Judi French was appointed to serve as Director of the Ohio Department of Insurance on February 8, 2021 by Governor Mike DeWine. French serves as a member of Governor DeWine’s cabinet and is responsible for the overall leadership and direction of the department. 

Prior to becoming Director, French served as a justice of the Ohio Supreme Court and was the tenth woman to serve in that role in Ohio’s history. During her eight years on the court, Justice French participated in thousands of decisions and authored more than 100 opinions. In addition, she successfully pursued reforms to improve Ohio’s judiciary and justice system, and was appointed by the U.S. Chief Justice to serve on the Federal Appellate Rules Committee.

For nearly three decades, Director French has served the people of Ohio. Before becoming a justice, she served the state as an appellate judge, chief legal counsel to the governor, an assistant attorney general, and a state government lawyer. As an attorney representing the State of Ohio, she made two arguments before the United States Supreme Court. 

Prior to joining the public sector, French worked as an attorney with the Columbus law firm of Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur, specializing in environmental law. She also served as in-house counsel for a large manufacturing company.

Director French received three degrees from The Ohio State University: a B.A. in political science, an M.A. in history (with a concentration in military history and strategic studies), and a J.D., with honors. She is a member of the Moritz College of Law National Council, and in 2018 was awarded the college's Distinguished Jurist Award for her work on the bench.

French currently resides in Grandview Heights, near Columbus, with her husband. They have two children and two grandchildren.