English Alum Named Director of External Relations at Zanesville Campus

English alum Jarod Anderson ’10M joined Ohio University’s Zanesville Campus as Director of External Relations in June.

Jarod Anderson

Anderson comes to Ohio University from the Columbus State Community College Foundation where he served as Operations Manager. In his role at Columbus State, Anderson managed several annual fundraising campaigns, worked to implement a comprehensive rebranding of the Foundation, administered more than 200 scholarship funds, and worked to secure numerous grants, major gifts, and substantive partnerships with local business and industry. Prior to his work at Columbus State, Anderson served as the data and prospect research coordinator at the Franklin Park Conservatory. Born and raised in Newark, OH, Anderson began his professional career working as an agent and project manager for the Anderson Layman Co., a commercial real estate development firm.

Anderson’s lifelong love of language and literature prompted him to return to school. A first-generation, non-traditional student, Anderson completed much of his B.A. in English at the Newark regional campus of Ohio State University, gaining a profound understanding of the importance of regional campuses and their transformative impact on a community. He worked to take full advantage of the one-on-one attention provided by the regional campus environment and was soon publishing articles, presenting at conferences, and working as a peer writing tutor. After graduating from OSU with research distinction in English, Anderson earned an M.A. in literature from Ohio University and continued to teach freshman and junior composition classes in Athens while his then fiancée and now wife Leslie Anderson finished her M.A. in creative writing and poetry at Ohio University.

Anderson’s hobbies include writing science fiction, fantasy, and horror, studying Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, drawing comic books, and camping. He recently co-wrote a book of science fiction writing prompts with Leslie that was published late last year by Sterling Publishing, a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble. Leslie Anderson works as a marketing specialist for Cleverley + Associates in Worthington, OH. Jarod and Leslie live in Westerville, OH, with two rescued mutts and an ever-expanding collection of books.