By Jessica Stamp
Ellen Tressel has been a part of the Youngstown community for many years. Raised in Canfield, Tressel went to Youngstown State University, majoring in business education.
Tressel has worked at numerous places, from an engineering firm while she was in college, Josten’s Printing and Publishing Co. — which creates personalized class rings and yearbooks — to Butler, Wick & Co. Inc., an asset management firm which also provides financial planning and brokerage services. Tressel worked for Butler, Wick & Co. for 17 years before moving with her husband to Columbus for his football-coaching career.
Tressel met her husband, Jim Tressel, at YSU. Ellen Tressel’s parents were remodeling their Stambaugh Stadium suite when they got a call from Jim Tressel asking them to come down because some decisions needed to be made concerning the layout of the suite. Ellen Tressel went with her parents to talk to Jim Tressel for the first time at the stadium, and they clicked.
“Mom and Dad asked me to join them and give them input,” Ellen Tressel said. “That was the first time that I ever met Jim and we hit it off and began a relationship.”
Tressel has four children, two of whom are married, and three grandchildren.
She is currently working as a community ambassador and participates in philanthropic work.
“I’m more or less a community ambassador. I work for [Jim Tressel] at the university,” Tressel said. “We do a lot of charity work and a lot of philanthropic endeavors [to] raise money for the university.”
Tressel is involved in several charities and organizations such as the Beatitude House, Board of Friends of Riverside Gardens and the Mahoning Valley Historical Society.
When Tressel is not working, she enjoys swimming or golfing in her free time.
“I like to swim in the morning with the YSU swim team,” Tressel said. “They start practicing at 6 o’clock in the morning and sometimes they allow me to hone in on them for a little bit and they save a lane for me so that I can swim laps.”
Tressel’s future plans include continuing to help the community and philanthropic work and to hopefully be able to travel again when the pandemic subsides.
“Just travel and see the world when things calm down and enjoy life,” Tressel said. “When you don’t get to do things like that, you look forward to doing things and making the most out of it.”