Who will you CONNECT with?
Allison Aggon | Breast Surgeon, Crozer Keystone Health System | [email protected]
Allison graduated from Penn State with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Women's Studies, with her Honors coming outside of her major in Women's Studies. Allison had an interest in women's health, but decided to pursue medical school for Family Practice with an emphasis on women's health. She utilized her Honors education to do medicine-focused study abroad trips, women's health classes and projects, get involved with THON, and create a supportive environment around her that allowed her to succeed. After Penn State, Allison attended Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Philadephia. She had planned on a Family Practice residency until her first surgery rotation at the end of her third year in medical school. Today, Allison is a Breast Surgeon, Attending, at Crozer Keystone Health System in Drexel Hill, PA and focuses her work on benign and malignant breast diseases in women and men of all ages.
Todd Bacastow (@toddbacastow) | Director, Product Management, DigitalGlobe | [email protected]
Todd Bacastow is director of product management for DigitalGlobe, a leading provider of geospatial information and insight. In this role, he works to incubate, launch, and grow products for DigitalGlobe, which bring together satellite imagery, geospatial data, and analytic technologies to answer critical questions for decision makers. Prior to his current role, he joined DigitalGlobe through the acquisitions of GeoEye and SPADAC. At SPADAC, Todd worked closely with the founding leadership team as manager of strategic initiatives to deliver geospatial predictive analytic software and expertise to U.S. Government and commercial customers.
Before joining SPADAC, Todd was an associate at FirstMark Capital, a New York-based venture capital investment firm with more than $2 billion in committed capital. At FirstMark, he identified investment opportunities in growing technology companies, executed deals, and supported the management teams at companies within FirstMark’s portfolio. Prior to his experience in venture capital, Todd was an analyst in investment banking for the media and telecommunications group at Merrill Lynch.
Todd is a 2005 graduate of Penn State and the Schreyer Honors College with a B.S. in information sciences and technology. He currently serves on the board of directors for Innoblue, a student-led start-up incubator at Penn State.
Sven Bilen | Assoc. Professor, Penn State | [email protected]
Sven Bilen, PhD, PE (BS Penn State 1991, MSE 1993 and PhD Univ. of Michigan 1998) is Associate Professor of Engineering Design, Electrical Engineering, and Aerospace Engineering at Penn State and Head of the School of Engineering Design, Technology, and Professional Programs. He is a member of the EE Department’s Communications and Space Sciences Laboratory and also a member of the Propulsion Engineering Research Center. He serves as the Chief Technologist for the University’s Center for Space Research Programs. He is the founding director of the Certificate in Space Systems Engineering and the Student Space Programs Lab. Prof. Bilén’s research interests, coordinated through his direction of the Systems Design Lab, include the areas of space systems design; electrodynamic-tethers; spacecraft–plasma interactions; plasma diagnostics for space plasmas, plasma electric thrusters, and semiconductor plasma processing; software-defined radio techniques and systems; wireless sensor systems; innovative engineering design, systems design and new product design; engineering entrepreneurship; and global and virtual engineering design. Dr. Bilén is member of IEEE, AIAA, AGU, ASEE, INCOSE, and Sigma Xi.
RJ Cilley (@rjcilley) | Chief of Staff , Hudson's Bay Company | [email protected]
RJ Cilley is the Chief of Staff for Hudson’s Bay Company – Department Store Group. In this role, RJ is in charge of identifying and executing the short and long term strategy for the Company across all functions. Previously, RJ was the Director of Corporate Development where he led new business development and capital structure initiatives. At HBC, RJ helped lead the $3 billion dollar take-over of Saks in the summer of 2013. Previously, RJ worked at BMO Capital Markets their Consumer & Retail Investment Banking Group. RJ graduated from Penn State University (Schreyer Honors College and Smeal College of Business) in 2009.
Sarah Colten | Budget Analyst, Bureau of Labor Statistics | [email protected]
After graduating from Penn State, Sarah started a Master's program in International Economic Relations at American University in Washington, D.C. She combined her Master's with two years of service in the Peace Corps as a Community Economic Development volunteer in San Ignacio, Paraguay. Upon returning in July, Sarah resumed her graduate courses and just recently began a federal job at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (part of the Department of Labor). Sarah also has experience with various microfinance organizations, including Grameen Foundation, Opportunity International and FINCA International.
James Delattre | Assistant Vice President for Research and Industrial Partnerships, Penn State University
Prior to joining Penn State’s Office of the Vice President for Research as Assistant Vice President for Research and Industrial Partnerships, Dr. James L. Delattre served as Vice President of Global Marketing at NanoHorizons, Inc., a nanomaterials manufacturing start-up company spun out of Penn State. Dr. Delattre joined the research team at NanoHorizons as Product Development Manager in 2005 after working in the Low-k Dielectrics Group at Novellus Systems, Inc. in Santa Clara, California. He earned his PhD in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, with a focus on processes for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from semiconductor manufacturing and the development of new synthetic techniques for the solid state. He completed postdoctoral work investigating the plasma treatment of polymers at the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche at the University of Bari, Italy. He is the author of over a dozen peer reviewed scientific articles and holds several patents. Dr. James Delattre received his B.S. with honors in Chemistry from Penn State, where he studied inorganic, high-pressure chemistry and Russian language.
Alan Effrig | Senior Software Engineer, Raytheon | [email protected]
Originally from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Alan Effrig entered the Honors College in the fall of 1997. As a student, he participated in engineering cooperative education and interned at Penn State's Applied Research Laboratory. After graduating with a B.S. and receiving Honors in Computer Engineering in December 2001, he joined Raytheon as a software engineer, serving government customers in the defense industry. While employed through Raytheon Alan also completed a Master's in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Georgia Tech. Alan resides with his wife near his alma mater in State College.
Paula Garcia Todd | Global Marketing Manager, Dow Chemical | [email protected]
Paula earned her B.S. and M.S. in Chemical Engineering in 2003, choosing to take pharmaceutically-focused classes (bio processing option) and experiences. Paula completed internships with both Bayer and Merck. In her full-time employment at Dow she has served various functions: Process engineer (manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredient); Application research and development (pharmaceutical formulations); Technical support and service (pharmaceutical formulations); Marketing research (pharmaceutical market); and Marketing manager (pharmaceutical excipients).
Sean Griffin | M.A. Candidate in International Development and International Economics, 2015, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) | [email protected]
After graduating from Penn State in 2009 with degrees in International Politics and Economics, Sean joined the Peace Corps. He served two years as a TEFL volunteer teaching English in western Ukraine. Upon returning to the US, he worked for a year and half with Poverty Resolutions, a nonprofit founded by two Penn State MBA alumni that carries out development projects in Haiti. Sean is currently a Master's student in his final semester at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, DC, studying international development. Over the summer, he interned with the Russian International Affairs Council in Moscow. Upon graduation, he hopes to work on issues related to Ukraine.
