About Jason

Jason believes every voice and every neighborhood should be represented and have a seat at the table of our future.

Meet Jason Critchlow

Jason Critchlow is a South Bend native going back generations.

He believes that every citizen should have a voice in the future of our city.

We will take our momentum to every neighborhood and continue to make SB attractive to entrepreneurs and business.

We will continue to improve safety and focus on education for the families of South Bend.

Jason believes every voice and every neighborhood should be represented and have a seat at the table of our future.

Jason is a South Bend native, Senior Project Manager in the field of clinical research, and former Chairman of the St. Joseph County Democratic Party. He and his wife, Olivia, are the proud parents of Max and Evelyn. Jason has been invested and active in his community from a young age. From the floors of the Bendix factory to public safety officials of South Bend, his family has deep roots in our community. Jason earned a reputation as a hard working coalition builder and problem solver from his track record of integral leadership in the community.

Early Life & Education

Jason was born in South Bend to his parents Michael and Rhonda Critchlow. Michael is a former union steelworker and retired South Bend Police officer, and Rhonda works in healthcare. His parents instilled in him the value of hard work and the importance of always giving back to your community.

A 2000 Washington High School graduate, Jason was the first in his family to attend college. He graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor’s Degree in General Math & Science and a minor in Sociology while working full time.

Jason and his wife, Olivia received their Master’s of Public Administration at Indiana University South Bend, while working full time. Their oldest child, Max, was born during their last semester.

Career

While earning his degrees, Jason worked in various full-time roles at the South Bend Medical Foundation and Memorial Hospital of South Bend (now Beacon Health System). Jason is currently a Senior Project Manager for the Sarah Cannon Research Institute where he is responsible for the administration and leadership of a multi-disciplinary global project team.

In September 2013, at the age of 31, Jason was unanimously elected as St. Joseph County Democratic Party Chairman and was re-elected without opposition in 2017. The role of Party Chair is a volunteer unpaid position.

As Chairman, Jason worked to empower and elevate good people to do great things. He worked with elected officials and community leaders to help drive progress towards a dynamic future for the community in which we all live and love.

Jason has built his reputation through hard work, consensus-building, and fair practices. He has supported the development of grassroots leaders, powerful infrastructure that can win elections, and advocacy support to ensure policies that help working families across St. Joseph’s County.

The party has recruited more candidates, helped foster diversity in leadership positions, elected more Democrats and deepened its relationship with communities across the County. In announcing his candidacy for Mayor, Jason resigned as Chairman.

Personal Life

Jason and Olivia married in 2008 at St. Hedwig Catholic Church in South Bend. They are currently parishioners of St. Joseph Church in South Bend.

Olivia was raised by her father, a United States Postal Worker, and was salutatorian of her senior class. She was awarded the Lilly Endowment Scholarship and attended St. Mary’s College, completing a Bachelor’s of Psychology degree in 2005. After graduation, she completed a full term of service with Americorp and later became the Assistant Director for the Office of Civic and Social Engagement at Saint Mary’s College. She is currently the Executive Director for the nonprofit Leadership South Bend/Mishawaka, a nonprofit dedicated to developing engaged servant leaders in the community.

Jason and Olivia have two children, Max and Evelyn. Max is a second-grader in the South Bend Schools Corporation while Evelyn attends pre-school.

Jason has dedicated many hours throughout his life volunteering for local organizations such as Make a Difference Michiana, the American Cancer Society, the NICRC Patient Advocacy Group and the Westside Memorial Day Parade Committee. Jason also volunteers as a coach for his son’s soccer team.