Taft Columbus partner Ukeme Awakessien Jeter is the first person of color to be elected to the Upper Arlington City Council. She finished second overall in a seven-way race for four seats, according to final unofficial results from the Franklin County Board of Elections. Read more about the historic election in The Columbus Dispatch coverage here. 

Already deeply committed to the Upper Arlington community, Ukeme moved to the city in 2018, and has served as a member of the Citizen Financial Review Task Force, is an appointed inaugural member of the city’s newly formed Community Relations Committee, and has spearheaded efforts to bring Upper Arlington its first city-wide Black History Month celebration.

Beyond her service to Upper Arlington, Ukeme currently serves on the board of directors for Ohio Legal Help and on the United Way of Central Ohio’s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council. Taft welcomed Ukeme to its Columbus office in the Intellectual Property practice group in September.