THE WALTER Issue 3

“A Year Unlike Any Other”

WALTER

The Robert D. Walter Center for Strategic Leadership Team

Executive Staff

Student Staff

Ross Ferraro Kayley Walker

Spencer Haught

Natalie Sova

Nick Capretta

Josie Madden Jack Gallagher

Anna Rausch

Rachel Israel Alexis Lowe

Tim Reynolds Amy Toth Tammy Reynolds Amy Taylor-Bianco Kimberly Jordan

Andrew Pueschel David Boss John Nobles

Shawnee Meek Marco Habermann

Letter from the Director

As my ninth year directing the Walter Center at my alma mater comes to a close, I have never been so eager to see Fall in Athens.

Strange has been the last ffteen months, spending many days alone in the 401 Suite on the fourth foor in Copeland Hall, or at home on a Microsoft Teams session teaching live virtual sessions, or just walking up from Baker Center and seeing no one and maybe not even a car on Court Street. However, that scenario is changing rapidly. Like the grass and oak trees of southeastern Ohio becoming green again, Ohio University, the College of Business, the Walter Center and the Bobcat Nation have begun a renewal toward a new normal.

In the midst of chaos and crisis, I repeatedly read articles or listened to podcasts encouraging us to actively engage in journaling about what we were most grateful for during this time of challenge. So, here is my attempt to put this advice into practice.

Over this past year, I am sincerely grateful for:

Bob Walter, who shared his amazing leadership journey that began Cardinal Health Corporation with Select Leaders. We are humbled to have Mr. Walter’s name on the center and strive to represent excellence in all that we do.

Dean Hugh Sherman, who has stayed steadfast as a true example of strategic leadership, courage and total dedication to Ohio University throughout.

Keith Wandell,

,

,

,

,

Positive Foundry, and so many other special alumni executives and partner organizations who gave time and talent to our special programs. This list of names is endless as record numbers of executive engagements were conducted in 2020-21.

Tony Marino and Michael

who took us deep into becoming Inclusive Leaders through Korn Ferry’s special assessment and development process.

Eric Peterson

Bill Byham

Tom Ferguson

Greg Moran

Vantage Leadership Consulting,

Hyter

Laura and Bryan Buck, Tim Holt, Jeff and Deb Cogan, and the Muck Family who donated executive time and treasure that has provided a record donation for sponsorship of experiential feld opportunities and student scholarships.

Kory Anderson, Ryan O’Connor, Jay Lockard and Jess Storm Steele who have worked tirelessly to connect us to exceptional alumni and foster strong relationships.

Alumni and special friends who gave so much to programs conducted by the Walter Center to ensure the past year would not be defned by the crisis, but the leadership choices made during it.

Luisa Vilela and Andre’ Fauri who have stayed ever so positive about the future of our Brazilian Executive Education programs no matter the signifcant situation they are facing in Brazil. Their spirit has inspired me on our many Zoom sessions.

Rachel Israel, who has taught me so much about technology and sharing goodness to others. As a teaching assistant for my freshmen classes, she has been my example for how to deeply care about others.

Audrey Bull, our president of Select Leaders, whose will power to never give up while transforming her leadership capacity inspired all members.

Ross Ferraro, Nick Capretta, Natalie Sova, Josie Madden and Jack Gallagher, the student team who has worked endless hours from interesting locations to ensure the Walter Center is open and staffed no matter the situation.

Jill Nice, Mike Snavely, Derrick Bolin and Michael DePerro who always found a way to deliver any and every virtual program through innovative technologies and experience management that the Walter Center needed. They are “All In.” This team truly made us look better than we are!

Andrew Pueschel, Amy Taylor-Bianco, David Boss, John Nobles, Marco Habermann, Kim Jordan and Shawnee Meek, the faculty team who anchor all that we do in the Walter Center.

They have given their fnest hour through teaching, leading major events, starting new programs, conducting and publishing research and simply “being there” for the betterment of each other and all Bobcats.

Amy Toth, who has been developing her innovative instructional technologies skill for a day in the future. That day came, and she was ready! Words can’t express my full gratitude for the miracles Amy performed building virtual simulations, creating interactive courseware, producing Hollywood quality videos, building virtual international conferences and migrating our best teaching to virtual online. And, she never stopped caring about everyone in our team.

Tammy Reynolds, co-director of Select Leaders, Walter Center faculty member, and my wife, who has endured about every minute with me over the last ffteen months. She is ready for me to be back full-time in Copeland Hall. I am so blessed to have such a life partner, and I am forever grateful for her.

