Avant-Grad : Ohio's Trailblazers

Clarence Page, Pulitzer Prize-winning Journalist

Pulitzer Prize-winner Clarence Page is one of the most nationally recognized and highly regarded syndicated columnists in the country. A go-to voice on American culture and politics thanks to his sharp, thoughtful and moving analysis, he decodes top issues with clarity, balance and humor. Page, who received his bachelor’s in journalism from OHIO in 1969 and was recognized with an honorary doctorate in 1993, serves on the Chicago Tribune’s editorial board and is a regular contributor to leading news outlets. He’s also a longtime, staunch champion of the Green and White.

JoAnn Jansen, Choreographer and Acting Coach

Meet choreographer, acting coach, producer, director JoAnn Jansen, and hear about her work on Avatar and other films, and her storied career starting from her time as a nontraditional student at Ohio University. She led her own dance company in New York before becoming a film choreographer and acting coach for some of today’s biggest stars, including Patrick Swayze, Reese Witherspoon, Antonio Banderas, and Jennifer Aniston. Frequent collaborator John Travolta says of JoAnn, “She is like a chameleon. She can cross-reference dances throughout history and come up with just the right movement that suits the character and the film. She is brilliant.”

Lynn Johnson, Photojournalist and 2004 Knight Fellow

We all love a good success story – about people who’ve achieved something that we or others like us never have. Is it luck? Timing? Roots? Tune in to this new podcast, “Avant-Grad,” and get insight straight from achievers who’ve become leaders among Bobcats – and also nationally. This episode features renowned photojournalist Lynn Johnson, who earned her master’s degree in visual communication in 2004 as a Knight Fellow. A veteran National Geographic photographer, Johnson is known for shooting elusive subjects—language, disease, rape, water—and for asking tough questions. She has documented the wrath of zoonotic diseases from the U.S. to the Congo and Australia, a transgender teen’s journey, the challenge of Cambodia’s land mine survivors, and other extraordinary experiences of the human condition. Johnson gifted her collection of more than two million images to the OHIO Libraries in 2011. Want to learn more about Ohio University’s academic programs? Share your contact info., and we’ll get in touch: https://ohio.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_brohP5bKWjKR3Dv

Leanne Ford, BSS ’03

Join host, Colleen Carow, in a conversation with HGTV star and Ohio University graduate, Leanne Ford.