Profiles: Jenny Ulum ’83

Jenny Ulum M.A. ’83, is founder and CEO of The Ulum Group. Before starting the firm, she was the executive responsible for community and government relations at PeaceHealth, which includes Sacred Heart Medical Center and PeaceHealth Medical Group in Eugene. Her career began as a legislative aide in the 1979 Oregon Legislature, and she has also worked in public relations for the University of Washington Health Sciences Center and Bellevue (Wash.) Public Schools. She specializes in managing communications for complex issues, particularly in the public policy arena. Ulum currently serves on the UOAA Board of Directors and is the Advocacy Committee Chair.

Why are you still, and what makes you want to be, connected to the UO through the Alumni Association?

Part of it is that I live in Eugene and such a big part of it is being connected to the UO. I went there deliberately because it was important to me to have the UO degree for my future success and I still feel that way and I want to contribute in any way that I can to the UO’s success.

What is your biggest accomplishment since college?

Starting my own business. It was a desire to control my own destiny and just see if I could do it, and part of it was to find something that I could just throw myself into.

How has the UO had an impact on your life?

Certainly the school gave me the foundation I was looking for, and it did not disappoint. It grounded me in the fundamentals.

Did you/do you have a mentor – someone that has helped you in your career or made a significant impact in the early years of your career?

Dr. Lauren Kessler, my professor in my undergraduate classes. She went to Oregon and I sort of followed her. She really extracts the best of her students and was a fabulous writing coach, gave me good career advice in a very important time, and just made suggestions that were very helpful.

What part of college made a significant difference in your life, made you who you are?

I really liked being a Graduate Teaching Fellow (GTF). That was really helpful and made a big difference in my college career. It was a small program and it really made me feel more connected to the faculty and other students.

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

When you invest in a create a business you are in it for the long run, so I still see myself strongly connected to this firm.

If you could be any color crayon (think box of 64, not just the 8 primary colors), what color would you be and why?

I would probably be Scarlet. There isn’t really a meaning other than I like the color. But also, editors do correct in red ink, which could have possibly contributed to that. I also know all of the colors because of my seven year old!

Is there anything else that you would like readers and other alumni to know?

There are so many different reasons to support the University of Oregon; mine don’t necessarily have to be anyone else’s. I obviously support the UO because that is what I am connected to and it is where I went. Higher education in general is so important and everyone should find it in them to support it in anyway they can. We can’t take it for granted and you can’t underestimate its value. I encourage anyone to find a way to plug in. It doesn’t have to be through the Alumni Association, this is just where I found my opportunity. But giving back really is invaluable, but again, I just really encourage finding anyway that you can to plug into it.