Dear friends, I am grateful for you. Thank you for reading The Walter. We began this publication Spring of 2019 to share the contributions of the Robert D. Walter Center for Strategic Leadership toward of our mission of developing next generation leaders. In 2020-21, the contributions were many and the real impact will be seen for years to come.

Forever Bobcat,

Tim L. Reynolds

Students search for ‘missing Bobcat’ in virtual team-building experience

The center helps enhance the virtual learning capabilities of students.

By: The Post

Last seen on College Green, Rufus the Bobcat goes missing prior to a rivalry game weekend versus Miami University. It is up to students to rescue Rufus from his kidnapper, Swoop the Redhawk, in time for the big game. In a series of tricks, riddles and puzzles, students travel across the Ohio University Athens campus in a virtual escape room simulation.

An escape room is a popular adventure game in which teams of players collaborate to fnd clues and unlock the room to leave before time runs out. Escape rooms, in demand since 2012, have been a way for family, friends or parties to work together and increase interpersonal communication.

But during the pandemic, adapting to the online

world is part of the new norm. That prompted educators in the Ohio University College of Business to use innovative thinking to create a virtual escape room game—focused on the famous OHIO mascot—for students.

As Tammy Reynolds planned the virtual curriculum for her Select Leader Development Program class in the Robert D. Walter Center for Strategic Leadership, she sought a way for students to collaborate and use team-building skills.

That’s where Amy Toth came into play.

Toth, assistant director of program operations and planning for the College of Business, has a master’s degree in instructional design. She works on

Professor Tammy Reynolds’ Lost at Sea Virtual Escape Room

virtual escape rooms as learning exercises to help participants complete puzzles, fnd clues and work together. When paired with particular courses, the game helps reinforce curriculum information.

The Walter Center for Leadership Development hosts certifcate programs for groups of Select Leaders and Emerging Leaders. In a typical semester, the center would put on team-building exercises for students to collaborate and get to know each other. However, with online instruction, an interactive event could not take place in-person.

Toth decided to collaborate with Reynolds and utilize her online design skills to create a virtual escape room for leadership students to take part in.

Reynolds wanted her students to have a fun teambuilding experience not tied to any particular lesson, that also allowed participants to chat and compete while playing.

“These are times that we have to be super creative when teaching remotely,” said Reynolds.

Toth then came up with the idea to simulate aspects of the Ohio University Athens campus into the escape room. The game included locations such as the Ridges and Baker Center, and ended in Copeland Hall. The premise of the game was to rescue Rufus the Bobcat mascot.

The game is called The Missing Bobcat Digital Escape Room. It can be accessed here:

Ross Ferraro, a junior studying management information systems and business analytics, has assisted Toth test other virtual escape rooms. Ferraro is a member of the Select Leaders, so this time around he was able to participate with the rest of his class.

After Toth developed the game and performed a series of beta testing, the game was ready for students to play.

“These are times that we have to be super creative when teaching remotely,”

- Tammy Reynolds

The Missing Bobcat Digital Escape Room Comes to Life

“The game was about fguring out interactive riddles and puzzles, and we were clicking on various objects to see if they had any meaning to them or putting together a virtual jigsaw puzzle. It was very interactive. Not only did we collaborate with the people on our team and interact with the escape room itself, we were competing against some of the other teams to see who would complete it frst,” Ferraro said.

Students had to work together and solve each puzzle to advance to the next level. The game encourages different strengths and skillsets that allow students to collaborate. Students also utilized Microsoft Teams to chat while playing. It took about 45 minutes to one hour to complete.

“The virtual escape room allowed the junior members of the Select Leaders program to work as a team in an engaging and animated way. It’s difcult to create virtual team-building experiences and as a closeknit group; we’ve struggled with not having our normal in-person interaction,” said Delaney Allen, a junior in the Select Leaders program. “The members who attended the event were excited to spend time with one another and do an activity that was both fun yet challenging.”

Exercises like Toth’s virtual escape room allow for connection during a time that students are not actively interacting in person. Toth’s creativity gave students in the program a positive and collaborative experience.

“We have to be concerned not just about teaching content, but the wellbeing of our students and community. And doing activities like this address collaboration and fun. We need to do more things that address the needs of so many of us who are social beings,” said Reynolds.

Reynolds plans to introduce the game to each of her incoming sophomore classes of Select Leaders.

“We need to do more things that address the needs of so many of us who are social beings”

Your Team Decides to Start the Search in The Ridges. Let’s Start Looking for Clues!

GRID Lab, leadership class promote technological collaboration through simulation

Management 2590: Strategic Leadership Onboarding is working with the GRID Lab to learn about leadership & apply critical thinking skill.

