Future Focused
Linking Industry & Education
Future Focused
Linking Industry & Education
Room 245
BridgED will lead a panel discussion with companies who are effectively engaging with K12 districts.
Christy Bertolo is the co-founder of UNITE and BridgED. UNITE is a consulting, training and technology company developed to help unite university and industry partners. UNITE is a licensed, Ohio State technology and Ohio State portfolio company. BridgED is a consulting company helping K-12 districts bridge the gap with companies while providing opportunities and exposure to career paths for teachers, parents, and students.
Prior to starting UNITE and BridgED, Christy led the first ever holistic corporate engagement effort for The Ohio State University. In this role she served as the single point of coordination and liaison between business partners and the university. She managed a portfolio of companies who partner with Ohio State and drove corporate engagement in the areas of philanthropy, research, student hiring and more. In the fall of 2020 Christy lead the campus re-open team and rolled out the operations of the single surveillance COVID-19 testing site that tested nearly 45,000 faculty, staff, and students weekly.
Prior to Ohio State, Christy worked as Vice President of Business Services at the Columbus Chamber of Commerce. In her role, Christy worked directly with over 600 companies and organizations throughout the Columbus Region in various industries. During her tenure, Christy helped members add $10m+ in new revenue, 300+ jobs and 200k sq ft in expansions.
Christy received her Bachelor of Science Degrees in Marketing and Business Administration at Franklin University. Christy lives in Upper Arlington and serves on the board for The Upper Arlington Community Improvement Corporation.
Chris Svec is the co-founder of UNITE and BridgED. UNITE is a consulting, training and technology company developed to help unite university and industry partners. UNITE is a licensed, Ohio State technology and Ohio State portfolio company. BridgED is a consulting company helping K-12 districts bridge the gap with companies while providing opportunities and exposure to career paths for teachers, parents, and students.
Prior to starting UNITE and BridgED, Chris led the first ever holistic corporate engagement effort for The Ohio State University. In this role he served as the single point of coordination and liaison between business partners and the university. He managed a portfolio of companies who partner with Ohio State and drove corporate engagement in the areas of philanthropy, research, student hiring and more.
From 2010-2017 Chris worked for Nationwide where he held the title of Director, Sports Marketing. He led a team who managed a portfolio of high-profile sponsorships which included NFL teams, the PGA TOUR, Diversity and Inclusion, Columbus Marathon, and Columbus Zoo properties. Chris also managed athlete endorsement relationships including Earvin Magic Johnson, Tavis Smiley, Hines Ward, Bill Haas, Jack Nicklaus, and USA soccer star Alex Morgan. During his tenure at Nationwide, Chris served as President of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship, a Korn Ferry Finals tournament played at Ohio State’s Scarlet golf course. In this role he led a board of prominent central Ohio business leaders and the tournament which generated over $1.7M in donations to Nationwide Children’s annually.
From 1996-2010 Chris was employed with Real Living, Inc., one of the top five real estate brokerages in the US. During this tenure he held various sales and marketing related roles and was instrumental in the firm’s explosive national growth. He was accountable and responsible for sales, merger/acquisition activity, marketing, and overall growth of the brand. Due in large part to this effort, Real Living experienced significant growth and penetration into new markets which ultimately led to Real Living being purchased by Berkshire Hathaway. The brand was named “Fastest Growing Real Estate Company in the US” by the Swanepoel Report for three consecutive years under Chris’ leadership.
Chris Svec is a graduate of Ohio University and resides in Powell, Ohio. He is an avid pickleball player and sports fan.
