April 22, 2025 • 35 mins
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Commissioner Kevin Boyce's remarkable journey from childhood tragedy to trailblazing public service offers a masterclass in resilience and purposeful living. When his father was murdered at age seven, Boyce found himself navigating life with a single mother working multiple jobs to make ends meet. What could have been a story of limitation instead became one of extraordinary possibility through what Boyce calls his "village" - recreation leaders who ensured he had lunch when food was scarce at home, teachers who advocated for him during troubled times, and coaches who nurtured his natural abilities.
The conversation reveals how Boyce's athletic background shaped his life philosophy: "It's not about how you start off in life, it's how you finish, and you can determine how you finish." This mindset carried him through becoming the first Black commissioner in Franklin County's history and co-founding Adelphi Bank - a modern iteration of a historic Black-owned financial institution that once catalyzed business development in Columbus's King Lincoln neighborhood.
Perhaps most compelling is Boyce's creation of RISE, an organization exclusively focused on addressing poverty and racism through innovative approaches. His story about a county employee who couldn't accept a promotion because it would cause her to lose childcare subsidies illuminates the complex barriers facing working families - and his determination to create real solutions. Through it all, faith remains his centering force, offering grace during struggles and guidance during successes. When asked about his legacy, Boyce looks not to professional accomplishments but to raising sons who embody compassion and service - a powerful reminder that our most meaningful impact often comes through the lives we touch most directly. Join us to discover how your own journey, regardless of its starting point, can become a legacy that transforms communities for generations to come.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Something bad happens , I get down like everybody else
, you know, and I struggle and Iask why and I ask for guidance.
And I don't always make theperfect decision, even today.
But I'm grateful that God is aforgiving God, that God is a God
of grace that knows where youare mentally.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Welcome to Be A Baller where we're building a
lifelong legacy for our families, communities and the world.
Your host, coach Tim Brown, isexcited for you to join him on
this journey.
On each episode, we'll betalking about how to be
intentional about building alasting legacy.
We'll be exploring what itmeans to leave a mark that goes
beyond just our lives but has apositive impact on those around
(00:43):
us and even generations to come.
So if you're looking forinspiration, guidance and
practical tips on how to build alasting legacy that makes a
difference, then you're in theright place.
So grab your earbuds, getcomfortable and let's dive in.
It's time to be a baller.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Welcome to Be A Baller where we talk about
building a lifelong legacy.
I'm your host, coach Tim Brown,and today I'm honored to have
an exceptional guest whoembodies what it means to
building and making a lastingimpact in our communities.
Please welcome CommissionerKevin Boyce, president of the
Franklin County Board ofCommissioners.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Kevin, welcome to the show.
It's good to be here.
I love the conversation.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Yeah, you co-founded a bank.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Yeah, delphi bank 30 years.
Yeah, yeah, first black ownedbank in america 30 years.
Um, and a lot of people askedme kind of like, what inspired?
Yeah, and you know, and thestory is actually pretty good um
, um, you know, I would takepeople back to March of 2020.
Okay, and COVID was happening,george Floyd had passed away and
(01:51):
, if you think back to the media, during that time, myself,
congresswoman Joyce Beatty andShannon Hardin went down to the
protest to encourage peacefulprotest and ended up being
pepper sprayed by Columbuspolice, made national news and
it was a situation where theywere.
We were just trying to help getthe crowd in order, cause it
was growing, and we got pepperspray.
(02:13):
And later that night I met hometrying to get the pepper spray
off my skin, out of my hair, andmy friend calls me and we're
talking about what happened.
And, uh, you know, he says whyis it still happening in America
?
Why are we still dealing withthese kind of problems?
And I said, well, until wereally get at core issues like
(02:34):
wealth gap in America and accessto capital, you know, allowing
people to buy homes to buildwealth for the next generation,
we're always going to cycle backon these issues and I said so
we need more black on banks.
And he said he's not black.
He said, but he said why don'tyou start one?
And I was like, who better?
I was like let me call you back.
(02:55):
And I got online and typed inhow do you start a bank?
And it said two things.
It said one, that banking isthe second most regulated
industry on the globe, second tonuclear power plants.
Yes, it also said that.
Number two it is the most, oneof the most expensive businesses
(03:17):
to start and in complex.
So, uh, so I started that daywriting a business plan and
development and you know, todaywe're in our second year, we're
in our third year of being anexisting bank.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
It's awesome.
There's a story behind thatbank as well.
The name yeah, I think the nameis still.
You know, I think there's astory behind it.
It is.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
So Adelphi is Greek for brothers, so you got to
think of it that way thebrothers.
So Put it that way the brothers.
So that's the first part, thefirst secret part.
But Adelphi, in the early 20sin central Ohio, adelphi Loan
and Savings Bank was started byseveral black men in an
organization called the Boulay.
(03:55):
They created this black bankbecause none of the businesses
that people wanted to start theycould get loans from majority
banking institutions.
So they started this AdelphiBank, the brother's bank, loan
and savings bank, to help buildwhat became a catalyst to the
area of Mount Vernon or KingLincoln area, of a lot of the
(04:17):
businesses that existed.
That bank unfortunately wentbelly up during the Great
Depression.
But we, as we were building thebank, we discovered that
history in central Ohio and thenit turns out the location where
we were targeting was wherethey were located and this
(04:37):
company was building a newbuilding over the spot.
But they also had saved thefacade that says Adelphi Loan
and Savings Bank on it.
So that's today where therestaurant is there.
It's called Waves, so that'sreally where the bank was.
But we're just on the sameblock on the end and just the
(04:58):
lineup of how the building isbuilt and the size we needed was
on the corner.
But yeah, so that's the history.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Commissioner Boyce, I know you grew up right here in
central Ohio, in your hometown.
Can you talk about your familyand the village that raised you?
Speaker 1 (05:13):
You know, thank you for asking that.
So you know, my story is like alot of, unfortunately, american
black family stories where Iwas raised by a single mom, my
dad, henry Boyce.
He was a two-time VietnamMarine veteran who came back to
(05:34):
his own community and had hislife taken at an early age.
I was seven when that happened,when he was murdered, and so it
really left my mom to try tokind of struggle and figure out
how to navigate, you know, theseventies, with three kids I was
the youngest, uh and to try tofigure out, um, how to just work
through that time.
This is 1978.
(05:54):
And um, uh, but she did, youknow.
She worked three and four jobs,you know, and did the best she
could.
Um, uh, like a lot of uh,families like that.
We struggled with differentthings but I was fortunate
because I had teachers andcoaches and a grandmother that
(06:14):
really stepped in to fill thevoid of not having that whole
family and even having thetrauma of having lost my dad at
an early age.
And so when you say village,that's real for me because there
are so many people, the list isso long of the people who had
some type of seed in my life forwhat we would classify as
(06:40):
success.
Today I wouldn't be where I was.
I think of and it's not theobvious.
I mean, certainly I had in highschool, football coaches,
basketball coaches, trackcoaches that were good to me.
But even before that, when Iwas seven and my father was just
killed, I had recreationleaders like James and I don't
remember James' last name, butJames who made sure I was at the
(07:03):
recreation center every day andchecked on me and brought me
lunch, because he knew we didn'thave food at home, and he
encouraged me to come back everyday and helped assure me that I
had a special athletic abilitythat I'd be able to do something
with and it gave me that mentalstrength to work harder and to
(07:26):
develop that, and so, as aresult, I was fortunate, and
again, a bunch of coaches andteachers along the way.
But I think back to Jamesbecause he was the first one to
really seed that in me.
And then I've had the fortuneof being a division one college
athlete, you know, and that is aunique group to be in.
