Betty Montgomery ’70 receives BGSU Distinguished Alumnus Award

Betty Montgomery ’70

Betty D. Montgomery, newly elected auditor of the state of Ohio and the first woman to hold that office, has been chosen to receive the Distinguished Alumnus Award by the Bowling Green State University Alumni Association.

The Distinguished Alumnus Award is the highest honor bestowed by the University’s Alumni Association and recognizes BGSU graduates for professional achievements in their chosen fields. Previous winners of the award include journalist John Durniak, actors Tim Conway and Eva Marie Saint, and retired Toledo Public School Superintendent Crystal Ellis.

A 1970 graduate of Bowling Green, Montgomery earned a law degree at the University of Toledo in 1976. She has since embarked on a distinguished career in public service that is marked by a number of firsts.

She began her law career as a criminal clerk in the Lucas County Common Pleas Court, then served as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Wood County and as Perrysburg City Prosecutor. She was elected in 1980 as Wood County’s first female prosecutor, serving in that capacity from 1981-88.

In November of 1988, voters in State Senate District 2 chose the Wood County Republican to represent them in Columbus. As a state senator from 1989-94, Montgomery served as chair of the criminal justice subcommittee and vice chair of both the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Ohio Criminal Sentencing Commission. Her work included drafting Ohio’s first living will law, its first brownfield legislation and its Victims’ Rights Law.

Montgomery’s success in the state Senate was followed by success in her first run for statewide office. She was sworn in as Ohio’s first female attorney general in January of 1995. While in office, she increased state support for local law enforcement, upgraded the state crime labs, and emphasized protection of the young, the old and victims of crime.

Her work did not go unnoticed. She received four national awards for innovations in a background check program used by law enforcement; the national 2002 American Bar Association Pro Bono Publico Award for her office’s outstanding pro bono service program; and the annual Consumer Agency Achievement Award from the National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators, which recognized her office’s Consumer Protection Section as the best in the nation.

Now in the first weeks of her first term as state auditor, Montgomery serves as the watchdog of public funds in Ohio. She continues to be a role a model for women and a strong supporter of BGSU. In addition to returning to speak on campus periodically over the years, she has supported arts activities at BGSU and scholarships for women students who are returning to college.