Mike Duffey was appointed the 11th Chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) in January 2024. In this role, he oversees Ohio’s two-year and four-year colleges, universities and Ohio Technical Centers, providing policy guidance to the Governor and General Assembly while implementing state higher education policy.

Prior to becoming Chancellor, Duffey served ODHE for five years as Senior Vice Chancellor, leading key policy initiatives, including transcript release, student debt relief, FAFSA completion, short-term credentials, Ohio’s College Comeback initiative and support for innovation and technology commercialization.

Before joining ODHE, he served eight years in the Ohio House of Representatives, where he chaired the Higher Education and Workforce Committee, vice-chaired the Joint Committee on College Affordability, and co-chaired the Ohio Tuition Trust Authority. As a legislator, he played a key role in giving the Chancellor authority to review special fees and enabling the state auditor to conduct performance audits of public colleges. He also sponsored the legislation that created JobsOhio.

Duffey has held leadership roles beyond ODHE, serving as the Governor’s designee on the Midwestern Higher Education Compact and chairing the State Committee on Computer Science. From 2019 to 2021, he also served as Deputy Director of InnovateOhio, an initiative supporting innovation and entrepreneurship.

In addition to his education policy work, Duffey played a pivotal role in the legal efforts that saved the Columbus Crew soccer franchise, earning him the Spirit of Columbus award from The Columbus Foundation.

Chancellor Duffey holds an MBA from Ohio State University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Michigan.