Kevin is a fourth generation resident of Summit County. A small business owner, he is President of Lexington Companies where he provides strategic counsel and expertise in management, communications and public policy to businesses and nonprofits.

Kevin has a public service career spanning over 25 years and a record of winning tough elections in Northeast Ohio. He was first elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1996, flipping the seat from Democrat to Republican. He was elected to three terms and served until 2001. He became a member of the Ohio Senate in 2001 representing a 50/50 toss up district. He was elected twice, serving until his term was limited in 2011. Kevin was elected Clerk of the Stow Municipal Court in 2013 and led it through a period of transition through 2015, computerizing records and upgrading technology in the courthouse. He is the only Republican to ever be elected to that office.

For six years Kevin was chairman of the Senate Health, Human Services & Aging Committee. He also served stints as chairman of the House Finance & Appropriations Higher Education Subcommittee and the Senate State & Local Governments & Veterans Affairs Committee.

Kevin Coughlin served on the Council of State Governments Executive Committee and Governing Board and as Co-Chair of CSG’s International Committee. He was the 2005 Chair of CSG’s Midwestern Legislative Conference. For five years, he co-chaired the Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development which trains Midwestern legislators to be strong leaders.

Kevin serves on the boards of the Capitol Square Foundation and the Western Reserve Hospital Community Business Leaders Council. He has served on the boards of Blossom Music Center, the Ohio Arts Council, Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens, Flying Horse Farms, and as Board President of Ballet Excel Ohio. He is a 1999 Marshall Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, a lifetime member of the Darrow Street Grange, and is a commissioned member of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels.

Kevin graduated from Woodridge High School and holds a BA and a Master of Public Administration from Bowling Green State University. He resides in Bath Township, Ohio with his wife, Anne, and their daughters Kathryn and Elizabeth.