Networking & Career Exploration CONNECT Alumni Career Day
CONNECT Alumni Career Day is the largest career-related event of the year and is intended to help Schreyer Scholars think about their career interests, formulate career objectives and think about next steps for achieving those goals. This event also gives Scholars the unique opportunity to network with and learn from Scholar alumni.
Scholar RSVP
Event Schedule
12:00 - 12:45 PM Session 1
Beginning and Sustaining a Legal Career
From applying to law school to what it takes to become partner, hear from Schreyer alum about the legal profession. In this panel, expect not only tips and tricks to law school applications but also gain a deeper understanding of what to expect working in law and all the places a J.D. can take you.
Healthcare, MD
Are you interested in the medical profession? This is the panel for you! Get advice on how to study for the MCAT, navigate through the medical school application process, and build a strong foundation that will prepare you for a career in medicine.
Applying to Grad School? Here's What to Think About
Many Schreyer alum head straight to grad school after graduation. Your advisor will work with you to find elite programs, but these previous Scholars will give insight into other qualities to think about when applying to grad school and insights on how to get into your dream program.
Consulting
Entering consulting is a popular path for Scholars who aren’t pursuing continuing education after graduation. If you’re interested in consulting, alumni in this panel will speak to the benefits of degrees across different academic disciples. Additionally, gain further insight into the different types of consulting.
12:45 - 1:30 PM Networking Session 1
Network with panelists from the first session. Scholars will have the opportunity to speak one-on-one or in small groups with alumni from the legal, medical, grad school, and consulting panels.
1:45 - 2:30 PM Session 2
Liberal Arts
Do you not have a specific career in mind for after graduation? Do you feel like your career interests might not align with the “typical” path for your major? This is the panel for you! Scholar alum will discuss translating their major into a career… and it’s not always what you would expect! This panel will be beneficial for students in the liberal arts and especially advantageous for Scholars who see a different path than what is typically expected of their major.
Careers in STEM
Come and see how a STEM degree propels your career after graduation. Learn from Scholar alum about their careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. During this panel, you will learn about the benefits of advanced degrees, advancing in your career with just a bachelors and less obvious industries to enter like consulting, finance and law.
Creative Fields
If you envision creativity being a core trait of any future job, this is the panel for you. Learn from Scholar alumni across a variety of fields from marketing to film and performance to learn how you can take those creative juices and incorporate them into a fulfilling and successful career.
Career Next Steps
This session offers Scholars the opportunity to speak with alumni about making a smooth transition from being a student to becoming a professional whether that is in a work environment or furthering their education.
2:30 - 3:15 PM Networking Session 2
Network with panelists from the second session. Scholars will have the opportunity to speak one-on-one or in small groups with alumni from the liberal arts, STEM, creative fields, and next steps panels.
3:30 - 4:15 PM Session 3
Careers with a Social Impact
Trying to understand how to translate your degree into a career that will have a positive social impact? There are many NGOs, nonprofits, government, businesses and other organizations that contribute to positive change. These Scholar alums have built a career with creating change in mind- learn from their experiences and how to be successful. This panel focuses on students in the liberal arts or those who don’t envision their career to in traditional STEM fields.
Building a Personal Toolbox: From Personal Branding to Networking
From the importance of building a personal brand to marketing your communication and organizational skills, Scholar alum share the importance of making these skills shine on a resume and in interviews.
Building a Career in Business, No Matter Your Major
Leave this session with a firm understanding of different job options in finance, marketing, supply chain, and more. Learn how to make yourself stand out in the recruiting process and how to pursue a career in business regardless of major.
4:15 - 5:00 PM Networking Session 3
Network with panelists from the third session. Scholars will have the opportunity to speak one-on-one or in small groups with alumni from social impact, personal toolbox, and business panels.
Successful Scholar Alumni Alumni Bios
Learn more about the Scholar alumni attending this year's event.
Todd Allen President, Allen Energy Inc
Todd Allen is Founder and President of Allen Energy Inc in Orlando, Florida. Allen Energy supplies batteries and chargers for industrial electric vehicles in various industries around the world. Todd started his career with Eaton Corporation in manufacturing where his final position was plant manager in Santa Fe Springs, California. Todd earned a BS in Industrial Engineering with Honors from Penn State in 1989. He also earned an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA. Please feel free to connect with him at https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddmallen/
Jennifer Ashman President, CX Amplified
Jennifer Ashman is the president of CX Amplified, a boutique consulting firm based in Michigan that helps companies design and implement strategies to deliver great customer experiences. She has been a customer experience and marketing practitioner for over 20 years and her diverse background includes working at MRM//McCann, Ford Motor Company, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, and the University of Michigan. Jennifer earned a BS in Marketing with Honors in 1994 and a Master’s degree in Marketing in 1996. She is also a Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP), issued by the global Customer Experience Professionals Association.
Alayna Auerbach Freelance Management Consultant, MBO Partners for PwC
Alayna graduated from Schreyer in 2015 with a BS in Finance (minors in Spanish and Economics). From 2015 through spring 2019, Alayna worked as a management consultant at PwC in NYC focusing on mergers & acquisitions. In spring 2019 through fall 2020, Alayna developed core skills in psychology through study, courses, and hands-on experience. Since fall 2020, Alayna has been working as a freelance management consultant on contract with PwC for a deal with a previous client. Since 2019, Alayna has also been a board member on the Scholar Alumni Society Board (SASB) and currently chairs the SASB Student Engagement Committee. She now resides in Brooklyn, NY. Feel free to reach out to Alayna for topics related to career transition, consulting, and engagement between Schreyer alumni and students!