Anna Han | Law & Education Policy Joint Degree Student, University of Pennsylvania | [email protected]
Anna graduated in 2010 with a B.S. in Bioengineering. After graduation, she moved to Memphis, Tennessee to teach high school math through Teach For America. After her two-year teaching commitment, Erin completed a summer fellowship with a local councilman and New Leaders in Memphis before returning to Pennsylvania to start law school at Penn. She is currently in her final year of law school and a master's program in education policy. In August 2015, Erin will return to Memphis for a one-year clerkship with a federal judge and then plans to work at a large law firm on the East Coast.
David C. Han | Vascular Surgeon, The Penn State Hershey Medical Center
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in biology from Penn State in 1988, Han went on to earn his M.D. from Harvard Medical School in 1992. He completed his training in vascular surgery at the Mayo Clinic in 1999 before joining the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Han went on complete a master’s degree in health evaluation sciences from the Penn State College of Medicine in 2005.
Professionally, he is a vascular surgeon at the Hershey Medical Center, as well as an associate professor of surgery and radiology and program director of the Vascular Surgery Fellowship at the Penn State College of Medicine and the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
Han resides in Hummelstown with his wife, Elizabeth ’91, son Andrew, and daughter Abby.
Valerie Handunge (@Malini_Fdn) | Founder, Malini Foundation | [email protected]
Valerie Handunge is the Founder and Executive Director of the Malini Foundation, a non-profit social enterprise focused on girls’ education and women’s empowerment in Sri Lanka. Every summer a group of Penn State students travel to Sri Lanka to participate in an enriching immersion and service program working with children and traveling around Sri Lanka! Her professional background is in management consulting and she has worked at top firms including Deloitte Consulting and the Advisory Board Company. Focused on healthcare strategy and operations, Valerie has helped health systems through mergers, post-merger integration efforts, operational performance improvement and value-based care initiatives. She has also authored two books on ongoing performance evaluations for hospital clinical staff.
Leslie Hayes | Associate Director for Continuing Education, The New-York Historical Society | [email protected]
Leslie Hayes is the Associate Director for Continuing Education at the New-York Historical Society, New York City's oldest museum and one of the nation's pre-eminent history museums. In that role, Ms. Hayes oversees all adult education programs, including professional development for teachers and aspiring educators. Ms. Hayes has worked in the arts, culture and education sectors since graduating with dual honors in History and English from Penn State in 2004. She has held roles in program management, membership, and fundraising at a number of NYC museums and cultural institutions. For five years, she managed Brooklyn Connections, an education initiative at Brooklyn Public Library that served over 4,000 students in low-income communities. She has also worked in non-profit consulting, providing guidance and strategic advising for non-profit organizations and government agencies across the country. Ms. Hayes holds an M.P.A. from New York University with a focus on non-profit administration and an M.Phil.in Modern European History from Cambridge University.
Alan Honig (@Honig728) | Consultant, PwC | [email protected]
Alan is a Senior Associate in PwC’s Health Industries Advisory practice and has 5 years of experience advising pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, focusing on business operations and risk & compliance. Alan has an established track record in delivering value-added data modeling and process improvement through his work on system implementations, Medicaid, Medicare, & VA Government Pricing assessments, and compliance monitoring assessments. Alan continues to advise his clients on risk & compliance with associated regulations and guidance in order to realize the efficiency of compliant process improvement.
David Horowitz | Senior Vice President, Lending and Investing, Macquarie Group
David Horowitz is a Senior Vice President of Macquarie Group. Mr. Horowitz is responsible for providing capital to mid-sized, private companies to help them meet their growth and liquidity needs. Mr. Horowitz was a founding member of Private Capital Investing for Goldman Sachs’ Special Situations Group where he had served on the boards of Datapipe, ECi Software, LifeLock and Simmons Media Group. He spent several years in Goldman's Asset Investing business focusing on providing structured financing solutions for operators of aircraft, locomotives, and other equipment. Mr. Horowitz is a CFA charter holder and is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University's Schreyer Honors College and Smeal College of Business, where he currently serves on the board of the Schreyer Alumni Society.
Todor Khristov | Scientist II, BioMagnetic Solutions | [email protected]
Todor is the second employee of a 2-year old Biotechnology Startup. BioMagnetic Solutions is involved in ferrofluid development with life science, biopharma and industrial biotech partners. Todor Khristov graduated with M.S in Biotechnology and a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology through Schreyrer Honors College's IUG program in 2012 and has experience in every aspect of early-stage biotech startup development.
Corey Lee | Consultant, Microsoft | [email protected]
Corey Lee is a Consultant working for Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS) specializing in Security and Identity solutions for Public Sector customers. Corey started with Microsoft as a MACH Hire in 2012 after graduating from the Penn State College of IST with a degree in Security and Risk Analysis. Prior to Microsoft, Corey worked on several Identity Management and Cyber-security related projects for organizations such as Booz Allen, N.G.A, and Ernst & Young. Since starting with Microsoft, Corey has expressed his love for technology by training and gaining experience with several different Microsoft Technologies such as Azure, FIM, and Active Directory. Although Corey loves learning about different technologies, his true passion is the field of Cyber-security. In addition to Cyber-security, Corey is also very passionate about mentoring and giving back to the community through his involvement with the non-profit sports and technology organization AthleTECH. Corey currently lives in Alexandria, VA and enjoys playing basketball, international travel, and dancing in his spare time.
Lisa Lotito | Post-baccalaureate Researcher, Social Psychology, Penn State
Lisa Lotito graduated from the Honors College in the fall of 2011. She majored in history and minored in Middle East Studies with an emphasis on Arabic language. Thanks to the generosity of the SHC, Lisa created her own study abroad experience in Doha, Qatar, and Muscat, Oman during the Arab Spring. Since Penn State, she has worked in San Francisco for SNP Communications and in Philadelphia for the John Templeton Foundation. She is currently a researcher in a social psychology lab studying empathy.
Betsy MacKenzie | Senior Product Manager - US Diabetes AstraZeneca Pharmaceutical | [email protected]
Betsy is a 1989 graduate of the Smeal College of Business, majoring in Business Logistics/Supply Chain Management. Upon graduation, she began working at Merck and Company at their manufacturing facility outside of Philadelphia. After several roles in Supply Chain/Logistics (transportation, distribution, production planning), Betsy joined a Sales and Marketing joint venture Merck had formed with a European pharma company, Astra. She started with AstraMerck in a Supply Chain/Logistics role, but ultimately moved to several Sales and Marketing roles including roles as a Sales representative and launching two new products in the Respiratory market. Merck ultimately divested their ownership in the joint venture, and Astra merged with Zeneca in 2000; Betsy has remained with the organization through those transitions and has had roles in Commercial Operations, Communications/Corporate Affairs, Business Development, and now as a Product Manager. She also serves on the Board of a non-profit in Delaware that houses a free medical clinic, a senior center, a mental health clinic, a food closet, and a tutoring center.