(07:47):
But I look at it as, like thevillage you talked about, there
was James, there was CoachHoward, there was Coach Miller,
there was Coach Smith, coachSteele, coach Williams.
You know, miss Beck, you know Ihad so many teachers Miss
Ashmore, mr Osborne, mr Nixonwho all, one way or another,
were very much a part of helpingme.
(08:10):
Whatever it is they saw in me.
Lord knows what that was.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Whatever it is.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
they saw in me, they nurtured and encouraged, and so
today I know that I wouldn't bewhere I am today without folks
like that playing a role in mylife.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
It's something as you were sharing.
I was just thinking about allthe men that you mentioned.
You know all the men models.
I taught fifth grade boys forsix years.
My model for me teaching was mysixth grade teacher, mr Clayton
Burroughs, firstAfrican-American male teacher I
saw.
When I saw Mr Burroughs I saidI want to be just like Mr
Burroughs.
And I tell guys, I said, as men, as young boys, we'll see a man
(08:50):
and we say I want to be justlike that man.
Oh, absolutely.
And we spend the rest of ourlife trying to be like that man.
You know, I'm still trying tobe like Mr Burroughs.
We still talk today, you knowyou talked about athletics and
the word on the street saysyou're a pretty good athlete
there in high school.
Over there at East High Schoolyou talk about you used to
attract scholarship and all that.
Can you talk about the lifelessons you learned from being a
(09:13):
part of that team?
Speaker 1 (09:14):
You know.
It's funny you say that youknow.
So I started off at BrookhavenHigh School.
So I grew up in Linden, butwhen we had a lot of issues, we
were homeless at one time.
We had just many, many issues.
So I would go back and forthwith my grandmother who lived in
the Mount Vernon area, and soit was Linden or Mount Vernon.
And so when I was with my momas Linden, I was at Brookhaven
(09:34):
and we were bussed out toBrookhaven, uh.
And then, um, I had an incident, uh, a fight that I got in and
got in some trouble, and then Ihad to transfer permanently out
of Brookhaven and go to East andwhen you're at that age 15, 16,
you don't have a clue at leastI didn't about the things in
(09:59):
life that matter or areimportant.
And so, as I think about what Ilearned from athletics, when I
think about going on to be aDivision I college athlete and
being able to be all-conferenceand compete at a very high level
, I think if there was one thingthat it taught me is it's not
about how you start off in life,it's how you finish, and you
can determine how you finish.
You can't control how you startoff all the time.
(10:20):
And in track and field, inraces, um, the start is
meaningful in the race, but atthe end of the day it comes down
to how you cross that finishline.
And so you know, I I do that.
I think about that in themental sense too.
Um, you know, and you thinkabout the lessons that you learn
(10:40):
on the field, on the track, onthe court, um, and they're
rooted in adversity.
If you are losing, you get upand you fight harder.
If you're not that good at acertain thing, you work to get
better.
If you are good at something,you work to perfect it.
And I think all of thoseathletic lessons and stories
(11:02):
have transferred into myprinciples of how I go about
life and they've been meaningfulcontributors to.
I mean, think about it.
I was just a little kid in thehood whose father was murdered
when I was seven.
I grew up around a lot of drugsand violence.
I never dreamed that I wouldone day own a bank, that I would
(11:25):
one day own a bank.
I never dreamed that I'd oneday be the treasurer of the
state of Ohio at 37, or thepresident of their county
commission, or the first blackcommissioner in the history of
Franklin.
Those things seem like a faroff destiny or experience, but
yet they're true and any youngpeople listening.
I want you to know that youdon't know where your life is
(11:45):
going to take you.
It will have ups and downs andit will have, you know, falls
and you will have heights, butit's more about how you finish.
It's taking those experiencesall along the way and learning
from them and, more importantly,grow.
And I got to tell you I haven'tperfected any of that.
I'm still growing as a person.
At my age today, I won't saywhat it is, but at my age today,
(12:09):
I will tell you there's not aday goes by I don't learn
something about life.
And maybe now, at this age, I'mmuch more sensitive to life
lessons, where I absorb themeasier and I realize what I
don't know and I realize what Ido know.
And that's maybe the differencebetween the younger Kevin and
older.
Kevin today and I wish I hadknown some of that when I was
(12:32):
younger.
If I could go talk to myyounger self, I would say
something to that effect.
I'd say hey, little buddy, lookat me, when I'm talking to you
here and I'm trying to tell youthis is going to be for your old
kid man.
I'd say trust your gut andinstinct.
I'd say, you know, if you workhard and give it all, you got
(12:53):
even what appears to be failureisn't.
I'd tell you that you know,always shoot high, aim high.
You know, and you know, whenyou set the standard that you
know you can achieve, just soyou can feel good about yourself
, you are doing yourself adisservice.
You know, and so I mean thoseare the basic things I learned
(13:15):
from athletics, right?
Speaker 3 (13:16):
Well, that's powerful .
You know one thing when youlook in that mirror, like I look
in the mirror today, I saythank you, young Tim Brown, you
know being so old as Tim Brown,I can enjoy this life, yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
You know, I look at myself.
I say that, daggone young Tim,I wish I was where you were.
I'd be like boy, I wish I couldknock him inside your head,
buddy.
But when?
Speaker 3 (13:38):
you look back on it, all that the young Kevin went
through is helping.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
No question, no question.
All that, and you know anotherpart about Tim, that the even
better beauty about that for theyoung Kevin is I've got two
sons.
And I can part that wisdom tothem and I can help.
They're going to have theirfalls and they're going to have
their heights, but I can helpthem through it even better.
And you know, my oldest son isa two-time Ivy League graduate
(14:05):
and I remember when he was in,when we were going through the
college process, and I'm sittingthere thinking we're on College
of Harvard and Yale and Brown,and every time we sat on one of
those campuses I would getchoked up to think.
When I was that age, I wasstill dealing with the remnants
of my father being murdered andjust I didn't know if I was
(14:26):
going to college.
I didn't know what was going on.
There were so many differentthings going on.
And here we are, nextgeneration mike, and we're on
campus of harvard and he'sreally considering.
This is not just like anexperience, like this is.
He has choices and options.
Yes, that I think, and and tome that's really life's beauty.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
Yes, you know when, when you can pass on to the next
generation an even better pathand experience in life than
yours you know, uh, as we, as we, as we continue our
conversation, what I'm hearingis can you talk about the role
that faith has played in yourlife?
I'm sure that you know, I'msure you had those times when,
like god, why me, you know, andand those type of, about 10
(15:07):
minutes ago, yeah, we talkedabout that time in life that's.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
I was saying that on the way over here.
Yeah, I was like, oh, perfect,christmas dinner, I get to be
here, you know one.
There's not a day goes by thatI don't thank God and try to
recognize the gifts that he'sgiven me but, more importantly,
(15:33):
try to recognize the pathwaythat he has set for me.
Try to recognize the pathwaythat he has set for me and I'm
so grateful, through all of thevalleys that I've been through
in life, to, oh, sorry.
Okay, I'm so grateful that allof the valleys that I've been
through in life, to know thathe's watching over me, to know
that I'm where I'm supposed tobe, and to know that there's a
higher expectation, even afterthat experience good, bad or
(15:56):
indifferent and so whensomething bad happens, I get
down like everybody else and Istruggle and I ask why, and I
ask for guidance, that kind ofthing.
And I don't always make theperfect decision even today,
(16:16):
make the perfect decision eventoday.
But I'm grateful that God is aforgiving God, that God is a God
of grace that knows where youare mentally and I can hide that
with you.
