Complete Story
10/27/2022
ODA names state Long-term care Ombudsman
The Ohio Department of Aging (ODA) has announced that Jackie DeGenova, J.D., will serve as Ohio's next State Long-Term Care Ombudsman. DeGenova has served as Chief of ODA's Division for Community Living since November 2021. Prior to her time at ODA, DeGenova worked for nearly 30 years as an attorney, serving in a variety of senior leadership positions, often centered around consumer advocacy.
DeGenova served as Chief of the Consumer Protection Section of the Ohio Attorney General's Office, where her priority initiatives focused on the protection of Ohio's vulnerable citizens, such as investigating and aiding in the prosecution of fraud crimes against older adults. One such case was the "Circleville 30" investigation – a sham home improvement scheme that targeted senior citizens. She also led the team that successfully negotiated what was, at the time, Ohio's largest ever consumer protection case settlement regarding national banks' subprime lending during the housing recession.
Other consumer protection initiatives included drafting Ohio's first "Do Not Call" legislation to restrict unwanted telemarketing. She provided testimony before the United States Senate Investigation Subcommittee on cross-border telemarketing fraud and its impact on older adults.
She has also previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff / Assistant Chief Legal Counsel for the Ohio Auditor of State, Senior Deputy General Counsel at Columbus State Community College, Chief Legal Counsel for the Ohio Department of Agriculture, and had her own private consulting practice.
DeGenova received her Juris Doctor from Capital University Law School and her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
Interim Ombudsman Erin Pettegrew will remain with the office and will serve permanently as Deputy State Long-Term Care Ombudsman.