The Black Swamp Area Council’s Exploring Division is excited to announce that State Representative Jon Cross will be the keynote speaker at the Exploring Recognition Dinner. The dinner is scheduled for March 12, at 6:00 p.m. at Camp Berry’s Donnell Lodge.

State Representative Jon Cross (R-Kenton) is serving his first term in the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the people of Northwest Ohio’s 83rd District, which includes Hancock and Hardin counties, and a portion of Logan County.

As a freshmen member, Representative Cross has been appointed to serve on the Ohio House committees of Finance, Finance Subcommittee on Transportation, Energy & Natural Resources, Energy & Natural Resources Subcommittee of Energy Generation, Public Utilities, Financial Institutions, and was recently appointed to the Ohio’s Road to Our Future Joint Legislative Study Committee.

Representative Cross remains focused on keeping Ohio safer, stronger and open for business, working on key legislation to improve Ohio’s infrastructure in the transportation budget (House Bill 62) as well as providing meaningful tax relief in the operating budget (HB 166). 

Cross was also asked to lead the efforts as a joint sponsor of a bipartisan priority bill of the 133rd General Assembly, drawing on his experience in economic and workforce development to craft legislation creating the TechCred program (HB 2).  The bill will financially assist businesses and individuals with training and credentialing grants to help upskill Ohio’s workforce to fulfill in demand jobs across Ohio.  

House Bill 2 empowers individuals, assists communities and supports businesses.  Ohio’s workforce will become more attractive to both Ohio businesses, and to businesses looking to invest in Ohio.

Prior to being elected, Representative Cross served as the president/CEO and economic development director for the Hardin County Chamber & Business Alliance.  His career pathway has allowed him to obtain a vast amount of public and private sector work experiences throughout the United States in business, government, non-profit, real estate development and economic and workforce development.

Representative Cross graduated from Kenton High School and earned his bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University.  He and his wife Christina Cross, a practicing business attorney and educator, are loving parents of their two young boys Carson and Connor.  They reside in Kenton and are members of St. Michael the Archangel Parish of Findlay.

Exploring delivers character-building experiences and mentorship to over 700 local youth, enabling Explorers to achieve their full potential in both life and work. The local Exploring program is now the largest in Ohio, seeing growth across all 13 counties. Our vision is to shape the workforce of tomorrow by engaging and mentoring today’s youth, ages 10-20, in career and life-enhancing opportunities. To register for the dinner, visit http://www.blackswampbsa.org/event/2020-exploring-recognition-dinner/2622236