I can come in here and smileand act like my day has been
okay and good.
But he knows, he knows thestruggles that I've had today
and he knows that he's gotsomething else in store for me
(16:39):
and, whatever it is, he's givenme the mental electricity to
keep moving and keep going and,to be honest with you, to serve.
I always pray that I always sayGod, help, guide me to do the
things that you put me here todo, so that I make the right
choices, the right decisions andthen deliver what you created
(17:00):
me for to do, because that'swhat I feel like life's journey
is all about is figuring outwhat God has put you on this
earth to do.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
You know, Commissioner Boyce, you've truly
been a trailblazer in publicservice.
Thank you.
Some of the roles that you'vehad and just the opportunities
and the doors you've opened forothers Can you, throughout your
distinguished 30-year career inpublic service, what advice
would you give to those who arejust starting on this journey?
Speaker 1 (17:28):
Ooh, okay, that's a loaded question right there.
I mean, I have a lot of youngpeople that work for me now and
what I tell them now is let'sstart you off right, learning to
do things in the right way sothat, as you matriculate
mentally in your career, you canbuild off of every experience.
(17:51):
Build off of every experience.
And so it's not about themistakes you make my staff.
They know that they can make amistake and I'm going to get
after them about it, but we'renot going to live in that space.
I'm not going to judge them onthose things.
I'm really going to judge youon how you move forward.
I'm really going to judge youon how you recover from, you
(18:14):
know, a little stumble.
And so, you know, I just try totell them you know, be focused
on your growth, and that'spartly my responsibility too.
You know we can.
It's great that I have a groupof staff, people that kind of
help me deliver the job, but atthe end of the day, we're in
this together.
It's as much my responsibilityto help you grow as a
professional as it is you tohelp me deliver the job I'm in
(18:36):
today, and I think, if weunderstand that, your growth and
my experience to deliver thejob is going to match one
another and we're going to havea good experience and I feel
like I preach that with them andI think we get results that way
.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
Your experience in public service started young.
What was that light bulb momentwhere you said you know what I
want to do this?
Speaker 1 (18:58):
That never happened.
I still be thinking what was Ithinking?
Trying to get into politics?
Okay, so that's interesting too.
So I was in college in theUniversity of Toledo, and I had
a professor Okay, and it was ablack guy, his name was Jack
Ford.
Jack Ford later became themayor of Toledo, but Jack Ford,
(19:19):
my professor and I was in class,took this political science
because I was a county major atthe time.
And I took this politicalscience because let's see what
this is about.
And he's talking about thegovernment process.
And I'm in the front row likewait a minute, hold on.
But when you do this, why doesthis happen?
And I'm like, well, wait aminute.
And he's like all right, enoughquestions, talk to me after
(19:40):
class.
So I waited for him after classand I walked into his car and
I'll never forget.
We got to his car and he saidlook, I could tell from the
minute you stepped in my classthat there was something unique
about you.
He said just stick with it.
And so, long story short, Iwon't go into all of it.
But years later, as I wasgraduating, that was like my
(20:01):
freshman, sophomore year Yearslater, when I was graduating, he
called me and he said, hey, yougraduate now, why don't you
come work in politics?
And he actually offered me a joband I came back to Columbus and
he was a state rep at the timeand I ran his office and I think
back then he was a big guy buthe was a very well-known leader
(20:25):
in Northwest Ohio and he said tome I never forget him sitting
down to me he said I want you togo into politics, I think you
should go into politics.
And I said me, go into politics, I don't think so.
And he said, yeah, you're builtfor it.
(20:45):
And he's like you're going togo a long way in politics and
you're going to do very well.
And I was like, really me.
And he was like, yeah, and so Iworked for him.
Then I was promoted as policystaff, then I was promoted to
chief of staff, so I was like 26.
And I was chief of staff in theHouse of Representatives and
(21:08):
then Coleman runs for mayor.
He was on city council.
Mayor Coleman runs for mayorand creates a vacancy on city
council and everybody in thecommunity started coming to me
and saying you should run forthis seat.
You should run for this seat,so I go for the appointment.
I don't get it the first time.
The guy named Fred Rancieregets it.
But I knew that I hadinterviewed so well because
(21:29):
everyone was like you shouldhave got it.
He's much more experienced thanyou and he was.
He's a great leader, got goodfriends here, but anyway.
So he stepped down after aboutsix months because he had some
family issues.
But they all came to me andsaid well, you're the guy You're
getting an appointment.
(21:52):
And so here I was, 27, 28,getting appointed to Columbus
City Council, the city I grew upin.
And that's when I feel like Imade the choice of a career in
politics.
I thought, okay, jack was right, I guess I'll do this.
At the time I just wanted, likeeverybody else maybe, to raise
a family, live a respectfulChristian, good life and just
(22:14):
kind of be a good person, goodcitizen.
You know, and never did Iexpect to have the ability to
impact the quality of life forother people in this way in
public service.
So I don't know if there wasever a light bulb, but I
definitely there were momentswhere I knew I was in for the
long haul.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
Now you put that good old accounting degree to work
as well, you know, being a statetreasurer and working on wall
street and all that how has thathelped shape kind of what you
do now today?
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Well, you know, I ended up switching majors too.
So I was a county major, Then Iswitched to public political
science after, you know, and andthen in my master's is public
finance.
But I think it's definitelyshaped me.
I think there was always anatural sense of financial
acuity with me, and my mom andmy grandmother used to talk
(23:11):
about how, as a kid, I alwayshad money saved up, I always had
money, I always had resourcesto do, and they would be like
where did you get this moneyfrom?
What are you doing?
You know, my mom said I used toborrow money from you.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
You remember?
Speaker 1 (23:24):
like and I'd be like yeah, I remember you know, and
so I think there's an element ofnatural, a natural element to
it.
You were talking about a friendof mine, tom Gibson, I grew up
with and one of the storiesabout him is about me being
protecting him from a bully.
And there's another story I'llshare, but connected to it is
(23:48):
the issue that took me out ofBrookhaven and put me at East
High School, which was a fightthat I intervened with a guy
that was getting bullied and Iended up in a fight with the
bully and some other people andit turned into a big melee and I
got arrested and I got a chargeof gang fighting when I was 14
(24:13):
or 15.
But I'll never forget myteacher.
My teacher came down to advocatefor me in court during the
trial, during the trial process,and she said her name was Miss
Beck and she said he comes froma community that's really
(24:33):
challenged.
It was at brick haven and shesaid but he's gifted
mathematically and I was alwaysover there, like I am.
You know what are you talkingabout.
I remember her saying like heis gifted mathematically and
that I believe that if you givehim a chance, he's going to have
a role or a job in finance oran account or something number
(24:54):
oriented, and so it all doeskind of add up.
My mom, my grandmother said it,and then I just remember my
teacher, ms Beck, saying thatduring the situation where I had
dealt with the bully, Somethinghow the Bible says all things
work together for the good ofthose who love the Lord and are
called according to his purpose.
Speaker 3 (25:13):
Obviously, god had a purpose in all of that.
You know, and look at you nowyou know In your role as a
county commissioner you starteda program called RISE.
Can you share about thatparticular program some of the
others?
Speaker 1 (25:27):
Thanks, tim, many others Thanks, tim, you know.
So, yeah, rise is anorganization that we created
that exclusively focuses onideas to challenge and address
poverty and racism.
You know, when I first startedas a commissioner and I was the
first black commissioner inhistory of Franklin County in
2017, was elected in 2016,.
(25:49):
Elected, started in.
Elected In 2016,.
I was elected, it started in2017.
And immediately I wanted to getat the issue of disparities in
poverty around race.
