Goode brings Washington Experience

by Ben Roode
Staff Writer

Jess Goode has traded Washington press conferences for Ohio University music concerts.

Goode, former press secretary for Rep. Ted Strickland, D-Ohio, now is using his public relations experience in the OU's Media Services Department as a media specialist. Goode left OU one class short of graduating to work for Strickland.

After working with Strickland for four years, Goode said he is studying to take a test that could fulfill his junior composition requirement.

Goode studied news writing and editing at OU before signing on with Strickland in 1997 for about $38,000 yearly, he said. Goode now makes $39,500 per year, said John Burns OU director legal affairs.

Goode said he returned to Athens originally to pursue a master's degree in film at OU. But he has not yet applied to the graduate program.

"When I contacted the film school, the university said that media services needed help and that they had an opening," Goode said.

But if Goode is accepted to graduate school he will work fewer hours and have his salary reduced, said Leesa Brown, OU vice president for communications.

The job change also allows Goode to keep closer ties with his family, he said. A nine-hour journey to see his mom has become a three-hour breeze ride.

"I'm really happy to be closer to my family," said Goode, who grew up in Waynesville, Ohio, about midway between Dayton and Cincinnati. "They're really proud of me for getting the job."

Goode's mother, Sharon Kingan, lives in Waynesville, and his father, David Goode, resides in Washington state.

OU Media Services has hired former Washington insiders in the past. The department hired Brown in 1999 from the Office of Public Affairs in the U.S. Department of Justice. There she dealt with high-profile cases, including the Oklahoma City bombing and the Unabomber.

OU has allotted $610,909 for media services this year, an increase of $89,151 from last year's budget, said Margaret Scheskey, assistant vice president of university advancement.

Brown said the increase stems from filling vacant personnel positions and the resulting costs, such as phone and mail bills, that accompany these positions.

Media services sends out press releases and briefs about OU-sponsored events and basic news about the university, Brown said.

Goode said his OU position resembles the job he performed for Strickland. He will cover several beats, including the Departments of Fine Arts and Legal Affairs, he said.

But Goode's duties for Strickland - legislative and general press releases - are much different from the news he will cover at OU.

Goode's experience with Strickland and his journalism background helped him land the job, Brown said.

"We knew he could hit the ground running," she said.