Brian Magrann | Disaster Recovery Specialist, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) | [email protected]
Brian graduated from Penn State in 2004 with a degree in Accounting. At IBM Consulting, Brian worked on financial software implementations, business process re-engineering, and post-Hurricane Katrina recovery for FEMA. He also worked for Hagerty Consulting as an independent contractor with a focus on disaster finances for public entities in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and New York. At the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA, Brian joined his former client as a full-time employee and is currently coordinating post-Hurricane Sandy NYC critical infrastructure restoration funding. Additionally, he is a freelance consultant for Ubisoft Massive, a European videogame developer building a disaster-scenario game set in NYC.
Spud Marshall (@spud_marshall) | Chief Catalyst and CEO, the co.space | [email protected]
Spud Marshall is an avid connector, relentless optimist, and serial entrepreneur in the social innovation field. He is the CEO and Chief Catalyst for the co.space (www.thecospace.com), a global network of homes for world-changers. Under his leadership, AshokaU has listed the co.space as one of the top disruptive innovations to emerge in higher education. Spud also founded New Leaf Initiative (www.newleafinitiative.org), a community innovation hub in State College, PA that bridges the university, local government and community members. In the past few years, he has served as a facilitator, coach and consultant for emerging social entrepreneurs and millennials. He has advised groups such as Penn State University, the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation, and The Natural Step on how to build flourishing innovation ecosystems and organizations. He has been listed by Mobilize.org as one of the top millennial civic leaders in the country, and has been featured as one of the top green entrepreneurs in the world by Peace Child International. Spud is known for launching various social change initiatives around the country; including Educate 20/20, a cross-country road trip documentary to spotlight innovations in education, and Changemaker in Residence, a year-long residency thats funds the top social innovators to create and experiment in State College, PA. Spud holds an MS in Strategic Sustainability Leadership from Blekinge Institute of Technology, an Honors degree in Mechanical Engineering from Penn State University, and currently resides in State College, PA. For more information, visit www.iamspud.com.
Rosanna McCalips | Partner, Jones Day | [email protected]
Rosanna graduated from SHC in 1999 with degrees in Spanish and Political Science with honors in Spanish. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2002. Rosanna has been a litigator with Jones Day in Washington D.C. since law school. She focuses her practice on antitrust litigation, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry, and joined the partnership of Jones Day as of January 1, 2015.
Sean Misko | Member, Secretary of State's Policy Planning Staff U.S. Department of State
Sean Misko is a Member of the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff. In addition to leading the Department's work on the recently released 2015 U.S. National Security Strategy, he advises the Secretary of State on South Asia and the Middle East. From 2009-2012, Mr. Misko served as Special Advisor to the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (SRAP), where he coordinated negotiation of the U.S.-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Agreement and was involved in efforts to facilitate a settlement of the Afghanistan conflict. Prior to joining Amb. Richard Holbrooke’s SRAP team, Mr. Misko worked as a policy advisor to U.S. Central Command. He also served as a special assistant in the Office of Management and Budget’s National Security Division, Presidential Management Fellow in the State Department’s Office of Iranian Affairs, and briefly as a Roberts Intelligence Fellow and political analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency. Mr. Misko holds a Master of Public Policy in International Security and Political Economy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, as well as Bachelor of Arts degrees in International Politics and Media Studies from Penn State University, which recognized him in 2012 with its Alumni Achievement Award. A life member of the Penn State Alumni Association, Misko was recognized by the Center for a New American Security as a 2014 Next Generation National Security Leader.
Michael O'Connor (@JDMikeJ) | Attorney, Quinn Emanuel LLP | [email protected]
Michael O’Connor is a proud Penn Stater and 2005 graduate of the Honors College. At Penn State, he worked for Prof. Webb Miller, doing genetics and bioinformatics research that was published in Nature and other scientific journals. Among other activities, Mike devoted significant time to THON, dancing for Springfield House and spending three years as a THON Captain. Thanks to the Schreyer Travel Scholarship, he was able to study abroad in Greece, Italy, and Costa Rica. After earning dual degrees with Interdisciplinary Honors in Computer Science and Biology, he attended law school at the University of Pennsylvania. He graduated in 2009 and has been admitted to the bars of Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. He worked in private practice for two years at a major D.C. firm, where his technical background in both biology and computer science served him well in several complex cases. He spent the following year living just outside State College while clerking for Judge D. Brooks Smith of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. His responsibilities included researching and drafting bench memos and court opinions for the judge’s review. After Mike’s clerkship, he returned to private practice at the Washington, D.C. office of international law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP. At Quinn Emanuel, Mike is a senior associate, often taking the lead on cases including patent, antitrust, securities, and data security and privacy litigation. Mike is married to fellow Penn State alum and veterinarian, Dr. Diana Klein.
Candace R. Good, MD | Child Psychiatrist, Sunpointe Health | [email protected]
Candace graduated from Penn State in 1995 with a B.S. in premedicine. She received her M.D. from Penn State College of Medicine in 1999 and afterward completed a general psychiatry residency and child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at Penn State College of Medicine. Candace was Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at UPMC Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (2004-2007) before becoming part of a private group practice in State College, Sunpointe Health. She is currently vice president of Sunpointe Health and is involved with 3rd year medical student teaching as a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry for PSU COM. Candace is an alumni mentor through both Schreyer and the Eberly College of Science.
Mohamed Raouda | Consultant, World Bank | [email protected]
Mohamed graduated from Penn State in 2011 and worked as an English Teacher in Washington DC with Teach for America for two years before transitioning to graduate school at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). As a student Mohamed focused his education on statistical analysis for development and has since worked for Management Systems International, a leading international development firm in DC, Endeavor, an NGO for private sector development in the Middle East. Currently, Mohamed is finishing his degree and working as a Consultant for the World Bank.
Catherine Rowe Wagner | Associate, Strokoff & Cowden, P.C. | [email protected]
Catherine graduated in 2010 with a major in Labor Studies and Employment Relations and a minor in French and Francophone Studies. Afterward, she attended Drexel University School of Law, and passed both the New Jersey and Pennsylvania Bars. She began working for Strokoff & Cowden, a small labor and employment law firm in Harrisburg, PA, and volunteers in the community through the Downtown Hershey Association and Neighborhood Dispute Settlement, and was appointed to the Hershey Zoning Hearing Board.
Eric Sauder (@ericsauder) | Growth Director, New Leaf Initiative | [email protected]
Eric Sauder is the co-founder and growth director of New Leaf Initiative. At New Leaf, he is focused on creating strategies for innovation hubs that are catalysts of community and city transformation; mobilizing diverse sectors to address system-level challenges. Eric holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a MS in Architectural Engineering, both from Penn State. He lives in State College with his wife Ruth and son, Luke.
George Selembo | CEO, InfoSense, Inc.
George Selembo, PhD, PE has four degrees from Penn State. He started as a University Scholar in Chemical Engineering, obtained an MBA, and then completed MS and PhD graduate degrees in Chemical Engineering. Dr. Selembo has been involved in the startup of several companies, the most notable of which is Copper Beech Townhomes, a large privately-held student rental construction and management organization, where he was a Senior VP for 10 years. In addition, he was a partner in several technology startups, one of which was involved in the design and construction of a biodiesel production facility in Atlanta, GA. Currently Dr. Selembo is the CEO of InfoSense, Inc., a technology startup in Charlotte, NC. In addition, he is a Senior Fellow at the IDEAS Center at the University of North Carolina – Charlotte, where he focuses on developing highly efficient wastewater treatment technologies, alternative fuel technologies, and other environmentally focused concepts.