You know, central Ohio has lessthan 30% minorities, but when
you look at the welfare rolesand you look at correctional
institution roles, all of thoseare disproportionate to Black
(26:10):
people and I wanted to find waysto really get at it.
My colleagues John O'Grady andMarilyn Brown at the time we
huddled up and we agreed thatpoverty and racism was going to
be at the core of our mission,and so we did this whole study
that outlined strategies to tryto create jobs, to address
education, housing,infrastructure, and at the end
(26:32):
of the convening, I said toeveryone yeah, but what's the
big idea?
We know we need better payingjobs, we know we need more
affordable housing, we know weneed better access to quality
health care, but what is theidea that's going to address
racism and poverty and thedisparities that exist with our
(26:53):
race.
And I said we need anorganization that essentially is
the think tank to take bigideas and try to pilot those and
see just what we can do If wethink outside the box, we think
big and really try to dosomething differently than what
we've been doing.
It is not simply of giving youfood stamps.
(27:14):
That's going to help change andsustain your life.
It's not simply about access toMedicaid.
It is about providing familiesand people with the trajectory
to do those things on their own,to be able to have a good
paying job on their own.
Things on their own to be ableto have a good paying job on
their own.
And so Rise is exclusivelycreated to try to take ideas,
(27:35):
germinate them into meaningfulways of addressing poverty and
racism, and one of those thatRise is doing, as an example, is
a program called Motherful,which basically is a stop gap
for single moms that run intoemergencies or situations.
(27:56):
You know, you're a single momwith three kids and the
transmission goes out.
What do you do?
That's $3,000.
Now, tim, I had a mom that cameto me.
She worked for Franklin Countyokay, she had two kids for
Franklin County.
Okay, she had two kids and I'veseen a good paying job working
for Franklin County and she saidI just got a promotion.
(28:18):
And she had tears in her eyes.
Speaker 3 (28:19):
She said I just got a promotion.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
And I said that's congratulations, start all the
way.
But she said no, I can't acceptit.
And I said well, why?
And she said because if I takeit it'll raise my income and
I'll lose the child care subsidythat I get.
And so I can't take that,because that's more meaningful
to me in my household to havechild care subsidy.
So I'm going to have to rejectthe promotion.
(28:42):
And so I went to our JFS people.
I said that just can't be, wecan't do that to her.
And they say yeah, that'sbasically the federal guidelines
require that.
But then they noticed something.
They were like wait a minute,she's pregnant with her third.
She was pregnant.
She had a belly that said shewas pregnant and she's pregnant.
They were like we're going tohave to knock her off.
(29:04):
She can take the promotion,we'll knock her off, but when
she has that third kid she'llrequalify for the benefits.
And so they knocked her off.
She took the money and knockedher off.
And then she had a third kidand it got back on and I said
that's absurd, that's absolutelyridiculous.
And so Rise is set up.
We created Motherful to helpmothers like that sort of get
(29:26):
over the hump.
Here she is gainfully employed,working hard, doing the best
she can, and she gets apromotion from it and can't take
it.
And so Rise is set up to reallyhelp solve those kinds of
problems so that that mother and, more importantly, the next
generation, those kids, they,have an even better chance to
rise above poverty and racismand all the things that tend to
(29:48):
set families back.
Speaker 3 (29:49):
Boy, you in here preaching, and that's so real.
Speaker 1 (29:53):
Yeah, it is, it is, it is.
Speaker 3 (29:54):
And I think that's why one of your colleagues,
jordan Miller, jordan said toTabe when he talked about how
important mentors are we talkabout mentors, but Jordan said
this we all need mentors, butyou need a sponsor, somebody at
the table, to say, like, for youyou had some sponsors say, hey,
give him a chance, give him achance, and that's what you're
doing now.
(30:15):
You're at the table, You're thatsponsor, you say this is wrong
and you're in a position whereyou can do something Absolutely
and not just conversation-wise,you know, can really really make
some things happen.
So I applaud you for that, forsure.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
And I'll just add too , I appreciate Jordan saying
that Jordan is my businesspartner.
And you know, when I firststarted writing the plan for the
bank, you know, I mean you knowyou say, hey, I'm starting a
bank, I'm going to write a bank,and most people give you that
laugh.
They're like, okay, nice wish,young man, have a nice day.
Okay, good luck with that.
You know, but Jordan was one ofthe first people I called.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
And.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
I said I wrote this little outline of a plan.
I know you've been in bankingfor you know 100 years.
Can you take a look at it?
And if I said, if I'mridiculous, I'm not going to, my
feelings aren't going to behurt or whatever, I just want
some feedback.
And he said, okay, sure, hecalls me back the next day, he's
like hey, I think you shouldcontinue to pursue that.
(31:09):
I think this is good, I thinkthis is actually going to work.
And so then I was like well,what are you up to these days,
George?
You know, like I heard youretired recently.
Yeah, I was like you want tojoin me?
And so he did, and so we'vebeen tied at the hip ever since,
that's a blessing.
Speaker 3 (31:29):
You know as we come around the corner.
This has been a great interview.
This is a legacy podcast.
What is the legacy ofCommissioner Kevin Boyce?
Speaker 1 (31:39):
Wow, I mean, I really have to think about that.
I've never given that anythought because, as you're going
through, trying to solveproblems and trying to build a
better life for people andtrying to be a good person,
those things I just don't thinkabout it.
But I've been to a couple offunerals lately.
(32:00):
Tim, that really touched me andmade me think about what do I
want people to say about me atmy funeral?
I was at the mayor of Houstonhis funeral on Saturday and he
was a good friend of mine, hewas a client of mine in the
investment banking world.
And then I've had relatives dieand others.
(32:22):
Bob Black just died the otherday and so many other people.
And people always say whenyou're born, we celebrate your
life and then when you die, wehonor your legacy.
But it's really the dash inbetween that defines us.
It's what you're doing everyday that matters most.
(32:44):
So I'm thinking out loud here.
I would say simply that mylegacy would have to be rooted
in the type of sons that I'veraised, because they will live
far beyond me, presumably.
Hopefully they live far beyondme and my expectation or my real
legacy would be that they aregood, productive, strong, strong
(33:07):
, smart, christianleadership-oriented people, men,
and I think I've seeded most ofthose things in them.
They will have to evolve anddevelop on their own now as
adults, and I'm not there aroundthem every day like I was as a
child for them.
(33:28):
I've only been able to seedthem with, I think, of the
things that we talk all the timevery close, but but as they
evolve and develop into the menthat they're going to be in life
to me, that's my legacy, youknow to to see them be good
people, to see them becompassionate and engage in the
community.
To see them.
(33:49):
You know my youngest son, who'sgraduating next month.
You know he wasn't a great highschool student and I was so
worried about him and now he'sgoing to graduate with college
with almost straight A's, youknow.
And every time I see him he'ssuch a strong young man who's
developed, got his mother theirmother is just an amazing woman
(34:12):
too, so I I credit her for it aswell.
But but my legacy would berooted in what, what happens
with them, and I think you knowwatching them and seeing them be
good people.
And it's not about theaccomplishments.
You know accomplishments aresubjective, you know it's it's
really about.
Are you a good person?
Do you pray before you eat?
(34:33):
Do you pray before you go tobed at night?
Do you talk to God, you know,on a regular basis.
Do you treat people nice?
Do you say hello to people?
Do you help somebody if you seethey need help?
You know, those are the thingsthat, to me, would be my
greatest legacy.
Speaker 3 (34:48):
Wow Well, commissioner Boyce, I want to
thank you for your time as wecome to close up today's episode
, and I want to thank you foryour commitment to service.
