Juanita Olukemi Brent is a Democratic member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing District 18 . She is in her fourth term, elected first in 2018 to the former 22nd District, and now serves Cleveland as her hometown. Term-limited from the House after 2025, she ran for Cleveland City Council Ward 1.

Notable achievements include authoring House Bill 285 , establishing a Driver’s License Reinstatement Fee Debt Reduction Program to help thousands of Ohioans restore suspended licenses. She introduced equity-focused legislation such as the C.R.O.W.N. Act , John Lewis Voting Rights Act, George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, and Kinship Care Bill of Rights. Brent serves as Ranking Member of the Agriculture Committee , with prior roles on Commerce and Labor, Transportation and Public Safety, and Health committees. She is former President of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus and a founder of the Black Maternal Health Caucus.

Prior to the legislature, she served on boards for the Harvard Community Services Center, Lee-Harvard Community Development Corporation, and Health Care Service Corporation; worked as a field director for the Ohio Democratic Party; and founded Social Society Cleveland, a nonprofit networking group.

Education and Political Experience

• Education: Graduated from Beaumont School, an all-girls Roman Catholic high school in Cleveland Heights .
• Political Experience:
  • Ohio House of Representatives: 2019–present .
  • Committees: Ranking Member, Agriculture; member of Commerce & Labor, Transportation & Public Safety, Health.
  • Leadership: Former President, Ohio Legislative Black Caucus; Black Maternal Health Caucus founder.
  • Community: Cuyahoga County Democratic Women’s Caucus member; various nonprofit boards focusing on health care access and community development.
  • 2025: Candidate for Cleveland City Council, Ward 1.