Dr. Selembo is a Greensburg, PA native, lived in State College, PA for over 19 years, and recently relocated to Charlotte, NC. He and his wife, Priscilla, have endowed a scholarship in the Schreyer Honors College. He is an avid triathlete, and recently completed an Ironman Triathlon. Dr. Selembo has four children, is a Cub Scout Den Leader, and is currently working on completing his private pilot's license. George and Priscilla are lifetime members of the Penn State Alumni Association.
Stacy Schwartz (@smollinschwartz) | Founder, Smollin Schwartz LLC | [email protected]
As the founder of independent consultancy Smollin Schwartz LLC, Stacy assists clients with a range of marketing, professional development, and general management initiatives. For the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), she launched the first industry-wide certification programs for digital media salespeople (DMSC) digital ad operations professionals (DAOC), digital data solutions managers (DDSC) and entry-level workers looking to begin a career in digital advertising (DAC). On the teaching front, Stacy develops and leads digital media training courses for IAB member companies. She is also an adjunct faculty member at Rutgers Business School, where she teaches undergraduate, graduate, and executive-level courses related to digital marketing, social media, ecommerce, and Omni channel selling. Previously, Stacy was VP of Digital Marketing at Virgin Mobile USA, responsible for the strategy, planning, and oversight of the company’s website, ecommerce channel, media strategy, and referral marketing programs. Prior to Virgin, Stacy was Web Director at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, where she initially arrived as a special projects advisor through a Harvard Business School Leadership Fellowship. She was an early digital marketing pioneer, having joined the original DoubleClick launch team as its eleventh employee in 1996. Stacy holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA with honors and highest distinction from Penn State University. She serves as board member for the Harvard Business School Club of New York’s Community Partners program, which provides pro-bono management consulting services for local nonprofit organizations.
Maggie Snow | Magisterial District Judge, AOPC | [email protected]
Maggie graduated from Penn State in 1983 with a degree in Education, and in 1988, she graduated from the University Of Denver College Of Law. She was Bucks County’s District Attorney's Office criminal prosecutor from 1988-2001, a child advocate at the Office of the Guardian Ad Litem from 2001-2007, and a Magisterial District Judge from 2008-present. Maggie is part of a Penn State family, with both of her kids having graduated from Penn State.
Tyler Spindel | Principal Agile Project Manager, Capital One | [email protected]
Tyler Spindel is works as a Principal Agile Project Manager in Capital One's data warehouse. There, he is responsible for three teams that manage regulatory and sales data. Prior to Capital One, Tyler has managed a project management group at an IT infrastructure firm and worked as a government consultant. He graduated from Schreyer in 2009 with a degree in English.
Vidya Szymkowiak | Physician, Internal Medicine at UPMC | [email protected]
After completing undergraduate degrees in Chemical Engineering and Chemistry at Penn State in 1995, Vidya joined the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Medicine. She then pursued a residency in Internal Medicine/Primary Care at the University of Pittsburgh. Vidya feels that she is extremely fortunate to have a career that she loves as a primary care physician. She says that she is challenged daily by the clinical and the business aspects of her practice and is humbled and grateful for the faith and trust that her patients place in her. Although her undergraduate path prior to enrolling in medical school was atypical, Vidya has found that many of the skills she learned as an engineering/science major are the ones that serve her best in her current career - the ability to think critically and logically through a problem, the ability to work as part of a team, and the ability to create efficient processes, among others. Vidya looks forward to meeting Penn State undergraduates with an interest in medicine at Connect 2015.
Erin Talbert | Regional Sales Director, AstraZeneca | [email protected]
Erin graduated from the College of Communications in 1999 with a degree in Advertising and Public Relations. Previously, she has worked for Accenture Consulting, Health & Life Sciences Practice (1999-2006) and AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, Marketing, Managed Markets, Sales (2006-present).
Tony Talbert | Partner, The Shidler Group | [email protected]
Mr. Talbert is a Partner | Capital Markets at The Shidler Group where he is responsible for commercial real estate acquisitions and establishing The Group’s hotel investment platform. The Shidler Group has acquired over $1 billion of properties over the past two years. Mr. Talbert previously worked for 13 years with Chatham Financial Group where he specialized in the firm’s derivative advisory and real estate investment banking practices, the latter of which he co-founded. He has worked with numerous lenders, and real estate and leveraged buyout funds involving transactions in excess of $100 billion. Mr. Talbert holds a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering from The Pennsylvania State University, where he was a Schreyer Scholar, and a master of business administration degree from Columbia University.
Greg Tallman | Vice President, Underwriter PNC Financial Services | [email protected]
Greg graduated with a B.S. in Finance and a B.A. in Economics from Schreyer in 2010. He began working at PNC after his sophomore year as an intern with Treasury Management in Pittsburgh. The following summer, he interned in Business Credit, PNC's asset-based lending group, in Philadelphia. He joined Business Credit full-time after graduation where he worked as a Field Examiner, auditing clients within the bank's portfolio, until July 2012 when he transferred into an Underwriting position. As an Underwriter, Greg is responsible for structuring asset-based loans with exposure ranging from $10 million to $500 million, performing necessary due diligence and risk analysis associated with each transaction, including financial, industry, and regulatory risks. He works internally with his sales, legal, credit, and audit partners, as well as with executive management and/or equity sponsors/owners of prospective borrowers to execute each deal.
Haima Varadan Marlier | Senior Counsel, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission | [email protected]
Haima graduated from Penn State and the Schreyer Honors College in 2001 with degrees in Political Science and Economics; Haima earned her JD at Boston College Law School in 2004. After law school, she was an associate with Goodwin Procter LLP in the firm's Securities Litigation and White Collar Defense practice where she specialized in securities litigation and SEC enforcement defense. In 2010, Haima joined the SEC. Her job duties include investigating and prosecuting violations of the federal securities laws.
Devin Weakland (@DevinWeakland) | Assistant Brand Planning Manager, Unilever
Devin graduated from Penn State/Schreyer Honors College in May 2013 with a B.S. in marketing, a B.A. in journalism and a minor in international business. During her sophomore year, Devin studied the 'Economics of European Integration' at Maastricht University in The Netherlands. Specifically within the marketing sphere, her interests and expertise are in brand management, which she first discovered through a marketing internship and her honors thesis, which fuses brand management and crisis communications through a case study approach. Devin joined Unilever after graduation as a part of the newly instated 'Unilever Future Leaders Program,' a rigorous, accelerated rotational program. She began her career as a sales analyst in Charlotte, NC and then moved to Unilever's North America headquarters in the greater New York City area to join the Dove brand marketing team. Devin is now a brand planner for Hellmann's/Best Foods, coordinating with all field teams across the US market to ensure flawless product launches and secure successful promotions among other activities.
