By Kelly Limpert
From Compass
To kick off the launch of ohiowomen, an extension of the Women in Philanthropy program, Arts & Sciences alumni and women from all over Central Ohio gathered with students, alumnae, faculty and friends to celebrate all of Ohio University’s alumnae at the historic Worthington Inn in Worthington, OH, on March 30.
Anne Marsico, BA ’05 History, ohiowomen advisory committee member, speaks during the ohiowomen kickoff. Standing on the shoulders of Women in Philanthropy, ohiowomen aims to engage and support women of the OHIO community. Photo courtesy of: ACM
After a successful decade of connecting female graduates, WIP decided to take their organization in a new direction and further embrace networking, program building and OHIO engagement.
Spirits were high as over 200 women from the area gathered together to inspire each other, network and reconnect with OHIO.
Sheila McHale, a 1968 Sociology graduate from the College of Arts & Sciences and member of the ohiowomen advisory committee, has seen what a lasting, energizing effect this sort organization has on OHIO alumnae.
“I’m inspired by the inter-generational impact of OHIO women,” said McHale. “It’s myself. My daughter. My granddaughter. It’s the impact that we have made and are going to make on women through time.”
This is a different kind of alumni network—it is something to get excited about because, like McHale explains, OHIO alumnae “have come a long way, baby!”
“OU to me was a family-oriented university. When I got the invitation (to this event), I saw an opportunity to maintain that family connection and meet more OHIO women,” said Traci “TJ” Johnson, who earned her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the College of Arts & Sciences at OHIO in 1987. “We should be supporting each other. This is a way to do that.”
Attendees included a wide range of ages, from Bobcats who graduated in the ’60s all the way to current students.
Rachel Neise is the current President of the College of Business’s OHIO Women in Business student organization. The ohiowomen event was about exactly what her organization focuses on – making connections.
“This is such an interesting, overarching project encompassing all OHIO women,” Neise said. “I knew that there would be awesome women here at this event, so I thought “why not?”
As alumna and ohiowomen advisory committee member Patty Pae said, “Let’s unite. Unite and do what comes naturally do us: be friends, be sisters and be colleagues.”
For more information on ohiowomen, visit www.ohio.edu/advancement/wip/ or contact Anne Brown at browna@ohio.edu or 740-593-4556.
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