Early career Acton taught at
Ohio State University as an associate
professor of practice in the area of public health. She worked at the
Columbus Foundation as a grants manager, and was director of Project LOVE (Love Our kids, Vaccinate Early).
Director of the Ohio Department of Health In February 2019, Ohio governor
Mike DeWine made her his final cabinet pick as director of the Department of Health. The search process was lengthy, as DeWine had been determined to have the right person in charge in a crisis. The two previous incumbents were a lawyer and a marketing director; DeWine mentioned wanting to "rethink how we approach this department". In 2020, prior to and during the
COVID-19 pandemic, Acton advised Governor Mike DeWine, who became the first U.S. governor to close schools and limit gatherings to no more than 100 people. Acton soon after estimated that Ohio's then 5 confirmed cases likely translated to 100,000 actual cases, making national news. In mid-March, she predicted cases could peak in late April to mid-May. On March 12, Acton said of the pandemic, "This will be the thing this generation remembers."
Ohio House Minority Leader
Emilia Sykes called her "the real MVP of Ohio's coronavirus response." It was later determined that the election would be conducted entirely by mail-in
absentee ballot for those who had not participated in
early voting. In April 2020,
CNN called her "the Buckeye state's version of the straight-talking Dr.
Anthony Fauci". The state appealed the decision, but Acton had signed an order permitting gyms to reopen in the interim, and a court of appeals later dismissed the case as moot. The gym reopening was part of an effort announced by Governor DeWine's administration on May 14, 2020, to reopen various economic venues with the implementation of safety protocols, including
physical distancing, whenever possible, and use of face masks. At the time of the gym reopening, it was known but many would not accept that people with COVID-19 are contagious even before they develop symptoms. Beginning in May 2020, protesters began showing up at Acton's home in Columbus and at press conferences. Acton was assigned a security detail. On May 20, 2020, the Ohio Senate unanimously voted against a proposal advanced by state House Republicans (and approved by the House on a nearly
party-line vote) that would have limited the power of DeWine and Acton by restricting Ohio Department of Health orders to 14 days and requiring any extensions to be approved by a state joint legislative committee.
Resignation from the Ohio Department of Health After Republican state legislators and then-Speaker of the House
Larry Householder introduced bills that she believed would violate her
Hippocratic Oath, she resigned from her position on June 11, 2020, and became a chief health advisor for DeWine's administration. Acton has stated that her resignation had nothing to do with protestors or the controversy surrounding her and Governor DeWine's stay-at-home orders. She was succeeded by Lance Himes as interim director.
Later career and gubernatorial campaign Due to her work during her time as the Director of the Ohio Department of Health, she received a
Profile in Courage Award from Caroline Kennedy and Jack Schlossberg.
The New York Times called her "The Leader We Wish We All Had". After her resignation, she resumed working for the Columbus Foundation. On February 4, 2021, Acton stepped down from her position in the Columbus Foundation as she considered a
run for the Senate in 2022 to succeed
Rob Portman. However, Acton chose not to run in April 2021 while thanking Ohioans for an "outpouring of support". In 2022, Acton was named as president and chief executive officer of RAPID 5, a nonprofit organization that is attempting to improve access to parks in
Franklin County, part of the greater Columbus area. She left this position in May 2023. In the summer of 2024, Acton attended the
Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where she first expressed interest in running for Ohio Governor. On January 7, 2025, she announced her candidacy for the
2026 Ohio gubernatorial election, filing paperwork earlier the same day. She is running as a Democrat. By the end of 2025, Amy Acton had raised over 5.3 million dollars for her gubernatorial campaign. It was reported that she also raised around three million dollars in cash. Acton's fundraiser efforts kept increasing in the second half of the year. In January 2026, Acton picked
David Pepper to be lieutenant governor in the Ohio governor's election. In February of 2026, Acton addressed the affordability of everyday life, specifically in healthcare. Acton also said that it is "the rising cost of health care that is really putting people over the edge," citing a reported 20% decline in Marketplace enrollment in Ohio. ==Awards and honors==