Allison graduated from Penn State with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Women's Studies, with her Honors coming outside of her major in Women's Studies. Allison had an interest in women's health, but decided to pursue medical school for Family Practice with an emphasis on women's health. She utilized her Honors education to do medicine-focused study abroad trips, women's health classes and projects, get involved with THON, and create a supportive environment around her that allowed her to succeed. After Penn State, Allison attended Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Philadephia. She had planned on a Family Practice residency until her first surgery rotation at the end of her third year in medical school. Today, Allison is a Breast Surgeon, Attending, at Crozer Keystone Health System in Drexel Hill, PA and focuses her work on benign and malignant breast diseases in women and men of all ages.
Todd Bacastow (@toddbacastow) | Director, Product Management, DigitalGlobe | [email protected]
Todd Bacastow is director of product management for DigitalGlobe, a leading provider of geospatial information and insight. In this role, he works to incubate, launch, and grow products for DigitalGlobe, which bring together satellite imagery, geospatial data, and analytic technologies to answer critical questions for decision makers. Prior to his current role, he joined DigitalGlobe through the acquisitions of GeoEye and SPADAC. At SPADAC, Todd worked closely with the founding leadership team as manager of strategic initiatives to deliver geospatial predictive analytic software and expertise to U.S. Government and commercial customers.
Before joining SPADAC, Todd was an associate at FirstMark Capital, a New York-based venture capital investment firm with more than $2 billion in committed capital. At FirstMark, he identified investment opportunities in growing technology companies, executed deals, and supported the management teams at companies within FirstMark’s portfolio. Prior to his experience in venture capital, Todd was an analyst in investment banking for the media and telecommunications group at Merrill Lynch.
Todd is a 2005 graduate of Penn State and the Schreyer Honors College with a B.S. in information sciences and technology. He currently serves on the board of directors for Innoblue, a student-led start-up incubator at Penn State.
Sven Bilen | Assoc. Professor, Penn State | [email protected]
Sven Bilen, PhD, PE (BS Penn State 1991, MSE 1993 and PhD Univ. of Michigan 1998) is Associate Professor of Engineering Design, Electrical Engineering, and Aerospace Engineering at Penn State and Head of the School of Engineering Design, Technology, and Professional Programs. He is a member of the EE Department’s Communications and Space Sciences Laboratory and also a member of the Propulsion Engineering Research Center. He serves as the Chief Technologist for the University’s Center for Space Research Programs. He is the founding director of the Certificate in Space Systems Engineering and the Student Space Programs Lab. Prof. Bilén’s research interests, coordinated through his direction of the Systems Design Lab, include the areas of space systems design; electrodynamic-tethers; spacecraft–plasma interactions; plasma diagnostics for space plasmas, plasma electric thrusters, and semiconductor plasma processing; software-defined radio techniques and systems; wireless sensor systems; innovative engineering design, systems design and new product design; engineering entrepreneurship; and global and virtual engineering design. Dr. Bilén is member of IEEE, AIAA, AGU, ASEE, INCOSE, and Sigma Xi.
RJ Cilley (@rjcilley) | Chief of Staff , Hudson's Bay Company | [email protected]
RJ Cilley is the Chief of Staff for Hudson’s Bay Company – Department Store Group. In this role, RJ is in charge of identifying and executing the short and long term strategy for the Company across all functions. Previously, RJ was the Director of Corporate Development where he led new business development and capital structure initiatives. At HBC, RJ helped lead the $3 billion dollar take-over of Saks in the summer of 2013. Previously, RJ worked at BMO Capital Markets their Consumer & Retail Investment Banking Group. RJ graduated from Penn State University (Schreyer Honors College and Smeal College of Business) in 2009.
Sarah Colten | Budget Analyst, Bureau of Labor Statistics | [email protected]
After graduating from Penn State, Sarah started a Master's program in International Economic Relations at American University in Washington, D.C. She combined her Master's with two years of service in the Peace Corps as a Community Economic Development volunteer in San Ignacio, Paraguay. Upon returning in July, Sarah resumed her graduate courses and just recently began a federal job at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (part of the Department of Labor). Sarah also has experience with various microfinance organizations, including Grameen Foundation, Opportunity International and FINCA International.
James Delattre | Assistant Vice President for Research and Industrial Partnerships, Penn State University
Prior to joining Penn State’s Office of the Vice President for Research as Assistant Vice President for Research and Industrial Partnerships, Dr. James L. Delattre served as Vice President of Global Marketing at NanoHorizons, Inc., a nanomaterials manufacturing start-up company spun out of Penn State. Dr. Delattre joined the research team at NanoHorizons as Product Development Manager in 2005 after working in the Low-k Dielectrics Group at Novellus Systems, Inc. in Santa Clara, California. He earned his PhD in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, with a focus on processes for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from semiconductor manufacturing and the development of new synthetic techniques for the solid state. He completed postdoctoral work investigating the plasma treatment of polymers at the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche at the University of Bari, Italy. He is the author of over a dozen peer reviewed scientific articles and holds several patents. Dr. James Delattre received his B.S. with honors in Chemistry from Penn State, where he studied inorganic, high-pressure chemistry and Russian language.
Alan Effrig | Senior Software Engineer, Raytheon | [email protected]
Originally from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Alan Effrig entered the Honors College in the fall of 1997. As a student, he participated in engineering cooperative education and interned at Penn State's Applied Research Laboratory. After graduating with a B.S. and receiving Honors in Computer Engineering in December 2001, he joined Raytheon as a software engineer, serving government customers in the defense industry. While employed through Raytheon Alan also completed a Master's in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Georgia Tech. Alan resides with his wife near his alma mater in State College.
Paula Garcia Todd | Global Marketing Manager, Dow Chemical | [email protected]
Paula earned her B.S. and M.S. in Chemical Engineering in 2003, choosing to take pharmaceutically-focused classes (bio processing option) and experiences. Paula completed internships with both Bayer and Merck. In her full-time employment at Dow she has served various functions: Process engineer (manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredient); Application research and development (pharmaceutical formulations); Technical support and service (pharmaceutical formulations); Marketing research (pharmaceutical market); and Marketing manager (pharmaceutical excipients).
Sean Griffin | M.A. Candidate in International Development and International Economics, 2015, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) | [email protected]
After graduating from Penn State in 2009 with degrees in International Politics and Economics, Sean joined the Peace Corps. He served two years as a TEFL volunteer teaching English in western Ukraine. Upon returning to the US, he worked for a year and half with Poverty Resolutions, a nonprofit founded by two Penn State MBA alumni that carries out development projects in Haiti. Sean is currently a Master's student in his final semester at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, DC, studying international development. Over the summer, he interned with the Russian International Affairs Council in Moscow. Upon graduation, he hopes to work on issues related to Ukraine.