Samuel Bonsall Reeves Family Early Career Professor in Accounting, Penn State - Smeal College of Business
Sam Bonsall is the Reeves Family Early Career Professor in Accounting at Penn State University's Smeal College of Business in University Park, Pennsylvania where he teaches Master of Accounting and doctoral students and conducts research related to the impact of information on capital markets. Before joining Penn State in 2017, he served on the faculty of the Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business in Columbus, Ohio and worked in economic litigation consulting at Bates White LLC in Washington, DC. He earned a B.S. in Economics with Honors from Penn State in 2004. He also earned a M.S. in Business Administration from Penn State in 2004 and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from Penn State in 2012. Please feel free to connect with him on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-bonsall-a7a50936/).
Joshua Branch Policy Specialist, Crime and Justice Institute
Joshua Branch is a Policy Specialist at the Crime and Justice Institute, head quartered in Boston, and critical race theorist. He currently is working on reforms on behavioral health and pre-trial detention reform in Michigan and leads a team investigating justice reform opportunities in Nebraska. He has previously led criminal justice campaign efforts in Louisiana (clean slate), Maryland (juvenile fines and fees), and Pennsylvania (juvenile justice education reform). He has been published in Slate, The Root, and Medium, and has a forthcoming publication in Georgetown’s Project on State and Local Government Policy and Law and interview with the ReplyAll Podcast. He has taught courses on juvenile law and policy at the Pennsylvania State University. He has received awards for his criminal justice work by Georgetown University Law Center, New Leaders Council, and the National Juvenile Justice Network. He studied political science at Penn State, political violence and economics at the University of Oxford, and received his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. You can connect with him on twitter: https://twitter.com/JoshuaBBranch You can connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-branch-22a465198/ You can connect with him via email: branch.joshua.brady@gmail.com
Jarlene Choy Foundations Manager, Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence
Jarlene Choy is the Foundations Manager at Giffords in San Francisco, CA where she is responsible for strategy, proposal development and securing foundation support to further our mission to save lives from gun violence. Before joining Giffords in 2020, she previously worked at a gender violence advocacy organization, as a legislative aide, and as a teaching fellow in rural China. She earned a BA in International Politics with a minor in Geography in 2010. Please free to connect with her on LinkedIn.
Brian Clionsky Vice President - Debt Capital Markets Originator, Natixis
Brian Clionsky is a Vice President within Debt Capital Markets at Natixis Securities Americas LLC in New York City, NY where they originate, syndicate and sell US Private Placements and Project Finance Bonds. Before joining Natixis in 2020, they previously worked at both MUFG and SMBC within Debt Capital Markets focusing on US Private Placements and Project Finance Bonds. They earned BS in Finance with Honors from Penn State in 2011. Please feel free to connect with them on LinkedIn/Email.
Timothy Cooney Senior Vice President, City National Bank (New Jersey)
Tim is a Senior Vice President at Bank of America Private Bank serving the New York Metro area. Tim provides customized financial advice and high-touch service to wealthy individuals, families and institutions. Drawing on his extensive experience advising an accomplished clientele, Tim offers a dynamic and creative approach to the opportunities and challenges that significant wealth can entail. He leads a team of locally-based specialists who work in concert to design and implement integrated initiatives in investment management, trust and estate planning services, banking and lending, family office services and philanthropy.
Tim offers a holistic approach that centers on each client’s objectives, informed by a deep understanding of the client’s priorities and needs. He works closely with business owners, senior executives, hedge fund principals, private equity partners and their family members to streamline and simplify both sides of the balance sheet. Throughout each relationship, Tim offers a high caliber of guidance, a relentless service ethic, and a profound dedication to client well- being.
Prior to joining U.S. Trust in 2016, Tim was an Executive Director in the Private Bank at J.P. Morgan, where he worked closely with affluent families, endowments and foundations. Previously, Tim served as a Director with Sanford C. Bernstein in New York, providing research capabilities and trading services to leading global hedge funds. Tim began his financial services career in 2000 at Goldman Sachs, where he was a Vice President in the Equity Products Group.
Tim earned his B.S. in Finance with a concentration in Accounting from the Schreyer Honors College at the Pennsylvania State University. He currently serves as an elected member of the Schreyer Honors College Alumni Board. Tim lives in Madison, New Jersey, with his wife Colleen (Smeal & Schreyer '99) and their sons Jack and Declan.
Jake Diamond Business Analyst, McKinsey & Company
Coming Soon!
Eric Dice Senior Budget Analyst, House Committee on Appropriations, Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Eric is a senior budget analyst for the House Appropriations Committee in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in Harrisburg, PA, which he joined in 2008. He is responsible for helping legislators prepare the annual state budget, as well as estimating the fiscal impact of proposed legislation and providing analytical support to aid policy development. He earned a BS in Economics with honors from Penn State in 2008.
Markea Dickinson Co-founder/COO, Thermaband
Markea Dickinson is the Co-founder/COO of Thermaband in Baltimore, MD. Thermaband's mission is to reframe midlife, destigmatize menopause and empower women to control their thermal comfort. The Zone device is a patent-pending smart personal thermostat that provides heating and cooling sensations to the inner wrist, as well as digital health data. Before launching Thermaband with her mother in 2019, she previously worked in operations and manufacturing at Unilever through a rotational program. She earned a BS in Supply Chain with Honors from Penn State in 2014. She also earned an MBA from Yale School of Management in 2020. Please feel free to connect with her at markea@mythermaband.com
Tyler Dischinger Counsel, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC
Tyler Dischinger is an attorney at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC, where his practice focuses on representing parties in distressed debt situations, including chapter 11 bankruptcy and out-of-court debt restructurings. Tyler was a summer associate with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC in 2011, and has been with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC full-time since 2012. Tyler graduated with a BA in Political Science and a BA with Honors in Economics from Penn State in 2009. Tyler then went on to earn his Juris Doctor from the University Pittsburgh School of Law, graduating in 2012. Feel free to connect with Tyler on LinkedIn.
