Alumnus dedicates time and wisdom to OHIO’s Career & Leadership Development Center
David and Catherine Levy believe volunteer work is a rewarding experience and share their time and professional experience through various forms of service. Photo courtesy of David Levy.
Since the fall of 2017, David Levy, BS ’78, has become intimately familiar with the 73-mile stretch of US-33 that connects Columbus to Ohio University’s Athens Campus.
The mathematics graduate makes the trip every three weeks to volunteer at OHIO’s Career & Leadership Development Center (CLDC), where he helps students by conducting mock interviews and critiquing resumes and cover letters.
“I don’t think of it as a volunteer activity. I think of it as I have an opportunity to help,” he said. “It’s a cliché, but it’s so true that you get every bit as much out of it as you put into it.”
Levy spent most of his career working in information technology for the American Chemical Society, leading its software engineering departments in building systems to support researchers. Now partially retired, he shares his years of experience with students to help ease their transition from the classroom to the professional world.
“Dave has been an asset to the Career & Leadership Development Center. He provides drop-in career coaching and mock interviews, and as part of this process is able to help students in their career development progression,” CLDC Assistant Dean Imants Jaunarajs said. “He comes with a wealth of experience and provides a unique insight as a leader, alumnus and industry expert.”
David Levy, BS ’78, is a regular volunteer at the Career & Leadership Development Center at OHIO and serves as a trustee of The Ohio University Foundation. Photo by Maddie Hordinski.
The CLDC was established in fall 2012 as a first-of-its-kind center. It provides a plethora of career tools to both students and alumni, including interview coaching, leadership courses and résumé reviews. Throughout the year, the center hosts several career fairs that give Bobcats the opportunity to network with hundreds of employers. Most importantly, it engages businesses in its processes to ensure students’ post-graduation success.
“I’ve seen really talented students and motivated students, and it makes it that much more fun. It makes it a lot more rewarding,” Levy said. “I can’t believe that every one of the students isn’t making a regular stop.”
Levy also gives back to the University as a trustee of The Ohio University Foundation. Since 2016, he has worked with the foundation to handle University grants and funding and help with the process of selecting new board members.
His wife, Catherine, an alumna of The Ohio State University, has dedicated her life to service, too. Having worked for several nonprofit organizations, she has publicly spoken about her experiences and will deliver a lecture at the Celebrate Women conference at Ohio University Lancaster on March 23.
“Volunteering always stretches you to do something uncomfortable,” she said. “To meet people you’ve never met before, go places you’ve never been before and go to weak economic areas you’ve never been before.”
In addition to giving their time and talent to OHIO, David and Catherine Levy also established the David P. Levy and Catherine A. Levy Scholarship in 2012 to support undergraduate students enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences.
“We just feel that there’s so many people that have helped us and we’re lucky to be at this stage of life where we are lucky to pay it forward and pay it back,” Catherine Levy said.