Anna Han | Law & Education Policy Joint Degree Student, University of Pennsylvania | [email protected]
Anna graduated in 2010 with a B.S. in Bioengineering. After graduation, she moved to Memphis, Tennessee to teach high school math through Teach For America. After her two-year teaching commitment, Erin completed a summer fellowship with a local councilman and New Leaders in Memphis before returning to Pennsylvania to start law school at Penn. She is currently in her final year of law school and a master's program in education policy. In August 2015, Erin will return to Memphis for a one-year clerkship with a federal judge and then plans to work at a large law firm on the East Coast.
David C. Han | Vascular Surgeon, The Penn State Hershey Medical Center
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in biology from Penn State in 1988, Han went on to earn his M.D. from Harvard Medical School in 1992. He completed his training in vascular surgery at the Mayo Clinic in 1999 before joining the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Han went on complete a master’s degree in health evaluation sciences from the Penn State College of Medicine in 2005.
Professionally, he is a vascular surgeon at the Hershey Medical Center, as well as an associate professor of surgery and radiology and program director of the Vascular Surgery Fellowship at the Penn State College of Medicine and the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
Han resides in Hummelstown with his wife, Elizabeth ’91, son Andrew, and daughter Abby.
Valerie Handunge (@Malini_Fdn) | Founder, Malini Foundation | [email protected]
Valerie Handunge is the Founder and Executive Director of the Malini Foundation, a non-profit social enterprise focused on girls’ education and women’s empowerment in Sri Lanka. Every summer a group of Penn State students travel to Sri Lanka to participate in an enriching immersion and service program working with children and traveling around Sri Lanka! Her professional background is in management consulting and she has worked at top firms including Deloitte Consulting and the Advisory Board Company. Focused on healthcare strategy and operations, Valerie has helped health systems through mergers, post-merger integration efforts, operational performance improvement and value-based care initiatives. She has also authored two books on ongoing performance evaluations for hospital clinical staff.
Leslie Hayes | Associate Director for Continuing Education, The New-York Historical Society | [email protected]
Leslie Hayes is the Associate Director for Continuing Education at the New-York Historical Society, New York City's oldest museum and one of the nation's pre-eminent history museums. In that role, Ms. Hayes oversees all adult education programs, including professional development for teachers and aspiring educators. Ms. Hayes has worked in the arts, culture and education sectors since graduating with dual honors in History and English from Penn State in 2004. She has held roles in program management, membership, and fundraising at a number of NYC museums and cultural institutions. For five years, she managed Brooklyn Connections, an education initiative at Brooklyn Public Library that served over 4,000 students in low-income communities. She has also worked in non-profit consulting, providing guidance and strategic advising for non-profit organizations and government agencies across the country. Ms. Hayes holds an M.P.A. from New York University with a focus on non-profit administration and an M.Phil.in Modern European History from Cambridge University.
Alan Honig (@Honig728) | Consultant, PwC | [email protected]
Alan is a Senior Associate in PwC’s Health Industries Advisory practice and has 5 years of experience advising pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, focusing on business operations and risk & compliance. Alan has an established track record in delivering value-added data modeling and process improvement through his work on system implementations, Medicaid, Medicare, & VA Government Pricing assessments, and compliance monitoring assessments. Alan continues to advise his clients on risk & compliance with associated regulations and guidance in order to realize the efficiency of compliant process improvement.
David Horowitz | Senior Vice President, Lending and Investing, Macquarie Group
David Horowitz is a Senior Vice President of Macquarie Group. Mr. Horowitz is responsible for providing capital to mid-sized, private companies to help them meet their growth and liquidity needs. Mr. Horowitz was a founding member of Private Capital Investing for Goldman Sachs’ Special Situations Group where he had served on the boards of Datapipe, ECi Software, LifeLock and Simmons Media Group. He spent several years in Goldman's Asset Investing business focusing on providing structured financing solutions for operators of aircraft, locomotives, and other equipment. Mr. Horowitz is a CFA charter holder and is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University's Schreyer Honors College and Smeal College of Business, where he currently serves on the board of the Schreyer Alumni Society.
Todor Khristov | Scientist II, BioMagnetic Solutions | [email protected]
Todor is the second employee of a 2-year old Biotechnology Startup. BioMagnetic Solutions is involved in ferrofluid development with life science, biopharma and industrial biotech partners. Todor Khristov graduated with M.S in Biotechnology and a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology through Schreyrer Honors College's IUG program in 2012 and has experience in every aspect of early-stage biotech startup development.
Corey Lee | Consultant, Microsoft | [email protected]
Corey Lee is a Consultant working for Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS) specializing in Security and Identity solutions for Public Sector customers. Corey started with Microsoft as a MACH Hire in 2012 after graduating from the Penn State College of IST with a degree in Security and Risk Analysis. Prior to Microsoft, Corey worked on several Identity Management and Cyber-security related projects for organizations such as Booz Allen, N.G.A, and Ernst & Young. Since starting with Microsoft, Corey has expressed his love for technology by training and gaining experience with several different Microsoft Technologies such as Azure, FIM, and Active Directory. Although Corey loves learning about different technologies, his true passion is the field of Cyber-security. In addition to Cyber-security, Corey is also very passionate about mentoring and giving back to the community through his involvement with the non-profit sports and technology organization AthleTECH. Corey currently lives in Alexandria, VA and enjoys playing basketball, international travel, and dancing in his spare time.
Lisa Lotito | Post-baccalaureate Researcher, Social Psychology, Penn State
Lisa Lotito graduated from the Honors College in the fall of 2011. She majored in history and minored in Middle East Studies with an emphasis on Arabic language. Thanks to the generosity of the SHC, Lisa created her own study abroad experience in Doha, Qatar, and Muscat, Oman during the Arab Spring. Since Penn State, she has worked in San Francisco for SNP Communications and in Philadelphia for the John Templeton Foundation. She is currently a researcher in a social psychology lab studying empathy.
Betsy MacKenzie | Senior Product Manager - US Diabetes AstraZeneca Pharmaceutical | [email protected]
Betsy is a 1989 graduate of the Smeal College of Business, majoring in Business Logistics/Supply Chain Management. Upon graduation, she began working at Merck and Company at their manufacturing facility outside of Philadelphia. After several roles in Supply Chain/Logistics (transportation, distribution, production planning), Betsy joined a Sales and Marketing joint venture Merck had formed with a European pharma company, Astra. She started with AstraMerck in a Supply Chain/Logistics role, but ultimately moved to several Sales and Marketing roles including roles as a Sales representative and launching two new products in the Respiratory market. Merck ultimately divested their ownership in the joint venture, and Astra merged with Zeneca in 2000; Betsy has remained with the organization through those transitions and has had roles in Commercial Operations, Communications/Corporate Affairs, Business Development, and now as a Product Manager. She also serves on the Board of a non-profit in Delaware that houses a free medical clinic, a senior center, a mental health clinic, a food closet, and a tutoring center.
