2020 Inductees

Distinguished Alumni

  • Helen Bond, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at Howard University
    Bachelor of Science 1992
    Attended the Mansfield campus: 1975-1977, 1988-1992

    Helen Bond has more than 20 years of academic and humanitarian experience throughout the world. She was raised on a small farm outside of Mansfield and now serves as Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Bond served as a West Virginia Human Rights Commissioner and was appointed by the governor of West Virginia to this post. In 2011-12, she taught courses and conducted research in India as a Fulbright-Nehru Scholar. Bond has excelled in international scholarship and service. She believes none of her accomplishments would be possible without the firm foundation provided by Ohio State Mansfield.
  • John Grove, Retired, Loan Officer and Account Specialist at Farm Credit Mid-America
    Bachelor of Science 1977
    Attended the Mansfield Campus: 1973-1975

    John Grove believes in giving back to his community is a lifelong value. As a member of the Kiwanis Club of Mansfield, he advises the Mansfield Senior High School Key Club and has taught hundreds of students the value of leadership and volunteerism. After serving as chaperone for national agricultural science conventions, he was asked to judge the National Proficiency Awards and served in that capacity for many years. Grove spent more than 40 years as a Loan Officer and Account Specialist at Farm Credit Mid-America. His Ohio State education prepared him to work with customers, the agri-business community in Richland and surrounding counties, and in service to the Farm Bureau, the Richland County Fair and several local school systems.
  • Julie McCready, Owner of McCready Interiors
    Bachelor of Science 1983, Master of Arts 1993
    Attended the Mansfield Campus: 1979-1981, 1982, 1988-1993

    Julie McCready has lived in Richland County all her life and is well known as a champion for Richland County and the wealth of possibilities for its residents. McCready taught for 20 years at Eastern Elementary school in Lexington, where she won the Franklin B. Walter Excellence in Education Award for the State of Ohio in 2003. She and her husband, Tom, own McCready Interiors, a family-owned furniture store with a century-long legacy in Mansfield, and it was recognized by the Chamber of Commerce as 2018 Small Business of the Year. She is actively involved in the community and passionate about donating her design talents and furniture to local nonprofit organizations to help create better environments for their clients. This includes the creation of learning or quiet spaces for Ohio State Mansfield and North Central State College student veterans, the Richland County Prosecutor's Office and Mansfield City Schools. McCready serves as chairperson of the Richland County Foundation. Julie is also an accomplished residential and commercial designer locally, nationally and internationally.

Emerging Alumni

  • Sarah Schmidt, Assistant Director of Global Education Initiatives at Kent State Stark
    Bachelor of Arts 2011
    Attended the Mansfield Campus: 2008-2011

    Sarah Schmidt is the Program Coordinator for the Office of Global Initiatives Outreach at Kent State University at Stark. She is responsible for advising international students and scholars, overseeing education-abroad initiatives and facilitating international partnerships. Schmidt is pursuing a doctorate in cultural foundations, with an emphasis on peace education in post-conflict reconstruction. Her vocation has taken her to Prague, Dubai, London, Kenya and Haiti. She launched her commitment to excellence as a student at Mansfield, receiving several honors including the President's Salute to Undergraduate Achievement, and as a professional in the Ohio State Mansfield Office of Admissions. She attributes her success and commitment to global service to her foundation at Ohio State Mansfield.