobbinstitute.org. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  47. ^ "President's Award for Excellence Previous Recipients". Office of the President. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  48. ^ "The Cincinnati Post 11 Feb 1993, page 13". Newspapers.com. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  49. ^ "2014 CCTST Community Awards" (PDF). Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  50. ^ "29th Glorifying The Lions". www.ulgso.org. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio
1991–1993 		Succeeded by
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