LAKEWOOD SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER

School Board Vice-President Matthew John Markling and his wife, Katie, reside on Belle Avenue, with their three sons, and have been recognized for their contribution to improving the quality of life in our community through preservation and beautification of Lakewood’s historic architecture through such honors as the 2003 Keep Lakewood Beautiful Award, 2004 Lakewood Heritage Advisory Board Preservation Award for Porch Rehabilitation, and 2004 Come Home to Lakewood House Tour Home.

Prior to being elected to the Lakewood School Board, Matt served on numerous district-wide school climate and building committees. Matt and Katie are memberss of various Parent Teacher Associations, and Matt is a member the Kiwanis Club of Lakewood.

As a member of the Lakewood School Board, Matt is very active in the Ohio School Boards Association having served as the Lakewood School Board’s OSBA Assembly Delegate, OSBA Student Achievement Liaison, and OSBA Legislative Liaison. Matt has also been elected by his board member colleagues on the Northeast Region Ohio School Boards Association to serve as a member of the Northeast Region Executive Committee. Of more than 3,400 school board members, Matt is one of 93 school board members to receive the 2010 Ohio School Boards Association Award of Achievement.

Matt was one of approximately 23 school board members throughout Ohio appointed by Ohio School Boards Association Executive Director Richard Lewis to serve on a 2009 focus group charged with the task of reviewing the superintendent standards and evaluations outlined in the Ohio Superintendent Evaluation System as proposed by the Buckeye Association of School Administrators and the Ohio Department of Education.

Matt currently serves as Vice-President of the Lakewood School Board, as well as both the Chairperson of the Human Resources and Community Services Committee and Co-Chairperson of the Board of Education Finance Committee. Matt previously served as the Chairperson for both the Board of Education Buildings, Sites and Major Purchases Committee and Board of Education Finance Committee. Matt is serving his first term as a member of the Lakewood School Board.

HIGHER EDUCATION

School Board Vice-President Matthew John Markling holds four college degrees from The Ohio State University (B.A., political science, summa cum laude with Honors in Liberal Arts, 1994; B.A., economics, summa cum laude with Distinction in Economics, 1994; J.D., Public Service Fellow, 1997; M.A., educational administration, John A. Ramseyer Fellow, 1998) and is currently working toward completing his doctoral degree in educational administration from The Ohio State University. Matt is the only person to have served as the President, Vice-President, and Speaker for The Ohio State University Undergraduate Student Government. And, while at The Ohio State University, Matt was engaged in numerous leadership activities and received multiple honors in recognition of his academic and leadership excellence including such accolades as:

Ohio State Leadership Activities

Ohio State Academic Honors & Awards

Ohio State Leadership Honors & Awards

UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR

School Board Vice-President Matthew John Markling Markling has served as an assistant professor for the Bowling Green State University College of Education and Human Development, Division of Educational Administration & Leadership Studies; an adjunct faculty member for Ashland University; and an adjunct faculty member and senior lecturer with the University of Akron School of Law and College of Education.

Matt provides lectures, in-services, and workshops on a diverse array of education law topics throughout Ohio. Recently, Matt provided a board development presentation to attendees of the 54th Annual Ohio School Boards Association Capital Conference entitled, “When you are in the minority.”

SCHOOL ATTORNEY

School Board Vice-President Matthew John Markling is a founder of the law firm of McGown & Markling Co., L.P.A. and practices school law throughout the State of Ohio. Matt is also the Cleveland Metropolitan School District Board of Education's designee for suspension and expulsion appeal hearings.

Matt is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association, Ohio Council of School Board Attorneys, and North American Association of Educational Negotiators. Matt served as a member of the Ohio State Bar Association Task Force on Attorney Advertising and Marketing from 2008-2009.

Matt is licensed to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the Ohio Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

Matt is the recipient the Ohio Educational Service Center Association’s Outstanding Leadership Award in recognition of his legal leadership to Ohio school districts. Matt is Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™ for ethical standards and legal ability, listed among the Best’s Directory of Recommended Insurance Attorneys and Adjusters® in recognition of his successful representation of his school clients, and has been selected by his legal peers as one of The Best Lawyers in America® in the specialty of Education Law.