Our Staff

Keary McCarthy is the Executive Director of the Ohio Mayors Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of mayors in Ohio’s 30 largest cities. Since its founding in 2016, he has led this organization by supporting mayors, highlighting the importance of cities, and encouraging greater collaboration between state and local leaders. 

Over the last ten years, McCarthy has helped to grow the Ohio Mayors Alliance from an idea to an influential, bipartisan voice for Ohio’s largest communities. In addition to advocating for cities, the organization fosters best-practice sharing and supports innovative local policy solutions. It also promotes the importance of bipartisanship and the positive statewide economic impacts of Ohio’s cities. 

McCarthy brings over two decades of experience in government, public policy, and strategy. He has served in senior leadership roles in both the Ohio Governor’s office and office of the Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives. Earlier in his career, McCarthy led a policy and advocacy non-profit in Ohio. He has also worked on numerous statewide ballot and candidate campaigns. 

McCarthy lives in Columbus and serves on several non-profit boards. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Wittenberg University and a Master of Science in Urban Studies from Cleveland State University, Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs. 

Tristina Schilling serves as the Ohio Mayor’s Alliance’s Operations & Events Manager. In this capacity, Tristina helps support the organization’s day-to-day operations and its membership. Tristina has worked in local, county, and state level government across Ohio. She also brings over 15 years of political and community organizing experience, where she’s developed a niche in coalition building and community affairs. Prior to joining the Ohio Mayors Alliance, Tristina served in the Ohio House of Representatives as a legislative aide, where she demonstrated great success in bringing legislators and staff together to pass bipartisan legislation. Tristina is a proud graduate of Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in International Politics and her Master’s degree in Public Administration. Tristina lives in New Albany with her husband, two step children, their golden doodle and tuxedo cat.