Alumna spreads Bobcat pride through OHIO Alumni Association service
Shara Glickman, BSJ ’98, visits College Green more than 20 years after first passing under its famed Alumni Gateway.
When Shara Glickman first visited OHIO’s campus, she immediately felt at home.
“The minute that my family and I drove up on campus for our tour, and we saw Peden and we saw the rolling hills, I just knew I wanted to be there,” Glickman, BSJ ’98, said. “I wanted my college experience to be in Athens.”
As she developed her successful career in public relations, the Massachusetts native never lost her passion for OHIO. Today, she channels that Bobcat pride through her service on the OHIO Alumni Association board.
“Our biggest responsibility is being an ambassador for Ohio University in the city you live in,” Glickman said. “I don’t live in Ohio, so I feel that it’s that much more important to remind people and educate people on all the opportunities at OHIO that they might not know about because the visibility might not be as high here.”
Glickman currently resides in Washington, D.C., where she works for public relations firm Weber Shandwick. Before joining the Association board, she first got involved in OHIO’s Nation’s Capital Chapter.
“When I moved to D.C., the first thing I did was look for the local alumni chapter,” she said. “I got involved with them right away. I started going to meetings, started meeting people – it was great moving to a new city to already have a whole group of friends you share common interests with.”
Glickman eventually served as president of the Nation’s Capital Chapter, working to promote the University in the D.C. area. The chapter hosts a variety of events, some of which are for prospective students to meet alumni, and others that encourage alumni to form friendships with one another.
After her term ended, Glickman was elected to the Association board in July 2016. Part of her responsibilities include working with OHIO’s Student Alumni Board to connect and share advice with current students who are studying within her field of expertise.
“Shara helped me understand some steps I could take to reach a career,” said Hannah Graber, a sophomore studying communications and a member of Student Alumni Board. “She told me about her experiences and some things I could do here at school to prepare me for the workforce.”
Glickman also takes pride in showcasing OHIO’s success to fellow alumni, who may be working across the country and rarely make the trip to Athens. She said the annual Alumni Awards, which are presented at Homecoming, help accomplish this goal.
“We have people nominate alumni for our alumni awards, so we pull those together and we review and ultimately hand out awards to our alumni at Homecoming,” she said. “We are showcasing alumni around the world who are doing fantastic things.”
Ultimately, Glickman said she simply enjoys spreading the word about OHIO.
“I have a lot of pride for my school, and to be able to be part of a group whose job it is to help connect the other alumni around the country is very important to me,” she said. “Especially as someone who did not grow up in Ohio, I love being an ambassador. I find that very fulfilling.”