Internal Communications/Staff Bios

Staff Bios

Karen Patterson joined University Relations in September 2000 as director of Internal Communications. Karen directs the delivery of news and information to internal university audiences, working closely with editors, writers, and designers to produce onCampus, OSU Today, Buckeye Net News, and other web pages and sites. Karen also is responsible for creating and implementing university communications strategies and serves as liaison to consult with campus units on communications plans. She also helps direct public relations for special campus events and coordinates with the office's external media unit. Karen brings more than 20 years experience in marketing and communications to her role. An Ohio State administrator since 1986, she previously served as customer relations manager for UNITS, communication and education coordinator for ARMS, and director of communications for the Office of the CIO. Karen, an Indianapolis native, earned her bachelor of science in business and marketing from Indiana University.

Bill Estep is advertising manager of onCampus, the university's faculty/staff newspaper. He joined the Ohio State staff in August 1998 as editor of onCampus, and served in the dual role of editor and advertising manager from March 1999 to January 2000. Bill previously worked at Ohio University as an editor for 11 years, and was a reporter and copy editor for daily newspapers and wire services from 1977 to 1987. He earned a B.S. in journalism from Bowling Green State University in 1977.

Randy Gammage is editor of electronic publications that include OSUToday, Buckeye Net News and OSU Weekly, as well as Web editor for the online version of onCampus, the faculty-staff newspaper. He also writes occasional features and reports on fiscal matters pertaining to the university's Board of Trustees. A graduate of Franklin University, Randy joined Ohio State's Office of University Relations in June 1999 after 10 years with Thomson Newspapers, where he was special-sections editor at the Newark Advocate, then projects editor at the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Randy also volunteers as a youth leader and Sunday school teacher at his church.

Jeff McCallister is the editor of onCampus, the university's faculty/staff newspaper. He manages the daily operation of the newspaper, including writing and editing stories, assigning stories, page design and posting information to its Web site. After reporting jobs with the Marietta Times and Cambridge Daily Jeffersonian, Jeff spent 13 years as a reporter and associate sports editor for Suburban News Publications, developing an affinity for community journalism. He’s also written for Columbus Monthly, Columbus Bride and The Other Paper, among others. He earned a B.S. in journalism at Ohio University.

Julia Harris is associate editor for onCampus, the faculty/staff newspaper. Prior to joining onCampus, Julia worked for the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education, a federally funded educational organization devoted to the improvement of K-12 math and science teaching. For more than eight years, Julia wrote articles on math and science reform, pedagogy, classroom practice and current trends in education research. At onCampus, she writes and edits stories about technology, outreach & engagement, regional campuses, construction and fiscal matters. Page layout duties round out the official roster of her responsibilities. Originally from California, Julia holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of California, Riverside, and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Notre Dame. In what free time she has, she enjoys going to the zoo with her two young sons, who have much in common with the monkeys and gorillas. She and her family can be found frequently at the local Wal-Mart, where they like to buy toy tractors and die-cast cars for the boys to lose or break at home.

Adam King is associate editor of onCampus and joined the publication in March 2006 after some interesting stops along the way, including magazine publishing and sports editing. Adam covers the University Staff Advisory Committee, the Office of Human Resources and regularly writes the onSports column for the newspaper. He is constantly on the lookout for interesting and quirky stories involving the faculty and staff at Ohio State, so call him anytime. Prior to joining the university, Adam worked as sports editor at the Delaware (OH) Gazette and was director of client publications at the North American Retail Hardware Association in Indianapolis. He earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Houston and has started a clog dancing team in Columbus.

Von Reid Vargas is administrative assistant for the Office of Internal Communications. Von is responsible for fiscal management, including the budgets of onCampusand Photo Services, and also provides other clerical and administrative support. A member of the University Relations staff since 1977, Von previously held a number of clerical support positions in the office. Prior to coming to University Relations, she worked from 1973-77 for Ohio State's Alumni Association.

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