Contact:
Elizabeth Blevins, Director, Office of Communications
Phyllis Noah, Communications Coordinator
Office: (740) 351-3810; FAX: (740) 351-3179; Cell: (740) 464-4854
940 Second Street – Portsmouth, Ohio 45662
E-mail: eblevins@shawnee.edu or pnoah@shawnee.edu
Web site: www.shawnee.edu

            Cheryl Hacker has joined the staff of Shawnee State University as general counsel. While she may be new to SSU, she is no stranger to Portsmouth. She has participated in the TOSRV bike ride over the years and has become familiar with the community.
            “When I've been here for TOSRV, I've always enjoyed walking around downtown Portsmouth and along the flood wall mural,” Hacker said.
Hacker is originally from Lancaster, Penn., and attended college at Bluffton University in northwestern Ohio. When she graduated from law school at Capital University in Columbus, she was working in the Ohio Public Defender’s Office and in 1992 moved to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
            For nearly 13 years, she has been working in the education section of the state attorney general’s office and was the principal assistant attorney general representing and advising state colleges and universities. Hacker began her position at SSU on Thursday, July 1.
            “Shawnee State is a dynamic regional university that has many of the issues and challenges of larger institutions, but with the qualities that a smaller college has to offer,” Hacker said. “Working at SSU will give me the opportunity to deal with a variety of issues in the atmosphere of a smaller school where faculty and administrators focus primarily on student achievement.”
            She has worked directly with college and university administrators and boards on a broad range of matters, including HR, business contracts, intellectual property and student affairs.
            “One of the things I've most enjoyed is working with colleges and universities to institute measures to prevent legal problems from arising in the first place,” Hacker said.
            Hacker says that she and her husband, Jeff Ferriell, a professor at Capital University Law School, are looking forward to getting involved in university and community activities.
            “We both look forward to getting to know Portsmouth better and exploring the surrounding area,” she said. “He's been encouraging me to look for a job like this and is excited about my opportunity at Shawnee State. He's also enthusiastic about spending time in such a beautiful part of the state.”
            They are both fans of women’s college basketball and plan to fit SSU Bears’ games into their schedule this winter.
            Hacker is also involved in historic preservation and served on the German Village Architectural Review Commission from 2000 to 2009 serving as chair for four years.
            “I'm hoping to become more acquainted with historic preservation issues in Portsmouth,” Hacker said. “But, my first priority will be to become fully integrated into the Shawnee State University community.”