Henry Guzmán, Director of Public Services for the City of Columbus.

Whenever Mayor Mike Coleman is out of town, Columbus has a Latino mayor. That person is Henry Guzmán, Director of Public Services for the City of Columbus. Guzmán has traveled a long path to get to where he is now. His family, education, hard work and compassion have helped him become the leader that he is today.

Henry Guzmán came to Ohio at the age of five from Puerto Rico, as his father moved to Youngstown to work in the steel mills. Guzmán still remembers the struggles he faced as a monolingual Spanish-speaking child. “My father, my first role model, took me to school every day. There were no bilingual teachers in those days so I would leave school out of frustration because, I did not understand the teachers and they did not understand me. My father would wait for me at home and take me back to school,” Guzmán said. He credits his father’s gentle perseverance with keeping him in school and teaching him the importance of an education and to value his native culture and language while learning English.

“It is important that those of us who have reached a certain level of education and status within the community don’t forget where we came from, because there are still people struggling. I challenge folks who have made it, like me, to reach out, extend a hand and open doors for others to follow.”

After graduating from high school and serving a tour of duty in Vietnam, where he received the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star for Valor, Guzmán began a local organization in Youngstown that addressed Hispanic-American culture. He remembers how an unplanned event impacted the direction of his professional career, as then Ohio Governor Richard Celeste saw him speak on issues in Youngstown and asked him to become a part of his administration. After State Government he served two different Mayors in Cleveland as Director of Public Service, Director of Public Safety, and Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity. After working in the City of Cleveland, Guzmán came to Columbus three years ago and now serves as the Director of the Department of Public Service.

His department is responsible for providing essential basic services to Columbus residents, including trash collection, snow removal, roadway construction and pothole patching. Though these services are indispensable to all residents, Director Guzmán keeps in mind the multiple responsibilities that his department employees have, including their families. “You must treat all people with respect and remember that we all have families. Family is first. The job is second. If you can’t take care of your family, you can’t do your job. My staff knows they can come to me about anything,” said Guzmán. Guzmán and his wife Nydia have four children and nine grandchildren.

When asked about what does being a Latino mean to him, Director Guzmán responded by saying, “It is important for those of us who have reached a certain level of education and status within the community to not forget where we came from, because there are still people struggling. I challenge folks who have made it, like me, to reach out and extend a hand and help open doors for others to follow.” Guzmán also highlights the value of education and the importance of voting in the United States, so that the Latin@ population can have representatives and advocates in areas where people make decisions that affect everyone.

Henry Guzman’s message to the Ohio State Latin@ community is, “Take the educational opportunity that you have at Ohio State and your talents as a person to reach out to others. Don’t wait until someone comes to you and says that they need you. Reach out to them.”