Tiffanie Roberts is an experienced social worker and advocate for women. She is affiliated with the Women’s Political Leadership Circle, League of Women voters, and Association of Social Workers, where she uses her platform to advocate for women’s representation. Roberts is dedicated to improving healthcare, instituting equal pay, and paid family leave.

Meet the Candidate

Can you tell our members a little bit about your journey to filing as a candidate?

Helping families has always been one of my greatest passions. As a former social worker, I worked to reunite teens on probation with their biological families and facilitate special needs adoptions for abused and neglected children. Now as a mother, I serve on the PTO at my daughters’ schools. Throughout my entire life, I have put families first. I want to bring that same philosophy to the Statehouse. So much of politics has become divisive and extreme. I became exhausted as I watched my elected officials waste time and energy on extremist ideological issues rather than the real issues facing our community. I knew it was time to step up and use my skills as a social worker to bring our community together and make a change in a compassionate and inclusive way.

Tell our members about a friend or family member who inspired you to become a leader.

So many women who have inspired me, from my mother, to my daughters, and so many others. If I had to pick just one, I would have to say that Connie Schultz and her book, ​“…and His Lovely Wife,” ​truly inspired me to pursue my interest in politics. I read her book when my family moved to a small town, and everyone seemed to know me before we met as “Dr. Roberts’ wife.” Connie Schultz’s book gave me validation and confidence to be myself and make my own mark on my new community.

How has your career and life experiences shaped who you are as a person and a leader?

The role of today’s homemaker is so different than previous generations. My mother watched her mom stay home every day with her primary focus being raising 7 children, preparing meals, and hosting parties. While I witnessed my mother doing similar activities, she also served on the PTA, volunteered with national organizations, and rallied for school funding.. As today’s homemaker I feel like I am rarely in my home. I am a Moms Demand Action volunteer who spends her afternoons at the Statehouse for rallies and hearings about gun safety. I am a PTO President who leads grant committees because school funding has been cut to the point that education is reliant on a gift wrap sale to buy textbooks. I support my friends who are starting non-profit organizations such as one that provides meals to children on the weekends who otherwise could only count on meals through their schools. As society grows, so does the role of the homemaker. I admire my mother and my grandmother, and who showed me how to care for others. Their leadership inspired me to take on roles that allow me to care for not only my own family, but those of my community.

The Matriots PAC has a goal to see 50% of all elected offices in Ohio held by women by 2028. What is your vision for Ohio in 2028?

My vision for 2028 includes more love and compassion in society with less hate and animosity in politics. I see communities coming together and working for the good of everyone. I see more women in leadership. I believe we can reach a place where everyone has healthcare, our children aren’t afraid for their lives at school, and education is provided in an equitable manner, no matter what zip code a child is born in too.

Tip O’Neill famously said that “all politics is local.” What are the top-two issues your community or our state face today?

I live in a diverse district, but there are two common issues that seem to persist. The first is access to broadband internet. Access to the internet is a huge issue in rural areas such as my district. Lack of reliable internet speed affects small businesses, education (especially when our children are learning from home right now), and so many other aspects of day to day life. Families are supposed to be working and learning from home due to the global pandemic, and for many, that infrastructure is simply not there. Another major issue is healthcare. Over the last several years, healthcare has also emerged as the top issue for many families in my district. From those who are uninsured, to those that cannot afford life-saving medication, to those that lost their healthcare because they lost their job, the healthcare system is failing far too many Ohioans.

Tell us something personal about yourself. It can be a hobby, your favorite food or something we might not know about you that you would like to share with our members.

One of my daughters’ birth certificates is in Dutch and the other is in Gaelic. We loved getting a different view of the world from living on the Dutch side of St. Maarten in the Caribbean and in Waterford Ireland, but it really made us appreciate The United States of America so much more.