Mary Lightbody is an American educator and former Democratic state representative in the Ohio House of Representatives. She represented the 19th District from 2019 to 2024, flipping the seat from Republican to Democratic control in the 2018 election with 55% of the vote. The sixth of seven children, she grew up in Pepper Pike, Ohio, and has lived in Plain Township for over 30 years. She is a widow; her husband, Richard R. Noss, passed away in 2009. Lightbody is the mother of three grown children and has served as a deacon at her church, on the Westerville Public Library Board of Trustees, and in leadership roles with science teachers' associations. Notable achievements include advocacy for affordable healthcare, education reform, workers' rights, and higher education policies; she served on committees for Agriculture and Rural Development, Commerce and Labor, and Higher Education.

Education and Political Experience

• Education: Earned an undergraduate degree from Harvard University and a doctorate in science education from The Ohio State University.
• Professional Experience: Taught for 27 years in K-12 and higher education in Central Ohio, including as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Education at Ohio State University's Newark Campus and previously at Otterbein University.
• Political Experience: Elected to the Ohio House in 2018 for the 19th District ; served until 2024 as a Democrat, focusing on healthcare access, family-supporting policies, and education.