UC Law alumni making a political impact

We’re impacted by politics and political leaders each day. Whether we’re talking about a state legislator, an advisor for a United States Senator or state Governor, or a local school board member, the policies developed, championed, and enacted affect our daily lives. Who are some of the individuals working at all levels of the political world? We are proud to say that many are some of our very own UC Law graduates.

We talked with seven of our alumni who have found success at all levels of politics. They share about their Cincinnati Law experience and their careers since graduation day.

Luken says his biggest challenge as mayor came during the Cincinnati riots of 2001 that stemmed from a police shooting of a 19-year-old unarmed black man. Luken declared a state of emergency and worked in cooperation with federal and local officials, the police department and civil rights groups to help improve police community relations.

Some of his other proud achievements are helping form the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC) which is a private, non-profit real-estate development organization to help grow and revitalize Cincinnati's downtown urban core. It is a great example of partnership between government and the corporate community.

He also succeeded in repealing a city charter amendment that prevented the city from passing laws to specifically protect members of the LGBTQ community.

Luken earned his BA at Notre Dame University and returned to his home town to attend UC Law.

“UC was where my heart was,” Luken explains that he was newly married at the time. “And I was completely delighted with my education there.”

One of his most formative classes was contract law, taught by Professor John Murphy. Other experiences that were key to his career were interning with the prosecutor’s office and participating in Moot Court.  “Being a lawyer affects your professional life in so many ways,” Luken says. “You learn great principles in law school that can have a positive effect on your life, whatever you do.”

And one life lesson that Luken would pass on to other law students: “When things get tough, follow your gut instincts and stick with what you know is right.”

Chatodd Floyd’s passion for justice and public service has taken him from Columbia, South Carolina to New York City. During the early days of the COVID pandemic, Floyd served in New York's City Hall as Mayor Bill de Blasio’s PPE Czar, working to ensure that healthcare professionals had enough safety and protective equipment through the crisis. “That was a very humbling and scary experience,” Floyd says, describing the general uncertainty and fear throughout the city during the early days of the pandemic. 

He next worked for the governor as Director of Legislative Affairs. During that time Floyd oversaw the New York State Vaccine Equity Task Force that sought to improve COVID vaccination rates among communities of color through outreach and educational programs. 

Most recently, he was appointed Deputy Secretary for Legislative Affairs and Policy, and now works with the State Assembly on behalf of the governor. His efforts there have focused on legalizing cannabis and passing the new gun safety law banning ‘ghost’ guns. 

In 2017, just two years after graduating from UC Law, Rachel (Hensley) Wright began working on Capitol Hill as a Staff Director for Senator Chuck Grassley. Today she serves as a Senior Counsel, advising him on issues like criminal justice reform, child sexual exploitation, drug policies and national security.

Wright is proud of her work on the FIRST STEP Act, which was designed to reform federal prisons and sentencing laws with the goal of reducing recidivism, decreasing the federal inmate population, without compromising public safety. She spends a lot of her time working to ensure that law is being interpreted and applied by prosecutors and defense attorneys the way Congress intended. 

 She also worked on the SUPPORT Act that provides funding for state and local governments to deal with opioid epidemic, and clarifies what federal agencies should be doing to better address opioid abuse.

Brandon Craig says there were two things that inspired him to go to UC Law. “One was that my mother went to UC and graduated exactly 30 years before me in 1979. And the other was that I had always had a strong interest in politics, and the best way to understand policy and affect change is to have that legal background.”

During his first year at UC, Associate Dean Barbara Watts helped him plan out a specific academic pathway based on his career goals. Craig credits her with putting him on the right path.

 Another influential UC faculty member was Professor Raphael Gely who reached out to Craig even prior to attending UC. Gely taught Labor and Employment Law and Craig says his current focus on equality and civil rights was fueled by Gely’s courses.

Dan Dodd’s journey to UC began at a young age. His father practiced law in Perry County, handling worker’s compensation cases for clients who worked in the coal mines and manufacturing plants of southeastern Ohio. Seeing the impact of worker compensation laws on the lives of his father’s clients gave Dodd an early interest in public policy.

He attended UC Law from 2000 to 2003 where he had the opportunity to intern with Cincinnati councilman (and eventual mayor) John Cranley, through the Urban Justice Institute, which would later become the Ohio Innocence Project. During that time Dodd co-authored a Law Review article on the use of the death penalty in Ohio. 

He also worked as a research assistant for the UC Law’s Dean Joseph Tomain. The research centered primarily around energy law, and Dodd saw first-hand how the country’s regulatory climate led to the Enron scandal. “It wasn’t the most exciting topic to research, but the impact it had on our economy and on people’s lives made me appreciate why we need to work on these types of policies.”

Author, speaker, media personality, strategic consultant, and erstwhile presidential candidate, TJ O’Hara’s career has been rich and diverse. But if he had to narrow it down, O’Hara says he could best be described as a repairman of companies and countries. 

“I focus on solutions and thought processes and understanding issues from different perspectives.” 

He’s had a longtime interest in politics though not necessarily running for office. However, in 2012 he did run for President of the United States as an independent candidate, even winning the endorsement of the Whig Party. 

By all measures, Mark Sommer’s 34-year legal career has been a successful one. With a focus on tax and finance law, Sommer’s represents his clients on state, local and federal taxes, business law, governmental relations, and bankruptcy taxation. 

During his career, he secured hundreds of millions of dollars in tax credits and refunds for clients ranging from private citizens to Fortune 500 companies. He currently heads up the Tax, Benefits and Estates Practice Group for Frost Brown Todd LLC’s Louisville, KY office.  

Sommer’s expertise has made him a nationally recognized thought-leader on taxation and finance law. As such, he has drafted numerous white papers, advised legislators on tax policies, and helped lead gubernatorial transition teams. Over the years, he has spoken on tax policy at more than 270 professional seminars and conferences. 

In addition to his busy schedule, Sommer also serves as the Chair of the Kentucky Lottery Corporation. 

Writer: Tom Pawlicki

Head photo: istockphoto.com; individual photos: provided