Ann H. Womer Benjamin

Executive Director

Phone: 216.420.9200 x224
Email: awomerbenjamin@noche.org

Ann Womer Benjamin, former Director of the Ohio Department of Insurance, is the Executive Director of NOCHE. Ann has a deep knowledge of public policy and is well-known and recognized throughout the state as a consensus builder. Her experience running the Ohio Department of Insurance-a state agency with a $30 million annual budget and 265-person staff-as well as her keen appreciation for NOCHE's pivotal role and strategic direction uniquely qualify her to lead the implementation of NOCHE's strategic plan.

As Director of the Ohio Department of Insurance, Ann regulated the insurance industry in Ohio and protected consumers through one of the largest consumer protection units in the state. Additionally, she served 8 years in the Ohio House of Representatives, serving on the Finance and Appropriations Committee, chairing the Criminal Justice Committee, and providing leadership on numerous higher education, work force and economic development issues. She also practiced law for more than twenty years at firms in Canton and Cleveland.

Ann received her Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude from Vanderbilt University, where she was also elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and her Juris Doctor from Case Western Reserve University School of Law. Recognized for her public service, she was inducted into the Shaker Heights High School Hall of Fame and her law school honorary, Society of Benchers.  She was chosen as Aurora's Citizen of the Year in 2001 and was awarded Ohio University's Phillips Medal of Public Service in 2004.  A resident of Aurora, Ann was appointed to the State Board of Education as an at-large member by the Governor in December 2006 for a four-year term.