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Left
to Right: Chairman JaneTimken, Vice-chairman Mary Anne
Christie, Secretary Marilyn Ashcraft,
Treasurer Tracey Winbush,
Assistant Treasurer Stephanie Garrett.
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Making GOP History
Local member one of five women elevated to state party leadership
The Ohio Federation of Republican Women (OFRW), the National Federation
of Republican Women (NFRW) and the Preble County Republican Women’s
Club (PCRWC) can proudly celebrate the elevation of members to the top
leadership team of the Ohio Republican Party (ORP). In this historic
event, five Federation members, including Stephanie Garrett, a PCRWC
member, became part of the all female leadership team for the ORP.
Garrett serves the southern part of Darke County as Committeewoman on
the Ohio Republican State Central Committee for the 5th Ohio Senate
District. This provides an opportunity for the Federation to raise its
profile, increase its membership, and provide can-do Republican
leadership for the state of Ohio and for our local Ohio communities.
New members of the ORP leadership are Chairman Jane Timken (Stark
County), Vice-chairman Mary Anne Christie (Hamilton County), Secretary
Marilyn Ashcraft (Washington County), Treasurer Tracey Winbush
(Mahoning County) and Assistant Treasurer Stephanie Garrett (Preble
County).
Jane Timken, the newly-elected Chairman, lives in northeastern Stark
County, where she is a member of the Westark Republican Women’s Club.
Timken has served as Vice-chairman of the County Republican Party and
as a State GOP Central Committee member. Her activities with the Party
have included fundraising, volunteer engagement, and recruiting and
assisting candidates. She was a delegate to the 40th Republican
National Convention in Tampa.
Timken has been involved in community service all of her adult life.
She has served on the boards of a number of civic and charitable
organizations, focusing on health and human services, education, legal
assistance, and the arts. She was Chairman of the Board of Trustees of
Kent State University for nine years. Timken excelled academically,
graduating Cum Laude from Harvard and Summa Cum Laude from the American
University College of Law.
Her goals as Chair of the Ohio Republican Party include growing the GOP
and maintaining the historic Republican majority in Ohio; marshalling
financial and other resources to win new Republican voters; and
providing the services that candidates need to succeed in their
campaigns. She views unifying the Party as a major objective.
To Timken, the OFRW/NFRW is vitally important as a means of keeping
women engaged and active. Women in local clubs strengthen their
political effectiveness and also “counter the mainstream media
narrative” that paints a negative and unflattering picture of
Republicans. Timken likes to quote Margaret Thatcher, who said “If you
want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a
woman.”
Mary Anne Christie, the newly elected Vice-chairman of the ORP, is a
resident of Hamilton County where she is a member of the Hamilton
County Republican Women’s Club. Christie became involved in Republican
politics when she founded the Kenwood Woman’s Club to counter the
attempts of developers to alter the residential character of her
neighborhood. She went on to win a seat on Madeira City Council,
then was elected Vice-Mayor and Mayor. She served as an Administrative
Judge on the Ohio Industrial Commission Board of Revisions; president
of the Ohio/Kentucky/Indiana Regional Council of Government;
Vice-chairman of the Ohio Board of Housing. She has been recognized for
her community service in the fields of mental health and for her
dedication to volunteer service.
Christie has held a number of leadership positions in the Ohio
Federation over the years, including the office of president. She has
served for years on the National Federation board of directors, seeing
this as a way to network with like-minded women across the U.S. She has
wanted to help educate members, share ideas, and promote the policies
and principles of the Republican Party by her Federation activities.
Through her leadership role in the Ohio Republican Party, Christie will
work with the State Central Committee members, to help strengthen the
Committee and encourage and support them in increasing collaboration
with County leaders. Christie remarked that the 2016 presidential
election demonstrated that people are demanding a new direction,
highlighting the need for the Party to work in a more united fashion
and to build better communication with and responsiveness between the
electorate and elected officials.
Marilyn Ashcraft, the newly elected Secretary of the ORP, lives in
Washington County and is a member of the Washington County Republican
Women’s Club. Ashcraft has served in that position several times over
the years. Her commitment to service has been evident since she was a
teenager, when she had a leadership role in 4-H.
“I always wanted to do all I could in whatever organization I belonged
to.” Stated Ashcraft.
She worked as a nurse and was president of the Ohio Osteopathic
Auxiliary. She grew increasingly interested and involved in politics,
and chaired the Washington County GOP for 16 years. Ashcraft was the
Southeast Regional Representative for State Treasurer Jeannette
Bradley; she worked for Mary Taylor both when she was Auditor and Lt.
