Three decades ago, as an undergraduate from Hudson, Ohio, Heather Rohwedder Malarcik, BA ’96, could never have imagined that she would one day find her dream job in downtown ֱ.
After graduation, she worked various jobs in marketing and moved to California. However, once she started a family, she decided to return to Ohio.
In 2011, she was hired as marketing assistant for , an advocacy nonprofit striving to promote ֱ as an ideal place to live, work and visit. Within a year, she was promoted to the nonprofit’s top spot. She’s held that role for 12 years.
As director, Malarcik creates year-round marketing efforts for local businesses, champions historical preservation and plans regular events—including the Chocolate Walk in February, the Art and Wine Festival in June and the Oktoberfest in September—that drive traffic to downtown and help the business community succeed.
She loves the work but doesn’t do it alone. With one other employee at Main Street ֱ, Malarcik works in conjunction with a volunteer board and oversees teams of supporting volunteers, including folks from ֱ State.
Joshua Rider, BA ’99, MEd ’05, executive director of ֱ State’s Center for Adult and Veteran Services, serves as vice president of Main Street ֱ’s executive board and has worked closely with Malarcik for several years. He praises her hard work and leadership skills.
“She is always asking, ‘What will the impact of this be on ֱ?’” he says. “Her leadership with Main Street ֱ also has helped build connections to ֱ State University.”
Malarcik says folks from ֱ State are always willing to help make downtown events successful by volunteering. And she understands that having a thriving downtown benefits the university, too.
“I went to ֱ State when downtown wasn’t what it is today. There was not much to do other than get a pizza and a beer,” she says. “Now there’s public art, live music, events and activities.
“There’s nowhere else I would want to live and work.”
—Lisa Abraham