Brian Ellis Senior Legal Counsel, Fidelity Investments
Prior to joining Fidelity Investments’ in-house legal team in January 2022, Brian was recently a litigator, counselor at law, and partner at Bressler, Amery & Ross, P.C..
For the past 15 years, Brian has counseled and defended businesses and individuals from potential exposure, especially with respect to regulatory concerns, retail and intra-industry disputes, and state and federal litigation matters. Brian has also consulted and counseled cannabis-related businesses and entrepreneurs regarding all aspects of the evolving legal markets throughout the United States. In addition, Brian has advised individuals and businesses concerning risk assessment, cyber-security awareness, and data privacy considerations. He has also worked closely with Kids In Need of Defense (KIND), a pro bono organization that defends the rights of immigrant children and families, including those separated from each other at the southern U.S. border in 2018. Presently, Brian serves on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee of the Schreyer Honors College Scholar Alumni Society Board.
He earned his B.A. with honors in Crime, Law & Justice and Sociology in 2002.
Lauren Fellin Senior Specialist Re-Marketing and Returns, The Hershey Company
Lauren is a Senior Specialist of Re-marketing and Returns at The Hershey Company in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Her main responsibilities include servicing her specific remarketing customers and efficiently managing the returned product to the company. She earned her BS in Supply Chain and Information Systems with Honors from Penn State in 2017 and joined the The Hershey Company in June of 2017 upon graduation. Please feel free to connect with her via Linkedin or email.
Nikolai Foreman Associate, Trading and Origination, Broad Reach Power
Nikolai Foreman is an associate of Trading and Origination at Broad Reach Power in Houston, Texas. He is responsible for driving trading and investing strategies for Power products. He previously spent 7 years at Royal Dutch Shell 4 of which were in commodities trading. He earned a BS in Finance with Honors from Penn State in 2014.
Olivia Francois Item Writer II, Cambium Assessment
Olivia Francois is an Item Writer and Science Content Lead at Cambium Assessment, Inc (CAI) in Washington DC where she writes standardized test questions for grades 3-12 across biology, chemistry, physics and environmental science. Before joining CAI in 2019, she previously worked at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Pittsburgh, PA as a fundraiser for cancer research. She earned a BS in Toxicology with Honors and a Global Health minor from Penn State in 2014. After graduation, she worked as a recruiter for the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences at University Park. Please feel free to connect with her at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ofrancois24/ or oliviafrancois@gmail.com.
Rebecca Lee Funk Founder & CEO, The Outrage
Rebecca Lee Funk is the Founder and CEO of The Outrage, a hub for activism. Through her work she provides new and long-time activists alike the scaffolding to help make social change a reality through community, events and fashion. Rebecca has been recognized by Marie Claire's New Guard as one of 50 women changing the world and by Washingtonian as one of DC's 100 most powerful women. She graduated with high honors from Penn State with bachelors degrees in Accounting, General Science and Philosophy. She completed her graduate studies at Yale University, earning a MA in Economics and a MEM in Environmental Management.
Derek Gerberich Director, Metric Theory
Derek Gerberich is a Director at Metric Theory based in Denver, CO where he leads a team of 20 digital marketing professionals servicing clients with up to $1MM in monthly advertising budgets. Derek earned both his Bachelor's and Master's Degrees at Penn State in Statistics in 2014. Please feel free to connect with him at https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-gerberich/
Eric Gibney Program Director, Piedmont Transplant Institute (Atlanta, GA); Transplant Nephrologist, Piedmont Atlanta Hospital
Dr. Eric GIbney is a transplant physician and Program Director of the Piedmont Transplant Institute in Atlanta GA. In his clinical role, he supervises the medical care of kidney and pancreas transplant patients. As program director, he leads a diverse group of surgeons and physicians at one of the nation's largest abdominal transplant programs, getting involved in recruitment, strategic planning, contracting and hospital administration. Dr. Gibney graduated with a BS in Biology from Penn State with Honors in Nutrition in 1994, followed by an MD at Emory, a residency and chief residency in internal medicine at NYU, and a nephrology and transplant fellowship at the University of Colorado in Denver. He can be reached at eric.gibney@piedmont.org.
Keith Graham Senior Instructor and Assc. Chair of Undergraduate Education, Electrical, Computer Engineering Dept., University of Colorado at Boulder, College of Engineering and Applied Science
In 1985, I earned my BS in Electrical Engineering at Pennsylvania State University at State College, Pennsylvania specializing in Computer Architecture and ASIC design. Upon graduation, I moved to Fort Collins, Colorado to join Hewlett Packard's Workstation Division where I developed HP's first floating point accelerator card for their series 300 computers. A group of Motorola and HP engineers started Solbourne Computers and shortly afterwards asked me to join them in the development of the first multi-processor server based on a virtual cache architecture and physical memory. After the server development, I became the technical team lead in developing an engineering workstation with a custom CPU and 4 ASICs. In 1991, I went to a new startup, Quest Computer, to develop the first PC notebook with an integrated trackball and cellular modem. After Quest Computer, I entered sales at Thorson Rocky Mountain and later became a managing partner. Thorson is an electronic manufacturer's representative selling both active semiconductors, passives, and electro-mechicanical devices. My experiences at Thorson expanded my techinical experience into DSPs, micro controllers, memory, power, and radios. Appplications have ranged from Servers/Workstations to Mass Storage Systems, to Solar Micro-converters, to Enterprise Wifi phones, and to Internet of Things. Throughout my career, I have had many different positions and responsibilities. Currently, I am the Associate Chair of Undergraduate Education for the Electrical Computer & Energy Engineering (ECEE) Department at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The one consistent theme that ties together all of my jobs and experiences is my BS in Electrical Engineering from Penn State. I am now working on developing a leading curriculum in Embedded Systems at CU to address a growing need in industry and academia that is interdisciplinary with other engineering departments include Mechanical, Aerospace, Chemical, Architectural, and Civil Engineering as well as Computer Science.
