Aces of Trades: Molly Dunn helps students find their passions through education
NEW CONCORD – She found her passion in education.
“Two very influential people in my life were my grandparents, Junior and Frances Berry,” said Molly Dunn. “They owned a retail store, Berry’s, that specialized in appliance and furniture sales and had a gift shop. As a young person, I spent a lot of time with my grandmother at Berry’s working the cash register and helping with various tasks around the store. I enjoyed working with her and being around the different people that came into the store.
“The skills I gained at Berry’s,” she noted, “served as the foundation of who I am today. At a very young age I learned the power of relationships, community, entrepreneurship, and a strong work ethic.”
Today, Dunn is executive director of the Impact Center at Muskingum University.
“In partnership with the campus community,” Dunn explained, “the center allows students the opportunity to identify their passions by offering a rich variety of experiences that expertly prepare them for the future. The center is a career catalyst that serves as a resource for students, faculty, and the region by providing access to high impact experiential learning opportunities and a workforce pipeline for employers.”
Dunn grew up in Dresden, graduated from Tri-Valley High School in 1996, Ohio University Zanesville with a degree in communications in 2001, then earned a master’s in organizational leadership from Claremont Lincoln University in 2020.
“I was very involved in extra-curricular activities in high school,” she said. “I’ve always enjoyed working with people and cultivating relationships.
“During the winter of 1996,” she continued, “I recall missing an absorbent number of school days due to a severe snowstorm. So many days were missed that school administrators weren’t sure how to ensure seniors had enough hours to meet the graduation requirements. Class officers worked with administrators to create a series of Saturday workshops with guest speakers from the community to bridge the gap of missed time. This is the first experience in my life where my passion for working with people to collaborate and creatively solve a problem began. Looking back, this was a defining moment in my life.”
Dunn worked in public relations at the Longaberger Company and in 2022 became executive director of the Impact Center at Muskingum.
Paul McClelland is vice president for institutional advancement at Muskingum University.
“Molly is a great asset to the Muskingum team,” assessed McClelland. “She has a passion for providing students with meaningful hands-on, work-related experiences like internships, field work, and civic engagement. And she brings valuable relationships and connections within our region and community that enhance student learning opportunities.”
“My passion and vision for our community is centered on access to educational opportunities,” responded Dunn. “I’ve witnessed firsthand the power of education and its direct contribution to upward mobility.
“I believe in developing tools and programming that enrich young people,” she summed, “so they may be subjected to learning in a positive environment and realize their greatest potential. Education is a blend of relationship building, collaboration, and contributing to the greater good. I’ve found my passion in education.”
For more information about Muskingum University, log on www.muskingum.edu.
Aces of Trades is a weekly series focusing on people and their jobs – whether they’re unusual jobs, fun jobs or people who take ordinary jobs and make them extraordinary. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at trnews@zanesvilletimesrecorder.com.
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: At Muskingum University, Molly Dunn directs Impact Center
