COLUMBUS — Though Sen. George Voinovich might be the most successful Bobcat to enter public service, many alumni are still a powerful influence in the day-to-day operations of Ohio’s government.
More than 100 of those Ohio University graduates gathered Wednesday at the Columbus Athletic Club for the 29th annual OU State Government Alumni Luncheon.
Voinovich, a long-time public servant and 1958 OU alumnus, gave the keynote address at the luncheon. He reminisced on his time and leadership roles at OU, including being president of East Green Council his sophomore year and general student body president his junior year.
After graduation, he went on to serve as the mayor of Cleveland, as the governor of Ohio and as a United States senator.
“I’d like to say to all of you who have stayed in the vineyard of public service in past years: You have met a high standard, and I thank you,” Voinovich said.
Many OU faculty members and administrators were in attendance, including OU President Roderick McDavis, who updated the group on the university’s recent achievements.
The alumni present at the luncheon illustrated the varied roads to public service taken after leaving Athens.
Matthew Martin, chief of the education section of the Office of Budget and Management, graduated from OU in 2000 after studying Spanish and microbiology. He received his master’s in public administration from OU in 2005.
At the luncheon, Martin was honored with one of this year’s Outstanding State Government Alumni awards.
Beth Trombold, the other award recipient, graduated from OU in 1992 with a bachelor’s in international business and marketing. She is currently the assistant director of the Ohio Department of Development.
“I now realize, regardless of my major, Ohio University really prepared me for a career in public service,” Trombold said. “I really do love having my roots come from Ohio University.”
As recipients of the award, both Martin and Trombold will become lifetime members of OU’s Public Affairs Advisory Committee.
When the luncheon began in 1983, only a handful of people attended, said Greg Browning, Ohio’s budget director under Voinovich and a former member of the OU Board of Trustees.
“It’s a great story of Ohio University participation in state government,” said Browning, who graduated in 1972 with a degree in history and philosophy. “Celebrating public service is really at the heart of what we’re doing here, and it’s important.”
Several OU graduates work in state representatives’ offices, including John Tyler, who serves as a legislative aide for state Rep. Dan Ramos, D–56th. Tyler graduated from OU in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in political science.
Tyler, who applied for the position after a conversation with state Rep. Debbie Phillips, D–92nd, said having other alumni in Columbus made the transition easier.
“Getting used to the Statehouse and being shown around by a lot of Ohio University alumni has sort of eased the process,” he said.
Jarrett Dunbar, 1998 OU alumnus and legislative liaison with the Ohio Department of Insurance, agreed.
“It never ceases to amaze me how, no matter what meeting I’m at, I’ll always find a fellow Bobcat,” Dunbar said.
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