Asia Grant Founder, Redoux
Asia is the founder of the vegan skincare line, Redoux. She founded the company in 2019 while living in New York, where she previously worked as a user experience research consultant at IBM and Capco. She earned a BS in Marketing with Honors from Penn State in 2017, and serves as president of the Scholar Alumni Society Board President. Currently, she is based out of the Philadelphia area. Feel free to connect with her via Linkedin if you don't mind waiting, or email if you're looking for a quicker response.
Tamara Hambrick Director of Systems Engineering, Northrop Grumman Corp.
Tamara Hambrick serves as program and functional director of Systems Engineering Control, within the Strategic Deterrent Systems Division for Northrop Grumman Space Systems. Hambrick is responsible for leading engineers, analysts and managers of the Systems Engineering Control directorate. She is responsible for cost, schedule, and technical performance of process execution for systems engineering with defining and deploying metrics for first time quality, training in model-based systems engineering, and integration of requirements and architecture models. Hambrick is a leader in driving technical innovation, influencing change and developing the next generation of thought leaders, advocates and practitioners in model based systems engineering for the last 16 years. She has held chief engineering model-based leadership roles for radar, open electronic warfare, avionics and cyber programs. She is the current Digital Engineering Information Exchange Working Group co-chair for the Digital Viewpoint Model through INCOSE with support from NDIA. Hambrick holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering science from Pennsylvania State University with Honors, as well as a master’s certificate in systems engineering from Johns Hopkins University, and a graduate certificate in architecture and systems engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamara-hambrick-5370865/
Brian Harkless Command Property Officer - Division Director, NAVAIR (US Navy)
Mr. Harkless became a Navy civilian in 2010 and currently serves as NAVAIR Command Property Officer, Sustainment Group, Property Management Department at Patuxent River, MD. In this role, he is responsible for the physical accountability of all NAVAIR owned material as well as policy, oversight and guidance for all Property Management functions at the Command. Mr. Harkless previously served as Branch Head for NAVAIR 6.8.3.3 Sponsor Owned Material branch in the Total Asset Visibility Division at Patuxent River, MD. In this role, he managed Interim Supply Support warehouses for all pre-Material Support Date NAVAIR Spares and maintained the Special Tooling/Special Test Equipment boneyard at Granite City, IL. Prior to joining Logistics full time, Mr. Harkless completed a year-long NAVAIR Leadership Development Program (NLDP) special project rotation where he developed the processes and procedures for NAVAIR material conversion to Navy Enterprise Resource Planning (Navy ERP). His primary engineering work at NAVAIR was serving as a composite material Subject Matter Expert in the NAVAIR Airframe Technology Branch where he developed new composite repair and evaluation techniques and led cross-organizational teams to implement advanced technologies with other Department of Defense agencies and foreign partners. Before NAVAIR, Mr. Harkless worked in the private sector for 15 years primarily in military aircraft structural repair, ultimately acting as Chief Engineer and Program Manager for CSC’s Bonded Repair Division. Mr. Harkless holds degrees in Aerospace Engineering from Penn State University (BS) and the University of Maryland (MS) where he focused on aircraft structures, composite materials and smart structures as well as an MBA from Texas Christian University. Mr. Harkless is a 2016 graduate of the NAVAIR Leadership Development Program and a 2018 graduate of the Department of the Navy Bridging the Gap Program.
Matthew Heidecker Vice President, Plastics Services Network
Matt Heidecker is the Vice President/Principal Scientist at Plastics Services Network (PSN Labs) in Erie, PA where they are a full-services engineering services provider which includes a testing laboratory that is ISO/IEC 17025:2017 certified, an engineering center, and a clean room/processing lab for developing medical components/devices. Before joining PSN in 2017, Matt previously worked at Emerson and Stress Engineering. Matt earned a BS in Plastics Engineering Technology with Honors from Penn State in 2002 and a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering in 2007. Please feel free to connect with them at Matthew.Heidecker@PSNLabs.com and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattheidecker/
Luke Henegar Global Principal Investments Team, Bank of America
Luke Henegar currently works as a analyst in Bank of America’s debt restructuring and workout group (Special Assets Group) in New York City. Special Assets Group handles the bank’s distressed credit, steering companies through restructuring, bankruptcies, and credit agreement renegotiations. Before joining Special Assets Group, Luke spent a year working in Risk Management, also for Bank of America. He earned a B.S. in Finance and Spanish with Honors from Penn State in 2019.
