Judge Renee M. DiSalvo

Bio

Renee M. DiSalvo was born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio. As a child, she attended St. Dominic’s grade school and was a graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School. She is the 4th of 5 girls born to Anthony and Mary DiSalvo. Like most families from Youngstown, Renee’s parents instilled in her a strong belief in God and His core values, a strong work ethic, the importance of a good education, and a love of family. Renee has one son, Dante LaCivita, who is now married to Meghan LaCivita. She has four grandchildren, Gianna, Zane and the twins, Rocco and Asher, all who reside in Springfield, MO.

After the end of a tumultuous marriage, Renee, then a single mother, struggled financially and had to apply for government assistance. However, Renee worked hard to improve her life and the life of her son and eventually worked her way off of government assistance. She enrolled at Youngstown State University as a part time student and worked several part time jobs, one being at local law office. She eventually graduated Summa Cum Laude.

While employed at the Law Office of DeSanto and DeSanto, Renee’s passion for justice began to develop and she soon viewed the law profession as a way to be a catalyst for change and hope for individuals. With that, Renee decided to pursue a law degree. She worked diligently at YSU. She published an article in a scholarly journal dealing with the global environment, made the dean’s list, and received several scholarships. In June of 1993, Renee graduated Summa Cum Laude with her Bachelor Degree.

Renee enrolled at the University of Akron’s School of Law while working full time at the Mahoning County Bar Association. After completing her law degree, Renee was sworn into practice in May of 1997. Once again, Renee demonstrated a will to achieve and showed that with God’s grace, hard work, and dedication, all things are possible. Renee’s legal experience spans over 20 years and encompassed employment in her own private practice, Nationwide Insurance Trial Division, Betras, Kopp and Harshman law firm, the City of Youngstown Prosecutor’s Office, Mahoning County Common Pleas mediation department, as well as teaching Ohio Peace Officer Training courses and Criminal Justice Courses at YSU and Kent Universities.

Upon the retirement of Judge Elizabeth Kobly of the Youngstown Municipal Court and after successfully interviewing with two separate and diverse committees, Renee was recommended to Governor Kasich to fulfill the judge’s unexpired term. Renee was sworn in on November 5, 2018 and immediately took the bench. Since then, she has enlarged and improved upon the Suspended License Intervention Program and grew the participants from 2 to 32. She has also completed the work for the Court’s first human trafficking court, aptly named GRACE (Growth Restored through Acceptance, Change and Empowerment), with a start date of February 27, 2019 as well as a Mental Health Court. She has additional plans in progress to benefit the Court and the citizens of Youngstown. She is honored to work alongside presiding Judge Carla Baldwin in improving the Youngstown Municipal Court and is excited and humbled to serve.

Renee is married to Michael D. Ramun, owner of Exodus Industrial LLC, which has been housed in Youngstown since its inception. She has served on various boards including OCCHA (Organization of Hispanic Americans), Juvenile Drug Court Team, Angels of Easter Seals, Mahoning County Bar Association Lawyer Assistance Committee and the Youngstown Air Force Reserve Community Council Board. Currently, she serves as Executive Director for the “Meet Me At The Cross” organization, which promotes community unity, and also serves on The Bair Foundation Executive Board, an organization who finds homes for children who are high risk and most vulnerable.

Renee’s passion for the law, belief in fairness, equality, and equal access, as well as commitment to the community and desire to effectuate change, has motivated her throughout her career. She does her best to always choose the way of integrity and honor and enjoys a good reputation and healthy relationships throughout the local community, as well as with the Bench and the Bar.