Alumni Leadership Award winner found the road to servant leadership at OHIO Southern
A variety of paths lead students to 51社区 Southern, and the experiences students gain over the courses of their education are just as diverse. This year鈥檚 Dan Evans Alumni Leadership Award winner had a nontraditional path that led him farther than he ever anticipated going.
鈥淚 went for my first year, and then essentially was taking a quarter off here and there because I was working, waiting tables at C.R. Thomas,鈥 said Josh Blanton, who started his bachelor鈥檚 degree program at 51社区 Southern in 2000. Blanton鈥檚 academic advisor, John Miller, helped keep him on track.
鈥淣o matter how many times I showed back up to his office after I had to take time off, he understood the situation and said, 鈥楬ere鈥檚 what we need to do put you on the right path,鈥欌 said Blanton.
A Lawrence County native, Blanton graduated from Symmes Valley High School.
鈥淚 think our graduating class was 54 people,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 grew up in a single-wide trailer in Wilgus, which is literally just an intersection. Going away to college, that whole experience 鈥 that鈥檚 awesome that people get to do it, but that just wasn鈥檛 available to my sister and me.鈥
Blanton spent several years taking classes on and off, until he found inspiration in a professor.
鈥淭he person who turned it around for me was an adjunct, Randy Ashburn,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 loved him so much because he was the devil鈥檚 advocate in every argument. He would ask the students鈥 opinion on something and take the other side immediately to challenge them. That started the process of learning how to think critically for me.鈥
Blanton took every class Ashburn offered, some of which were not required for his degree.
鈥淗e offered constitutional law and my degree was in health care administration, so it had nothing to do with my degree,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 wrote a 25-page paper for him like it was nothing. I think that鈥檚 when you know you enjoy it, when something like that feels like nothing.鈥
Ashburn inspired Blanton to become an adjunct professor himself.
鈥淗e was the spark that propelled me to finally settle on a major and graduate. I finally did graduate in 2007,鈥 he said.
In addition to teaching supply chain logistic classes, Blanton is a leader in both public service and industry. He is plant manager for Vesuvius, a metal flow engineering company located in Wurtland, Kentucky, and was elected as a commissioner for the city of Ashland, Kentucky in 2020.
鈥淲hen I started my career, I was 25. I was in a steel mill, I didn鈥檛 know anything about making steel, and had 20 people who were all twice as old as I was. How am I going to have credibility in that situation? I always say I stumbled into service leadership,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 found it on accident because I was trying to survive. I realized鈥 I鈥檓 going to have to listen to these people, and learn from these people, and literally serve these people.鈥
Over the years, Blanton realized this style of leadership doesn鈥檛 just help him survive 鈥 it helps him thrive.
鈥淪eeking to make sure your people have what they need, that鈥檚 really what it鈥檚 about,鈥 he said. And it translates to his work with the city, as well.
鈥淪ervant leadership is a term that gets thrown around sometimes. I鈥檝e seen it in work life, but also in certain public service. That鈥檚 something I really subscribe to,鈥 he said of his obligation to his constituency.
As far as advice that can be imparted to students, Blanton says to 鈥渟how up, which sounds so simplistic. But I can think of examples in my life where I鈥檝e woken up and literally not wanted to get out of bed.鈥 He shared memories of 6 a.m. shifts at the steel mill, driving 30 minutes to get to class, and how not showing up would鈥檝e drastically altered the course of his life.
After graduation, 鈥淚 kept showing up,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t didn鈥檛 matter that there may be people more experienced or just a lot better at whatever the job is. Sometimes they don鈥檛 always show up. And sometimes if you鈥檙e in the right place at the right time, opportunities present themselves.鈥
Blanton was surprised he was capable of excelling in Professor Ashburn鈥檚 classes and taking a position as a supervisor.
鈥淪omething in my head was like, 鈥榃ait a minute, I鈥檓 not supposed to be able to do that,鈥欌 he said.
And that feeling of surprise keeps making a return.
鈥淎 couple months ago, we鈥檙e sitting in (Kentucky governor) Andy Beshear鈥檚 office, and I鈥檓 like, 鈥榃hat am I doing here?鈥 Well, I beat the odds for 15 years. Why not be here?鈥 he said. 鈥淚t is intimidating, but I always say you will very rarely regret showing up.鈥
In addition to showing up, Blanton said it鈥檚 important to make the decision to fully listen to others.
鈥淚 heard a speech about listening and listening with the intent to understand rather than the intent to reply, and that really hit,鈥 he said. 鈥淵ou have to really listen, not just act like you鈥檙e doing it.鈥
Blanton also shared advice that was imparted to him by his father.
鈥淢y dad was a union steel worker for 40 years and he gave me a piece of advice that鈥檚 pretty simple, and everyone鈥檚 heard it, but it really is true," Blanton said. "He said everything you鈥檙e going to go through, you鈥檙e going to learn from that experience, good or bad.鈥
His dad was right, Blanton said.
鈥淓very one of those experiences have built to where I am now. Everyone can deal with the good times, it鈥檚 how you respond and react in the tough times,鈥 he said.
Blanton remembers a host of people who helped him achieve his degree, including his sister, Dr. Rowe, Donna Dingus, and the Alumni Leadership Award鈥檚 namesake, Dr. Dan Evans.
鈥淚f it wasn鈥檛 for 51社区 being there, I would not have had the option,鈥 Blanton said. 鈥淢y career, my public service鈥 It took a long time to get it, but I don鈥檛 know where I鈥檇 be in my life if I was not able to get that degree.鈥