Eli Kariv Founder, Foodbase
Eli was the founder and CEO at The Coding Space in New York City. Eli founded the company right after graduating from Penn State in 2015 and grew the company to ~$1MM ARR and 500 students per week. The company was acquired by Private Prep in April 2019. Eli's now working on ways to help reduce food waste. Eli earned his Bachelors of Science in marketing from Penn State in 2015. Please feel free to email him at elikariv@gmail.com
Basel Kayyali Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company
Basel Kayyali is a Senior Partner and co-leads McKinsey’s Payor and Provider digital practice globally. In addition, he is the Managing Partner of McKinsey’s Mid-Atlantic Digital Office and is based in Summit, NJ. He has worked primarily at the intersection of operations, technology, and healthcare, serving clients across the healthcare value chain on various topics, including large operations and digital transformations. In addition, he leads several large prominent hi-tech and telecom clients across a wide range of topics. Prior to McKinsey and business school, Basel worked three and a half years as a marketing strategist and processor architect for Intel Corporation. Basel graduated from Pennsylvania State University’s College of Engineering and Schreyer Honors College with an Electrical Engineering degree (was valedictorian) and earned his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania as a Palmer Scholar (top 5 percent—highest distinction).
Soma Kedia Assistant Attorney General, Maryland Office of the Attorney General
Soma is an Assistant Attorney General at the Maryland Office of the Attorney General in Baltimore, MD, where she provides legal counsel to the Maryland Higher Education Commission on a variety of matters including higher education law and regulation, administrative law and procedure, and open government issues. Before joining the Maryland Office of the Attorney General in 2018, Soma spent 8 years as a Staff Attorney at Maryland Legal Aid, representing low income clients primarily in domestic violence and family law litigation as well as housing and consumer matters. She earned a B.A. in English, with honors, and a B.S. in Psychology from Penn State in 2002, and a J.D. from The George Washington University Law School in 2006. Please feel free to connect with her via email (soma.kedia@gmail.com) or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/soma-kedia-208a5412/).
Natalie Keller Food Scientist, La Colombe Coffee Roasters
Natalie is a Food Scientist at La Colombe Coffee Roasters in Philadelphia. Joining the company in September 2021, she works on their signature canned draft lattes as well as cold brew coffees sold in grocery stores and cafes in major cities. Her project areas cover beverage formulation and processing, quality improvement, and innovation with new ingredients and manufacturing technology. Prior to joining La Colombe, she spent four years at Mondelez International working on Chips Ahoy!, belVita, Nutter Butter, and other major snack brands. She earned a BS in Food Science with Honors in 2017 and was involved in Schreyer Student Council, THON, and Food Science Club while at Penn State. Currently, she serves as the President of the College's Scholar Alumni Society. Feel free to connect with her on LinkedIn or at nataliekeller@alumni.psu.edu.
Ryan Koch Director of Strategy - Financial Services, Intapp
Ryan is the Director of Strategy at Intapp in New York City where he leads and executes the firm's strategy in the Financial Services industry. Before joining Intapp, he was Principal, NYC Market Leader at Point B and Director, Banking & Capital Markets at PwC. Early in his career, he was an Operations Manager at P&G. Ryan earned a BS in Chemical Engineering with Honors from Penn State in 1997. He also earned an MBA in Finance from The Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania) in 2004. Please feel free to connect with him at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryankoch1/ or ryan.d.koch@gmail.com.
Eleni Kornblatt Director, Global Marketing - HPV Vaccines, Merck and Co.
Eleni Constantinidis Kornblatt is a Director for the Global HPV Franchise with Merck Vaccines located in Upper Gwynedd, Pennsylvania. She has over 20 years of industry experience in Manufacturing, Supply Chain Operations, Business Development, Commercial Operations, Sales, Marketing and Strategy in both US and Global Roles. She earned her BS in Supply Chain Management + Spanish with Honors from Penn State in 1998, her MBA in Global Marketing from Villanova University in 2001, and Digital Marketing Certification from the Wharton School in 2017. Feel free to connect on LinkedIn.
Emily Kowey Roth Attorney, Duane Morris LLC
Emily Kowey Roth is an attorney at Duane Morris LLP, an international law firm, in its Philadelphia office. Emily is an associate in the Trial Department where she represents clients nationally in complex commercial disputes in a variety of matters, including contract disputes, consumer class actions, and business torts, with an emphasis on non-compete and trade secret litigation. Emily also serves as the Alumni Engagement & Membership Chair for the Scholar Alumni Society. Emily earned a BA in International Politics (with Honors) and Spanish, with a minor in History from Penn State in 2012. Emily earned her law degree from Temple University Beasley School of Law in 2015. Please feel free to connect with her on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-kowey-roth-19475543) or by email at ekroth@duanemorris.com.
Kristin Lambert MD/PhD Dual Degree Candidate, Penn State College of Medicine
Kristin is a student at the Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, PA where she is enrolled in an eight-year, dual-degree MD/PhD program for both clinical and research training. Before joining the MD/PhD program, she earned her B.S. in Immunology & Infectious Disease with Honors from Penn State in 2014. She earned her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences at Hershey in 2019 and is currently in her final year of medical school. Please feel free to connect with her on Twitter (@DoubleDoc_klamb) or on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-lambert-psu/ ).
Valerie Lehman Program Officer, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
Valerie (Val) Lehman is a Program Officer at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). She serves on PCORI's Dissemination & Implementation team, which focuses on spreading knowledge, awareness, and uptake of research results from PCORI's funded studies. Prior to PCORI, Val worked at Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC), a regional health system based in Annapolis, Maryland, for five years. Val was the practice manager for AAMC’s oncology and hematology physician practice. Val's prior experience at AAMC also included managing the palliative care program and government affairs work. Previously, Val served as health policy fellow in the Washington, DC office of Congressman John P. Sarbanes (MD-03) and in various program support positions at the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine) for more than three years. Val first developed her interest in health care by interning for Congressman Patrick J. Murphy (former PA-08) in 2010 while the Affordable Care Act was being crafted and voted on. She graduated from The George Washington University with a Master of Health Administration degree in 2016 and The Pennsylvania State University's Schreyer Honors College with a BA in International Politics in 2009.
