Representative Ontario J. Tillman

Born and raised in Bessemer, Alabama, I graduated from Jess Lanier High School in 1996 before pursuing higher education at Alabama A&M University, where I earned a bachelor’s degree in Special Education (2001) and a Master’s Degree in Collaborative Teaching (2004). In 2012, I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Miles Law School with a Juris Doctorate.

With a deep commitment to my hometown, I returned to Bessemer to teach Special Education at West Hills Elementary and Bessemer City High School, where I also served as Head Boys' Varsity Basketball Coach. My passion for justice and advocacy led me to open my own law practice in Bessemer, which later expanded into a partnership with Maxwell Tillman Law Firm. Over the past 12 years, I have practiced law at the municipal, state, and federal levels and served as General Legal Counsel for the Bessemer City Schools Board of Education. I currently teach as a law professor at Miles Law School.

In 2022, I was honored to be elected to the Alabama House of Representatives, representing District 56 (Jefferson County). I proudly serve on the Judiciary, Financial Services, Fiscal Responsibility, and Judicial Building Authority Committees.

Beyond my professional responsibilities, I am a dedicated husband, father, and a member of Liberty Faith Christian Church. I also serve as State Legal Counsel for Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., and am an active member of the Alabama A&M Alumni Chapter in Birmingham.