[3] Before Jones-Kelley began her work with Children Services, she served as an Assistant Legal Director for Montgomery County Juvenile Court.
[6] She is now (Feb 2018) serving as the executive director of Montgomery County Alcohol Drug Addiction Mental Health Services-ADAMHS [7] Jones-Kelley, a Democrat, was selected to run the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, by Governor-elect Ted Strickland, at the end of 2006.
[10] In March 2008, Jones-Kelley commented, "News that the unemployment rate declined slightly must be tempered by the fact that total employment decreased in both goods-producing and service-providing industries.
At the start of the investigation, Ohio State Rep. William Batchelder, R-Medina, called for Jones-Kelley to explain her agency's actions in reviewing individuals who have been the subject of news stories.
[16]According to The Columbus Dispatch on November 14, 2008,[17] "In response to a public-records request, the state agency said yesterday that it had no records involving previous checks of the type that Director Helen Jones-Kelley authorized on 'Joe the Plumber.'"
[18] On November 20, 2008, Inspector General Charles reported that the reasons that Helen Jones-Kelley provided for the checks on Wurzelbacher "were not credible and they included contradictions, ambiguity, and inconsistencies".
[24] On January 6, 2009, Governor Ted Strickland signed House Bill 648, creating civil and criminal penalties for violations of rules concerning access to personal information on state databases.
"[4] Two members of Jones-Kelley's staff, who had both been suspended after being implicated in the ODJFS computer records search, also left their positions due to resignation and removal.
[30] On March 5, 2009, in a U.S. District Court in Columbus, Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit charging that Jones-Kelley (along with employees Fred Williams and Doug Thompson) improperly searched "confidential state databases" in an attempt to retaliate against Joe Wurzelbacher's criticism of then-presidential candidate Barack Obama.
"[34] On May 7, 2009, the Associated Press reported that Jones-Kelly, "denies that she authorized state searches about the man known as 'Joe the Plumber' after he questioned Barack Obama on the 2008 campaign trail".
[35] On November 15, 2009, the Associated Press reported that Jones-Kelley, along with two other "former state employees", were sued by Wurzelbacher for "illegally accessed his personal information leading up to last fall's presidential election".