About
Zimny has served since 2019 as assistant to the president for communications and marketing,
serving previously from 2015-2018 as director of communications and marketing and
from 2008-2014 as assistant director of communications. A 2008 summa cum laude Ouachita grad in English and mass communications, she served as student director
of the news bureau her senior year. Upon graduation, Zimny completed Columbia University's
Columbia Publishing Course before returning to begin her full-time position at Ouachita.
She completed a Master of Arts degree in corporate and non-profit communication from
Johns Hopkins University in 2014. She and her husband, René, who teaches in Ouachita's
Adams Department of Art and Design, are parents to two sons.
Fun Facts
What is your favorite place on campus and why?
Jones Performing Arts Center is one of my favorite places on campus because there
are so many significant Ouachita moments created there. From launching your college
career under the prayer of faculty and staff at New Beginnings to watching and performing
in Tiger Tunes and other fine arts productions to spiritually edifying chapel and
CFW sessions and learning from internationally respected speakers and many more things,
that place is thick with precious memories for me.
If you had any other job, what would you be and why?
During my college years, I wanted to pursue a career in book publishing. I even had
the opportunity to attend the Columbia Publishing Course, learning from leaders in
the industry alongside peers from elite schools across the country. As a lifelong
book lover, I think I would have loved playing a part in bringing those stories to
the public. I'm grateful to be able to use many of the same skills and passions in
my role here at Ouachita.
Areas of Expertise
Awards and Presentations
- Numerous awards from Baptist Communicators Association's Wilmer C. Fields Awards
- Numerous ARcom, PRISM and Bronze Quill Awards from Arkansas' chapters of Public Relations
Society of America and International Association of Business Communicators
- Presented "Lessons from the branding trenches: Visual identity in the digital age"
at the Baptist Communicators Association annual workshop
Editor of The Ouachita Circle
Zimny also serves as editor of The Ouachita Circle alumni magazine and previously served as associate editor. See current Circle articles
at obu.edu/stories/circle and archived issues on Scholarly Commons.
Involvement
Committee, Service and Civic Involvement
- Administrative Council
- Task Force on Advancing Faculty/Staff Support for Women
- Assessment Committee
- OSF staff advisor
- EEE women's social club staff advisor
- Second Baptist Church
- Arkadelphia Downtown Committee (former)
Professional Memberships
- Baptist Communicators Association
- Current awards chair
- Previously served as awards chair-elect, communications vice president, program chair
committee member, scholarship committee member
- HighEdWeb