I hear that word, and when youlook up the word service, you're
going to see your picture onall the service you've done for
our community, and so weappreciate you for that.
As always, I want to thank ourlisteners for listening to Be A
(35:08):
Baller podcast, as always,continue to build a lifelong
legacy.
Thank you, commissioner Boyce,for being on the show.
Thanks for having me, my friend.
Speaker 2 (35:21):
If you've enjoyed this episode, please share it
with family and friends.
The Be A Baller Podcast isavailable on all major podcast
platforms.
This podcast was created byCoach Tim Brown and recorded and
edited by the video productionclass of Worthington Christian
High School.
Be sure to come back next weekas we continue to discuss on how
to build a lifelong legacy.
Until then, don't forget to bea baller.
Something bad happens , I get down like everybody else
, you know, and I struggle and Iask why and I ask for guidance.
And I don't always make theperfect decision, even today.
But I'm grateful that God is aforgiving God, that God is a God
of grace that knows where youare mentally.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Welcome to Be A Baller where we're building a
lifelong legacy for our families, communities and the world.
Your host, coach Tim Brown, isexcited for you to join him on
this journey.
On each episode, we'll betalking about how to be
intentional about building alasting legacy.
We'll be exploring what itmeans to leave a mark that goes
beyond just our lives but has apositive impact on those around
(00:43):
us and even generations to come.
So if you're looking forinspiration, guidance and
practical tips on how to build alasting legacy that makes a
difference, then you're in theright place.
So grab your earbuds, getcomfortable and let's dive in.
It's time to be a baller.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Welcome to Be A Baller where we talk about
building a lifelong legacy.
I'm your host, coach Tim Brown,and today I'm honored to have
an exceptional guest whoembodies what it means to
building and making a lastingimpact in our communities.
Please welcome CommissionerKevin Boyce, president of the
Franklin County Board ofCommissioners.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Kevin, welcome to the show.
It's good to be here.
I love the conversation.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Yeah, you co-founded a bank.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Yeah, delphi bank 30 years.
Yeah, yeah, first black ownedbank in america 30 years.
Um, and a lot of people askedme kind of like, what inspired?
Yeah, and you know, and thestory is actually pretty good um
, um, you know, I would takepeople back to March of 2020.
Okay, and COVID was happening,george Floyd had passed away and
(01:51):
, if you think back to the media, during that time, myself,
congresswoman Joyce Beatty andShannon Hardin went down to the
protest to encourage peacefulprotest and ended up being
pepper sprayed by Columbuspolice, made national news and
it was a situation where theywere.
We were just trying to help getthe crowd in order, cause it
was growing, and we got pepperspray.
(02:13):
And later that night I met hometrying to get the pepper spray
off my skin, out of my hair, andmy friend calls me and we're
talking about what happened.
And, uh, you know, he says whyis it still happening in America
?
Why are we still dealing withthese kind of problems?
And I said, well, until wereally get at core issues like
(02:34):
wealth gap in America and accessto capital, you know, allowing
people to buy homes to buildwealth for the next generation,
we're always going to cycle backon these issues and I said so
we need more black on banks.
And he said he's not black.
He said, but he said why don'tyou start one?
And I was like, who better?
I was like let me call you back.
(02:55):
And I got online and typed inhow do you start a bank?
And it said two things.
It said one, that banking isthe second most regulated
industry on the globe, second tonuclear power plants.
Yes, it also said that.
Number two it is the most, oneof the most expensive businesses
(03:17):
to start and in complex.
So, uh, so I started that daywriting a business plan and
development and you know, todaywe're in our second year, we're
in our third year of being anexisting bank.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
It's awesome.
There's a story behind thatbank as well.
The name yeah, I think the nameis still.
You know, I think there's astory behind it.
It is.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
So Adelphi is Greek for brothers, so you got to
think of it that way thebrothers.
So Put it that way the brothers.
So that's the first part, thefirst secret part.
But Adelphi, in the early 20sin central Ohio, adelphi Loan
and Savings Bank was started byseveral black men in an
organization called the Boulay.
(03:55):
They created this black bankbecause none of the businesses
that people wanted to start theycould get loans from majority
banking institutions.
So they started this AdelphiBank, the brother's bank, loan
and savings bank, to help buildwhat became a catalyst to the
area of Mount Vernon or KingLincoln area, of a lot of the
(04:17):
businesses that existed.
That bank unfortunately wentbelly up during the Great
Depression.
But we, as we were building thebank, we discovered that
history in central Ohio and thenit turns out the location where
we were targeting was wherethey were located and this
(04:37):
company was building a newbuilding over the spot.
But they also had saved thefacade that says Adelphi Loan
and Savings Bank on it.
So that's today where therestaurant is there.
It's called Waves, so that'sreally where the bank was.
But we're just on the sameblock on the end and just the
(04:58):
lineup of how the building isbuilt and the size we needed was
on the corner.
But yeah, so that's the history.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Commissioner Boyce, I know you grew up right here in
central Ohio, in your hometown.
Can you talk about your familyand the village that raised you?
Speaker 1 (05:13):
You know, thank you for asking that.
So you know, my story is like alot of, unfortunately, american
black family stories where Iwas raised by a single mom, my
dad, henry Boyce.
He was a two-time VietnamMarine veteran who came back to
(05:34):
his own community and had hislife taken at an early age.
I was seven when that happened,when he was murdered, and so it
really left my mom to try tokind of struggle and figure out
how to navigate, you know, theseventies, with three kids I was
the youngest, uh and to try tofigure out, um, how to just work
through that time.
This is 1978.
(05:54):
And um, uh, but she did, youknow.
She worked three and four jobs,you know, and did the best she
could.
Um, uh, like a lot of uh,families like that.
We struggled with differentthings but I was fortunate
because I had teachers andcoaches and a grandmother that
(06:14):
really stepped in to fill thevoid of not having that whole
family and even having thetrauma of having lost my dad at
an early age.
And so when you say village,that's real for me because there
are so many people, the list isso long of the people who had
some type of seed in my life forwhat we would classify as
(06:40):
success.
Today I wouldn't be where I was.
I think of and it's not theobvious.
I mean, certainly I had in highschool, football coaches,
basketball coaches, trackcoaches that were good to me.
But even before that, when Iwas seven and my father was just
killed, I had recreationleaders like James and I don't
remember James' last name, butJames who made sure I was at the
(07:03):
recreation center every day andchecked on me and brought me
lunch, because he knew we didn'thave food at home, and he
encouraged me to come back everyday and helped assure me that I
had a special athletic abilitythat I'd be able to do something
with and it gave me that mentalstrength to work harder and to
(07:26):
develop that, and so, as aresult, I was fortunate, and
again, a bunch of coaches andteachers along the way.
But I think back to Jamesbecause he was the first one to
really seed that in me.
And then I've had the fortuneof being a division one college
athlete, you know, and that is aunique group to be in.
(07:47):
But I look at it as, like thevillage you talked about, there
was James, there was CoachHoward, there was Coach Miller,
there was Coach Smith, coachSteele, coach Williams.
You know, miss Beck, you know Ihad so many teachers Miss
Ashmore, mr Osborne, mr Nixonwho all, one way or another,
were very much a part of helpingme.
(08:10):
Whatever it is they saw in me.
Lord knows what that was.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Whatever it is.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
they saw in me, they nurtured and encouraged, and so
today I know that I wouldn't bewhere I am today without folks
like that playing a role in mylife.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
It's something as you were sharing.
I was just thinking about allthe men that you mentioned.
You know all the men models.
I taught fifth grade boys forsix years.
