Meet the OACC Team
Bio
Anne serves as the Director of Institutional Effectiveness where she provides information and analysis in support of student success initiatives and policy formation. In addition, she works with Institutional Research staff from member colleges to help build capacity in using data-driven decision making through the sharing of information and best practices.
Prior to joining the OACC, Anne held the position of Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College for fifteen years where she found her passion, supporting the community college mission through the analysis and dissemination of information. A highlight of her career in higher education has been facilitating teams of faculty, staff and administrators from various backgrounds to understand barriers faced by students and to develop strategic solutions to improve outcomes. Anne started her professional life in the private sector in information technology in the areas of business operations and marketing research.
Anne holds a BBA from Eastern Michigan University, MBA from Thomas More College and has completed all doctoral coursework in Community College Leadership from Morgan State University.
Bio
Jack Hershey is the President & CEO of the Ohio Association of Community Colleges, which represents the presidents and trustees of the state’s 23 community colleges.
Hershey came to the OACC in 2014 after spending 10 years at The Ohio State University, where he most recently was the university’s Associate Vice President for State Relations, a position in which he managed state government affairs for the university.
Hershey was a leader on successful collaborations by all state colleges and universities to produce a unified approach to funding for both capital and operating budgets for campuses statewide.
Both models were endorsed by Gov. John R. Kasich and were supported by large bipartisan majorities in the Ohio General Assembly.
Earlier in his career, Hershey was Deputy Director of the Office of Budget and Management under former Gov. Bob Taft and was Director of Finance and a financial analyst in the Ohio House of Representatives under former Speaker Jo Ann Davidson.
A Cleveland-area native, Hershey holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Policy Management from the University of Akron. He is pursuing a master’s degree Public Policy Management from Ohio State. Hershey, his wife, Sharon, and their two children reside in the Columbus-area.
Bio
In her role as Executive Assistant, Sam provides support to the OACC team. Sam has built her career in a variety of roles and industries, where she was not only the administrator, but technology whiz, bookkeeper and marketing guru as well. Sam has 3 children ages 16 to 22 that keep her busy outside of work. She enjoys being outside and working in the yard, as well as enjoys a catering gig shes does on weekends; watching all those lovely weddings just makes her happy.
Bio
Laura Rittner serves as Executive Director of the Success Center for Ohio Community Colleges at the Ohio Association of Community Colleges (OACC). In this role she oversees the OACC’s student success initiatives including Ohio’s guided pathways project for community colleges, the Student Success Leadership Institute, and the Completion by Design statewide policy and scaling work. The Student Success Center’s portfolio of grants has grown to include over $10 million in state, federal and private foundation investments under Laura’s leadership. She has engaged many national partners in the OACC’s student success efforts and served as an inaugural coach for the American Association of Community College’s Pathways Project from 2016-2017.
Laura has 14 years of experience in community college leadership. She joined the OACC in 2013 as Director of Research and Data Analysis after working for 7 years at Lakeland Community College in Kirtland, OH as Director for Institutional Research. Laura holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Psychology from Miami University in Oxford, OH and a Master of Public Policy from The George Washington University in Washington, DC.
Bio
Tom Walsh currently serves as Vice President of the Ohio Association of Community Colleges, where he leads the state advocacy and government relations efforts on behalf of Ohio’s 23 public two-year institutions. Since joining OACC, Tom works closely with the trustees, presidents, chief academic officers and other campus leaders to coordinate the statewide policy priorities for Ohio’s community colleges.
Walsh was hired by OACC in 2015 after spending 5 years at The Ohio State University where he served as Associate VP for State Relations, a role in which he managed state government affairs for the University. During his time at Ohio State, Tom worked closely with the University President, Provost, senior administrators and other campus leaders to develop and implement OSU’s public policy agenda.
With more than 20 years of experience working around Capitol Square, Walsh has built a strong bi-partisan reputation for his expertise in state budget, tax and higher education matters. During his time working for the legislature, Tom worked as a legislative and policy aide in both the Ohio House and Senate Republican caucuses, including Deputy Finance Director for the Ohio Senate. After leaving the legislature, Walsh served as Legislative Director of the Ohio Department of Taxation and later as Special Assistant to the Governor on Regulatory Reform for Gov. Ted Strickland. He was also director of government relations for Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Ohio prior to focusing on higher education policy and advocacy.
Tom has received a number of professional recognitions for his work in public policy, including the “Distinguished Public Service Award” from The Ohio State University Alumni Association. He was selected as a member of the Leadership Columbus Signature Program Class of 2014 and was appointed to serve on the Worthington Libraries Board of Trustees in 2020. Tom is also a member of the Capitol Square Foundation Board and has volunteered for several nonprofit organizations including the MS Society of Ohio, the YMCA Youth & Government Program and as a coach in several sports for the Worthington Youth Boosters.
A native of Painesville Twp., Ohio in the Cleveland area, he graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from the Ohio State University in 1999. Tom, his wife Rachel and their two children currently reside in Worthington, Ohio.
GARRATT WEBER
Director of Network Engagement, Success Center
gweber@ohiocc.org
614-221-6222 ext. 270
Bio
In her role as the Assistant Director of the Success Center, Garratt provides project management support and strategic planning for the many Success Center priority areas. Garratt leads the $1.3 million, statewide Ohio Open Ed Collaborative project, as well as the Center’s holistic student supports redesign work and the dual enrollment pathways project. Through this work, Garratt helps to inform and support the larger OACC advocacy and policy agenda to represent the needs and mission of Ohio’s 23 community colleges.
Garratt has worked in higher education since 2012, starting as an undergraduate intern for the federal TRIO Upward Bound program at Ohio University. Upon graduation, Garratt was brought on full-time as the Assistant Director of Upward Bound at Ohio University. In this role, she collaborated with 17 high schools in 9 counties of Appalachian Ohio to support college access and success for students in the region.
With her knowledge of grant management and experience in educational opportunity programming, Garratt joined the OACC team to lead the Ohio Open Ed Collaborative project in 2017. Her role was later expanded to Assistant Director in 2018.
Garratt holds a Master of Public Administration from the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs at Ohio University, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies from Ohio University.
