Communiqué
Communication Skills from WOUB Crucial to Fairfield County Deputy Administrator
< < Back toAundrea Cordle graduated from Ohio University in 1993 and 1996
ATHENS, OH – When Aundrea (Aunie) Fauth Cordle started working as a student volunteer at WOUB Public Media in the early 1990s she had plans to become an on-air news reporter. However, she didn’t realize the communication and media skills she learned there would lead her down a different path. Cordle was recently named the deputy county administrator in Fairfield County.
“When I was in college as an undergraduate at Ohio University, I thought was going to be a radio or TV star,” said Cordle laughing. “Being a news person was attractive to me because I wanted to be in the position to share information with people. I’m doing that now, just in a different way.”
Cordle grew up in Lancaster and attended the Ohio University regional campus in her hometown for her first year of college. When she started attending classes on the Athens campus, she eventually got involved at WOUB.
“One of my professors suggested WOUB to me so I could get real-world experience and since I grew up in Lancaster, I was familiar with the station,” said Cordle. “But my greatest regret is that I volunteered to work on every behind the scenes job I could. I never was on air or on camera. I think it was due to my lack of confidence at the time. I found it more comfortable to be behind the scenes. As I’ve gotten older, I realized I can be in the spotlight, and that’s okay. I wish I could go back to my younger self and say, ‘You can do that.’”
After graduation, Cordle landed a job in radio sales in Parkersburg, West Virginia. But it wasn’t the right fit.
“I could write the best advertisement, but I couldn’t sell it to you,” said Cordle. “It lasted six months, and I recognized I needed a different plan. So, I moved back home and enrolled at Ohio University to get my MBA.”
Cordle graduated again from Ohio University in 1996 and started down the path of working in county government. And even though her career turned out very differently than she originally planned, she says her time working at WOUB as an undergraduate at Ohio University was very important.
“Communications is in the forefront of every job I’ve done. It’s been a foundation for me,” said Cordle. “Especially with everything being virtual right now, I know how things are supposed to look, how you should be presenting information and how that is seen by others. I understand the bigger picture of communicating a message so that it is easily understood and interesting to those who you want to receive the message.”
Cordle is glad that she got the opportunity to work at a public radio and television station while she was in college. Her firsthand experience with the value and mission of public media has made her appreciate it more as an adult.
“Public media plays such an important role in communicating to the public. It’s a solid source of reliable information without political connotations that taint the message,” said Cordle. “The more real-world experience that students can get at a place like WOUB, no matter what their area of study it is, sets them up for success. It’s great that Ohio University can provide that opportunity for students.”