State Representative Jay Goyal (D-73rd District), first elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in November 2006, was recently selected to serve as the Majority Whip in the 128th Ohio General Assembly. Rep. Goyal proudly serves his hometown of Mansfield and other areas of Richland County in the Ohio House of Representatives.

In his second term at the Ohio House of Representatives, Rep. Goyal has been appointed as the vice chair of the Faith-based Initiatives committee and member of the Veterans Affairs; Finance and Appropriations; and Economic Development committees, as well as the Agriculture subcommittee of Finance and Appropriations – a clear testament to his work ethic and diverse background.  He was named the 2007 Ohio Young Democrat of the Year and was one of two members of the Ohio House of Representatives selected by a bi-partisan panel to receive a fellowship for the Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development. Rep. Goyal also received the prestigious "Eagle Award" from the Ohio Civil Rights Commission for his historic achievements in politics.

Rep. Goyal's interest in politics started as a grade school student. The Mansfield native served as class president in his four years at Lexington High School. He then graduated from Northwestern University with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering. Internships at General Motors Corporation and the National Cooperative Business Association supplemented his class work.

He came home after graduation to become vice president of Goyal Industries, the manufacturing firm founded by his father. Rep. Goyal has been responsible for directing many key functions of the mass transit and passenger rail manufacturing business; coordinating the negotiation, purchasing, production, and installation of various projects; and expanding the company's market share to Boston, New York, and Chicago. Rep. Goyal has been an active member of the mass transit manufacturing community, serving with the American Railroad Engineering and Maintenance Association and as a working group chair to the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers Committee on Railroad Electrification.

Rep. Goyal's sense of service extends far beyond the political realm. His work within Richland County includes a seat on the Board of Directors for the United Way of Richland County, the North Central State University Foundation, and the University and College Access Network.  He has also served on the United Way's Allocations and Community Relations Committees, the Richland County Citizens' Vision Board, the Richland County Manufacturing Coalition, the Richland County Democrat Party, the Progress Industries Business Advisory Board, and the Mansfield-Richland Chamber of Commerce.