Christine MacAulay Program Officer, USAID
Christine MacAulay is a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). She currently works with USAID's Middle East Regional Platform. She previously had assignments with USAID in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Washington, D.C. Prior to joining USAID in 2010, she worked in a program, research, and consultancy capacity with non-governmental organizations in South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Washington, D.C. Christine earned a B.A. in International Politics with Honors from Penn State in 2005. She earned an M.P.A in Public Affairs and Development Studies from Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs.
Matthew McCowan Upstream Capex Planning Advisor, ExxonMobil
Matthew McCowan is a Planning Advisor at ExxonMobil Corporation in Spring, TX, where he provides business analysis and recommendations on value accretive opportunities in the upstream oil and gas sector. He has previously been an engineering supervisor, global reliability consultant, and facility engineer. Matt earned BS degrees in Chemical Engineering and Energy Engineering with Honors from Penn State in 2008. Please feel free to connect with him in LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewmccowan)
Jared Edgar McKnight Associate + Designer (WRT, LLC) + Graduate Student and Research Assistant (USC), WRT, LLC and Univ. of Southern California
Jared Edgar McKnight is an Associate and Designer at WRT, LLC an architecture, landscape architecture, planning and urban design firm located in Philadelphia, PA, where they focus on serving communities through designing transformative projects that enhance the natural and social environment. Jared earned his Bachelor of Architecture with Honors, and a BA in International Studies, from Penn State ('11), and also earned a Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania ('12). He is currently working on a Master of Landscape Architecture + Urbanism degree at the University of Southern California ('21), where he is a Research Assistant and the Assistant Director of the Landscape Justice Initiative. Please feel free to connect with Jared at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-edgar-mcknight/
Shannon Mincemoyer Associate, Reed Smith LLP
Shannon is an employee benefits and executive compensation associate at Reed Smith in Pittsburgh. She has experience advising clients of all sizes across a range of industries regarding compliance, mergers, acquisitions, and other investment transactions. She earned a BS in Finance with Honors from Penn State in 2011 and a JD from Northwestern in 2016.
Tyler Mincemoyer Professional Services Delivery Executive, Google
Tyler Mincemoyer is a Delivery Executive at Google in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania where he works with enterprise clients to orchestrate large scale cloud transformations. Before joining Google earlier this year, he previously worked at UPMC Enterprises and Deloitte Consulting. He earned a BS in Information Sciences and Technology with Honors from Penn State in 2011. Please feel free to connect with him on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tmincemoyer10/).
Rachel-Paige Mumenthaler Vice President, PNC Bank - Technology Finance Group
Rachel-Paige is a Vice President in PNC Bank's Technology Finance Group in Philadelphia where she researches and underwrites new and existing investments in connection with leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, and growth situations and assists in structuring debt facilities for private equity backed technology companies. Before joining PNC's Technology Finance Group, she previously worked at LBC Credit Partners as an Analyst in the Structuring and Underwriting team and in PNC's Debt Capital Markets Group as an Investment Banking Analyst. She earned her BA in International Political Economy with Honors and BA in Economics from Penn State in 2015. She is also currently working on her MBA with Penn State's Smeal College of Business. Please feel free to connect with her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-paige-mumenthaler-9078007b.
Nathan Nair Neurosurgery Residency Director and Associate Professor, Georgetown University School of Medicine
Dr. Nair is a faculty member in the department of Neurosurgery at Georgetown University and practices at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital where he has been since 2010. Before joining Georgetown University, Dr. Nair competed his undergraduate BS degree with Honors in Premedicine at Penn State in 1997. He went to obtain his MD/MPH at Columbia University in 2002 and neurosurgical training at the University of Washington in 2010. In 2019, Dr. Nair obtained a MBA from the University of Virginia.
Michael O'Connor Litigation Counsel, Kraken Digital Asset Exchange
Michael O'Connor directs global litigation for Kraken Digital Asset Exchange. Prior to that, he was a Visiting Assistant Professor of Law at Penn State, teaching courses in Cyber Law. Prior to teaching, Michael was an attorney in Quinn Emanuel's Washington, DC office. He has dual degrees in Computer Science and Biology with Honors from Penn State University. He has a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Carol Packard Associate Dean, Alumni Affairs and Development, Cornell University College of Engineering
Carol Packard is the Associate Dean for Alumni Affairs and Development at the Cornell University College of Education where she leads a team of 15 professional staff members with responsibilities including alumni affairs, stewardship, donor relations, development, and corporate and foundation relations, raising $40 million on average per year. She previously worked at Penn State and other non-profits in the State College area in development roles. She earned a BA in English Literature with Honors from Penn State in 1999. She also earned a MEd in Higher Education Administration from Penn State in 2018.
Brady Press Associate Director, Corporate Social Engagement, Changing Our World, Inc.
Brady Press is an Associate Director at Changing Our World, Inc. in New York City, where she is part of a team of impact consultants who advise nonprofits on capacity-building and fundraising strategies and work hand in hand with companies to design and implement strategic corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs. Brady works in the Corporate Social Engagement practice and brings experience in corporate-nonprofit partnerships, employee engagement, volunteerism and corporate giving programs. At Changing Our World, Brady’s client experience includes working with companies such as TD Ameritrade, Xylem, Rockwell Automation, Altria, Union Pacific, NBC Universal and more. She also has experience researching and writing about the Sustainable Development Goals. Brady graduated from The Pennsylvania State University, Schreyer Honors College in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a minor in Political Science.
