The three-member State Employment Relations Board and its administrative staff were created by Ohio’s Public Employees’ Collective Bargaining Act of 1983. The Act was incorporated as Chapter 4117 of the Ohio Revised Code. Acting as a neutral, the quasi-judicial board determines appropriate bargaining units, conducts representation elections, certifies exclusive bargaining representatives, monitors and enforces statutory dispute procedures, adjudicates unfair labor practice charges, and determines unauthorized strikes. Board appointments are made by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate. A board member’s term is six years.

W. Craig Zimpher was appointed to the Board by Governor John R. Kasich effective January 21, 2011. Prior to his appointment, he had been Vice President for Government Affairs at Nationwide Insurance Enterprise.

Mr. Zimpher’s private-sector positions included service as Assistant V.P. of Ohio Operations for Gates, McDonald and Company and Assistant Dean of Students at Ohio Wesleyan University.

Mr. Zimpher’s previous public-sector work includes serving as Chairman of the Industrial Commission of Ohio; an appointment by Governor Richard F. Celeste to the Commission on Workers Compensation Administration; serving as Deputy Assistant to Governor James A. Rhodes and as Legislative Assistant to the Minority Leader of the Ohio House of Representatives. 

Mr. Zimpher, a native of Piqua, Ohio, received his B.A. and M.A. degrees in History from The Ohio State University. He served as a 1 st Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He also lectured as an Adjunct Instructor in History/Humanities at Ohio Dominican University.

Aaron Schmidt was appointed to the State Employment Relations Board by Governor John R. Kasich effective January 2, 2014. Mr. Schmidt is an attorney with extensive legal experience in both the public and private sectors. 

At the time of his appointment, Mr. Schmidt served as legal counsel to the Ohio Lottery Commission. Mr. Schmidt provided legal advice to the Lottery on a variety of legal matters, including contracts, compliance, litigation, labor relations, intellectual property, public records, and administrative law. He assisted in the promulgation of administrative rules, policies, and procedures, and represented the Lottery at hearings before the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR). He advised the Executive Director, Commissioners, and the Governor’s Office on legal matters affecting the Lottery.

Prior to serving at the Ohio Lottery Commission, Mr. Schmidt practiced law in two Cleveland private law firms and managed litigation in a corporate legal department. His practice has encompassed a wide range of experience in employment matters and alternative dispute resolution.

Mr. Schmidt earned his bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University, he earned his law degree from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, and he completed the Intensive Mediation program at Capital University Law School’s Center for Dispute Resolution. Mr. Schmidt is admitted to the practice of law in Ohio. He is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association and the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association.