About 15 Ohio University employees attended yesterday’s open forum to evaluate one of the two finalists for the position of director of government relations.
Eric Burchard, an OU alumnus who began working at the university in 2008 as the director of corporate and foundation relations, spoke and fielded questions about his qualifications and plans for the position.
After serving as the interim director of government relations since January, Burchard said OU has a “good story to tell,” focusing on how the university can promote a positive image when speaking with elected officials in Columbus and Washington, D.C.
“It’s no secret that these are very challenging times for higher education in Ohio … we need to be a funding priority,” Burchard said.
“I want to deliver a quality message and get our team involved … we can convince our elected officials that we are a worthy investment.”
Improving positive communication with the local, state and national government comes with the territory, said Jerry Miller, associate director for undergraduate studies and member of the search committee.
“Anyone put in this position, we want to be our advocate,” Miller said. “So that’s the expectation.”
With 10 years of federal lobbying experience and 18 years of work on Capital Square in Columbus, Burchard said he would take advantage of the talent available here in Athens.
“We’ve got the experts. We’ve got the people. I just need to connect them with the right experts in Columbus and D.C.,” Burchard said.
Despite only being able to review one of the two finalists thus far, Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies Jennifer Horner said she was impressed by Burchard’s background.
“I think he has excellent background experience, and his presentation was well prepared,” Horner said. “He is an excellent communicator.”
The second of the two forums will be held for finalist Jane Harf today at 3 p.m. in Baker University Center room 231. Harf is the director of the University Clean Energy Alliance of Ohio.
The new director of government relations will replace Teri Geiger, who left OU in December.
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