COLUMBUS -- Frankie L. Coleman has been named director of community affairs at The Ohio State University to help facilitate university initiatives as they relate to central Ohio and the state as a whole.

Coleman will report to Lee Tashjian, vice president for University Relations. Her part-time appointment is effective April 2.

“Frankie brings many talents as a community organizer and leader after holding a number of such positions in central Ohio,” Tashjian said. “She will work closely with university outreach and engagement programs and help develop strategies to more efficiently position Ohio State resources to serve the state of Ohio.”

Coleman was the executive director and chief executive officer for 12 years of the Private Industry Council Inc. (PIC). PIC is a private, not-for-profit organization that serves as the federal, state and local program administration and workforce development agent for both the City of Columbus and Franklin County. In her position, she was responsible for development and fund-raising efforts for the annual $8 million to $9 million budget. Previously, she served as the state director of Job Training and Employment Services of the State of Ohio’s Bureau of Employment Services, where she provided strategic leadership for various public and private urban development and work force training programs and developed grants for more than $30 million in public and private funding for the city and county.

Coleman has received numerous awards and honors, including being named a YWCA Woman of Achievement and YMCA Woman of the Year; induction into the Columbus Public Schools’ Hall of Fame; and the EEO Award of Excellence from the Columbus Urban League.

Currently, Coleman chairs the board of directors for the program and conference committee of the National Association of Workforce Boards; founder and chair of the 2000 Mayor’s Campaign for Breast Cancer Awareness; board member of the Columbus Coalition Against Violence; and the Komen Race for the Cure Committee.

Coleman earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology from Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio, and her master’s degree in public administration with a specialty in urban planning and community leadership from Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Mich.

She is married to Michael Coleman, mayor of the City of Columbus, and has three children.

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(LO)