Three decades ago, as an undergraduate from Hudson, Ohio, Heather Rohwedder Malarcik, BA ’96, could never have imagined that she would one day find her dream job in downtown أغجز¹¤×÷تز.
After graduation, she worked various jobs in marketing and moved to California. However, once she started a family, she decided to return to Ohio.
In 2011, she was hired as marketing assistant for , an advocacy nonprofit striving to promote أغجز¹¤×÷تز as an ideal place to live, work and visit. Within a year, she was promoted to the nonprofit’s top spot. She’s held that role for 12 years.
As director, Malarcik creates year-round marketing efforts for local businesses, champions historical preservation and plans regular events—including the Chocolate Walk in February, the Art and Wine Festival in June and the Oktoberfest in September—that drive traffic to downtown and help the business community succeed.
She loves the work but doesn’t do it alone. With one other employee at Main Street أغجز¹¤×÷تز, Malarcik works in conjunction with a volunteer board and oversees teams of supporting volunteers, including folks from أغجز¹¤×÷تز.
Joshua Rider, BA ’99, MEd ’05, executive director of أغجز¹¤×÷تز’s Center for Adult and Veteran Services, serves as vice president of Main Street أغجز¹¤×÷تز’s executive board and has worked closely with Malarcik for several years. He praises her hard work and leadership skills.
“She is always asking, â€کWhat will the impact of this be on أغجز¹¤×÷تز?’†he says. “Her leadership with Main Street أغجز¹¤×÷تز also has helped build connections to أغجز¹¤×÷تز.â€
Malarcik says folks from أغجز¹¤×÷تز are always willing to help make downtown events successful by volunteering. And she understands that having a thriving downtown benefits the university, too.
“I went to أغجز¹¤×÷تز when downtown wasn’t what it is today. There was not much to do other than get a pizza and a beer,†she says. “Now there’s public art, live music, events and activities.
“There’s nowhere else I would want to live and work.â€
—Lisa Abraham