Governor; and she was Regional Chair for the George W. Bush campaign.
She has served on the State Central Committee for thirteen years.
Ashcraft credits the Federation with being an effective link between
the people and the State and National Republican Parties. She believes
that the Federated clubs are most effective in communicating the
Republican message and showing by example the rewarding and positive
nature of Republican principles and policies.
Her main focus in her role on the ORP leadership team is, and has
always been, promoting good communication and unity. Ashcraft likes to
connect with people and encourage them to be recognized and have a
chance to express their thoughts. Her father impressed her by telling
her, “Everybody has a vote; don’t you ever forget it!” She believes
that everyone has something to share “even if it’s only a smile.”
Tracey Winbush, the newly elected Treasurer of the ORP, lives in
Mahoning County and is a member of the Canfield Republican Women’s
Club. She did not consider herself to be “political” during her young
years. She grew up in a family that voted for Democrats but had
conservative and religious values. Moving to Southern California after
High School looking for greater opportunities she found that area of
the country to be way too liberal for her taste. After moving back to
Ohio she became politically active and aligned herself with the
Republican Party and was persuaded to run for the Youngstown Board of
Education as a Board Member. Recruited by Republicans in a
Democrat-leaning county, she was impressed by their commitment to clean
government. She chaired the Finance Committee for the School Board,
then sought and has run for other political offices in the Mahoning
County area. Winbush served as Treasurer of the County GOP, then was
encouraged to run for the State Central Committee, for which she became
Asst. Treasurer and now Treasurer. She said that she is a
determined campaigner: “I run to win!” Besides service in elective
office, Winbush has worked on the 2004 Bush campaign and the 2016 Trump
campaign as County chair; and she was part of the NRC Platform
Committee in 2016.
Winbush has been involved with several Federated clubs, and she said
that she has learned much from them. She believes that the clubs serve
as the best platform for women to learn about politics and government,
to gain experience, and to move up. “Anytime you have a great coalition
of people you can’t help but advance…women make things happen.”
In her work at ORP headquarters, Winbush holds three watchwords in mind
for the Party: “unified, diverse, and strong.” She wants to help show
the world that the Republican Party is diverse and welcoming to people
from all walks of life, and that Republican principles can meet the
needs of all Americans. She emphasized the importance of listening—to
learn what people actually think, rather than acting on their
assumptions or on what they are told by media sources.
Stephanie Garrett, newly elected Assistant Treasurer, lives in Preble
County where she is a member of the Preble County Women’s Republican
Club. She grew up in Lexington, KY, daughter of “Southern Democrats”
and every Sunday the family went to a restaurant after church, where
her father and his friends would talk politics. Her father’s best
friend was a Republican, and his views broadened the perspectives of
Garrett and her parents. She became politically active when she was
homeschooling and she realized that her children would not be civically
involved unless she influenced them by her example. She began as a poll
worker, then became involved in the George W. Bush campaign, and every
campaign since then. She has been involved with the Preble County GOP
and as chair of the County Central Committee, and serves on the State
Central Committee.
Garrett values the OFRW/NFRW as an important way for women to be
informed and involved. She agrees that women are the “movers and
shakers” and remarked that women were at the root of President Trump’s
grassroots push.
Her greatest hope for her service in the Ohio Republican Party is that
she can help to bring unity to the Party. She remarked that she
believes that Republicans are united by a love of country and the
ideals of the Founding Fathers. She likened some of the intraparty
conflicts to “family fights” and believes that keeping focused on
unifying Republican principles is the priority.
Founded in 1938, the NFRW (www.nfrw.org) proudly represents the party
that first made it possible for women to vote in the U.S. Today, the
NFRW works to increase the effectiveness and relevance of women in the
cause of good government. Our mission remains to recruit and elect
Republican candidates, promote the principles of the Republican Party,
educate the public and inform the media.
The OFRW, founded in 1929, is a statewide organization of hundreds of
members in constituent clubs. It is the largest, most powerful
political organization in Ohio providing the avenue for women to
influence policy, develop candidates, and elect the leaders of Ohio.
The OFRW is a multi-generational, multi-cultural organization providing
the structure and support for political activists to learn, engage, and
flourish. It is Federated under the National Federation of Republican
Women. For more information regarding the OFRW, visit www.ohfrw.com.
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