Aleks Radovic-Moreno Venture Partner, Longwood Fund
Aleks is a Venture Partner at Longwood Fund. The dream is to turn breakthrough innovation into better lives around the world! As an entrepreneur, I've co-founded 4 biotech companies that are pursuing unique approaches to treating disease. This includes Vor Bio (Nasdaq: $VOR), a company targeting AML, where I led day-to-day operations from inception & raised a $42m Series A from 5AM and RA Cap. Be Bio, where I raised $52m Series A from Atlas Venture and RA Cap to develop B cell medicines, and Alivio, where I acted as CEO & completed a substantial BD transaction w/ a pharma partner. As a drug developer, I was the lead inventor of AST-008 (Cavrotolimod), a novel TLR9 agonist that is now in Phase 2 clinical trials led by Exicure (Nasdaq: $XCUR). As a scientist, I published 18 papers, including first-author papers in Science and PNAS. As an inventor, my patents/applications have been licensed to/owned by 6 biotech companies. Cancer survivor #SarcomaAwareness
Nicole Reed Fry Associate Director, Energy Sustainability and Infrastructure, Guidehouse
Nicole Reed Fry is an Associate Director in the Energy Practice at Guidehouse (formerly Navigant) in Boulder, Colorado, where she specializes in strategy and customer-focused research for utility energy efficiency and renewable energy rates and programs. Nicole began her career in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), conducting renewable energy strategic planning, market and policy analysis for the Geothermal Technologies Program. She then served a one-year assignment as Deputy Associate Director of Energy Efficiency at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Building on her energy efficiency policy experience, she returned to the DOE to support state and local governments and nonprofits managing large federal grants for innovation in residential energy efficiency. Nicole also has previous professional experience with the West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund, SkyFuel, and ExxonMobil. Nicole has an MS in Energy and Geo-Environmental Engineering (2008) and a BS with Honors in Environmental Systems Engineering (2005) from Penn State. She also has an MBA from the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado at Boulder (2014). You can connect with Nicole on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-reed-fry-12a26bb
Chelsie Rimel Associate Attorney, K&L Gates, LLP
Chelsie Rimel is an Associate Attorney at K&L Gates LLP in Washington, D.C. where she primarily works in securities and class action litigation. She earned her BA in Economics with Honors From Penn State in 2015. She also earned her JD from William & Mary Law School in 2019. Please feel free to connect with Chelsie on LinkedIn.
Iris Rivero Kate Gleason Professor and Department Head of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology
Dr. Iris V. Rivero is the Kate Gleason Professor and Department Head of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). In addition, she directs the iMED (Interdisciplinary Manufacturing Engineering and Design) laboratory. Prior to joining RIT, she was a member of the faculty of the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering at Iowa State University where she served as Director of Graduate Studies and Associate Chair emphasizing the development of programs for the recruitment of underrepresented minority students. Prior to her tenure at Iowa State University, Dr. Rivero spent ten years at Texas Tech University where she still holds an Adjunct Associate Professor position with the Department of Surgery of the Health Sciences Center. Dr. Rivero received her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University. Her research interests include additive and hybrid manufacturing processes, biomedical manufacturing, and design of additive manufacturing alloys. She has industrial experience in the fields of advanced manufacturing systems and materials at Detroit Diesel Corporation and Honeywell Engines & Systems. In addition, she participated as a faculty fellow at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. In 2009 Dr. Rivero was recognized with the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) John G. Bollinger Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award. Moreover, she was the recipient of the 2015 Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) Manufacturing & Design Outstanding Service Award for her work leading to the revitalization of the IISE Manufacturing and Design Division. During the 2019 summer she completed a three-year term as IISEs Technical Vice-President of the IE Body of Knowledge. She is currently writing a co-authored chapter on the IE Body of Knowledge for the relaunching of the 2001 Industrial Engineering Handbook, which is scheduled to be published in 2021.
Megan Ruffe Co-Producer, Florentine Films
Megan Ruffe is a documentary filmmaker based in Brooklyn, NY. She is a co-producer at Florentine Films, Ken Burns’s documentary company, where she has worked since 2013. She started as an apprentice editor and production associate on The Vietnam War (2017) and has since worked as the post-production supervisor on College Behind Bars (2019) and on early research and production on Hemingway (2021). Since 2017, Megan has also been working with a small team to develop Ken Burns UNUM, a new digital project that uses Florentine’s library of work to bring historical context to current events. She currently produces a web series called UNUM Shorts. Independently, she directs and produces short documentaries. Her film Aliquippa, a portrait of a former steel town near Pittsburgh, PA, is in post-production. Megan graduated summa cum laude from the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State University where she studied film and geography. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and on CBS Sunday Morning.
Adam Ruskin Clinical Operations, Moderna
Adam Ruskin is the head of Clinical Operations at Moderna. Previously, he developed the first FDA approved treatment for MRSA, the first FDA approved sample-to-answer multiplexing diagnostic test, and the first FDA cleared tests for any types of leukemia and autism. He earned BS degrees in Animal Bioscience and Environmental Resource Management with Honors from Penn State in 1985. He also earned a DVM in Veterinary Medicine from Kansas State University and MPH and PhD in Epidemiology from Emory. Please feel free to connect with him at LinkedIn or email.