By: The Post

Kimberly Jordan just decided to ask a question. Jordan had seen the Ohio University Gaming Research and Immersive Design (GRID) Lab in action before, knowing that one of the aspects of the lab creates and works with simulations. Being an assistant professor of instruction in the management department, she wondered if there was a way to collaborate with the GRID Lab.

“It’s just been in my head to ask,” Jordan said. “So I asked somebody who I know, ‘Do they do leadership simulations or have they ever thought about it?’ And they said, ‘Contact John Bowditch.’”

Jordan reached out to Bowditch, director of the GRID lab; from there, a collaboration was born.

“I am helping to coordinate resources to make this project possible,” Bowditch said in an email. “As the Director of the GRID Lab, I am making sure that the students that work on this project have access to the hardware, software, and other tools needed to complete this project.”

Jordan’s Management 2590 course called Strategic Leadership Onboarding is working with the GRID Lab to learn about leadership and apply critical thinking skills within the course. The collaboration

course is being offered Spring Semester 2021. The goal of the class is for students to close the gap between where they are today and where they want to be in the future.

“The biggest opportunity is working with a new tool, Forio, to deliver interaction experiences,” Bowditch said in an email. “We see this as another way of telling stories, or a ‘storytelling engine,’ and any opportunities for students to apply storytelling techniques is valued.”

The use of game technologies to make business classes more interactive and immersive was a natural next step, as the GRID Lab has partnered with the School of Business to hold the Business of Games Summit for the past three years.

For the Onboarding class specifcally, students in the MFA in communication media arts program learn how to use digital art in order to educate and work with clients. These MFA students will be the ones making the experience in the game for the Onboarding class. They are writing the Onboarding class’s script, designing the characters, doing the audio and video and more.

Jordan, Bowditch and Williams are all excited about the collaboration opportunity as it will not only beneft students, but highlight the importance of collaboration among different departments throughout OU.

Though it’s offered as a part of the Strategic Leadership Certifcate through the College of Business and the Robert D. Walter Center for Strategic Leadership, anyone can take the course.

“You get the advantage of helping to create and build a product,” Jordan said. “You get the advantage of working on something, in a way, outside of your class, to work with the creators. There’s a lot of beneft for students, both the MFA and management students.”

When Jordan reached out to Bowditch and Eric Williams, a professor in the McClure School of Emerging Communication Technologies, she brought research and $1,000 in funding from her faculty learning community to do a project.

“She had some examples that other universities have done and she said ‘I’m sick of going to them for our educational needs, can we create something like this?’” Williams said. “And our answer was, ‘Yeah, of course.’”

“One of the cool things is, projects like this really offer an example of how a university collaboration should work,” Williams said. “What we’re really proud of at the GRID Lab and the McClure school is that these technologies work across topic areas, and what we’re trying to do is create a model for collaboration. Hopefully, people will see this as a really good example for professors and students, undergraduate and grad students to all collaborate together and make something that makes OU proud.”

“We see this as another way of telling stories, or a ‘storytelling engine,’ and any opportunities for students to apply storytelling techniques is valued.”

- John Bowditch

Hopefully, people will see this as a really good example for professors and students, undergraduate and grad students to all collaborate together and make something that makes OU proud.”

- Eric Williams

Throughout her whole life, Dolly Alm has dreamed of working for NASA and helping facilitate future human life in space. She wants to help by working with the wellbeing, motivation and team dynamics of NASA staff. Now, her dream is within reach.

But it hasn’t come easy.

Dolly Alm achieves her dreams, works with NASA

She won’t stop until she achieves her dreams.

By: The Post

Alm had her frst son when she was in high school. He was about 3 years old when she started her frst year of college to become a nurse. Her grandmother helped her attend classes and raise a child. But after she passed away, Alm was left to be a full-time caregiver — while also taking classes and working full-time.

“You know that saying, ‘Once you take a break, you’re most likely not going to go back?’” Alm said. “I do fall into that scenario — because life happened.”

Now 39, Alm is a junior working toward a degree in organizational behavior, a major she designed through specialized studies. She studies psychology within an organization, or human behavior in the workplace, and wants to enter into grad school for industrial and organizational psychology. However, her dream remains the same: to work for NASA. It wasn’t until she took the strategic leadership onboarding class with Kimberly Jordan

In the course, Jordan created a project where students experience strategy by creating one for themselves and their professional development. In the project, students were asked to look at an industry and identify what their dream job would be and where they are now in terms of getting there.

Jordan’s job is to fgure out how to close the gap between where her students are today and where they need to be to fulfll their dreams.“Dolly has a big dream,” Jordan said. “She was willing to engage with that dream. She is a slightly non-traditional student — slightly older, so I think she comes back to school with a real passion for ‘How can I make this happen?’”

