Cincy History Maker: Commissioner Alicia Reece
Hamilton County Commission Vice President Alicia Reece was elected to the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners in 2020 with 212,363 votes and reelected in 2024 with a record-breaking 218,338 votes — the second-highest vote total in county history — achieved during a highly competitive campaign cycle. Ms. Reece made history as the first woman and African American to hold city, state, and county offices in Hamilton County, Ohio, serving. Ms. Reece is also the youngest woman to serve as Hamilton County Commissioner, and the only county commissioner in the state of Ohio to graduate from a Historically Black College or University (HBCU), Grambling State University.
With a background rooted in civil rights, Ms. Reece currently serves as a national board member of the National Action Network and serves as an elected Precinct Exec and State Central Committee member. Ms. Reece was also appointed to the DNC Platform Drafting Committee and as Co-Chair of the 2016 DNC Convention along with Former HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge.
Ms. Reece is also the visionary founder and first black women developer, on the Ohio Riverbanks, of the award-winning Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame, an interactive, state of the art, free family-friendly tourist attraction celebrating the contributions of Black musicians, producers, and artists from Hamilton County and Southwest Ohio. Opened in July 2023, the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame has welcomed over 350,000 visitorsand garnered national attention from outlets such as Billboard, Essence, Vibe, Black Enterprise, and Forbes to name a few.
Ms. Reece is a proud graduate of Withrow High School’s International Studies program and turned down an Ivy League offer to attend Grambling State University in Louisiana, where she earned the title of Miss Grambling State University, and played on the SWAC Championship Basketball team. During her time at Grambling, she was a tireless advocate for voting rights, leading a voter registration and mobilization campaign that galvanized thousands of students and contributed to the defeat of former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke in his gubernatorial bid. While at Grambling, she hosted a popular radio show on the schools 50,000-watt radio station.
After graduating from college, Ms. Reece returned to Cincinnati, eager to make an impact in her community. Her journey included serving as the youngest woman ever elected to Cincinnati City Council and later becoming the first African American Deputy Director of Ohio’s tourism division, where she managed a multimillion-dollar marketing and economic development campaign under Governor Ted Strickland.
As a former State Representative for 8 ½ years and President of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus for 2 terms, Ms. Reece spearheaded the State of Black Ohio Action Agenda, which led to a historic $300 million minority business spend. She also worked to secure funding for job training initiatives with Urban Leagues and Community Action Agencies across Ohio. Additionally, she organized the landmark Power of the Black Vote convention in Cincinnati, featuring national leaders like Vernon Jordan and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. One of Ms. Reece’s proudest accomplishments is championing the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. State Highway Interchange in Cincinnati, a $100 million infrastructure project connecting hospitals, technology, and jobs. She also led the historic Voter Bill of Rights constitutional amendment campaign in Ohio, collecting over 100,000 signatures statewide and presenting her vision at the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington, where she was a featured speaker.
As the former President of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus, Ms. Reece advocated for increased funding for Central State University through a land grant and partnered with the Prince Hall Masons to support greater investment for Wilberforce University.
As a county commissioner, Ms. Reece has been a bold and innovative leader. She formed the Hamilton County COVID Economic and Recovery Taskforce, created the Relief-a-Thon to assist hundreds of citizens, and launched the 513Relief Bus, a mobile tech resource connecting over 50,000 residents to free health, economic, and social services. After a visit to Hampton University, she utilized their Covid 19 mobile unit as a blueprint in creating the 513Relief Bus which became a national model of direct service delivery to residents countywide. Most recently she launched the first Hamilton County Cancer Caucus with a goal of increasing more screenings and drawing down more state and federal funding.
Ms. Reece also established the county’s first Small Business Office, which has helped over 3,000 small businesses and distributed more than $17 million in grants. Ms. Reece also created the first ever annual Hamilton County Veterans Appreciation Day which helped over 6,000 veterans with free services including workforce opportunities, economic assistance, and record expungements.
Ms. Reece has been a strong advocate for homeowners, successfully securing a long promised 30% property tax rebate for 2022 and 2025, creating property tax relief fund of over $6 million, and establishing a $2 million Senior Citizen Fund to assist with utilities and home repairs.
In January 2023, Ms. Reece became the first African American to deliver the State of the County Address, advocating for her vision of “One Hamilton County,” a place where all citizens can live, work, and raise a family. In February of 2024, Ms. Reece delivered her second State of the County address with a historic record-breaking attendance, filling the lower-level balcony, and an overflow crowd in the ballrooms of Memorial Hall.
A successful entrepreneur, Ms. Reece is the recipient of multiple awards, is a national speaker who has spoken at numerous high school and college graduations, and is an advertising, marketing, and political consultant who hosts the nationally broadcast Alicia Reece Soulfood radio show and podcast celebrating 30 years in radio, film, and broadcasting.
Ms. Reece is an active member of New Friendship Baptist Church in Cincinnati, the Order of Eastern Star, the NAACP, and a founding member of the National Urban League of Young Professionals in Cincinnati. She has also served on the boards of the United Way, the Cincinnati Health Collaborative, and the Greater Cincinnati Health Foundation.
