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Moon and Bassitt earn trips to Outdoor Worlds in Hungary
Katie Moon is used to winning championships, and another one came to fruition on Sunday (July 9) night in Eugene, Oregon. Moon, the former Ashland University track and field NCAA Division II All-American who is the top-rated outdoor women's pole vaulter in the world, won the 2023 USATF Outdoor Championships title in the event on Sunday night with a new season-best and world-leading showing of 4.90 meters/16-feet-0¾. This comes after Moon won…
Ashland University grad Valerie Zeno named principal for a rural Ohio school district
Growing up in the suburbs of Cleveland, Valerie Zeno wanted a college experience different than the one she had at Normandy High School in Parma. “When I visited AU, I saw an Amish buggy driving down the road and fell in love with the charm of Ashland,” Zeno said. “On my campus visit, everyone was welcoming and friendly, and it immediately felt like home.” That “small-town” experience has played a big part in Zeno’s career, including accepting her most…
Lessons learned from AU lead Beres to job as Clinton County Port Authority director
A constant of human history, no matter the technological and moral advances, is that a decision in the real world is never made where you have all the information you need. This insight has been incredibly helpful to Alex Beres, a 2006 Ashland University graduate. “A great lesson from some of the courses I had at Ashland was that never was there a leader who acted with perfect knowledge,” Beres said. “I try not to approach any subject matter or decision to…
MBA graduate recognized in the Marquis Who’s Who
After several colleagues suggested she consider it, and carefully weighing the pros and cons, Shari Thomas enrolled in Ashland University’s MBA program. “I decided to enroll in the MBA program specifically because of the program’s flexibility and support of a work/life balance,” said Thomas who completed the program in 2002. “As a mother of two young children and working full time, I intentionally chose to attend one course, each semester, for four…
MAHG grad named first site manager of Colorado historical site
Unlike many students who have gone through Ashland University’s Master of Arts in American History and Government program (MAHG), Chris Mather isn’t a social studies teacher. Mather works for the National Park Service (NPS). “While the MAHG program is generally focused toward secondary school social studies teachers, I believe this program can be a benefit to anyone who is involved with government functions, acts as a steward to our public resources or has a…
AU graduate courses help longtime educator have a varied career, including his new director of administrative services job
Even though Geoff Halsey said he’s about five years away from retirement, the longtime educator plans to earn a doctorate degree before he retires. That’s because he said he loves learning and being in school settings. Some of the best of the many graduate courses the 52-year-old said he has taken throughout his education career were through Ashland University, where he earned his building principal license, as well as a master’s equivalency in educational…
Ashland University art education graduate Mindy Duncan earns award at Mansfield Senior
Mindy Duncan has never forgotten how much Ashland University helped her career as an art teacher. “It helped immensely,” said Duncan, who has been teaching art for 29 years at Mansfield Senior High School. “I feel the close relationships with the very caring and excellent staff at AU helped foster my artistic and educational pursuits. Even after I graduated, there was continued support from art professors and colleagues.” Duncan was recognized recently for…
Ashland University graduate Bryan Wittman looks back on his incredible career with Disney
You’ve probably heard of Disney rides Pirates of the Caribbean, It’s a Small World and Space Mountain. How about the Bryan Wittman Disney ride? “It was a hell of ride,” said Wittman, an Ashland University alum who worked with Disney for 29 years, starting in its promotions department and retiring as the corporate vice president of global marketing events. He was responsible for the creative development, production and marketing of major grand openings,…
Ashland University grad Beery returns to area to teach theatre with experience in New York
While she enjoyed her time in New York, 1997 Ashland University graduate Maria Beery is happy to be back in the area teaching theatre classes at the Richland Academy of the Arts. “The building may be different and many of the faces are new, but RAA still has the same unmistakable creative energy that it had 25 years ago when I first started there,” said Beery, who first taught classes, workshops and summer programs part time for RAA while she was a student at…
Opera career taking off for Chanáe Curtis, an Ashland University music graduate
What started in Ohio and Ashland University as a love of music for Chanáe Curtis has blossomed into a successful opera career that has taken her not only across the U.S. but overseas. Curtis, who earned a Bachelor of Music from AU in 2012, recently finished performing “Falstaff” in San Jose and is now in London with the English National Opera for Jeanine Tesori’s “Blue.” “It is a privilege to be on any stage in front of a live audience doing what I love to…