Brian Magrann | Disaster Recovery Specialist, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) | [email protected]
Brian graduated from Penn State in 2004 with a degree in Accounting. At IBM Consulting, Brian worked on financial software implementations, business process re-engineering, and post-Hurricane Katrina recovery for FEMA. He also worked for Hagerty Consulting as an independent contractor with a focus on disaster finances for public entities in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and New York. At the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA, Brian joined his former client as a full-time employee and is currently coordinating post-Hurricane Sandy NYC critical infrastructure restoration funding. Additionally, he is a freelance consultant for Ubisoft Massive, a European videogame developer building a disaster-scenario game set in NYC.
Spud Marshall (@spud_marshall) | Chief Catalyst and CEO, the co.space | [email protected]
Spud Marshall is an avid connector, relentless optimist, and serial entrepreneur in the social innovation field. He is the CEO and Chief Catalyst for the co.space (www.thecospace.com), a global network of homes for world-changers. Under his leadership, AshokaU has listed the co.space as one of the top disruptive innovations to emerge in higher education. Spud also founded New Leaf Initiative (www.newleafinitiative.org), a community innovation hub in State College, PA that bridges the university, local government and community members. In the past few years, he has served as a facilitator, coach and consultant for emerging social entrepreneurs and millennials. He has advised groups such as Penn State University, the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation, and The Natural Step on how to build flourishing innovation ecosystems and organizations. He has been listed by Mobilize.org as one of the top millennial civic leaders in the country, and has been featured as one of the top green entrepreneurs in the world by Peace Child International. Spud is known for launching various social change initiatives around the country; including Educate 20/20, a cross-country road trip documentary to spotlight innovations in education, and Changemaker in Residence, a year-long residency thats funds the top social innovators to create and experiment in State College, PA. Spud holds an MS in Strategic Sustainability Leadership from Blekinge Institute of Technology, an Honors degree in Mechanical Engineering from Penn State University, and currently resides in State College, PA. For more information, visit www.iamspud.com.
Rosanna McCalips | Partner, Jones Day | [email protected]
Rosanna graduated from SHC in 1999 with degrees in Spanish and Political Science with honors in Spanish. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2002. Rosanna has been a litigator with Jones Day in Washington D.C. since law school. She focuses her practice on antitrust litigation, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry, and joined the partnership of Jones Day as of January 1, 2015.
Sean Misko | Member, Secretary of State's Policy Planning Staff U.S. Department of State
Sean Misko is a Member of the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff. In addition to leading the Department's work on the recently released 2015 U.S. National Security Strategy, he advises the Secretary of State on South Asia and the Middle East. From 2009-2012, Mr. Misko served as Special Advisor to the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (SRAP), where he coordinated negotiation of the U.S.-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Agreement and was involved in efforts to facilitate a settlement of the Afghanistan conflict. Prior to joining Amb. Richard Holbrooke’s SRAP team, Mr. Misko worked as a policy advisor to U.S. Central Command. He also served as a special assistant in the Office of Management and Budget’s National Security Division, Presidential Management Fellow in the State Department’s Office of Iranian Affairs, and briefly as a Roberts Intelligence Fellow and political analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency. Mr. Misko holds a Master of Public Policy in International Security and Political Economy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, as well as Bachelor of Arts degrees in International Politics and Media Studies from Penn State University, which recognized him in 2012 with its Alumni Achievement Award. A life member of the Penn State Alumni Association, Misko was recognized by the Center for a New American Security as a 2014 Next Generation National Security Leader.
Michael O'Connor (@JDMikeJ) | Attorney, Quinn Emanuel LLP | [email protected]
Michael O’Connor is a proud Penn Stater and 2005 graduate of the Honors College. At Penn State, he worked for Prof. Webb Miller, doing genetics and bioinformatics research that was published in Nature and other scientific journals. Among other activities, Mike devoted significant time to THON, dancing for Springfield House and spending three years as a THON Captain. Thanks to the Schreyer Travel Scholarship, he was able to study abroad in Greece, Italy, and Costa Rica. After earning dual degrees with Interdisciplinary Honors in Computer Science and Biology, he attended law school at the University of Pennsylvania. He graduated in 2009 and has been admitted to the bars of Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. He worked in private practice for two years at a major D.C. firm, where his technical background in both biology and computer science served him well in several complex cases. He spent the following year living just outside State College while clerking for Judge D. Brooks Smith of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. His responsibilities included researching and drafting bench memos and court opinions for the judge’s review. After Mike’s clerkship, he returned to private practice at the Washington, D.C. office of international law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP. At Quinn Emanuel, Mike is a senior associate, often taking the lead on cases including patent, antitrust, securities, and data security and privacy litigation. Mike is married to fellow Penn State alum and veterinarian, Dr. Diana Klein.
Candace R. Good, MD | Child Psychiatrist, Sunpointe Health | [email protected]
Candace graduated from Penn State in 1995 with a B.S. in premedicine. She received her M.D. from Penn State College of Medicine in 1999 and afterward completed a general psychiatry residency and child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at Penn State College of Medicine. Candace was Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at UPMC Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (2004-2007) before becoming part of a private group practice in State College, Sunpointe Health. She is currently vice president of Sunpointe Health and is involved with 3rd year medical student teaching as a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry for PSU COM. Candace is an alumni mentor through both Schreyer and the Eberly College of Science.
Mohamed Raouda | Consultant, World Bank | [email protected]
Mohamed graduated from Penn State in 2011 and worked as an English Teacher in Washington DC with Teach for America for two years before transitioning to graduate school at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). As a student Mohamed focused his education on statistical analysis for development and has since worked for Management Systems International, a leading international development firm in DC, Endeavor, an NGO for private sector development in the Middle East. Currently, Mohamed is finishing his degree and working as a Consultant for the World Bank.
Catherine Rowe Wagner | Associate, Strokoff & Cowden, P.C. | [email protected]
Catherine graduated in 2010 with a major in Labor Studies and Employment Relations and a minor in French and Francophone Studies. Afterward, she attended Drexel University School of Law, and passed both the New Jersey and Pennsylvania Bars. She began working for Strokoff & Cowden, a small labor and employment law firm in Harrisburg, PA, and volunteers in the community through the Downtown Hershey Association and Neighborhood Dispute Settlement, and was appointed to the Hershey Zoning Hearing Board.
Eric Sauder (@ericsauder) | Growth Director, New Leaf Initiative | [email protected]
Eric Sauder is the co-founder and growth director of New Leaf Initiative. At New Leaf, he is focused on creating strategies for innovation hubs that are catalysts of community and city transformation; mobilizing diverse sectors to address system-level challenges. Eric holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a MS in Architectural Engineering, both from Penn State. He lives in State College with his wife Ruth and son, Luke.
George Selembo | CEO, InfoSense, Inc.
George Selembo, PhD, PE has four degrees from Penn State. He started as a University Scholar in Chemical Engineering, obtained an MBA, and then completed MS and PhD graduate degrees in Chemical Engineering. Dr. Selembo has been involved in the startup of several companies, the most notable of which is Copper Beech Townhomes, a large privately-held student rental construction and management organization, where he was a Senior VP for 10 years. In addition, he was a partner in several technology startups, one of which was involved in the design and construction of a biodiesel production facility in Atlanta, GA. Currently Dr. Selembo is the CEO of InfoSense, Inc., a technology startup in Charlotte, NC. In addition, he is a Senior Fellow at the IDEAS Center at the University of North Carolina – Charlotte, where he focuses on developing highly efficient wastewater treatment technologies, alternative fuel technologies, and other environmentally focused concepts.
