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How to build a top-notch chapter
Todd Calamita, BBA '93, and other dedicated Ohio University alumni have helped to expand the Greater Charlotte (N.C.) Chapter through creative event planning and communication strategies. Here, Calamita, who serves as chapter president, describes how the group has grown from just a few loyal folks into an impressive Bobcat contingent.
When I moved to Charlotte, N.C., three years ago, I knew only two people. Both were Ohio University graduates.
One of my friends, Lisa Perry, BSC '93, whom I met my junior year through our participation in the Student Alumni Board, was president of the Greater Charlotte Chapter. She was eager to get me involved since she and her husband, Brian, had been planning chapter events on their own for four years. I suggested she delegate things a little more, and she invited me to the next meeting.
We formed a steering committee that included another newcomer, Randy Buck, BBA '81. Somehow, I walked away from the meeting as the new chapter president. Lucky for me, Lisa is here to handle details and Randy always is churning out new initiatives, including getting a chapter Web site up and launching a dues program.
Although there are more than 1,000 alumni in the general Charlotte area, there were only four of us at that meeting. So the first call to action was to get more people involved.
The first person we called on was Steve Maag, BSJ '86, who owns his own technology consulting company, Maag Communications. With his leadership, we had a Web site up in less than a month. The site (www.oucharlotte.com) not only presents details about our chapter but features an online registration form so we can gather information about alumni in the area and notify them of events via our e-vite system.
Our next move was to come up with that big event no other chapter offered. We already have the OU/OSU Lake Party going on its 10th year, a success story in itself. Hosted every August at the home of Bill Rakatansky, BFA '72, and his wife, Sherry, an Ohio State graduate, the party brings together alums from both state schools.
After some discussion, we decided to incorporate athletics and scholastics into our April 2000 event, which was held at one of the oldest and grandest hotels in downtown Charlotte. The idea was to feature then-football Coach Jim Grobe and College of Business Dean Glenn Corlett. With help from the Alumni Association, we managed to land them as speakers.
The event kicked off our membership campaign, putting more than $500 in the bank and 30 official dues-paying members on the chapter roster. This past spring, Coach Brian Knorr and Scripps School of Journalism Director Michael Real were our guests.
What's more, alumnae Stephanie Brotherton, BSED '92, and Charlotte D'Augustine, BSED '96 and MED '99, are helping to schedule a host of chapter events, including monthly happy hours and activities planned around baseball and hockey games as well as a wine-tasting reception, a holiday potluck and gatherings to watch televised Bobcat athletic events.
This year, our focus is bringing together veteran alumni, recent Ohio University graduates and students. We've created the Charlotte Awareness Committee, which assists the growing number of alumni transferring to the area and helps make current students aware of Charlotte and its opportunities.
During one visit, students involved in the College of Business' Corporate Leadership Fellows program experienced the true NASCAR spirit as they were raced around the Charlotte Motor Speedway at 90 mph in a 15-passenger van driven by a veteran driver - an 85-year-old woman!
For advice on how you can improve your Ohio University Alumni Association chapter or start a new one, contact Mike Worley at worley@ohio.edu or (740) 593-4300.
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