The People of Penn State

This week on The Football Letter Podcast, we were joined by letterman wide receiver Matt Zanellato (2011-15) and Florida Gulf Coast Chapter President Nick Bocci . Now the wide receivers coach at UMass, Zanellato will be returning to Beaver Stadium this weekend as a member of the Minutemen staff. Previous coaching stops for Matt include time at Lock Haven (Pa.), Davenport (MI.), Saginaw Valley Stat...

On this week's episode of The Football Letter Podcast, we talk with Greater Chicago Chapter President Courtney Jackson and letterman defensive lineman Rudy Glocker ! In part one (0:55), Courtney discussed how she became a Penn Stater, her work to bring together the population of Indigenous students at Penn State during her time as an undergrad, becoming the Chicago Chapter President, the many...

Fans of Broadway and the hit Disney film series "Frozen" won't want to miss this episode of The People of Penn State, as we're joined by Broadway and Theatre Actress, Caroline Bowman '10! Caroline is currently starring in Disney’s "Frozen" North American Tour as the role of Elsa. Her Broadway credits include Elphaba in "Wicked" and Nicola in "Kinky...

The 2016 Big Ten Championship squad is undoubtedly one of the most memorable teams in Penn State history. In part one (0:55) of this week's episode of The Football Letter Podcast, we're joined by one of the 2016 team captains, Brandon Bell ! Having worn the iconic No. 11 jersey, Brandon finished his Nittany Lion career with 225 tackles, 11.5 sacks, 4 fumble recoveries and 4 interceptions...

On this week's episode of The Football Letter podcast, we're joined by letterman running back Nick Eury and President of our Greater Pittsburgh Chapter, Kristen Conti. In part one, we talk to Nick about the process of becoming a walk-on for the football team, the emotions of earning a scholarship, his work as a District Manager for ALDI, staying connected to fellow lettermen, and more. C...

Katie Taylor '07 is the Co-founder and CEO of Child Life On Call , a digital platform revolutionizing pediatric healthcare by putting parents at the center of the medical journey. With over 13 years of experience as a certified child life specialist, Katie has made significant contributions to the field of child life and the families she’s served with over a decade of working at the bedside....

Each week during the Penn State Football season, we're bringing you a bonus podcast in our People of Penn State podcast series, featuring interviews with Nittany Lion lettermen and volunteer leaders who bring the mission of the Alumni Association to life. In episode two of The Football Letter Podcast, we spoke to new Beaver Stadium public address announcers, Rodney Martin and Joe Putnam! Many...

The People of Penn State is expanding! Each week during the Penn State Football season, we're bringing you a bonus podcast, featuring interviews with Nittany Lion lettermen and volunteer leaders who bring the mission of the Alumni Association to life. The Football Letter Podcast will live right here in The People of Penn State universe and can be found in all of the same places you already li...

On today's episode of The People of Penn State, we're pleased to be joined by Pennsylvania Secretary of Education, Dr. Khalid N. Mumin. For over 25 years, Dr. Mumin has served in various capacities as a teacher, dean of students, principal and central administrator. Most recently, Dr. Mumin served as the Superintendent of Schools at Lower Merion School District. Prior to Lower Merion, he...

On today's episode of The People of Penn State podcast we speak with former Penn State Football placekicker, Nick Gancitano (1986 – Biomechanics), who was a part of the Nittany Lions' 1982 National Championship team. After his NFL career was interrupted by injury, he went into the business world at A.L. Williams, where he led high-performance sales teams as a regional vice president and...

Anand Ganjam (2015 – Finance) is the 83rd President of the Penn State Alumni Association and began his 2-year term as President on July 1, 2023. At the age of 30, he is the youngest President in the Association’s history. Professionally, Anand is a Strategy & Consulting Senior Manager with Accenture, where he focuses on helping large organizations navigate change and develop talent.  As a stud...

Hannah Mears (2020 - Bellisario) is a sports broadcaster and producer located in Pittsburgh, currently working as an on-air host for the Pirates, sports producer at KDKA-TV, betting host for Picks&Parlays and as a freelance sideline reporter for the Big Ten Network. Hannah stopped by the show for a great conversation about getting her start in broadcasting as a student at Penn State, launching...

