State Senator Chris Widener represents the 10th Senate District, which includes Madison, Clark and Greene counties. Before coming to the Senate, he served three terms as the State Representative for the 84th House District. An architect by trade, Chris brings strong interpersonal skills, a dedicated work ethic and a keen attention to detail to his job as a legislator. He engages with witnesses in committee and his fellow senators about key issues. He spends hours researching important bills. And, he has a genuine passion for public service and a dedication to doing what is best for the people of the 10th District and the future success of the region.

Senator Widener serves as Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, which is responsible for the budgetary and fiscal matters of the state. As part of his Chairmanship duties, Widener is the ranking Senator on the State Controlling Board, which operates in three key arenas of state government: fiscal and budgetary, purchasing, and legislative oversight. The Senator also services on the Senate Committees for Ways and Means and Economic Development, Government Oversight and Reform, and Rules and Reference.

Senator Widener also serves on the Development Financing Advisory Council, which approves loans and grants for economic development projects across Ohio, and he was appointed to the State Council on Educational Opportunity for Military Children, which was established to help remove barriers to educational success faced by military children because of frequent moves or deployment by their parents.

Throughout his tenure in the Legislature, Senator Widener has championed policy that promotes limited government, low taxes, strong schools and works to encourage business development and job creation in our local communities. Most recently, he won support in the Senate for Senate Bill 232, which will create clean energy jobs by reforming the tax code to make Ohio a more competitive state for advanced and renewable energy industries.

Senator Widener has received a number of awards over the years for his service in the Legislature. In 2004, he was named Legislator of the Year by the Ohio Surveyors and Professional Engineers and the Central Ohio Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He was recognized as a Watchdog of the Treasury by the United Conservatives of Ohio for his fiscally-responsible voting record and a Friend of the OARDC and OSU Extension for his strong support of agriculture. In addition, he was inducted into the Greenon High School Hall of Fame in 2007.

Outside of Columbus, Chris is active in several organizations, including the Ohio Township Association, Springfield Rotary Club, the Ohio Farm Bureau, the National Rifle Association and several local chambers of commerce. He is also a member of High Street United Methodist Church.

A lifelong resident of Clark County, Senator Widener was raised on a farm, which his family continues to operate today. After earning a bachelor’s degree in architecture and a certificate in historic preservation from the University of Cincinnati, he worked at Wright Patterson Air Force Base as a civil service architect and as the base’s first full-time historic preservation officer. Later, he founded his own architectural firm in Springfield, which he has operated successfully for the past 18 years. He was also elected twice to the Mad River-Greene Local Board of Education prior to beginning his service in the Ohio House.

Chris has been married to Sally, a dental hygienist, for more than 20 years. They live in Springfield with their two children.

The Ohio Statehouse

Columbus, Ohio 43215

Phone: (614) 466-3780

SD10@senate.state.oh.us