My model for me teaching was mysixth grade teacher, mr Clayton
Burroughs, firstAfrican-American male teacher I
saw.
When I saw Mr Burroughs I saidI want to be just like Mr
Burroughs.
And I tell guys, I said, as men, as young boys, we'll see a man
(08:50):
and we say I want to be justlike that man.
Oh, absolutely.
And we spend the rest of ourlife trying to be like that man.
You know, I'm still trying tobe like Mr Burroughs.
We still talk today, you knowyou talked about athletics and
the word on the street saysyou're a pretty good athlete
there in high school.
Over there at East High Schoolyou talk about you used to
attract scholarship and all that.
Can you talk about the lifelessons you learned from being a
(09:13):
part of that team?
Speaker 1 (09:14):
You know.
It's funny you say that youknow.
So I started off at BrookhavenHigh School.
So I grew up in Linden, butwhen we had a lot of issues, we
were homeless at one time.
We had just many, many issues.
So I would go back and forthwith my grandmother who lived in
the Mount Vernon area, and soit was Linden or Mount Vernon.
And so when I was with my momas Linden, I was at Brookhaven
(09:34):
and we were bussed out toBrookhaven, uh.
And then, um, I had an incident, uh, a fight that I got in and
got in some trouble, and then Ihad to transfer permanently out
of Brookhaven and go to East andwhen you're at that age 15, 16,
you don't have a clue at leastI didn't about the things in
(09:59):
life that matter or areimportant.
And so, as I think about what Ilearned from athletics, when I
think about going on to be aDivision I college athlete and
being able to be all-conferenceand compete at a very high level
, I think if there was one thingthat it taught me is it's not
about how you start off in life,it's how you finish, and you
can determine how you finish.
You can't control how you startoff all the time.
(10:20):
And in track and field, inraces, um, the start is
meaningful in the race, but atthe end of the day it comes down
to how you cross that finishline.
And so you know, I I do that.
I think about that in themental sense too.
Um, you know, and you thinkabout the lessons that you learn
(10:40):
on the field, on the track, onthe court, um, and they're
rooted in adversity.
If you are losing, you get upand you fight harder.
If you're not that good at acertain thing, you work to get
better.
If you are good at something,you work to perfect it.
And I think all of thoseathletic lessons and stories
(11:02):
have transferred into myprinciples of how I go about
life and they've been meaningfulcontributors to.
I mean, think about it.
I was just a little kid in thehood whose father was murdered
when I was seven.
I grew up around a lot of drugsand violence.
I never dreamed that I wouldone day own a bank, that I would
(11:25):
one day own a bank.
I never dreamed that I'd oneday be the treasurer of the
state of Ohio at 37, or thepresident of their county
commission, or the first blackcommissioner in the history of
Franklin.
Those things seem like a faroff destiny or experience, but
yet they're true and any youngpeople listening.
I want you to know that youdon't know where your life is
(11:45):
going to take you.
It will have ups and downs andit will have, you know, falls
and you will have heights, butit's more about how you finish.
It's taking those experiencesall along the way and learning
from them and, more importantly,grow.
And I got to tell you I haven'tperfected any of that.
I'm still growing as a person.
At my age today, I won't saywhat it is, but at my age today,
(12:09):
I will tell you there's not aday goes by I don't learn
something about life.
And maybe now, at this age, I'mmuch more sensitive to life
lessons, where I absorb themeasier and I realize what I
don't know and I realize what Ido know.
And that's maybe the differencebetween the younger Kevin and
older.
Kevin today and I wish I hadknown some of that when I was
(12:32):
younger.
If I could go talk to myyounger self, I would say
something to that effect.
I'd say hey, little buddy, lookat me, when I'm talking to you
here and I'm trying to tell youthis is going to be for your old
kid man.
I'd say trust your gut andinstinct.
I'd say, you know, if you workhard and give it all, you got
(12:53):
even what appears to be failureisn't.
I'd tell you that you know,always shoot high, aim high.
You know, and you know, whenyou set the standard that you
know you can achieve, just soyou can feel good about yourself
, you are doing yourself adisservice.
You know, and so I mean thoseare the basic things I learned
(13:15):
from athletics, right?
Speaker 3 (13:16):
Well, that's powerful .
You know one thing when youlook in that mirror, like I look
in the mirror today, I saythank you, young Tim Brown, you
know being so old as Tim Brown,I can enjoy this life, yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
You know, I look at myself.
I say that, daggone young Tim,I wish I was where you were.
I'd be like boy, I wish I couldknock him inside your head,
buddy.
But when?
Speaker 3 (13:38):
you look back on it, all that the young Kevin went
through is helping.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
No question, no question.
All that, and you know anotherpart about Tim, that the even
better beauty about that for theyoung Kevin is I've got two
sons.
And I can part that wisdom tothem and I can help.
They're going to have theirfalls and they're going to have
their heights, but I can helpthem through it even better.
And you know, my oldest son isa two-time Ivy League graduate
(14:05):
and I remember when he was in,when we were going through the
college process, and I'm sittingthere thinking we're on College
of Harvard and Yale and Brown,and every time we sat on one of
those campuses I would getchoked up to think.
When I was that age, I wasstill dealing with the remnants
of my father being murdered andjust I didn't know if I was
(14:26):
going to college.
I didn't know what was going on.
There were so many differentthings going on.
And here we are, nextgeneration mike, and we're on
campus of harvard and he'sreally considering.
This is not just like anexperience, like this is.
He has choices and options.
Yes, that I think, and and tome that's really life's beauty.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
Yes, you know when, when you can pass on to the next
generation an even better pathand experience in life than
yours you know, uh, as we, as we, as we continue our
conversation, what I'm hearingis can you talk about the role
that faith has played in yourlife?
I'm sure that you know, I'msure you had those times when,
like god, why me, you know, andand those type of, about 10
(15:07):
minutes ago, yeah, we talkedabout that time in life that's.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
I was saying that on the way over here.
Yeah, I was like, oh, perfect,christmas dinner, I get to be
here, you know one.
There's not a day goes by thatI don't thank God and try to
recognize the gifts that he'sgiven me but, more importantly,
(15:33):
try to recognize the pathwaythat he has set for me.
Try to recognize the pathwaythat he has set for me and I'm
so grateful, through all of thevalleys that I've been through
in life, to, oh, sorry.
Okay, I'm so grateful that allof the valleys that I've been
through in life, to know thathe's watching over me, to know
that I'm where I'm supposed tobe, and to know that there's a
higher expectation, even afterthat experience good, bad or
(15:56):
indifferent and so whensomething bad happens, I get
down like everybody else and Istruggle and I ask why, and I
ask for guidance, that kind ofthing.
And I don't always make theperfect decision even today,
(16:16):
make the perfect decision eventoday.
But I'm grateful that God is aforgiving God, that God is a God
of grace that knows where youare mentally and I can hide that
with you.
I can come in here and smileand act like my day has been
okay and good.
But he knows, he knows thestruggles that I've had today
and he knows that he's gotsomething else in store for me
(16:39):
and, whatever it is, he's givenme the mental electricity to
keep moving and keep going and,to be honest with you, to serve.
I always pray that I always sayGod, help, guide me to do the
things that you put me here todo, so that I make the right
choices, the right decisions andthen deliver what you created
(17:00):
me for to do, because that'swhat I feel like life's journey
is all about is figuring outwhat God has put you on this
earth to do.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
You know, Commissioner Boyce, you've truly
been a trailblazer in publicservice.
Thank you.
Some of the roles that you'vehad and just the opportunities
and the doors you've opened forothers Can you, throughout your
distinguished 30-year career inpublic service, what advice
would you give to those who arejust starting on this journey?