On today's episode of The People of Penn State, we're joined by Joe Nadreau (1993 - Smeal), who recently retired from his position of Managing Director of Strategy and Innovation at Wells Fargo Advisors. Joe discussed a variety of topics on the show, including being a part of the ROTC program at Penn State, the importance of mentors and mentees, driving strategy and innovation at Wells F...

Welcome to another episode of The People of Penn State! On today's show, we're joined by NFL Player Agent, Jim Ivler (1990 - History)! He takes us inside the world of athlete representation, breaking down what it's like to work with NFL stars of the past and present. Jim's clients include Penn State letterman Tamba Hali, Robbie Gould, and Brenton Strange, who was recently draft...

Start your weekend off with another episode of The People of Penn State!  Today, we welcome alumna Dr. Ala Stanford to the program for an insightful conversation about medicine and health equity.  Dr. Stanford discussed her time at Penn State, (including her days as a Lion Ambassador), her career path, transforming her private practice into a Covid-19 testing center during the height of the pandem...

Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) is one of the most talked about topics in college athletics and has drastically changed the landscape of sports at the collegiate level in the United States. In a special two-part series on The People of Penn State, we take a close look at NIL, with a strong focus on its impact at Penn State. In part two of our two-part NIL series, we caught up with Penn State Footb...

Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) is one of the most talked about topics in college athletics and has drastically changed the landscape of sports at the collegiate level in the United States. In a special two part series on The People of Penn State, we take a close look at NIL, with a strong focus on its impact at Penn State.   In part one of our NIL deep-dive, we talk with Kerry Small '87,  th...

Captain Thomas Ulmer '96 is a commissioned Naval Officer with 27 years of experience. A Surface Warfare Officer, he has commanded two Navy warships and led diverse work forces through routine operations to crisis while circum-navigating the globe and conducting operations worldwide. Throughout his service, Tom has participated in operations that responded to natural disasters by providing hum...

Through her work in video and film production, alumna Dawn L. Manning '00 has worked with some of the biggest names in the entertainment and music industry. Some of the stars she has worked with include Will & Jada Smith, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Terrell Owens, Common, Jason Derulo, Nicki Minaj, and more. On this episode of The People of Penn State, Dawn takes us through her passion f...

Ever received one of those pesky phishing emails or phone calls from someone trying to scam you by pretending to be someone else? Then you'll find this episode of The People of Penn State to be pretty insightful! In Episode 31 of the podcast, we're joined by Dr. John N. Just '01, the Chief Learning Officer at KnowBe4, the world's largest cybersecurity awareness training organiz...

Shadé Olasimbo (2012 - Broadcast Journalism) is an Emmy-nominated video producer, editor, and videographer based in Atlanta where she runs FCOlasimbo Productions, LLC. She is also a Senior Video Producer at HubSpot, where she's the lead producer behind the newly launched Hustle YouTube Channel. In our 30th episode, Shadé joined the show to talk about her role with HubSpot, why she has such a...

Saint Rocco’s Treats aims to foster freshness, quality, and transparency in the dog food and treat industry. Founded by alumnus Kolby Rush (2021 - Finance) and his brother Kaleb, Saint Rocco's is striving to put furry friends' long-term health and happiness first. Kolby appears on episode 29 of our podcast to talk about the origin story of Saint Rocco's, the growth of the company, w...

Welcome to another episode of The People of Penn State -- a podcast by the Penn State Alumni Association. In this episode we're joined by Katie Kemmerer (2018 - Bellisario), Executive Project Manager for the Kansas City Chiefs. In her fifth season with the club, Katie manages the international expansion of the Chiefs brand as well as oversees brand activations in the Kansas City area. Previou...

Our first episode of 2023 is a fun one, as we talk with Maddy Pryor '13, a Social Media Specialist at Princeton University! Joined by our host, Paul Clifford '20g, Maddy discusses her extensive experience in content creation, crisis communications and community management. Maddy and Paul also talk about her time as a student, her love for Penn State basketball, what it was like running t...

Are you a big fan of wine and spirits? How about food and travel? This episode of The People of Penn State combines all of those things into one great show as we talk to accomplished author, consultant and speaker, Brian Freedman. Brian is a wine, spirits, travel, and food writer, restaurant and beverage consultant, wine and spirits educator, and event host and speaker. He regularly contributes to...