Transcript of Brand Morris Interview
Interviewee
Brand, Bill
Interviewer
Morris, Alex
Interview Date
4-6-2026
Description
In this 2026 interview, Bill Brand, a former corporate executive and, since 2023, a trustee on the Ohio University Foundation Board, discusses his lifelong connections to Ohio University (OU) and Athens, Ohio. An OU alum, Brand earned a Bachelor of Science from the Scripps College of Communication in 1987. He discusses what about OU—from when he first visited in the early 80s up until now—has continued to entice him into involvement with the university. In particular, he touches on the strong sense of community within both the university and Athens as a whole, which he asserts serves as a safe “cocoon,” in which students can grow as individuals. He discusses his time working at WOUB radio as a student, which included assignments ranging from covering local elections to interviewing then-senator John Glenn. He asserts WOUB to have been essential in teaching him the art of "storytelling,” which he has carried with him into the corporate world, ranging from TV networks like VH1 to executive jobs for companies ranging from Carnival Cruises to Rue21. Additionally, he touches on his time working as an assistant to then-university president Charlie Ping, a job which included chauffeuring notable visitors to and from the airport in Columbus. He also discusses how his successes during his time in Athens, contrasted with the severe poverty of the area, has motivated him to engage extensively in philanthropy. This includes constructing houses for Habitat for Humanity, starting a scholarship fund for aspiring students at OU, and participating as a trustee on the board of the Ohio University Foundation—all of which he discusses in this interview.
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Keywords
WOUB, public radio, Ohio University, Ohio University Foundation, Southeast Ohio, Athens Ohio, Habitat for Humanity, Charles Ping, Ohio University Alumni
Disciplines
Business and Corporate Communications | Fashion Business | Higher Education | Leadership Studies | Marketing | Oral History | Other Business | Radio | Recreation Business | Sales and Merchandising | Television
Publication Date
Spring 4-30-2026
Interview Location
Athens, Ohio and Palm Springs, California
Digital Publisher
Ohio University Libraries
Document Type
Oral History
Duration
0:32:35
File Format
PDF and MP4
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Brand, Bill and Morris, Alexander, "Bill Brand Interview by Alex Morris, April 6, 2026" (2026). HIST 4798/5798: Recording Memory: Methods and Uses of Oral History. 29.
https://ohioopen.library.ohio.edu/hist4798/29
Included in
Business and Corporate Communications Commons, Fashion Business Commons, Higher Education Commons, Leadership Studies Commons, Marketing Commons, Oral History Commons, Other Business Commons, Radio Commons, Recreation Business Commons, Sales and Merchandising Commons, Television Commons