Dr. Selembo is a Greensburg, PA native, lived in State College, PA for over 19 years, and recently relocated to Charlotte, NC. He and his wife, Priscilla, have endowed a scholarship in the Schreyer Honors College. He is an avid triathlete, and recently completed an Ironman Triathlon. Dr. Selembo has four children, is a Cub Scout Den Leader, and is currently working on completing his private pilot's license. George and Priscilla are lifetime members of the Penn State Alumni Association.
Stacy Schwartz (@smollinschwartz) | Founder, Smollin Schwartz LLC | [email protected]
As the founder of independent consultancy Smollin Schwartz LLC, Stacy assists clients with a range of marketing, professional development, and general management initiatives. For the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), she launched the first industry-wide certification programs for digital media salespeople (DMSC) digital ad operations professionals (DAOC), digital data solutions managers (DDSC) and entry-level workers looking to begin a career in digital advertising (DAC). On the teaching front, Stacy develops and leads digital media training courses for IAB member companies. She is also an adjunct faculty member at Rutgers Business School, where she teaches undergraduate, graduate, and executive-level courses related to digital marketing, social media, ecommerce, and Omni channel selling. Previously, Stacy was VP of Digital Marketing at Virgin Mobile USA, responsible for the strategy, planning, and oversight of the company’s website, ecommerce channel, media strategy, and referral marketing programs. Prior to Virgin, Stacy was Web Director at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, where she initially arrived as a special projects advisor through a Harvard Business School Leadership Fellowship. She was an early digital marketing pioneer, having joined the original DoubleClick launch team as its eleventh employee in 1996. Stacy holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA with honors and highest distinction from Penn State University. She serves as board member for the Harvard Business School Club of New York’s Community Partners program, which provides pro-bono management consulting services for local nonprofit organizations.
Maggie Snow | Magisterial District Judge, AOPC | [email protected]
Maggie graduated from Penn State in 1983 with a degree in Education, and in 1988, she graduated from the University Of Denver College Of Law. She was Bucks County’s District Attorney's Office criminal prosecutor from 1988-2001, a child advocate at the Office of the Guardian Ad Litem from 2001-2007, and a Magisterial District Judge from 2008-present. Maggie is part of a Penn State family, with both of her kids having graduated from Penn State.
Tyler Spindel | Principal Agile Project Manager, Capital One | [email protected]
Tyler Spindel is works as a Principal Agile Project Manager in Capital One's data warehouse. There, he is responsible for three teams that manage regulatory and sales data. Prior to Capital One, Tyler has managed a project management group at an IT infrastructure firm and worked as a government consultant. He graduated from Schreyer in 2009 with a degree in English.
Vidya Szymkowiak | Physician, Internal Medicine at UPMC | [email protected]
After completing undergraduate degrees in Chemical Engineering and Chemistry at Penn State in 1995, Vidya joined the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Medicine. She then pursued a residency in Internal Medicine/Primary Care at the University of Pittsburgh. Vidya feels that she is extremely fortunate to have a career that she loves as a primary care physician. She says that she is challenged daily by the clinical and the business aspects of her practice and is humbled and grateful for the faith and trust that her patients place in her. Although her undergraduate path prior to enrolling in medical school was atypical, Vidya has found that many of the skills she learned as an engineering/science major are the ones that serve her best in her current career - the ability to think critically and logically through a problem, the ability to work as part of a team, and the ability to create efficient processes, among others. Vidya looks forward to meeting Penn State undergraduates with an interest in medicine at Connect 2015.
Erin Talbert | Regional Sales Director, AstraZeneca | [email protected]
Erin graduated from the College of Communications in 1999 with a degree in Advertising and Public Relations. Previously, she has worked for Accenture Consulting, Health & Life Sciences Practice (1999-2006) and AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, Marketing, Managed Markets, Sales (2006-present).
Tony Talbert | Partner, The Shidler Group | [email protected]
Mr. Talbert is a Partner | Capital Markets at The Shidler Group where he is responsible for commercial real estate acquisitions and establishing The Group’s hotel investment platform. The Shidler Group has acquired over $1 billion of properties over the past two years. Mr. Talbert previously worked for 13 years with Chatham Financial Group where he specialized in the firm’s derivative advisory and real estate investment banking practices, the latter of which he co-founded. He has worked with numerous lenders, and real estate and leveraged buyout funds involving transactions in excess of $100 billion. Mr. Talbert holds a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering from The Pennsylvania State University, where he was a Schreyer Scholar, and a master of business administration degree from Columbia University.
Greg Tallman | Vice President, Underwriter PNC Financial Services | [email protected]
Greg graduated with a B.S. in Finance and a B.A. in Economics from Schreyer in 2010. He began working at PNC after his sophomore year as an intern with Treasury Management in Pittsburgh. The following summer, he interned in Business Credit, PNC's asset-based lending group, in Philadelphia. He joined Business Credit full-time after graduation where he worked as a Field Examiner, auditing clients within the bank's portfolio, until July 2012 when he transferred into an Underwriting position. As an Underwriter, Greg is responsible for structuring asset-based loans with exposure ranging from $10 million to $500 million, performing necessary due diligence and risk analysis associated with each transaction, including financial, industry, and regulatory risks. He works internally with his sales, legal, credit, and audit partners, as well as with executive management and/or equity sponsors/owners of prospective borrowers to execute each deal.
Haima Varadan Marlier | Senior Counsel, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission | [email protected]
Haima graduated from Penn State and the Schreyer Honors College in 2001 with degrees in Political Science and Economics; Haima earned her JD at Boston College Law School in 2004. After law school, she was an associate with Goodwin Procter LLP in the firm's Securities Litigation and White Collar Defense practice where she specialized in securities litigation and SEC enforcement defense. In 2010, Haima joined the SEC. Her job duties include investigating and prosecuting violations of the federal securities laws.
Devin Weakland (@DevinWeakland) | Assistant Brand Planning Manager, Unilever
Devin graduated from Penn State/Schreyer Honors College in May 2013 with a B.S. in marketing, a B.A. in journalism and a minor in international business. During her sophomore year, Devin studied the 'Economics of European Integration' at Maastricht University in The Netherlands. Specifically within the marketing sphere, her interests and expertise are in brand management, which she first discovered through a marketing internship and her honors thesis, which fuses brand management and crisis communications through a case study approach. Devin joined Unilever after graduation as a part of the newly instated 'Unilever Future Leaders Program,' a rigorous, accelerated rotational program. She began her career as a sales analyst in Charlotte, NC and then moved to Unilever's North America headquarters in the greater New York City area to join the Dove brand marketing team. Devin is now a brand planner for Hellmann's/Best Foods, coordinating with all field teams across the US market to ensure flawless product launches and secure successful promotions among other activities.