Hope Sharett Brings Experience, Big Dreams to the Executive Director Position
By Brandon J. Lester, Editor
Deputy Solicitor, Ohio Attorney Generals Office
Though she is quick to flash a bright, easy smile, Hope Sharett becomes focused and serious when discussing the job before her as the new Executive Director of the Law and Leadership Institute: The established system is failing students, our most valuable human resources, she said. There is nothing worse than a dream deferred. Were here to inform and expose these students to the choices and options that they have in life. With her unique blend of specialized training and experience, focused energy, and warm, engaging personality, Sharett will help ensure that the Institute students have the opportunity to achieve their dreams of future success.
I have always had a public focus for my career, Sharett noted. Hailing from Youngstown, Ohio, Sharett received a political science degree from Vanderbilt University before returning to the state to attend law school at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. Though the law curriculum is difficult on its own, Sharett added another challenge by pursuing a dual degree in public policy and management through the universitys renowned John Glenn School of Public Affairs.
In school, she led an organization called the Accounting Careers Awareness Program, which has a focus similar to the Instituteexposing underserved high school students to business and accounting careers through meetings with professionals in the field, seminars, shadowing opportunities, and other similar activities. This experience inspired Sharett: I really enjoyed working with these young people, to build infrastructure, and to give them the opportunity to change their futures. The program was, and continues to be, a rousing success, with approximately sixty percent of participants either studying these fields in college or stating that they intend to do so.
After graduating with her dual degree, Sharett went to work for the law firm of Bricker & Eckler, where she was a municipal bond attorney, helping cities secure funding so that they could further develop their infrastructure. She thoroughly enjoyed her job there, knowing that she was helping others by working on projects that had a large and lasting impact in the community. But, after about four years, she felt the pull to public service, and joined the Ohio Attorney Generals Office as Director of Special Counsel. There, she coordinated and expanded the pool of private attorneys that assist the Attorney Generals Office on cases in the field and gained valuable administrative experience.
After a few years, Sharett returned to Bricker & Eckler, balancing her work with a lecturer position at the John Glenn School of Public Affairs (where she taught a class on public budgeting) and several volunteer commitments, including work with Big Brothers/Big Sisters and a mentoring program run by the Columbus Bar Association.
Though she thoroughly enjoyed all of these activities, one stood out in her memoryvolunteering her services as a mentor and role model for the Institutes Columbus classes in 2008 and 2009, which reminded her of her days working with the Accounting Careers Awareness Program. There were a lot of similarities in my mind, she said. I thought it was wonderful that [the Institute] was giving students tools early so that they could achieve as high as they aspired to do.
When the opportunity arose to lead the organization after founding Executive Director Maxine Thomas returned to her position at the Kettering Foundation, Sharett jumped at the chance. It gave me the unique opportunity to spend my work day doing the types of things that I was already volunteering to do, she said.
Sharett officially took office in April, 2010, and has spent her early days on the job preparing for the July 6 start of classes at eight different sites across the state. She quickly took on the involved task of coordinating site activities, maintaining a critical degree of programming uniformity while still allowing sites to be flexible in their instructional methods, and ensuring that funding remains in place for all of the necessary activities.
While these administrative tasks alone require a significant time commitment, Sharett has not gotten lost in the minutiaeshe continues to work on turning her big dreams for the Institute into reality. Our goal is to take students with potential and give them that push, that momentum, that they need to be successful, she noted. People want to get behind things that work, and we need to show everyone that this program works.
Her plan in this regard features numerous points of emphasis. First, she wants to better define the Institutes brand. We need to get the message out to schools, show them who we are, and what we can do. Its all about coordinating our efforts better, and giving our partners a better idea of the Institutes culture, she said. My goal is to get to the point where we are in high demand across the state.
To do that, Sharett is working hard to study the students in the Institute, finding out what works for them and refining their efforts to achieve the best results possible. She has made connections with the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs at Ohio University, and together they are working to refine a sound scientific model to evaluate the programs results. She is also focused on school dropout rates, believing strongly that the Institute can help lower them: When you give students a dream to aspire to, an activity to do, theyll come to school.