Speaker 1 (17:28):
Ooh, okay, that's a loaded question right there.
I mean, I have a lot of youngpeople that work for me now and
what I tell them now is let'sstart you off right, learning to
do things in the right way sothat, as you matriculate
mentally in your career, you canbuild off of every experience.
(17:51):
Build off of every experience.
And so it's not about themistakes you make my staff.
They know that they can make amistake and I'm going to get
after them about it, but we'renot going to live in that space.
I'm not going to judge them onthose things.
I'm really going to judge youon how you move forward.
I'm really going to judge youon how you recover from, you
(18:14):
know, a little stumble.
And so, you know, I just try totell them you know, be focused
on your growth, and that'spartly my responsibility too.
You know we can.
It's great that I have a groupof staff, people that kind of
help me deliver the job, but atthe end of the day, we're in
this together.
It's as much my responsibilityto help you grow as a
professional as it is you tohelp me deliver the job I'm in
(18:36):
today, and I think, if weunderstand that, your growth and
my experience to deliver thejob is going to match one
another and we're going to havea good experience and I feel
like I preach that with them andI think we get results that way
.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
Your experience in public service started young.
What was that light bulb momentwhere you said you know what I
want to do this?
Speaker 1 (18:58):
That never happened.
I still be thinking what was Ithinking?
Trying to get into politics?
Okay, so that's interesting too.
So I was in college in theUniversity of Toledo, and I had
a professor Okay, and it was ablack guy, his name was Jack
Ford.
Jack Ford later became themayor of Toledo, but Jack Ford,
(19:19):
my professor and I was in class,took this political science
because I was a county major atthe time.
And I took this politicalscience because let's see what
this is about.
And he's talking about thegovernment process.
And I'm in the front row likewait a minute, hold on.
But when you do this, why doesthis happen?
And I'm like, well, wait aminute.
And he's like all right, enoughquestions, talk to me after
(19:40):
class.
So I waited for him after classand I walked into his car and
I'll never forget.
We got to his car and he saidlook, I could tell from the
minute you stepped in my classthat there was something unique
about you.
He said just stick with it.
And so, long story short, Iwon't go into all of it.
But years later, as I wasgraduating, that was like my
(20:01):
freshman, sophomore year Yearslater, when I was graduating, he
called me and he said, hey, yougraduate now, why don't you
come work in politics?
And he actually offered me a joband I came back to Columbus and
he was a state rep at the timeand I ran his office and I think
back then he was a big guy buthe was a very well-known leader
(20:25):
in Northwest Ohio and he said tome I never forget him sitting
down to me he said I want you togo into politics, I think you
should go into politics.
And I said me, go into politics, I don't think so.
And he said, yeah, you're builtfor it.
(20:45):
And he's like you're going togo a long way in politics and
you're going to do very well.
And I was like, really me.
And he was like, yeah, and so Iworked for him.
Then I was promoted as policystaff, then I was promoted to
chief of staff, so I was like 26.
And I was chief of staff in theHouse of Representatives and
(21:08):
then Coleman runs for mayor.
He was on city council.
Mayor Coleman runs for mayorand creates a vacancy on city
council and everybody in thecommunity started coming to me
and saying you should run forthis seat.
You should run for this seat,so I go for the appointment.
I don't get it the first time.
The guy named Fred Rancieregets it.
But I knew that I hadinterviewed so well because
(21:29):
everyone was like you shouldhave got it.
He's much more experienced thanyou and he was.
He's a great leader, got goodfriends here, but anyway.
So he stepped down after aboutsix months because he had some
family issues.
But they all came to me andsaid well, you're the guy You're
getting an appointment.
(21:52):
And so here I was, 27, 28,getting appointed to Columbus
City Council, the city I grew upin.
And that's when I feel like Imade the choice of a career in
politics.
I thought, okay, jack was right, I guess I'll do this.
At the time I just wanted, likeeverybody else maybe, to raise
a family, live a respectfulChristian, good life and just
(22:14):
kind of be a good person, goodcitizen.
You know, and never did Iexpect to have the ability to
impact the quality of life forother people in this way in
public service.
So I don't know if there wasever a light bulb, but I
definitely there were momentswhere I knew I was in for the
long haul.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
Now you put that good old accounting degree to work
as well, you know, being a statetreasurer and working on wall
street and all that how has thathelped shape kind of what you
do now today?
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Well, you know, I ended up switching majors too.
So I was a county major, Then Iswitched to public political
science after, you know, and andthen in my master's is public
finance.
But I think it's definitelyshaped me.
I think there was always anatural sense of financial
acuity with me, and my mom andmy grandmother used to talk
(23:11):
about how, as a kid, I alwayshad money saved up, I always had
money, I always had resourcesto do, and they would be like
where did you get this moneyfrom?
What are you doing?
You know, my mom said I used toborrow money from you.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
You remember?
Speaker 1 (23:24):
like and I'd be like yeah, I remember you know, and
so I think there's an element ofnatural, a natural element to
it.
You were talking about a friendof mine, tom Gibson, I grew up
with and one of the storiesabout him is about me being
protecting him from a bully.
And there's another story I'llshare, but connected to it is
(23:48):
the issue that took me out ofBrookhaven and put me at East
High School, which was a fightthat I intervened with a guy
that was getting bullied and Iended up in a fight with the
bully and some other people andit turned into a big melee and I
got arrested and I got a chargeof gang fighting when I was 14
(24:13):
or 15.
But I'll never forget myteacher.
My teacher came down to advocatefor me in court during the
trial, during the trial process,and she said her name was Miss
Beck and she said he comes froma community that's really
(24:33):
challenged.
It was at brick haven and shesaid but he's gifted
mathematically and I was alwaysover there, like I am.
You know what are you talkingabout.
I remember her saying like heis gifted mathematically and
that I believe that if you givehim a chance, he's going to have
a role or a job in finance oran account or something number
(24:54):
oriented, and so it all doeskind of add up.
My mom, my grandmother said it,and then I just remember my
teacher, ms Beck, saying thatduring the situation where I had
dealt with the bully, Somethinghow the Bible says all things
work together for the good ofthose who love the Lord and are
called according to his purpose.
Speaker 3 (25:13):
Obviously, god had a purpose in all of that.
You know, and look at you nowyou know In your role as a
county commissioner you starteda program called RISE.
Can you share about thatparticular program some of the
others?
Speaker 1 (25:27):
Thanks, tim, many others Thanks, tim, you know.
So, yeah, rise is anorganization that we created
that exclusively focuses onideas to challenge and address
poverty and racism.
You know, when I first startedas a commissioner and I was the
first black commissioner inhistory of Franklin County in
2017, was elected in 2016,.
(25:49):
Elected, started in.
Elected In 2016,.
I was elected, it started in2017.
And immediately I wanted to getat the issue of disparities in
poverty around race.
You know, central Ohio has lessthan 30% minorities, but when
you look at the welfare rolesand you look at correctional
institution roles, all of thoseare disproportionate to Black
(26:10):
people and I wanted to find waysto really get at it.
My colleagues John O'Grady andMarilyn Brown at the time we
huddled up and we agreed thatpoverty and racism was going to
be at the core of our mission,and so we did this whole study
that outlined strategies to tryto create jobs, to address
education, housing,infrastructure, and at the end
(26:32):
of the convening, I said toeveryone yeah, but what's the
big idea?
We know we need better payingjobs, we know we need more
affordable housing, we know weneed better access to quality
health care, but what is theidea that's going to address
racism and poverty and thedisparities that exist with our
(26:53):
race.
