Erin Cremean joins Terra State in workforce success
Erin Cremean, current resident of Port Clinton, accepted the Interim Director of Workforce Success position at Terra State Community College. She will be assisting students in their journey to their dream career.
President Ronald Schumacher is looking forward to the progress Cremean will make in this new position. “Erin will be a great asset to the College,” he said. “Her relationships with area businesses will provide a convenient stepping stone for our students when beginning their careers.”
“I love to keep learning, growing and challenging myself,” Cremean said. “So, this has been a neat journey for me to be here and I’m excited to see the things we’ll get to do!”
Some of what Cremean wants to accomplish in this new position is to, first and foremost, build Terra State’s partnerships with surrounding businesses. “I want to really connect with them, find out what they want and need and how Terra can help them grow their workforce,” she said. “I want to build close enough relationships with these companies that they can just call me and say ‘hey Erin, I need this’ and I can send them somebody.”
Cremean also wants to learn more about Fremont and its surrounding area and to be more integrated with the instructors at the College.
Executive Director of the Terra College Foundation Cory Stine is to collaborate with Cremean. “We’re looking forward to the workforce and community education unit, under Erin’s leadership, collaborating with colleagues from across the College,” he said.
Before working at Terra State, Cremean was the Global Internship Director for Sandusky City Schools at Sandusky High School where she helped high school seniors figure out what they wanted to do and then connected them to professionals in the areas they’re interested in. “They got to test drive their dream profession in an internship the second semester of their senior year,” she said. In this role, Cremean worked with 246 companies.
Cremean helped bring 96 juniors and seniors from Sandusky interested in trades to tour Terra State. “When I saw what was going on here at Terra, I got really excited because it’s such a good fit for a lot of the students at Sandusky because we had a comprehensive high school with college classes and trades along with Gen. Eds. So, this was a neat transition,” she said.
Before her career with Sandusky City Schools, she worked at EHOVE Career Center as a Success for Youth Career Advisor for at-risk youth of Erie, Huron and Sandusky Counties. She also taught personal interest courses, was the Media Director at Perkins local schools and has a background in the fine arts.
“I’ve had a variety in my background, but everything has been a step in this direction and now it’s all coming together and it’s exciting,” Cremean explained. “I always tell people, your success is a journey. It’s not just one degree or diploma. It’s a journey in your life to get where you want to be.”
Stine is happy to have Cremean on board. “The College is thrilled to have someone like Erin with such an extensive employer relationship and networking background and understanding of workforce development issues,” he said.
Cremean holds a Bachelor in Education from Bowling Green State University (BGSU) and has taken graduate courses in workforce and career advising. Before attending BGSU, she went to Edison State Community College and transferred her credits. “I really relate to the students at Terra State,” she said. “I know what it’s like to go to a community college and then continue my education. I also get how it is to work and go to school.”
In addition to her work in career education, Cremean also is involved in the community. She is currently on the Board of Directors for the Kiwanis Club in Sandusky and is looking to transfer her membership to the Fremont Kiwanis Club, she is in the Erie County Chamber of Commerce and plans to get involved in the Sandusky County Chamber of Commerce and she does a lot of conservation and clean-up efforts around the Great Lakes. “It’s a blessing to be involved in the community,” she said.
In her free time, Cremean enjoys sailing, traveling, riding motorcycles, parasailing and so much more. “I have an adventurous spirit,” she said.
“I like to get people to try new things and believe in themselves,” Cremean said. “I get so excited when students get that ah-ha moment of ‘I know what I want to do’ or ‘I know what I want to be’ or they get that job where they feel that sense of satisfaction. That always makes my day.”