Nikhil Shekher Vice President of Sales, DBC, Inc.
Nik is the VP of Sales at DBC, Inc. in New York, NY where he manages enterprise accounts and new business development. Previously, he worked at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch in the Investment Banking division. He earned a BS in Finance with Honors from Penn State in 2016. Please feel free to contact Nik at njshekher@gmail.com.
Karen Swensen News Anchor, WWL-TV, CBS Affiliate, New Orleans
Karen Swensen is an Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist at WWL-TV in New Orleans, LA. She started there right out of college but left from 2006-2011 to anchor in Boston. She earned a BA in PlSc with Honors from Penn State in 1991. She also earned her Masters in Journalism from Penn State in 1992. She became a fellow at the Loyola New Orleans Institute of Politics in 1995 and has an honorary doctorate from Holy Cross University. She was a member of the Schreyer's Honors College Advisory Board in the early 2000s. She is also a published children's book author and now founder of Life's About Change.
Michael Tramontozzi Quality Engineer, AbbVie
Michael Tramontozzi is a Quality Engineer at AbbVie in Bridgewater, NJ where he leads and participates in the development of new medical devices and combination products. Before joining AbbVie in 2020, he previously worked at Allergan and W.L. Gore & Associates. He earned B.S. degrees in both Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering with Honors from Penn State in 2016.
John Urciuoli Commander/CEO Public Health Command - Central, U.S. Army
COL John A. Urciuoli was born in Pompton Plains, NJ and enlisted in the Army in 1990. Initially serving six years as an Avionics Mechanic, he rose to the rank of Sergeant prior to leaving the Army in 1996 in order to finish his college education. While attending Penn State University, John was offered an ROTC scholarship and joined the ROTC program in the spring of 1997. Finishing his education in 1999, he was commissioned a 2LT in the Medical Service Corps while graduating as a Distinguished Honor Graduate and member of the Schreyer Honors College with a BS in Education. In 2010 he earned a Masters in Business Administration from Fayetteville State University. Most recently he earned a Masters of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College in 2020. After completing a variety of field assignments, John’s first hospital position came as the Materiel Branch Chief, Womack Army Medical Center. Departing Fort Bragg in 2012, he was selected as the Chief of Logistics and Interim Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Keller Army Community Hospital, West Point, NY. John relocated to Fort Sill in 2015 where he was fortunate to serve as Deputy Commander at Reynolds Army Community Hospital as it transitioned to an outpatient health clinic. In 2017 John took over as Commander/CEO of Tuttle Army Health Clinic, Hunter Army Airfield, providing healthcare support to the Savannah community. After completing the United States Army War College (USAWC), he assumed command of the Public Health Command – Central in July 2020. The Public Health Command - Central provides Veterinary and Food Safety support to over 63 duty locations west of the Mississippi covering 23 states. The staff of 500 people ensure safe food and water for the Department of Defense as well as support to Military Working Dogs and privately owned animals. He is married to Michelle Urciuoli and they have a thirteen year old daughter, Grace. John’s hobbies are traveling, time with family and friends, hunting and old cars.
Catherine Vrentas Senior Group Leader, PPD
Cathy Vrentas is a Senior Group Leader at PPD in Richmond, VA where she leads a team of scientists in the development and validation of bioanalytical methods for clinical trials for cancer therapeutics, gene therapies for rare diseases, and programs in infectious disease like COVID. Before joining PPD in 2018, she was previously a PI/Research Microbiologist in brucellosis research for the US Department of Agriculture, an assistant professor of microbiology at Frostburg State University, a researcher in the field of anthrax toxin biology at the National Institutes of Health, and an extension education specialist for the University of Wisconsin. She earned a BS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with Honors from Penn State in 2003, a Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology from UW-Madison in 2008, and a graduate certificate in Management from Oregon State University. She is currently completing an MBA and an MPH in public health practice, and volunteers in the COVID vaccination response with the Richmond City Medical Reserve Corps. Please feel free to connect with Cathy at cevrentas@gmail.com.
Christopher Wilson Senior Associate, Baker Botts LLP
Christopher Wilson is a Senior Associate at the law firm of Baker Botts in Washington DC, where he focuses on civil antitrust, intellectual property, and other complex commercial litigation. Before joining Baker Botts in 2018, Chris was a litigator at Winston & Strawn in Chicago, IL. He earned a BA in Political Science with Honors from Penn State in 2006, and graduated from Stanford Law School in 2012.
Jack Yoskowitz Litigation Law Firm Partner, Seward & Kissel LLP
Jack Yoskowitz is Litigation Partner at Seward & Kissel LLP where he specializes in complex commercial and corporate litigation and regulatory matters predominantly for financial services institutions and individuals. Jack regularly represents clients in securities regulatory matters and private litigation, including proceedings brought by the Securities Exchange Commission. He has tried cases in Federal and State courts around the country. Please feel free to connect with Jack on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-yoskowitz-52802315/
Kathryn Zeltwanger Deputy General Counsel, Armstrong Group
Kathryn Zeltwanger is Deputy General Counsel for the Armstrong Group, headquartered in Butler, Pennsylvania. She serves as the primary counsel for three of the Armstrong Group’s seven operating divisions, including its largest division providing cable, internet, and telephony services over six states. Kat also has primary responsibility for legal operations, employment matters, and litigation for all of the Armstrong Group divisions. Prior to joining Armstrong Group in 2009, Kat clerked for the Court of Common Pleas in Uniontown and worked as an associate attorney at Fox Rothschild’s Pittsburgh office. Kat is a graduate of the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