Sharett is also excited to help shape the Institutes core educational focus. One aspect that will remain, though, is the focus on personal responsibility through education. I like how we get students to ask and answer their own questions, figuring out for themselves what they want to do with their lives and what needs to be done to get there, she said. Its a change for themwe allow them to make their own decisions, which gives them some ownership of their futures. She recognizes, though, that the Institutes educational methods must be fluid. We have to recognize that young people evolve, and as learning gets faster we must adapt.
Through these efforts, Sharett hopes to validate the early promise of the Institute, and to encourage others to support this vital mission. We have to continue to communicate the importance of pipelines programs like the Institute. The argument against the programs is that were just serving the kids that are going to make it anyway, but we cant take that risk. It takes more than desire and determination to make ityou need preparation and know how. Were here to help the go-getters get the help that they need. This aim has a personal touch for her: My parents didnt go to college, and they didnt know about all of the things like financial aid that I needed when going to school. We need to combat this lack of knowledge.
Sharett has lofty dreams for the Institute, but she is equipped with the training, experience, personality and motivation to make them a reality. If we can do that, well be changing communities, and changing lives.
Students Find Their Public Speaking Voices in Institute Debate Program
By Ashley Lykins, 3L
The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law
This year, tenth-grade students in Columbus and Cleveland will have the opportunity to sharpen their reasoning and verbal skills through appellate-style oral arguments.
The arguments, which will be part of the Law and Leadership Institute's academic year program, will involve constitutional issues, such as the First and Fourth Amendments. The Institute obtained background materials for the problems from Legal Outreach, a pipeline program that has been running for 25 years in New York City.
The style of the argument will be modified to allow a student to present his or her entire statement before questions are asked.
"It's structured to have students get their argument out," said Kathy Northern, an associate dean at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and director of the university's Institute program."It helps them work on oral presentation skills. It's more about getting them comfortable with public speaking, being able to think and respond to questions on their feet, and having the experience of really prepping for debate."
Students will read a fact pattern and materials for both sides of the issue, noted Suzanne Richards, a partner at Columbus firm Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease and an active volunteer for the Institute. They will also present a written piece of work for their side of the issue.
"They'll be able to develop their skills on reading, comprehending, and analyzing what they're reading," said Richards. "It will be a way for them to learn how to best present their argument."
Besides gaining practical skills, students will also have the opportunity to interact with legal professionals.
"As we go through the program, we'll be interacting more with attorneys in the community in a variety of ways," said Northern, adding that local attorneys will listen to the students' arguments.
Interacting with lawyers who have different levels of experience is an important part of the program, noted Richards. Students will be able to get their advice and learn how they think about everyday legal issues.
The goal, said Northern, is for students to engage in at least three debates per year during the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grades. Through the academic year, LLI students will meet at least two Saturdays out of the month. Occasionally, the class will meet on a third Saturday, where the focus will be on the oral argument, said Northern. Law students will work with and coach the participants on their oral arguments.
While the debate program will take place only in Columbus and Cleveland this year, Akron, Cincinnati, Toledo, and Dayton, which commenced their summer programs in June, will pick it up next year.
"All the new schools that joined [the Institute] this summer will now participate in the academic year for ninth graders," said Northern, adding that the ninth-grade students will do mock trials. "We're trying to make sure we're laying a foundation in the ninth grade for success in future years."
In addition to being educational, these experiences are enjoyable, noted Northern.
"We're relating what they're doing in terms of writing in the classroom to something that's fun," she said.
Cleveland Institute Students Overcome Odds, Win Trial Competition
Chief Justice Thomas Moyer Lent Guidance, Passion to the Institute
Dayton LLI Students Make Being Smart Cool Again
By Donta Johnson, 3L
University of Cincinnati College of Law
Institute Students Get Challenging, But Fun Internships at Law Firms in Columbus, Cleveland
Paul L. Williams: A Change Agent for Diversity in Legal Profession
By Jessica Clarke
Law Clerk for The Honorable Judge Solomon Oliver, Jr.
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio
Justice Maureen O'Connor: A Public Servant Shares Her Experiences with Institute Students
By Rebecca Owen
Law Clerk, The Honorable Justice Maureen O'Connor
Summer Excitement at Akron Institute Continues into School Year
By Courtney Cunningham, 2L
