Community leader Stephanie Hightower to deliver autumn commencement address
Ceremony to take place Dec. 15
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Talia Moses Ohio State News contributor |
Stephanie Hightower, Columbus Urban League president and CEO, former Ohio State hurdler, and Olympian, will be the speaker at The Ohio State University’s autumn commencement.
The ceremony will be held on Sunday, Dec. 15, at 2 p.m. at the Schottenstein Center, and the university will issue approximately 3,600 diplomas.
“Stephanie Hightower is a trailblazer and an incredible asset to Columbus, the state of Ohio and our university, and we are honored to list her among the Ohio State alumni changing the world for the better,” said President Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. “She is an advocate and trusted resource for underrepresented communities. Her passion for empowering the public and driving economic transformation, while supporting education and family stabilization, epitomizes the Buckeye spirit. I know she will elevate our autumn commencement for graduates and their loved ones.”
Hightower graduated from Ohio State in 1981 with a degree in communications. During her time at Ohio State, she was a four-time All-American and an undefeated 15-time Big Ten Champion. She held 11 Big Ten and Ohio State records and set a world record in the 60-yard hurdles. She was inducted into the Ohio State Hall of Fame in 1993.
After retiring from the sport in 1988, Hightower served as the Women’s Track and Field Team Leader of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and served two four-year terms as president and board chair of USA Track and Field beginning in 2008. She also chairs the Gender Equity Task Force for the World Athletics.
Hightower joined the Columbus Urban League (CUL) in 2011 as the organization’s first female president and CEO. CUL develops workforce initiatives that prepare young people and adults to succeed in the high-wage jobs of the future, financial education that leads to greater home ownership, and financial stability and entrepreneurship resources that support minority-, women- and veteran-owned small businesses.
Under Hightower’s leadership, the organization has sought to become more than a traditional social services agency but also provide services to assist Black and underrepresented individuals participate fully in central Ohio’s economy.
