Ron Washington was elected to the Covington Board of Commissioners in 2020 and re-elected in 2022.
Ron came to Covington as a newborn to live with his foster mother, Anna Washington. He was adopted by Ms. Washington about five years later and grew up in the Washington family’s 1860s two-story Italianate house on West Sixth Street in Covington’s Old Town/Mutter Gottes neighborhood.
Ron is a proud product of Covington Independent Public Schools. He attended from kindergarten through 12th grade, graduating from Holmes High School in 1986. He maintains a close relationship with Covington schools and regularly volunteers his time to help students. He is the “voice” of the Lady Bulldogs basketball program, announcing all of the team’s home games.
Ron is a retired law enforcement officer who served in Northern Kentucky. He was the first African-American officer to serve in Florence. He is a graduate of the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training Police Academy in Richmond, Ky., and the FBI National Academy at Quantico, Va. He was the Chief Deputy in the Kenton County Sheriff’s office for five years. Although he’s now retired from law enforcement, Ron’s rank of “colonel” still makes him the highest-ranking black police officer to ever work in Northern Kentucky. He remains an active member of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #20.
After retiring from police work, Ron became a pioneer in the fight against heroin and other opiate addiction. He founded one of the largest medication-assisted treatment centers in Kentucky. The center has helped thousands of people into recovery by reducing or eliminating their dependence on heroin and other drugs.
Ron is also a life-long community volunteer. He was a Parish Kitchen board member for several years and serves on several boards and committees for the City of Covington and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.