OHIO Brand Summit
Thank you for joining us for the inaugural Ohio University Brand Summit!
Tuesday, August 4, 2026
11:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M.
Baker University Center
Co-hosted by University Communications and Marketing, the Division of Enrollment Management and the Division of University Advancement
What a great day! Thank you for joining us to learn about recent changes for the OHIO brand, hear about exciting things to come, discover available resources, and spend time with your colleagues. We hope you left with new ideas and knowledge for how to leverage and promote the Ohio University brand.
Jump to:
Session Resources
Kick Off: "The Power of Brand"
Vice President of University Communications and Marketing Robin Oliver
Recording: Watch "The Power of Brand" on YouTube
Slides: "The Power of Brand" Slide Deck
Accessing an Accessible Brand
Associate Director for Web & Application Design & Development Haley Hopper
Web CMS Manager for Training and Support Shelli Minton
Recording: Watch the "Accessing an Accessible Brand"
Representing the Brand through Customer Service
Vice President of Human Resources Mary Elizabeth Miles
Recording: Watch "Representing the Brand through Customer Service" on YouTube
Slides: "Representing the Brand through Customer Service" Slide Deck
Getting to Know Our College Sub-brands
Vice President of UCM Robin Oliver
Senior Director of Academic Communications and Marketing Jennifer Kirksey
Senior Director of Creative and Brand Aaron Harden
One Logo and Introducing OU
Vice President of UCM Robin Oliver
Senior Director of Creative and Brand Aaron Harden
Branded Swag: Making Lasting Impressions with Promotional Items
Director of Marketing Services Gabrielle Johnston
Slides: "Branded Swag: Making Lasting Impressions with Promotional Items" Slide Deck
Brand Templates to Simplify Your Work
Art Director Steven Hollis
Senior Director of Development Jessie Holtz
Recording: Watch "Brand Templates to Simplify Your Work" on YouTube
Putting the Brand to Work in Recruitment
Vice President of UCM Robin Oliver
Associate Director for Communication Stacy Oliver
Recording: Watch "Putting the Brand to Work in Recruitment"
Slides: "Putting the Brand to Work in Recruitment" Slide Deck
Deep dive into the Brand
OHIO Brand Standards & Guidelines
Our brand site is designed to help our faculty, staff and stakeholders share our dynamic and ever-evolving University story with the world. Learn about strategy, visual identity, brand voice, templated resources, and more.
Event Details
Some notes on what to expect for the day.
Green is always a good idea. Keep it simple with an OHIO polo and slacks, or throw on a cute jacket over that OHIO tee. Don’t own branded merch? Don’t buy it for this; basic business casual is fine. We do, however, discourage the color red any and all days of the week. (Because, this is Athens not Oxford.)
If you have an OHIO branded nametag, bring that! And if you are a notetaker, feel free to bring your favorite notebook or fancy note-taking tablet. We’ll be giving away some merch, too, so bring the big purse if you want room for your collection. Or, just bring yourself and a ready-to-learn attitude.
Lunch will be catered by OHIO Catering, naturally. If you submitted an RSVP form that included an allergy or dietary restriction, that has been shared with catering to ensure we have plenty of options that meet your needs. We’ll end the day with a cocktail reception at Latitude 39 (Baker First Floor), snacks included. You’ll receive one drink ticket for wine, beer or our signature cocktail. If you want top shelf or seconds, bring a non-cash form of payment for that.
One of the best parts of this event is that we’re bringing together people who work in marketing, communications, social and digital media, development, alumni relations, event planning, and more. Make it a goal to meet at least three new colleagues during this event.
Schedule
Note: Presentations held in the ballroom and select breakout sessions as noted will be available for remote participants.
10:30 a.m.
Registration and Photo Booth
Registration: Baker Center Second Floor
Photo Booth: Baker Center Fourth Floor
Need an updated professional head shot? Come early and stop by the Honors Collegium on the fourth floor of Baker where you’ll find our on-site photo booth.
11 a.m.
UPDATED LINK: Watch "The Power of Brand" live on YouTube
Baker Center Theater
Vice President of University Communications and Marketing Robin Oliver
Vice President of University Communications and Marketing Robin Oliver will talk about why branding is important and how it connects to our institutional mission. She’ll also share a glimpse into our refreshed brand platform and preview a new brand TV advertisement that will debut this fall.
11:45 a.m.
Baker Center Ballroom
While you enjoy lunch, you’ll also get a few previews of exciting brand highlights for the coming year.
