Alumni Notes

2015 Broadcast Journalism

is the director of Federal Advocacy Communications for Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

Based in Washington, DC, Richards works to amplify the importance of protecting reproductive health care and rights from the halls of Congress to the campaign trail. She has played an integral role in helping to shape the conversation on reproductive health following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Note Posted: December 7, 2023

2015 Broadcast Journalism

writes scripts for Fox News affliates across the nation in New York City.

Note Posted: January 15, 2020

2015 Telecommunications

has joined NH Bragg in Bangor, Maine, as a marketing and e-commerce specialist.

Note Posted: August 2, 2017

2015 Advertising/Public Relations

is an associate account executive at Rubenstein in New York Ciy.

Note Posted: January 10, 2018

2015 Broadcast Journalism

launched Persist Strategies, a Pennsylvania communications consulting firm, in 2017. She works with first-time candidates develop successful campaign plans and sharpen their public speaking skills, assists progressive organizations with messaging and digital communications strategy, and offers advice to those thinking of running for office at both the local and state level. Additionally, Richards has relocated from Philadelphia back to her hometown of Wilkes-Barre,where she has become the newest program manager of Dress for Success Luzerne County, a non-profit committed to empowering women to achieve economic independence.

Note Posted: January 18, 2018

2015 Journalism

is a production assistant for "Andrea Mitchell Reports" on MSNBC. He lives in New York City.

Note Posted: March 2, 2017

2015 Advertising/Public Relations

is completeing a post-grad internship with the Major League Baseball Players Association. She writes articles, creates digital content and serves as the host for all live online broadcasts -- including a Facebook Live Q&A with New York Mets right fielder Curtis Granderson (photo).

Note Posted: June 28, 2016

2015 Advertising/Public Relations

recently accepted a position with Philadelphia Magazine ("Philly Mag") as an account coordinator.

Note Posted: June 7, 2016

2015 Print Journalism

recently accepted a position as a public relations specialist for Penn State IT Communications. As a writer for Penn State IT News, Garman focuses on the many ways information technology benefits the Penn State community. You can read her stories at news.it.psu.edu online.

Note Posted: August 7, 2015

2015 Advertising/Public Relations

accepted a position as a staff associate at McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations in Nashville, Tennessee. The company is the largest PR firm in the state and has been recognized as one of the best PR firms to work for by The Homes Report. MP&F currently has more than 75 clients across the United States, including U.S. Job Corps, the Tennessee Titans, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee and AT&T, among others.

Note Posted: July 29, 2015

2015 Journalism

writes scripts for Fox News affiliates across the nation in New York City.

Note Posted: June 18, 2020

2015 Advertising/Public Relations

was among the first to graduate from Carnegie Mellon University with a master's degree Global Communication and Applied Translation, three-semester master's program designed for translation, localization, and global communication.

Slesinski, a Pittsburgh native, started her language journey in fifth grade when she chose to study French. Slesinski continued with the language while sacrificing her lunch period during her senior year of high school to take a German class -— a testament to her admiration for language learning.

At Penn State, Slesinski took courses in both languages, studied abroad and finished her undergraduate degree while living in Germany as an au pair. “Working with a 3-year-old is another great way to learn the language,” Slesinski laughs.

After working at Google as a contractor in Bilingual Product Analysis, Slesinski decided to continue her studies, finding the GCAT program at Carnegie Mellon University during an online search. She hopes to use her master's degree to enter the field of localization or project management.

Note Posted: December 22, 2020

2015 Broadcast Journalism

was promoted to an associate producer I at ESPN, working in the event production group.

She continues to be the lead graphics producer and graphics manager of the 2021 WNBA season.

Note Posted: June 18, 2021

2015 Journalism

accepted the position of Program Manager, Earned Media at TaylorMade Golf Company at their headquarters in Carlsbad, California.

Esse will be joining the TaylorMade media department heading their earned media/media relations efforts. Working with partners such as the PGA Tour, Golf Digest, Golf.com and Barstool Sports, his primary responsibilities will be to manage the external storytelling of TaylorMade’s products and athletes.

Esse joins the industry leading TaylorMade brand to continue to grow its imprint in the digital and social media spaces. He previously worked six years in various production and leadership roles at ESPN.

Note Posted: August 24, 2021

2015 Broadcast Journalism

has joined the national team at Planned Parenthood as the director of federal advocacy communications. She was most recently a strategic communications consultant with BerlinRosen and prior to that served as communications director for Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05).

Note Posted: May 16, 2022

2015 Journalism

joined The Baltimore Sun as a member of the government and politics team.

A southeastern Pennsylvania native, Janesch joined the team in mid-April. At Penn State, he served as editor-in-chief of The Daily Collegian in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse case.