After speaking with Alm about her specifc desired work for NASA, Jordan encouraged her to shake out the Bobcat tree and see if she could fnd some connections in the industry. What they found in their search for closing the gap was the L’SPACE program.

The NASA L’SPACE program is a free, online, interactive program open to undergraduate STEM students interested in pursuing a career with NASA. There are two academies: Mission Concept Academy and the NASA Proposal Writing and Evaluation Experience Academy.

Alm is participating in the 12-week Proposal Writing and Evaluation Experience Academy. Students get partnered in a team and work together to write a proposal for technology that NASA currently needs. At the end of the program, the winning proposal and team receive $10,000 to proceed with the concept.

Though receiving admittance into this program doesn’t guarantee an internship, Alm says it’s an important tool to have on her resume when NASA reviews her internship application in the future.

“What I hope to get out of this is a skill set because I’ve never participated in proposal writing, which will be necessary for me to receive grants in the future for research that I’m doing and working with NASA,” Alm said. “And it’s just interesting, the amount of creativity and thoughts and how the team works together to visualize these ideas and work together to make that happen. It’s actually a phenomenal experience.”

James Richards, Alm’s oldest son, is proud to

watch his mom achieve her dreams, and is happy that she didn’t give up.

“Honestly, my mom’s always proven to me that she can do whatever she puts her mind to,” Richards said. “So it’s still amazing that she goes out there and does all she does, but she’s always proven to me that if she wants to do it, she can do it.”

Jordan is not only proud to watch one of her students succeed, but also knows Alm’s story is symbolic for many other people.

“For every student on this campus, there’s a part of Dolly in them,” Jordan said. “Some students could use a little more help in bringing out that part of themselves that really does dream big and wants to have somebody help them and have a process to connect their big dream to making it happen. I hope that people read her story and see it also as an opportunity for themselves.”

As for Alm, she’s just excited to be taking tangible steps to achieve her ambition.

“Being 39 and trying to do this now, I’m so focused on me,” Alm said. “Because I think it’s time. I put everybody before me and now It’s just my time, and it’s coming together so nicely, and it’s just really exciting.”

Dolly Alm stands at Ohio University Lancaster Campus in Lancaster, Ohio, on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. Alm, part of a team in the NASA L’SPACE program, is currently working on a proposal for technology that NASA currently needs.

The Select Leaders Development Program held its Alumni Day on April 9th.

The current students were joined virtually by over 40 program alumni and friends for a day of connection, conversation, and celebration.

Alumnus Tom Ferguson, SVP International Retail Operations of Starbucks, was the keynote speaker for the event. Ferguson spoke about his career working in international markets and adopting an ownership mentality.

Ferguson grew up in a small town of under ten thousand people, and he spoke about how he learned to take pride in his upbringing and how it shaped part of his identity. It’s essential to adopt an ownership mentality for “taking action on key opportunities to create success in your life.” He now uses the lessons that he learned in his community to give back to other communities. “You need to move yourself from the “me” way of thinking to concerns for the bigger picture to create more resources to take care of others.”

Select Leaders Alumni Day

Senior Select Leader, Olivia Stokes, said “Coming from a small town myself, it was really moving to hear how he boasted about being from a small town and taking pride in that town that you come from. It defnitely gave me perspective and a new way of thinking.”

Following the keynote speech, students and alumni were given the opportunity to have intimate conversations in Zoom breakout rooms. Students enjoyed exchanging stories and hearing advice from alumni from different graduation years ranging from 1990s graduates to 2020 grads.

Vice

at

&

Current Select Leaders were joined virtually by 40+ alumni.

By: Natalie Sova

“It’s essential to adopt an ownership mentality for taking action on key opportunities to create success in your life.”

- Tom Ferguson

Tom Ferguson

Senior

President

Starbucks

OHIO University Alumnus

The program also recognized alumni that have impacted the program, ranging from providing curriculum to trip funding to scholarships.

Individuals recognized during the event were:

• Laura and Bryan Buck

• Tony Marino

• Tim Holt

• Jeff Cogan

The following scholarships were awarded:

• Jeff and Deborah Leadership Award

Recipients:

• Macie Adams

• Simar Kalkat

• Hailey Stinchcomb

• Natalie Sova

• William J. Farnbauch and G.J. Beachler Corporate Leadership Fund

• Recipient: Macie Adams

• The Frank A. and Beverly J. Zammataro Business Fellow Scholarship

• Recipient: Lauren Bailey

• Clarence and Kathleen Bryan Scholarship

• Recipient: Rachel Israel

Freshman and new SL member Taylor Reigle noted that the event was eye-opening, and hearing from the alumni made her think, “that could be me one day.” Our program would not be the same without the alumni that serve as referent others to current members, share advice and learnings, and inspire members to achieve more.

