This interactive panel features distinguished Ohio University alumni who will help you thrive by discussing how to market yourself, maintain well-being, and navigate relationships in virtual worlds. Panelists will discuss how their lives have been impacted by COVID-19 and answer participants’ questions.

Panelists:

Katrina E. Bell-Jordan  (OHIO '93 BSJ - News Editorial Journalism, E.W. Scripps School of Journalism; '94 MA - Interpersonal Communication in Rhetorical Studies; '97 Ph.D. - Interpersonal Communication in Rhetorical Studies and Media Studies)

Dr. Katrina E. Bell-Jordan currently serves as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, Illinois and Professor in the Department of Communication, Media and Theatre. She served for 7 years as Chair of the Department of Communication, Media and Theatre at Northeastern and 2 years as Associate Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences. Katrina joined the Department of Communication, Media and Theatre in 1997 as an Assistant Professor, teaching in the areas of media literacy and media theory, rhetorical theory and criticism, and news writing/journalism. Her research has focused on critical media studies, the politics of gender and race in the media, and the rhetoric of popular culture. She has published in journals such as Critical Studies in Media Communication, Women’s Studies in Communication, and Performance Studies; published book chapters on race and representation in the media; and written for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the New York Daily News. Katrina has also served her local community since 2011 as an elected member of the Skokie, Illinois District 68 Board of Education.

Mary L. Bradley, Esq.  (OHIO ‘80 BSC - Communication in Organizational Communication; Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Cleveland State University, 1998, Juris Doctor) is a Senior Trial Attorney for the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Solicitor, in Cleveland, Ohio. Her professional career began at the Xerox Corporation where she sold copiers, memory typewriters, and supplies.  She transferred to the Information Systems Division as a customer-training representative. Mary moved to Houston, Texas and worked as a trainer for Allied Bank of Texas writing training materials and presentations. She returned to Ohio to work for Banc One Corporation, in Columbus, as a Business Systems Analyst.  Mary transferred into Human Resources where she worked as an organizational development trainer, an employee relations specialist and a recruiter. She became an Officer.  Mary left banking to attend law school full time. She is licensed to practice law in Ohio. Her first legal job was as an associate for Millisor and Nobil, (now Fisher & Phillips). She went on to general practice in personal injury, probate, and family law. Since 2001 Mary has worked as an attorney for the U.S. Department of Labor. As a lifetime member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., a public service sorority, Mary devoted her life to public service.  She volunteers for the Legal Aid Society and the Cleveland Bar Association.  She mentors first year law students and served on the Board of Trustees for the Cleveland-Marshall Law Alumni Association.

Julia Louise Krahe (Kindl)  (OHIO HTC ‘03 BSC - Political Communication with minors in political science and math) lives in Washington, DC, and is Senior Vice President of Crosby Marketing. Julia has divided her career between leading communications operations for federal legislators and advising federal agencies through her work at various public relations companies.

While at Edelman, Julia led teams that provided counsel on messaging and media engagement to multiple agencies within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Her most recent political work includes serving as communications director for U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar and for the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce under Representative George Miller.

During her time at OHIO, Julia was an active member of the forensics team, participating in multiple national public speaking tournaments, and she presented original research at the National Communication Association annual conference. As an alumna, Julia has served on the HTC Board of Visitors Communications Committee and the board of the Nation’s Capital Chapter.

Jeff W. Reed  (OHIO '06 BSC - Political Communication) Upon graduation in 2006, Reed held communications and public-policy positions with the American Legislative Exchange Council in Washington, D.C. In 2010, Reed moved to Indianapolis, where he served as communication director for the Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation, the legacy nonprofit of the Nobel laureate. 

While in Indianapolis, Reed also led Ohio University’s Indiana alumni chapter and co-founded and served as board chair for an urban, blended-learning public charter school. In 2015, Reed joined Cummins Inc., a Fortune 250 company headquartered in Indiana, as its global communication leader in corporate social responsibility. 

Currently, Reed serves as a senior communication strategist at Honda R&D Americas, Inc., just outside Columbus, Ohio. He also is a member of the American Enterprise Institute’s Leadership Network and OHIO Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Host:

Laurie Sheridan Lach  (OHIO ’92 BSC - Organizational Communication). A native of Athens, Laurie’s professional life began in sales at TRW. The information systems division was later divested, and Experian was then created where she enjoyed an extensive and highly successful sales career working in multi-national financial services companies. Following a stint at NCR-Teradata, selling enterprise data warehouse solutions, Laurie joined Alliance Data as Director of Client Sales in 2007. There, she led a team of marketing and business insights professionals and delivered custom solutions to major retailers. Laurie also served on the advisory board for OHIO’s Schey Sales Centre and quickly discovered the rewards of helping students learn and grow. In 2012, Laurie joined OHIO as Director of Alumni Affairs for the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and focused on engagement, philanthropy, and innovative ways to support the college’s expansion to Dublin and Cleveland. As Director of Regional Campus Development and Alumni Engagement at Ohio University, Laurie now oversees fundraising, external outreach, and traditions that sustain OHIO’s strong community connection. Laurie is a member of the OHIO Today advisory board, a co-creator of Ohio Women in Medicine, a member of the Lancaster Rotary, and serves on Lancaster Festival’s board of directors.

If you have any questions, please email John Rogers at rogersj1@ohio.edu .