Richard Dana, Esq. began his term as a new Magistrate in January 2023.  Richard graduated with University Honors from the Ohio State University. He received his Juris Doctorate from Case Western Reserve University School of Law. Richard has prior experience as an acting judge and has also served as a former member of a local School Board.  He is an Adjunct Professor of Justice Studies and Criminology, Department of Sociology, and Instructor of Business Law and Ethics at Kent State University – Ashtabula. Richard brings a wealth of legal experience and community involvement to our bench.  He is a Past-President of the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland and a former board member of the Ashtabula County Mental Health/Recovery Services Board.  He is a Past Board President of the Hubbard House Underground Railroad Museum and currently serves as a Board Vice Chair of University Hospitals Eastern Market. Richard has created and presented programming highlighting the role the “Western Reserve” has played in the history of the Underground Railroad, Women’s Suffrage, and the Civil Rights Movement. He has spoken on these topics throughout the Country and at the White House in February of 2016.  In 2017, Richard moderated a panel discussion during the grand opening of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center in Church Creek, Maryland. Richard is a wealth of local and court knowledge and is excited for this opportunity.