Voinovich external relations director to serve on state internship committee and state volunteer commission

Ohio Gov. John Kasich has appointed Amista Lipot, the Voinovich School’s director of external relations and strategic partnerships, to the advisory committee for the Ohio Means Internships & Co-ops program. Lipot, who has worked for the School since 2003 in strategic communication, development, alumni relations and advocacy, represents academia on the 16-person committee.

Lipot was also recently appointed to the Ohio Commission on Service and Volunteerism. Under ServeOhio, the commission works to help strengthen Ohio communities through volunteer engagement and to address issues in education, health and more. Commissioners oversee the implementation of the program in Ohio and develop the strategies used to expand community service programs, among other responsibilities.

“I’m looking forward to contributing to the robust co-op and internship network already in place in Ohio and strengthening volunteer opportunities for our next generation,” Lipot said of her appointments, which came within a few months of each other.

The Ohio Means Internships & Co-ops program is part of the Ohio Department of Higher Education, formerly the Ohio Board of Regents. The program helps to fund co-op and internship programs in the six JobsOhio regions to give students hands-on experiences and a chance to develop their skills. By participating in the program and working in Ohio after graduation, students enhance Ohio’s workforce and the state’s global competitiveness.

As part of the advisory committee for the Ohio Means Internships & Co-ops program, Lipot will offer suggestions on ways to strengthen the program and encourage additional students to participate.

“Making a positive impact on our communities and in public service is truly what I believe our life’s mission should be,” Lipot said. “I’m honored to be able to serve the state of Ohio in this capacity.”

Both ServeOhio and the Ohio Means Internships and Co-ops have been working to benefit residents of Ohio in various ways.

ServeOhio administers grants in Ohio, the largest of which is the AmeriCorps program, under the National & Community Service Trust Act of 1993. AmeriCorps is a network of service programs that works to meet community needs through service and community engagement, and it currently has 25 partner organizations and more than 900 members in Ohio.

In projected statistics for AmeriCorps’ current program year, more than 900 members of AmeriCorps will provide 1.2 million hours of service at more than 500 locations. The members will attend over 124,000 hours of professional development training. In the last program year, ServeOhio mobilized over 12,500 volunteers who provided nearly 60,000 hours of service work.

In 2017, the Ohio Means Internships & Co-ops program awarded more than $1.7 million in six regional consortiums through marketing, outreach and community involvement. Students benefitted from local and regional partnerships in opportunities across 13 industries, including manufacturing, finance and insurance, and health care and social assistance.

As a whole, more than 5,700 students have been placed in internship and co-op programs through Ohio Means Internships & Co-ops. The top fields for internships and co-ops through the program in 2017 were computers and mathematics, architecture and engineering, and production, with more than 18 percent of program participants being placed in each category.

More than 2,200 students who participated in the program have graduated and are now employed in Ohio, earning more than $39,000 on average. Other program students are in graduate school, work outside of Ohio or are in the military.