When Tony Bishop III ’15, MSAH ’18 earned his bachelor’s degree in communication and master’s degree in allied health at Otterbein, he never intended to work in politics. But he used his liberal arts background to adapt and apply his critical thinking skills to places outside of his major — including the White House.
“Otterbein teaches you how to think — not what to think. What I learned as a Cardinal meant I could jump into any career and be prepared from the beginning to make an impact,” Bishop said.
Being prepared for any career is one thing; finding the right career is another. For Bishop, public policy turned out to be the perfect fit.
“What’s truly unique and special about Otterbein is how you come to campus with one passion in mind and then through the guidance of professors, mentors and the entire community, you begin to discover another passion and then another. Ultimately through these extraordinary relationships that push you forward, you discover what it is you really want to pursue as a career, he said.
Photo, taken by Bishop, includes President Joe Biden, President Macron, the First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, and the French President’s wife, Brigitte Macron.
His passion for public policy turned into jobs as a legislative aide in the Ohio House of Representatives and as a fellow with then-Chairman Hakeem Jeffries in the Congressional Black Caucus for the U.S. House of Representatives.
With the Emerging Leaders delegation for the Congressional Black Caucus, Bishop traveled to Japan to establish bridges of diplomacy. Later, he was stationed in Brussels, Belgium, with the U.S. Liaison Office for the European Parliament for seven months. He then served as the executive director of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus.
His latest position lands Bishop in the White House as an advisor to the White House Office of the National Cyber Director.
He credits Otterbein with helping to prepare him for his new position. “To change things for the better in our country, I had to learn how to influence people, and communications seemed to be the perfect skill set to get that job done. I do this every day at work as I try to have positive impact on one of our highest institutions in the U.S.,” Bishop said.
At the heart of everything he does is Bishop’s compassion for others. “It’s all about helping someone else. If you have wisdom that you can share with someone to make their time easier, you should do it. That’s how we advance as a country.”
These photos were supplied by Tony Bishop and show an event that was part of the first state visit by a foreign allied leader during the Biden administration — French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron. Bishop attended and helped execute the event.
Above: Bishop at the White House before the event’s start.
NEW CARDINAL ON CAMPUS
