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Rita McNeil Danish, Esq.
Board Member

  • Email:ncl@ncl.org
  • Hometown:Columbus, OH

Rita McNeil Danish is a savvy problem solver, strategist and advocate with real world experience in the public and private sectors.

Based in Columbus, McNeil Danish has more than 30 years of professional legal experience there and in Cincinnati, Dayton, and Chicago. She has been involved in a range of industries and business sectors, including service as a Commissioner on the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, as City Attorney for the cities of Cincinnati and Dayton, as a Franklin County Judge, legal counsel in the Ohio governor’s office and the Ohio Department of Commerce. McNeil Danish was appointed Judge by Governor Kasich, and most recently was Partner and DEI Strategic Business Partner at Taft Law, where she provides counsel to municipalities and small, minority, and women owned businesses. Across her many roles, McNeil Danish has been dedicated to building bridges across party, racial, and gender lines, fostering open cultures, dismantling prejudices, and empowering individuals.

Rita graduated cum laude with a Bachelors of Business Administration from Howard University. She received her Juris Doctorate from The Ohio State University College of Law.

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Mayor Malik D. EvansChairMayor of Rochester, NY Mayor G.T. BynumVice ChairMayor of Tulsa, OK Heather A. JohnstonTreasurerCity Coordinator, City of Minneapolis, MN Anthony SantiagoSecretaryPrincipal, Outside N Strategies Ray BarayBoard MemberChief of Staff, ICMA Hon. Mary Ann BorgesonBoard MemberNACo Immediate Past President; Commissioner, Douglas County, NE T.C. BroadnaxBoard MemberCity Manager, City of Dallas Diana Romero CampbellBoard MemberCouncil Member, Denver District 4 Adam CarlisleBoard MemberVice President of Labor Relations, Southwest Airlines Carolyn ColemanBoard MemberExecutive Director and CEO, League of California Cities Maia ComeauBoard MemberPresident Comeau & Company Todd ConnorBoard MemberCEO, Veterans for Political Innovation Mayor John DaileyBoard MemberMayor John Dailey, City of Tallahassee, FL Johnny DuPreeBoard MemberFormer Mayor, Hattiesburg, MS Ayeola FortuneBoard MemberInterim Senior Vice President, Impact Team, United Way Worldwide Dr. Joshua FranzelBoard MemberSenior Executive and Director of Research & Data Analysis at National League of Cities Mayor Patti GarrettBoard Member (Former Chair)Mayor of Decatur, Georgia Valerie LemmieBoard Member (Former Chair)Director of Exploratory Research, Kettering Foundation Rita McNeil Danish, Esq.Board MemberCEO, Signal Ohio Angela MontezBoard MemberSenior Vice President, Chief Legal, Corporate & Government Affairs Officer, MissionSquare Retirement Onyeka ObiochaBoard MemberExecutive Director, CTNext Tony PeytonBoard MemberExecutive Vice President & Chief of Staff, National Center for Families Learning Angela RomansBoard MemberFounding Executive Director, Innovation For Equity Monte RoulierBoard MemberPresident & Co-Founder Community Initiatives Inc. Mayor Vince WilliamsBoard MemberMayor of Union City, GA Wendy WillisBoard MemberExecutive Director, Deliberative Democracy Consortium

Who We Are

  • Main Phone:
    303-571-4343

  • General Email:
    ncl@ncl.org

  • Main Address:
    190 E. 9th Ave. Suite 440
    Denver, CO 80203

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