2025 SOCHE-OVEC Veterans Workshop Presenters, Panelists, and Moderators
Speaker and moderator list
Cassie Barlow, Ph.D.
President
Strategic Ohio Council for Higher Education
Cassie Barlow joined SOCHE as the Director of Aerospace Professional Development in 2017. She was named Chief Operating Officer in 2018, then was chosen as interim President in 2018. The SOCHE Board of Trustees confirmed her selection as SOCHE’s newest President in June 2019.
Cassie was born and raised in Buffalo, NY and is an avid Bills fan. Cassie is an active volunteer on several different boards across the Dayton community. After traversing the world for 26 years in the Air Force, Cassie has chosen Dayton as her home and the Workforce Development area as her passion.
In the APDC she works with companies across the region helping them find the workforce they need as well as helping to build pathways to in-demand jobs. She also works with job seekers helping them find their niche. Cassie has a special focus on Veterans needs across our region and State. Cassie is an adjunct in the Organizational Leadership Department at Wright State and in her spare time loves spending time with her husband and daughter or reading a good book.
Bryan Bills
Military Program Coordinator
Bowling Green State University
Eric Buetikofer
Director of Military & Veteran Affairs
University of Toledo
Brian Caudill
Coordinator, Veteran & Military Student Services
Shawnee State University
Jill Cochran
Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, Veteran Readiness & Employment
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Jill Cochran is a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veteran Readiness & Employment division. She currently serves as the VetSuccess on Campus Counselor at the University of Cincinnati, where she provides direct support to student Veterans, service-members and eligible dependents as they navigate their educational journey. As a representative of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Jill offers expert guidance on VA benefits, academic and career counseling, and access to a wide range of resources to promote student success.
Jill brings 17-years of experience helping Veterans transition from military to civilian life. Her work focuses on empowering students to achieve academic goals, develop career pathways, and maintain overall well-being throughout their time in school. She holds a Masters Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from Wright State University and is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor.
Samantha Erickson
Deputy Director, Ohio State Approving Agency
Ohio Department of Veterans Services
Samantha Erickson, Deputy Director for the Ohio State Approving Agency (SAA), channels her 12 years of military service into ensuring education programs benefitting 30,000 Ohio veterans and their families annually meet approval and compliance standards. Samantha intimately understands the challenges and successes veterans and their families experience, driving her commitment to advocacy within the educational realm.
Prior to her current role, Samantha served as a Program Coordinator at Student Veterans of America and as a Veterans Resource Center Manager at a community college in California, where she developed impactful collaborations, oversaw program development, and coordinated vital support services for students.
Samantha’s commitment to advocacy extends beyond her professional roles; she has also volunteered with Veteran Companion Animal Services (VCAS) and served as a Community Lead for the Heart and Armor Foundation. Samantha’s steadfast to empowering veterans and their families, and her efforts to bridge gaps in resources and support reflect her commitment to ensuring success for military connected students in all levels of education and workforce.
Seth Gordon, Ph.D.
Director of the Veteran and Military Center
Wright State University
Seth Gordon has been an Ohio resident since 1996, when he moved from New England to attend Antioch College. He has close to twenty years experience working in higher education with expertise in enrollment management, college counseling, graduate recruitment, and student affairs. His specialty is working with non-traditional and adult students. It has been his honor to serve as the inaugural Director of Wright State University’s Veteran and Military Center, founded in 2013, earning local and national recognition.
Lonny Kirby
Ohio National Guard Scholarship Program Manager
Ohio National Guard Education Department
Chris Macklin
Veterans & International Student Affairs Manager
Cincinnati State Technical & Community College
Terry St. Peter
Director, Veterans and Military Student Services Center
Ohio University
Terry St. Peter is the Director for the Brigadier General James M. Abraham & Colonel Arlene F. Greenfield Veterans and Military Student Services Center. He is an Army Veteran and Military Intelligence professional who served 23 years between 1992-2015. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Southern Maine and a Master of Business Administration from Webster University. He joined the Veterans and Military Student Services Center in June 2015 as the Coordinator of Veteran Services/Academic Advisor before being named the Director in January 2020. His primary duties include providing strategic leadership for programming and services of the center, providing counsel to the university leadership on all veteran related affairs and policies, ensuring compliance with state and federal regulations, performing duties as a school certifying official for student veterans and military affiliated students, and implementing programs to raise awareness of Veteran Students on campus. His personal interests include hunting, fishing, playing poker, and spending time with his family.
Jared Shank
Senior Director, Military Apprenticeship Initiatives, and Special Projects
Ohio Articulation & Transfer Network
Jared Shank is the Senior Director of Military and Apprenticeship Initiatives and Special Projects at the Ohio Articulation and Transfer Network at the Ohio Department of Higher Education. Prior to working in higher education, Jared served in the Army. His military background gave him a strong interest in helping service members and veterans succeed in higher education. Jared is responsible for MTAGs, Apprenticeship Pathways, and leading projects related to military credit such as the Ohio Values Veterans initiative. Jared earned his Bachelor of Arts in geography (G.I.S.) and his Master of Science in earth and environmental sciences (geophysics) both from Wright State University.
Kam Turner
Supervisory Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, Veteran Readiness & Employment
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
