Proud to partner with American Exchange Project. 🇺🇸Domestic exchange student program adds locations for 2027 nbc4i.com/video/domestic-exc… @travelwithAEP

Christina Koch was a firefighter at the South Pole at -111°F before she ever applied to be an astronaut. That was maybe the fourth most interesting line on her resume. She grew up in North Carolina, got three degrees from NC State, and her first real job was building deep-space instruments at NASA. Then she left for Antarctica. Spent three and a half years bouncing between the Arctic and Antarctic as a research scientist, including a full winter at the South Pole base. That means going months without sunlight or fresh food, with a crew of about 50 people and no way out until flights resume. While she was down there, she also joined the glacier search-and-rescue team. After coming back, she went to Johns Hopkins and built instruments for two NASA missions (one of them is still orbiting Jupiter right now). She figured out how to start a tiny vacuum pump that NASA designed for a future Mars rover. Johns Hopkins nominated it for their Invention of the Year in 2009. Then she went back to the field. More time in Antarctica and a stretch up in Greenland. A government research station in northern Alaska, near the top of the world. Then she ran another one in American Samoa, near the equator. In 2013, NASA selected her from 6,300 applicants. Eight people got in. Her first space mission was supposed to be a normal rotation on the International Space Station, but NASA extended it. She ended up staying 328 straight days and orbiting Earth 5,248 times, covering about 139 million miles (roughly 291 round trips to the Moon). Up there, she ran over 210 experiments, including tests of cancer drugs in zero gravity and 3D printers that can build structures close to human tissue. Six spacewalks, 42 hours floating outside the station. She learned Russian for the training. She flies supersonic jets. Right now, Koch is on Artemis II, heading for a flyby behind the far side of the Moon. The crew launched on April 1 and is on track to travel about 252,000 miles from Earth, which would break the all-time human distance record of 248,655 miles set by Apollo 13 in 1970. That record has stood for 56 years, and it was set during a disaster that nearly killed the crew. Fred Haise, one of the Apollo 13 astronauts, is 92 now. He told Koch: "I heard you're going to break our record." Nobody had left Earth's neighborhood since December 1972. Koch and her three crewmates are the first in 53 years, and they are coming home at about 25,000 mph. That is faster than any crewed spacecraft has ever come back through the atmosphere.

Today marks the official launch of Civic Futures Institute. We are a national, nonpartisan organization that exists to restore civic imagination, help people reclaim their agency, and shape the future of American democratic life. Learn more: civicfutures.us/news

The most powerful force on earth isn't money, technology, or politics. It's a human being who feels something deeply enough to do something about it.

Our deepest condolences to the families of these great American heroes. Very sad to hear this news.

Announcing the Future Ohio 2076 Public Forums - a new webinar series from @AM250Ohio in partnership w/ @davidstaley8. “There Is No Such Thing as the Ohio Economy” kicks off the series on March 19, 2026 | 12:00–1:00 PM ET. Join by Zoom at tinyurl.com/2vv8zhjw.

According to @AEI, the recent @HooverInst landscape analysis exposes the need for civic courage and education to begin in K-12, rather than in college. Civil discourse and pluralism must be cultivated in classrooms, and educators need clear curriculum: bit.ly/4sEjxYf

𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲. Honored to join @AM250Ohio w/the amazing @davidstaley8 as Futures Consultant for Future Ohio 2076. What does the future look like? Journey with us!

Closing our final board meeting of 2025 reminded me what a privilege it is to serve the mission of @ovwa1978 alongside my colleagues - a team dedicated to strengthening advocacy and expanding justice for survivors across Ohio. #VictimAdvocacy #SupportingSurvivors

It is National First Responders Day. It takes a special person to put the lives of others ahead of themselves. Our first responders do this every single day. All Ohioans can be proud of the bravery, courage and character of our first responders. #ThankYouFirstResponders

Time well spent at the nation’s inaugural Bridging Movement Summit at the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon. A perfect setting for tackling one of the most pressing challenges of our time - bridging divides and renewing the American spirit. @ListenFirstProj

Just as the American revolution was driven by passionate young leaders, @ServeOhio @AM250Ohio invite students to ignite their own revolution through service-learning. Schools can apply for virtual training  up to $5,000 for projects: serve.ohio.gov/volunteering-… #America250

We will never rest until no human being is bought or sold in Ohio. Five charged in connection with West Side drug, human trafficking ring dispatch.com/story/news/cour…

Voluntary association is freedom practiced together. When we stop joining, we stop practicing democracy. When we join, we renew it. Inspired by last night’s Dinner on American Ideals 🇺🇸 #joininOhio @LeadershipOH

Honored to be part of the launch of Future Ohio: Projecting Ohio in 2076 - @AM250Ohio's Dec. 2026 theme. Nothing better than an afternoon exploring where Ohio might be headed in the decades ahead. #Futures #FutureOhio #CivicFutures @davidstaley8

🚨 𝗢𝗵𝗶𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀. Nearly 70% of the state's 1,200 fire departments depend on volunteers, yet Ohio has seen a 7% drop. Is this your call to service? sfmengage.com.ohio.gov/volun… #JoinInOhio

Grateful for the chance to join 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘆 & 𝗠𝗶𝗸𝗮𝗲𝗹𝗮 to talk about 𝑱𝒐𝒊𝒏 𝑰𝒏: 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑪𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒄 𝑳𝒊𝒇𝒆! 🎧 tinyurl.com/What-Matters-Joi… @LeadershipOhio @AM250Ohio @mdrayer1 @MikaelaHuntNews

AG Yost is accepting applications for the 2025-26 Teen Ambassador Board. High school juniors and seniors statewide can apply to engage with state government and discuss the issues that matter to them. Apply by Sept. 12, 2025! ➡️bit.ly/4oVFRL5

On Sept. 4 in Gahanna, we’ll gather for a Bread & Salt Dinner on American Ideals with our partner Waite, Tomb & Eberly, LLP. This bipartisan dinner invites leaders across Ohio to break bread and explore the ideals that continue to shape our democracy. lnkd.in/e3zfP_8V

@LeadershipOH is headed to the 2025 National Conference on Citizenship on September 16 in Washington, D.C. for a day focused on Building Civic Resilience. Learn more & register to be a part of Team Ohio! whova.com/portal/registratio… @NCoC