Wednesday Wire: July 24, 2019

This year, Wooster Staff Council will be hosting the Wooster Campus FunFest Wednesday, August 14 from 11:30-3pm at the new Secrest Arboretum Welcome Center. Keep a lookout for more details.

Eric Tanner has accepted a new position as a Horticulture Instructor at Marlington High School! Eric worked as a Turfgrass Assistant in the Horticultural Technologies Division at Ohio State ATI during the Autumn and Spring semesters. Eric spent a majority of his time assisting with hands-on laboratory activities, while executing scholarly research during the summer months. His attention to detail and hard work will most certainly be missed, but we are excited for Eric to use his fantastic technical and interpersonal skills to educate future generations of high school students about the benefits of  horticulture.

Eric’s last day will be Friday, August 2^nd and we will have a farewell reception for him in the Skou Lounge from 2:00-3:00 pm.

Be sure to tell Eric congratulations when you see him!

The Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute (Ohio State ATI) today announced that Melanie Reusser Garcia, corporate training account executive, has earned DDI facilitator certification to deliver a broad range of leadership development courses.

To earn the certification, Garcia had to complete a three-day Facilitator Certification Process workshop, offered by global leadership consulting firm DDI. The workshop is a comprehensive process to develop the skills and competencies people need to deliver effective leadership development courses. Facilitators learn how to build and sustain a high-trust environment, engage learners with relevant hands-on exercises, and help learners practice their skills for on-the-job application. Upon successful completion of the workshop, facilitators are certified to deliver more than 35 different leadership courses under DDI’s interaction management learning system.

“VPI is a growing manufacturer in Orrville that feels strongly about its mission to grow its leaders to meet the challenges of the future, which is key to our competitive edge,” said Nan Mackenzie, director of human resources and organizational development at Venture Products, Inc (VPI). “Melanie Garcia has been a key component to our success to grow leaders. She has made a tremendous impact to our organization, delivering OSU training programs and as a corporate coach with many of our current leaders and emerging leaders. We have benefited by her manufacturing experience and her ability to assist in transferring new skills into daily applications. If our employees can practice and apply new skills, we benefit in a higher ROI. This has been a game changer for us. Leaders feel challenged to improve their skills and are supported during their corporate coaching time. I highly recommend Melanie and OSU as a DDI facilitator and corporate coach.”

Garcia started her career with Ohio State ATI’s Business Training & Educational Services (BTES) in 2008, after a 15-year corporate career. In her role, Garcia works with companies and organizations to assess workforce development needs, identify workplace challenges, develop flexible solutions to foster success, and coach individuals and organizations to achieve goals.