Kevin Watts

Kevin Watts spent his early years in Crooksville, Ohio. There, he grew up in the shadow of Appalachia. His ancestors farmed the land and mined for coal in Perry and Meigs County, and the women were the backbone of family life.

Watts served in the U.S. Air Force during Vietnam. He retired from the Lancaster Division of Fire with the rank of captain in 2001 after a twenty-four-year career as a firefighter and medic. He also served six years as President of the Ohio Professional Fire Fighters Union and as a labor negotiator and arbitrator, lobbyist, and board member of many nonprofits as well as the Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund. He has been a life-long political activist, serving as campaign manager for many national, statewide and local campaigns. He did undergraduate work at The Ohio State University and earned his B.S. in history from Antioch College.

He has been happily married for forty-eight years to his wife, Andrea. They have two children and seven grandchildren. They currently split their time living in both in Amado, Arizona, and Pickerington, Ohio while traveling the US in their RV.