Meet Sally Bissell

By: Jessica Reynolds

I would like to introduce you to Sally Bissell. Sally is the Executive Director of Institutional Advancement and has been at Defiance College for 34 years. She has been in many different roles during her time at Defiance College. She started her career in the admissions department. Sally has been a coach for the volleyball and track & field teams throughout her time here. Sally decided to come to Defiance College because there were limited opportunities for education due to the economy at that time. Her favorite thing about Defiance College is the people, including the faculty, staff, and students.

Sally Bissell started at Defiance for College in 1997, and she graduated in 1981. She decided to come to Defiance because she grew up in the area, and some of her high school friends had a good experience here as well.  Her volleyball coach & guidance counselor had a huge impact on her need to look into Defiance as well. Sally obtained her physical education (k-12), health (7-12), and recreation degree from Defiance. She attended The University of Toledo for her master’s with a focus on higher education.

Sally grew up in Payne, Ohio, and attended Wayne Trace High School. She is currently living in Grand Rapids, Ohio. If Sally could live anywhere in the world, she would want to stay in northwest Ohio. Aside from her necessities, she could not go a day without her phone and her computer. Sally thinks of herself as more of an extrovert than an introvert. During her school years, Sally played volleyball, basketball, track, summer softball, and golf. Sally was asked her own definition of accomplishment and stated that being respectful of others. she thinks respect is an accomplishment because she thinks we lack respect right now for others and that some people are in too much of a hurry. She said, “life is too short; enjoy it.”

Sally can be found in Defiance 215.