After a summer interning with a series of Pennsylvania Legislative Correspondents’ Association reporters in the state capital, Sam has spent the last seven years covering politics and government for LNP, a newspaper in Lancaster County, and for The Caucus, a watchdog publication in Harrisburg that focuses on accountability and transparency stories within the state Capitol.

His investigative work, both individually and as part of a small team that collaborates with Spotlight PA, received several awards through the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association and beyond, including a 2021 Freedom of Information Award from Investigative Reporters & Editors for a years-long investigation into state lawmakers’ expenses.

His political experience includes coverage of presidential campaign events, the 2016 Republican and Democratic national conventions, redistricting and Pennsylvania congressional, state, county and municipal races.

Note Posted: August 15, 2022

2015 Advertising/Public Relations

accepted a position as international communications manager at UPMC.

Note Posted: November 28, 2022

2015 Telecommunications

is a new business team lead at AssetMark, based in Phoenix, Arizona.

Note Posted: August 18, 2023

2014 Journalism

is a specialty sales representative for Avion Pharmaceuticals Hematinic Division.

Note Posted: February 4, 2017

2014 Advertising/Public Relations

is a coordinator, global marketing solutions for Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment. She creates marketing and partnership platforms across Barclays Center, Brooklyn Nets, New York Islanders, Nassau Coliseum and Coney Island properties.

Note Posted: June 14, 2016

2014 Broadcast Journalism

is a general assignment reporter at WXMI-TV (Fox17) in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Note Posted: June 21, 2016

2014 Advertising/Public Relations

is the head of advertising, marketing and public relations of the Academy of Vocal Arts, which is the world's only tuition-free institution dedicated exclusively to the study of voice, and is also the world's premier institution for training young artists as international opera soloists. She also runs a Philadelphia-based lifestyle blog, "Positive Publicity," and has a series titled "FemFocused."

Note Posted: June 18, 2020

2014 Journalism

, who also earned a bachelor's degree in political science and her JD in 2017, joined Wisler Pearlstine LLP as an associate in the firm's education law practice group.

Before joining the firm, her practice focused on defending professionals and businesses in professional liability and employment litigation matters.

Note Posted: September 8, 2021

2014 Journalism

conducts PR and internal communications for a tech consulting company.

His husband works in the marketing department at Johnson & Johnson.

They met at Penn State 10 years ago this October. They We live in Philadelphia and own a beach house at the Jersey shore.

"Our niece is 17 years old and is starting to look for colleges—we took her to main campus because we love it in Happy Valley and without Penn State, we would be where we are today," Herman said.

Note Posted: August 29, 2022

2014 Advertising/Public Relations

is the marketing manager for league and team partnerships at FanDuel.

She is an experienced sports marketing and partnerships professional currently managing league and team partnerships at FanDuel.

Prior to FanDuel, she worked in marketing and partnerships for multiple NBA teams and started her career on the sports marketing agency side. Previous NBA team career stops include managing digital partnerships for the New York Knicks at MSG, partnership strategy at the Brooklyn Nets and marketing at the Philadelphia 76ers.

She started her career at Octagon, a premier sports marketing agency assisting the BMW and LG electronics accounts.

Note Posted: October 10, 2022

2014 Journalism

known as Alex Walker on TV, joined WFTV-TV in Orlando, Florida, as a sports anchor on Sept. 12, 2022.

The position is his first in a top-20 TV market. He previously worked at WKYT-TV in Lexington, Ky., WITN-TV in Greenville, N.C., and KCAU-TV in Sioux City, Iowa.

Note Posted: September 13, 2022

2014 Broadcast Journalism

is a news production specialist at the Associated Press in Washington D.C. She helps customers across the globe with training and technical support with the newsroom software program ENPS.

Note Posted: January 18, 2019

2014 Advertising/Public Relations

is the head of advertising, marketing and public relations of the Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA), which is the world's only tuition-free institution dedicated exclusively to the study of voice, and is also the world’s premier institution for training young artists as international opera soloists. She also runs a Philadelphia-based lifestyle blog, Positive Publicity, where she highlights anythign and everythign Philadelphia, and has a series called "FemFocused," where she highlights a variety of women (artists, musicians and entrepreneurs).

Note Posted: January 28, 2020

2014 Journalism

was promoted to regional editor for crime and social justice at The News Journal Media Group.

Note Posted: July 14, 2021

2014 Journalism

joined WFTV in Orlando, Florida, as sports anchor.

He covers UCF, Florida, the Orlando Magic, Orlando City (MLS), the Orlando Pride, Daytona, the PGA Tour and a bit of NFL from time to time in Tampa.

After graduation in 2014, Alex worked as a sports anchor at KCAU-TV in Sioux City, Iowa. He also worked as a sports anchor at WITN-TV in Greenville, N.C, before moving to the Bluegrass State to work as a sports anchor for WKYT-TV in Lexington, Ky., prior to EFTV.

