Jan-Michelle Lemon Kearney

Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney was born in Cincinnati and is a proud graduate of Cincinnati Public Schools: Rockdale Elementary School and Walnut Hills High School. She graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. She earned a master’s degree in counseling and Consulting Psychology from Harvard University Graduate School of Education and a law degree from Harvard Law School, where she was elected first class marshal of her law school class and gave the commencement speech at graduation. She is an entrepreneur who owns a multi-media publishing company, Sesh Communications, that includes ownership of the award-winning Cincinnati Herald newspaper.

Over the years, she has served the city through involvement in the NAACP, YWCA, Walnut Hills High School Alumni Foundation, Greater Cincinnati Association of Black Journalists, Women’s City Club, Center for Independent Living Options, and other community organizations. She was appointed to Cincinnati City Council in 2020, and elected for a full term in 2021. Mayor Aftab Pureval appointed her Vice Mayor. She is married to former Ohio State Senator Eric H. Kearney, and they are blessed with two children, Celeste, and Asher. Jan-Michele is honored to serve the residents of the city she loves.