51ĀŅĀ×

51ĀŅĀ× President Hugh Sherman has announced that Carly Leatherwood will serve as interim chief of staff to the president for the upcoming academic year, effective immediately. Leatherwood most recently served as the Associate Vice President of Communications in University Communications and Marketing (UCM), where she has led media relations and internal communications for the University since 2016.

ā€œIā€™m thrilled to have Carly to serve as my chief of staff during my second year as President,ā€ President Sherman said. ā€œShe brings to the role unmatched expertise in navigating difficult issues and managing complex initiatives. In addition, she has strong relationships across the University, the Athens community and the state.ā€ 

Leatherwoodā€™s appointment follows an internal search for an interim chief of staff to fill the post left vacant following Jennifer Kirkseyā€™s move to UCM where she now serves as Senior Director of Enterprise Marketing. Leatherwood will return to her position as AVP of Communications at the conclusion of President Shermanā€™s two-year term as President next summer.

Before returning to her alma mater, Leatherwood served as a communications consultant for the Educational Service Center of Central Ohio from 2012-16. No stranger to higher education, she previously served as marketing director at The Ohio State Universityā€™s Wexner Medical Center from 2011-12. Leatherwood has a long history of public service, with key roles at the Ohio Department of Insurance and the Ohio Department of Education between 2000-2011. She began her career as a producer and anchor at WSYX-TV and WBNS 10-TV in Columbus. 

Leatherwood holds a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from 51ĀŅĀ×ā€™s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and will complete her Master of Business Administration from OHIOā€™s College of Business in August of 2023.