Note Posted: September 19, 2022

2013 Film-Video

an esports video Archivist at Riot Games, was awarded the 2019 Sports Emmy Award for outstanding coverage and for his contributions as a digital librarian in the League of Legends World Final on YouTube.

The ward was presented by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

He lives in Los Angeles.

Note Posted: September 30, 2021

2013 Journalism

is a communications assistant for alumni relations and development in the College of the Liberal Arts at Penn State.

Note Posted: December 5, 2013

2013 Telecommunications

was promoted to junior publicist for NBC News in NBCUniversal's New York City office.

Note Posted: February 3, 2015

2013 Advertising/Public Relations

was recently promoted to assistant account executive from account coordinator at Tonic Life Communications Ltd., a healthcare communications agency located in Philadelphia. Learn more about Tonic at http://www.toniclc.com/ online.

Note Posted: July 29, 2014

2013 Broadcast Journalism

has been a press officer at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Media Affairs in Silver Spring, Maryland, since 2017.

In that role, he works closely with major news organizations and is a spokesperson on issues related to public health and federal government regulation of pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

Previously, he was a strategic communicator at the U.S Department of Energy in Washington, D.C.

Note Posted: July 20, 2021

2013 Media Studies

received the Dallas Smythe Award from the Union for Democratic Communications.

The Dallas Smythe Award “honors a critical media scholar/activist whose work exhibits the spirit of engagement, democracy, teaching, and feistiness to which the UDC is committed.”

Kumanyiki, an assistant professor of journalism and media studies at Rutgers University, earned his Ph.D. from Penn State in 2013 and his bachelor's in 1995. He is a researcher, journalist, and artist whose research and teaching focus on the intersections of social justice and emerging media in the cultural and creative industries. He has written about these issues in journals such as Popular Music & Society, Popular Communication, The Routledge Companion to Advertising and Promotional Culture and Technology, Pedagogy and Education.

Kumanyika is the co-executive producer and co-host of Gimlet Media’s new podcast on the Civil War, named “Uncivil.” He has been a contributor to numerous NPR programs.

Note Posted: July 15, 2021

2013 Print Journalism

is a marketing proofreader with Dick's Sporting Goods in Pittsburgh.

Note Posted: January 26, 2017

2013 Film-Video

who completed her bachelor's degree in three and a half years and served as student marshall for the College of Communications in December 2013, recently accepted a full-time position at The Gersh Agency, a talent and literary agency in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Note Posted: May 10, 2014

2013 Broadcast Journalism

is now a marketing anaylst at Borton-Lawson, an engineering and architecture firm, in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

Note Posted: March 21, 2014

2013 Journalism

a staff photographer for The Boston Globe, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in Feature Photography in 2020 for her respectful and compassionate photography of a working Maine family as it falls into homelessness and finds new housing, albeit precarious.

Before joining the globe, Clark lived in Philadelphia and serves as an AmeriCorps VISTA member before freelancing for various publications.

Note Posted: June 18, 2020

2013 Broadcast Journalism

is a managed service representative for Link Computer Corp. in Bellwood, Pennsylvania.

Note Posted: July 17, 2017

2013 Journalism

has accepted a reporting position with Inside Higher Ed.

Note Posted: September 5, 2013

2013 Broadcast Journalism

is now the associate editor for The Dogwood in Virginia. The digital newsroom is part of the Courier Newsroom Network.

Note Posted: November 27, 2021

2013 Advertising/Public Relations

is assistant athletic director of marketing for Rutgers University Athletics.

Note Posted: July 25, 2018

2013 Advertising/Public Relations

has been promoted to director at Genesco Sports Enterprises. McCurdy has worked at GSE in New York since 2016.

Note Posted: January 15, 2019

2013 Telecommunications

has been hired as a news videographer for WTAJ-TV in Altoona, Pa.

Note Posted: April 15, 2015

2013 Journalism

works as a marketing and business development specialist for the Walz Group, a CPA firm in Lancaster, Pa.

Note Posted: September 26, 2022

2013 Advertising/Public Relations

of Brian Communications joined the Philly Ad Club's social media committee.

Note Posted: January 7, 2016

2013 Advertising/Public Relations

is a copywriter for Custom Ink in Fairfax, Virginia.

Note Posted: January 30, 2017

2013 Advertising/Public Relations

has joined the Distilled Spirits Council, the leading voice and advocacy group for distilled spirits in the United States, as director of public relations. She promotes spirits trends, cocktail culture and industry heritage through media relations, special events and media tours, as well as digital and social media activities. She also works closely with media to disseminate the latest industry data and category statistics, resulting in hundreds of yearly articles for the industry.

Note Posted: March 27, 2019

2013 Broadcast Journalism

is now a news editor with VPM News in Richmond, Virginia.

Note Posted: August 22, 2023

2013 Advertising/Public Relations

started with Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton as associate athletic director of marketing in July

Note Posted: October 16, 2021