Ohio University Chillicothe Celebrates Outstanding Women

As part of Women’s History Month, Ohio University Chillicothe Ohio University Chillicothe The larger Chillicothe community at the Annual Special Women’s Program on Tuesday, March 29, 2023 at the Stevenson Center Fireside Lounge.

The program honored the winners of the Women of Distinction Award and the winners of the Visionary Women Student Writing Contest, and featured a “Woman Book” featuring business owners in downtown Chillicothe, Jade Berry, Chelsea Bruening, Meg Garber, and Courtney Lewis. Build Chillicothe Panel” was featured. Adrienne D’Souza, Enrichment Coordinator for the Chillicothe & Ross County Public Libraries, moderated the panel.

Roberta MillikenDean of Campus and Community Relations, welcomed community members, Chillicothe, Ohio faculty, staff, and students to celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of women in the community.

“This is one of my favorite annual events,” Milliken said. “When we bring women together and ask them to talk about their lives, something wonderful always happens. What motivates them and what wisdom they want to share. This panel is a perfect example of that.” The discussion was exciting, smart and important.”

Berry is a Chillicothe business owner, author, speaker, and avid community member. Berry participates in several city committees that affect the health and growth of Chillicothe. She was named her 2022 Young Professional of the Year by the Chileco Silos Chamber of Commerce. In 2020, she launched Life Ready, a free career development program for local youth and youth.

Lewis is the former owner of Totem Supply Co., a shop that has been making Chillicothe proud for over nine years.After graduation Ohio University After earning a bachelor’s degree in graphic design, she moved to Cleveland and worked in web design and general marketing for several years.After returning to Chillicothe in 2009, she has been involved in many things. She has revitalized downtown with her shops, co-founded the Mighty Children’s Museum, served on city council, and now she is the director of the Chillicothe & Ross County Public Library.

Gerber is the owner of Paper City Coffee and The Page, and co-founder of The Paper City Mentoring Project. After she taught English in high school for six years, she learned that Ross County lacked resources for teenagers, so she left the scene and turned her students into adult mentors. We helped bridge that gap by connecting. She is passionate about providing an inclusive and inclusive space for all and supporting her team.

“I started researching and noticed specifically for underserved young people: if you can connect with one adult mentor, it can change the trajectory of their direction and rewrite their lives.” It’s one of the biggest factors they can do: their family story, perhaps a generational cycle that their parents couldn’t break,” says Gerber, who funded Paper City Mentoring Projects and Projects. I explained why I decided to open a coffee shop.

Bruning, a pharmacist and owner of Wheatberry Books, has no business experience of her own, so when she decided to open a bookstore, she turned to local women entrepreneurs like Lewis, Gerber and Berry for advice.

“These women are the scaffolding for us to learn and build on,” she said. Having a network of like-minded women is very reassuring.”

Associate Professor Karen Corcoran joined a group of students to present the Women of Distinction Award to Associate Professor Deb Nickles.

Nickles teaches an undergraduate English writing course She received her PhD from the Ohio University Chillicothe and lectured in the Department of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies at the Athens campus.she is also the director of Ohio Chillicothe Writing Centerwhere she facilitates tutoring across the curriculum and develops writing workshops.A recipient of the Regional Higher Education Faculty of Excellence in Teaching Award and the Outstanding English Arts and Arts Educator Award, Nickles serves on campus through her commission work. and is active in many professional organizations.

“We have nominated Deb for this award because of our mission,” Corcoran said. “Our mission here and our passion for most of us here is centered around serving our students. I show every day that I want to be a part of their journey so that I can be their version.”

Junior Social Work Major Kristen Cox read a poem about her mother that won the Visionary Woman Writing Contest and helped present Deb Nickles with the Woman of Distinction award.