Judge Renee M. DiSalvo

Bio

The Honorable Renee M. DiSalvo is a lifelong resident of the Mahoning Valley. Judge DiSalvo graduated Summa Cum Laude from YSU and then obtained her Juris Doctorate at Akron University School of Law, while working and raising a child on her own. She has over 22 years of experience as a trial attorney, working for firms, and owning her private practice. Judge DiSalvo held the positions of Common Pleas Mediator and Assistant Prosecutor in the City of Youngstown and Adjunct Instructor at both Youngstown and Kent State Universities.

Judge DiSalvo was appointed to the bench in November 2018 and won the 2019 election to serve the term beginning January 1, 2020. Upon taking the bench, she enlarged and improved upon the Suspended License Intervention Program (SLIP Court) and developed a community outreach “The Steering Clear Clinic”, which assists individuals in obtaining valid driver’s license; connecting them with area agencies to help with sealing of criminal records; obtaining training, schooling and employment; as well as other needed assistance.

Judge DiSalvo has developed this area’s first Ohio Supreme Court Specialized Docket for Victims of Human Trafficking, aptly named GRACE (Growth Restored through Acceptance, Change, and Empowerment). She has been recognized as one of the area’s leading advocates against human trafficking and is often asked to speak and participate in trainings on human trafficking. She has begun a Mental Health Program in her court, where those who have a mental health disorder and have been charged with a misdemeanor can receive treatment.

Currently, Judge DiSalvo serves on the Executive Board of The Bair Foundation, an organization that finds foster homes for the most at risk and vulnerable children. She further serves on the Board of Junior Achievement of Eastern Ohio. Judge DiSalvo is a member of the American Judges Association, Association of Municipal and County Court Judges, and Ohio State and Mahoning County Bar Associations. She serves on the Traffic Law and Procedure, Innovative Specialty Courts, as well as on the Public Confidence and Community Outreach committees of the Ohio Judicial Conference. Other memberships include the Access to Justice and Lawyers Assistance committees of the Mahoning County Bar Association; the Martin Luther King Criminal Justice Task Force, a community sponsored organization; and Greater Youngstown League of Woman Voters.

Judge DiSalvo has been the recipient of several awards and acknowledgments, while on the bench, including: Americans for Prosperity Community Achievement Award for Criminal Justice (2022), Woodrow Wilson Hall of Fame Inductee (2021), Athena Award Nominee (2020), YSU Women on the Move Award (2020), Rotary Foundation Paul Harris Fellow Award (2020).

Judge DiSalvo is married to Michael Ramun and they have a blended family of 2 sons, 2 daughter-in-laws, and 6 grandchildren.