September 5 , 2008

Springfield, OH---Senior WittCAM project assistants Ashley Manson, Cait Mather and Beth Vonderbrink are spending their final year at Wittenberg working on promoting entrepreneurship. The three comprise the public relations team for the Entrepreneurial Business Award (EBAward). The EBAward recognizes a business within Clark and Champaign counties that has proven to be innovative and successful.  Throughout the semester, the three will engage in extensive advertising, public relations, and promotion activities for the award, develop a panel of nominators and coordinate their efforts, and research nominees. During the spring semester, the team will develop a panel of judges, present research on the nominees to the judges, and develop an educational video showcasing the winner of the 2009 EBAward.

Ashley Manson ‘09 Ashley Manson ’09 is a senior management major from Covington, Ohio.  With the Alumni Relations Office, Manson assisted in planning Witt Nation, a summer road trip developed to reconnect Wittenberg with its Alumni.  This past summer, Manson  interned with Center City Association on projects dealing with Springfield’s downtown development and assisted in developing the research foundation for a Springfield Pride initiative designed to change Springfield’s perception of itself.  As sisterhood chairman for the Tau Gamma Chapter of the Chi Omega Sorority, Manson planned many events including a Christmas party, Mom’s Weekend and Parent’s Weekend. As Recruitment Chairman for Chi Omega her junior year, she guided the successful recruitment of more than 25 women. Manson now serves as president for the Tau Gamma Chapter where she manages the activities of more than 80 young women. Manson received the 2008 Chi Omega Pauline Burnett Award for excellence in business.  She is also a member of Order of Omega, Tau Pi Phi honor society and the vice president of communications for WittInvest.  Manson plans a career within the marketing or advertising field.

Cait Mather ’09 is a senior management major and history minor from Mason, Ohio.  A member of the women’s varsity lacrosse program, Mather represents the team on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), a sounding board for athlete concerns and questions.  Mather serves as treasurer of Mortar Board, a highly regarded national honor society, and is a member of Tau Pi Phi business honorary and Chi Alpha Sigma, a national college athletic honor society.  This past summer, Mather completed her second finance internship with Ethicon-Endo Surgery, a Johnson & Johnson Company. She has accepted an offer to work in finance for Johnson & Johnson.

Beth Vonderbrink ’09 is a senior Management major with a concentration in Marketing from Cincinnati, Ohio.  This past summer, Vonderbrink participated in sales and marketing internship with SafeSchools, LLC.  She is a member of both the Wittenberg’s varsity women’s field hockey and lacrosse teams where she was appointed captain both her junior and senior years.  As a member of Chi Omega, she has held numerous positions including Personnel Chair and enjoys participating in philanthropic fundraisers that benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  Vonderbrink enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, and being involved in various campus activities; she plans to work in the marketing and sales field after graduation. 

The EBAward was the 1997 brainchild of Louise Lambert, President of Junior Achievement, Ed Levental, General Manager of Valco Industries, and Pamela Schindler, Director of the Wittenberg Center for Applied Management. Together their common interest in education and business vitality led to the idea of showcasing local business success stories.  Past winners include: Comfort Keepers, Safety Through Engineering, The Happy Soul, Young’s Diary, Freedom Feeds, Kapp Construction, Ohio Feedlot Inc, Rothschild Berry Farms, and Rittal Corporation.

The team looks forward to working with managing sponsors Lambert, Leventhal, and Schindler and corporate sponsor Andy Irick from Security National Bank to celebrate entrepreneurship in Clark and Champaign counties.