1 p.m.
Break Out Sessions – Select One
Baker Center Meeting Rooms Second and Third Floor
Baker Center 242
Join "Accessing an Accessible Brand" remotely via Teams
Associate Director for Web & Application Design & Development Haley Hopper
Web CMS Manager for Training and Support Shelli Minton
Take a walk through OHIO’s newly launched brand website and learn how to access and use downloadable brand assets and learn more about how to help ensure our brand meets accessibility guidelines.
Baker Theater
Watch "Representing the Brand through Customer Service" live on YouTube
Vice President of Human Resources Mary Elizabeth Miles
Does your role include interacting regularly with students, parents and stakeholders? Discover how to approach customer service excellence in a way that uplifts the OHIO Brand.
How to Write Like OHIO
Baker Center 240
Director of Brand Voice Brooke Preston
Writer and Communications and Project Manager Ali Wayner
Every day, many Bobcats communicate information and stories about our beloved University through various forms of marketing collateral as well as earned, paid and social media. How can you ensure yours feels true to our collective OHIO voice and brand? Director of Brand Voice Brooke Preston (UCM), and Writer and Communications and Project Manager Ali Wayner (Enrollment Marketing and Operations) will share highlights from recent collaborations on recruitment and enrollment marketing projects, so you can more confidently and effectively “write like OHIO” in a way that is adaptable to the needs and project goals of your audience segment.
Getting to Know Our College Sub-brands
Baker Center 231
Vice President of UCM Robin Oliver
Senior Director of Academic Communications and Marketing Jennifer Kirksey
Senior Director of Creative and Brand Aaron Harden
Each of our academic colleges has been through a process to develop unique messaging and a custom approach to art direction, each aligned with our University brand. Learn more about each of our college sub brands and how you can use them in your work.
2:10 p.m.
Watch "One Logo and Introducing OU" live on YouTube
Baker Center Theater
Vice President of UCM Robin Oliver
Senior Director of Creative and Brand Aaron Harden
Dive into our new one logo strategy, including learning more about how we will approach brand architecture moving forward as well as how we are working to streamline trademarks and licensed merchandise. And, don’t miss a sneak peek into the new “OU” mark and plans for its roll out later this year.
3 p.m.
Brain Break!
Our photo booth will be back open from 3-3:30 for anyone wanting a professional head shot. Plus, check out stations on promo products, OHIO Today magazine, brand videos and new on-campus apparel.
3:30 p.m.
Break Out Sessions – Select One
Baker Center Meeting Rooms Second and Third Floor
Building the Brand through Social Media
Baker Center 231
Associate Director of Social Media Eli Burris
Miya Garrett, Associate Director for Brand Advancement & Communications Strategy
Social media is constantly evolving, requiring creativity, experimentation and a willingness to learn from both successes and failures. This session will explore how to build the Ohio University brand through authentic, high-quality content by developing effective workflows, collaborating with campus partners and leveraging OHIO's distinctive advantages to differentiate it from peer institutions.
Branded Swag: Making Lasting Impressions with Promotional Items
Baker Center 240
Director of Marketing Services Gabrielle Johnston
Promo items are about more than just free stuff! In this session, leaders from the Marketing Services Center, Printing Services, and Consolidus will share best practices for selecting effective branded merchandise, highlight common pitfalls to avoid, and walk you through the process of ordering items that make a lasting impression. A limited number of product samples will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Baker Theater
Watch "Brand Templates to Simplify Your Work" live on YouTube
Art Director Steven Hollis
Senior Director of Development Jessie Holtz
Did you know that we have and enterprise Canva account that we can use to build and deploy templates for print and digital materials that you need regularly? Art Director Steven Hollis will showcase the capabilities of our Canva system and Senior Director of Development Jessie Holtz will join him to showcase how she is using templated donor proposals in her work.
Baker Center 242
Join "Putting the Brand to Work in Recruitment" remotely via Teams
Vice President of UCM Robin Oliver
Associate Director for Communication Stacy Oliver
Sure, branding makes sense in the viewbook or the TV spot, but when recruitment moves from marketing materials to real conversations with students and families, how do we infuse brand messaging into those conversations? Team Oliver will take recruiters through tips and tricks to ensure the brand carries through their interactions.
4:30 p.m.
Reception
Latitude 39
Baker, First Floor
Join Colleagues for an after-event reception, hosted by the Ohio University Foundation.