If you are a Select Leaders alumnus and want to give back to current members within the program, reach out to program directors Tim and Tammy Reynolds.

Overview

Select Leaders is one of the College of Business’ competitive programs for students who want to differentiate themselves, students who are hungry to embark on a journey of self-discovery, coaching and experiences, and students who are ready to develop into future leaders with integrity and the highest ethical standards.

Contact

The Select Leadership Development Program accelerates personal growth, professional development, and leadership identity of high-potential students using principle-based leadership practices. To learn more, contact leadership at ohiouselectleaders@gmail.com or visit the College of Business’ Robert D. Walter Center for Strategic Leadership in Copeland 401.

Olivia Madden

Status: Senior

Major(s): Management and Strategic Leadership & Business Analytics

Certifcate: Human Resource Management

Involvement:

- President - Society for Human Resource Management

- Digital Marketing Lead - HR Certifcate Program

- Member - OHIO Women in Business

Experience:

- Personal Assistant - S4NetQuest

- Talent Acquisition Intern - ScottsMiracle-Gro

- Organizational Development Intern - ScottsMiracle-Gro

What’s Next: Master of Human Resource Management - Ohio State University | Columbus, Ohio

“The Walter Center has been the source of my involvement here at Ohio University & contributed greatly to my overall professional development. I am grateful to the programs and organizations within the center that have helped to solidify my career path, connect me to a strong professional network, and equip me with the education and skills needed to thrive going forward.”

Nick Capretta

Status: Senior

Major(s): Management Information Systems & Business Analytics

Involvement:

- Member - Alpha Kappa Psi

- Member - Emerging Leaders

- Member - Schey Sales Centre

Experience:

- Intern - Infoverity

- MIS Teaching Assistant

- Freelance Digital Media Consultant - NCM.Creative

What’s Next: Consultant - Infoverity | Columbus, Ohio

“Emerging Leaders challenged me to get out of my comfort zone to improve my public speaking, leadership, and communication skills. Having had this experience along with the positive and encouraging environment fostered by Dr. Pueschel and Professor Meek has proven to be instrumental in my professional development and overall college experience.”

Bella Miller

Status: Senior

Major: Management and Strategic Leadership

Certifcate(s): Global Leadership, Human Resources Management & Sustainability theme

Involvement:

- Founder and Former President - Ohio University Yoga Club

- Co-Chair of Recruitment - Consulting Fellows & Select Leaders

- Vice President of Member Engagement - Select Leaders

- Student Ambassador - College of Business

Experience:

- Founder and CEO - Peak Yoga Consulting, LLC

What’s Next: Rotation Analyst - IGS Energy | Columbus, Ohio

“Select has been such a unique experience and the program I owe the most of growth to! Being able to be in a room to discuss ideas and practices with incredibly smart and passionate people teaches you so much about who you want to be and what you can bring to the table. Because of Select, I have been able to defne & practice living my values, while bringing my most authentic self & skills to a business setting. Select has been an ultimate example of how love enriches the workplace and is an underrated and under prioritized aspect of business. At the end of the day, we are all humans, and we are in the business of working together to create a positive impact on the world. This is what Select has allowed me to see.”

Visit Us

Coming to Athens for Homecoming or dropping your kids off at school? Let us know when you are on campus, and we can identify opportunities for you to meet faculty members, speak to current leadership students, or otherwise engage with the Walter Center.

Give Back to The Walter Center

The Walter Center is growing every day. We can not run many of these programs without the generosity of our alumni. No matter the reason for giving, we want you to be able to contribute the initiatives that mean the most to you.

Host Students in your City

Every year our Select & Emerging Leader groups visit cities across the country to network with alumni and businesses in the area. We are always looking for alumni to host us at their organization so students can learn about new industries and business.

Other Ways to Connect

Share a Job Opportunity

Is there an opening on your team or within you department? Share a job opportunity with us so we can send more Bobcats your way! We actively promote business job opportunities from our alumni to our students and faculty.

Share Your Leadership Story

We want to hear about your leadership successes! Let us know how your engagement with the Walter Center prepared you for your current leadership position.

Stay Connected

Hear about the Walter Center’s growth, networking trips, other alumni, and events by following our social media channels.

Update Your Info

Keep us informed on your current location and contact information so we can include you in the Walter Center news.

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