And I said we need anorganization that essentially is
the think tank to take bigideas and try to pilot those and
see just what we can do If wethink outside the box, we think
big and really try to dosomething differently than what
we've been doing.
It is not simply of giving youfood stamps.
(27:14):
That's going to help change andsustain your life.
It's not simply about access toMedicaid.
It is about providing familiesand people with the trajectory
to do those things on their own,to be able to have a good
paying job on their own.
Things on their own to be ableto have a good paying job on
their own.
And so Rise is exclusivelycreated to try to take ideas,
(27:35):
germinate them into meaningfulways of addressing poverty and
racism, and one of those thatRise is doing, as an example, is
a program called Motherful,which basically is a stop gap
for single moms that run intoemergencies or situations.
(27:56):
You know, you're a single momwith three kids and the
transmission goes out.
What do you do?
That's $3,000.
Now, tim, I had a mom that cameto me.
She worked for Franklin Countyokay, she had two kids for
Franklin County.
Okay, she had two kids and I'veseen a good paying job working
for Franklin County and she saidI just got a promotion.
(28:18):
And she had tears in her eyes.
Speaker 3 (28:19):
She said I just got a promotion.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
And I said that's congratulations, start all the
way.
But she said no, I can't acceptit.
And I said well, why?
And she said because if I takeit it'll raise my income and
I'll lose the child care subsidythat I get.
And so I can't take that,because that's more meaningful
to me in my household to havechild care subsidy.
So I'm going to have to rejectthe promotion.
(28:42):
And so I went to our JFS people.
I said that just can't be, wecan't do that to her.
And they say yeah, that'sbasically the federal guidelines
require that.
But then they noticed something.
They were like wait a minute,she's pregnant with her third.
She was pregnant.
She had a belly that said shewas pregnant and she's pregnant.
They were like we're going tohave to knock her off.
(29:04):
She can take the promotion,we'll knock her off, but when
she has that third kid she'llrequalify for the benefits.
And so they knocked her off.
She took the money and knockedher off.
And then she had a third kidand it got back on and I said
that's absurd, that's absolutelyridiculous.
And so Rise is set up.
We created Motherful to helpmothers like that sort of get
(29:26):
over the hump.
Here she is gainfully employed,working hard, doing the best
she can, and she gets apromotion from it and can't take
it.
And so Rise is set up to reallyhelp solve those kinds of
problems so that that mother and, more importantly, the next
generation, those kids, they,have an even better chance to
rise above poverty and racismand all the things that tend to
(29:48):
set families back.
Speaker 3 (29:49):
Boy, you in here preaching, and that's so real.
Speaker 1 (29:53):
Yeah, it is, it is, it is.
Speaker 3 (29:54):
And I think that's why one of your colleagues,
jordan Miller, jordan said toTabe when he talked about how
important mentors are we talkabout mentors, but Jordan said
this we all need mentors, butyou need a sponsor, somebody at
the table, to say, like, for youyou had some sponsors say, hey,
give him a chance, give him achance, and that's what you're
doing now.
(30:15):
You're at the table, You're thatsponsor, you say this is wrong
and you're in a position whereyou can do something Absolutely
and not just conversation-wise,you know, can really really make
some things happen.
So I applaud you for that, forsure.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
And I'll just add too , I appreciate Jordan saying
that Jordan is my businesspartner.
And you know, when I firststarted writing the plan for the
bank, you know, I mean you knowyou say, hey, I'm starting a
bank, I'm going to write a bank,and most people give you that
laugh.
They're like, okay, nice wish,young man, have a nice day.
Okay, good luck with that.
You know, but Jordan was one ofthe first people I called.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
And.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
I said I wrote this little outline of a plan.
I know you've been in bankingfor you know 100 years.
Can you take a look at it?
And if I said, if I'mridiculous, I'm not going to, my
feelings aren't going to behurt or whatever, I just want
some feedback.
And he said, okay, sure, hecalls me back the next day, he's
like hey, I think you shouldcontinue to pursue that.
(31:09):
I think this is good, I thinkthis is actually going to work.
And so then I was like well,what are you up to these days,
George?
You know, like I heard youretired recently.
Yeah, I was like you want tojoin me?
And so he did, and so we'vebeen tied at the hip ever since,
that's a blessing.
Speaker 3 (31:29):
You know as we come around the corner.
This has been a great interview.
This is a legacy podcast.
What is the legacy ofCommissioner Kevin Boyce?
Speaker 1 (31:39):
Wow, I mean, I really have to think about that.
I've never given that anythought because, as you're going
through, trying to solveproblems and trying to build a
better life for people andtrying to be a good person,
those things I just don't thinkabout it.
But I've been to a couple offunerals lately.
(32:00):
Tim, that really touched me andmade me think about what do I
want people to say about me atmy funeral?
I was at the mayor of Houstonhis funeral on Saturday and he
was a good friend of mine, hewas a client of mine in the
investment banking world.
And then I've had relatives dieand others.
(32:22):
Bob Black just died the otherday and so many other people.
And people always say whenyou're born, we celebrate your
life and then when you die, wehonor your legacy.
But it's really the dash inbetween that defines us.
It's what you're doing everyday that matters most.
(32:44):
So I'm thinking out loud here.
I would say simply that mylegacy would have to be rooted
in the type of sons that I'veraised, because they will live
far beyond me, presumably.
Hopefully they live far beyondme and my expectation or my real
legacy would be that they aregood, productive, strong, strong
(33:07):
, smart, christianleadership-oriented people, men,
and I think I've seeded most ofthose things in them.
They will have to evolve anddevelop on their own now as
adults, and I'm not there aroundthem every day like I was as a
child for them.
(33:28):
I've only been able to seedthem with, I think, of the
things that we talk all the timevery close, but but as they
evolve and develop into the menthat they're going to be in life
to me, that's my legacy, youknow to to see them be good
people, to see them becompassionate and engage in the
community.
To see them.
(33:49):
You know my youngest son, who'sgraduating next month.
You know he wasn't a great highschool student and I was so
worried about him and now he'sgoing to graduate with college
with almost straight A's, youknow.
And every time I see him he'ssuch a strong young man who's
developed, got his mother theirmother is just an amazing woman
(34:12):
too, so I I credit her for it aswell.
But but my legacy would berooted in what, what happens
with them, and I think you knowwatching them and seeing them be
good people.
And it's not about theaccomplishments.
You know accomplishments aresubjective, you know it's it's
really about.
Are you a good person?
Do you pray before you eat?
(34:33):
Do you pray before you go tobed at night?
Do you talk to God, you know,on a regular basis.
Do you treat people nice?
Do you say hello to people?
Do you help somebody if you seethey need help?
You know, those are the thingsthat, to me, would be my
greatest legacy.
Speaker 3 (34:48):
Wow Well, commissioner Boyce, I want to
thank you for your time as wecome to close up today's episode
, and I want to thank you foryour commitment to service.
I hear that word, and when youlook up the word service, you're
going to see your picture onall the service you've done for
our community, and so weappreciate you for that.
As always, I want to thank ourlisteners for listening to Be A
(35:08):
Baller podcast, as always,continue to build a lifelong
legacy.
Thank you, commissioner Boyce,for being on the show.
Thanks for having me, my friend.
Speaker 2 (35:21):
If you've enjoyed this episode, please share it
with family and friends.
The Be A Baller Podcast isavailable on all major podcast
platforms.
This podcast was created byCoach Tim Brown and recorded and
edited by the video productionclass of Worthington Christian
High School.
Be sure to come back next weekas we continue to discuss on how
to build a lifelong legacy.
Until then, don't forget to bea baller.
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