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WESTERVILLE, Ohio - Four Otterbein University athletic alumni returned to campus Jan. 30 to participate in the first-ever Alumni Networking Event, sponsored by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

SAAC teamed up with the Office of Alumni Relations and the Center for Career and Professional Development to bring back successful alumni for a program aimed at assisting current student-athletes. Topics during the panel discussion ranged from getting a foot in the door for a first job, leveraging student-athlete experiences in job searches, and the importance of finding the right career path.

“This event was the perfect opportunity for us as student-athletes to learn from successful professionals who were once in our shoes,” SAAC President Dominic Porretta said. “Our guests did a phenomenal job and the feedback from both our guests and the student-athletes in attendance has been positive. We’re already working to set up another event in the near future.”
 
The alumni panel consisted of: 1989 graduate Craig Sutherland, a former All-American football player and current owner of Money Concepts of Columbus and ICEbox; 1995 graduate Andrew Hess, a former member of the football team and current President of Mattingly Foods; 2003 graduate Dr. Markita Suttle, a former All-American hurdler and current pediatric critical care fellow at Nationwide Children’s Hospital; and 2010 graduate Brooke Stull, a former softball player and current marketing coordinator at Victoria’s Secret.

“It was a pleasure to welcome Andrew, Craig, Markita, and Brooke back to Otterbein's campus,” Director of Athletics Dawn Stewart said. “They shared incredible insight and advice with the student-athletes that not only outlined steps toward professional development, but also encouraged personal growth.”