ODPS BMV Registrar

Mike Rankin

Registrar, Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles

On January 10, 2011, Mike Rankin began work as the leader and Registrar of the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, a position he previously held for more than two years under former Ohio Governor Ted Strickland.

Prior to returning to the BMV, Mike served as the Assistant Secretary of State for former Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. In that position, Mike helped lead and direct the work of the office that oversees elections in Ohio and handles various business registrations, among other things.

Mike has 31 years of experience as a practicing attorney and community leader along with a lifelong dedication to helping others. He is a graduate of The Ohio State University and the University of Toledo School of Law, where he worked his way through, first as a jail counselor and then as a judicial law clerk.

Mike has served the public in a variety of capacities including: Assistant Lucas County Prosecutor; Special Prosecutor for the city of Columbus; and as a 12-year member and former chairman of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission. He helped lead Ohio's busiest court system, the Franklin County Municipal Court, as chief deputy for Clerk of Court Lori M. Tyack, and set up three in-house legal departments during his tenure. Mike is also a police academy graduate, police academy instructor, CLE presenter and community college instructor in criminal justice, real estate and business law.

Mike is a member of the Columbus Rotary and has served on the national board of directors for the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. He is a co-founder of Ohio's first formal child protection group, the Mid-Ohio Amber Alert, and has served on the Governor's State Amber Alert Board and Steering Committee since 2003.

Mike is married and is the father of two adult children.