The Honorable Paula Hicks-Hudson
State Representative Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) is currently serving her first term in the Ohio House of Representatives. She represents the 44th House District, which includes central Toledo.
Rep. Hudson’s purpose has centered on improving the quality of her community through her hard work in the public and private sector. During her 35-year professional career, she has worked as assistant Lucas County prosecutor, assistant public defender, and assistant state attorney general. From 1998-2002, she served as the legislative director of the Toledo City Council. Following that, she served as the director and deputy director of the Lucas County Board of Elections and chief legal counsel to the Ohio Office of Budget and Management under Governor Ted Strickland.
As a Court Appointed Child Advocate-Guardian ad Litem, Rep. Hudson is trained in mediation and advocates for neglected and underrepresented youth. As a result of her efforts, she has been honored by the Urban Minority Alcohol and Drug Outreach Program. She also continues her partnership with the Coalition and Quality Education and Covenant Youth Development Corporation to increase opportunities for young people. Rep. Hudson’s commitment to community empowerment and revitalization has also led her to serve on the following boards and organizations: the NAACP, the YWCA, the Frederick Douglass Community Center, Toledo Youth Hostel, the African American Law Enforcement Agents, Lucas County Land Reutilization Corporation, and the state and national Federations of Business and Professional Women, Inc. She is also the past president of the Thurgood Marshall law Association and the Toledo Women’s Bar Association.
Raised in Hamilton, Ohio, Rep. Hudson often cites education as a pathway to success. She graduated from Spelman College with her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Journalism. Rep. Hudson also has a Master’s Degree in Communications Development from Colorado State University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Iowa.
She has been married to Freeman W. Hudson since 1973 and is the proud mother of two adult daughters, Patricia Hope and Leah Free Star, and grandmother of seven grandchildren.