The People of Penn State

Alumnus Bill Corcoran Jr. '11, is the Founder and Host of the #OnTheStacks Podcast. Since its inception in 2020, the podcast has ranked in the top 2% of podcasts worldwide, with thousands of listeners in 34 countries, reaching all seven continents. Bill is an outside the box thinker and creator, always willing to try new things and stand out from the crowd. He is passionate about writing, bra...

Tami Eagle Bowling is the creator of #LightUpMBC Live, a virtual broadcast that shines a light on the importance of awareness and funding for Stage 4, metastatic breast cancer (MBC) research. #LightUpMBC Live provides a platform for people affected by MBC to share their stories at illuminated landmarks around the country and inspires thousands to live each day with purpose. On this episode of The...

Albert Ko, M.D., President at Northern New Jersey Plastic Surgery, is our guest for Episode 23 of The People of Penn State. Dr. Ko is highly qualified and experienced in the field of plastic surgery and aesthetic care, with over 30 years of experience and thousands of completed surgical procedures. Topics of discussion with Dr. Ko include memories of watching Penn State Football in the 1980s, the...

Sebastian Africano '99 has spent the past 23 years working on making the world more hospitable for those at the bottom of the economic pyramid. He’s worked on the front lines of economic development and climate resilience in 14 countries and with several Indigenous nations since graduating from Penn State. Most of that time has been spent with Colorado-based impact organization, Trees, Water...

You'd best describe Wendy Pease '85 as a cultural wordsmith. On today's episode of The People of Penn State, Wendy joins us to discuss her role as Owner and President of Rapport International, which provides written translation, spoken interpretation and multilingual communication services for local and global companies.  She also talks about her early interest in marketing language...

Jeff Ballou '90 has reached some incredible heights as an award-winning journalist and currently serves as News Editor for the Al Jazeera Media Network's English language channel. In episode 20 of The People of Penn State, Jeff discusses the foundations of his passion for journalism, covering current events around the globe, how his love for Penn State started, and other topics. Accompli...

This is the audio recording from our special episode of The People of Penn State, originally aired as a livestream as part of We Are Weekend. Our guest for the episode is Ben Feller '92. Ben is a communications advisor who covered two presidents and now helps people and organizations tell their own stories. Ben’s most important title – as Sam Feller’s dad – is the one that drove him to write...

Another great story to share on this episode of The People of Penn State, as Katherine Pohlidal joined us to discuss her work as the Director of the nationally recognized Ruth Matthews Bourger Women with Children Program at Misericordia University. The Women with Children Program (WWC) is one of only eight such programs in the United States. Its goal is to empower economically disadvantaged single...

Looking to become an entrepreneur or just simply interested in entrepreneurship? Listen to today's episode of The People of Penn State!  Marc Kramer '91, President of The Best Business Minds  and host of a podcast of the same name joins the show to discuss his early days as an entrepreneur, founding the country's first organized investor angel network in 1989, his work through Penn...

Brandon Carter's passion is Shakespeare. His mission is to “Break the Legacy” of what Shakespeare roles look and sound like, especially at an epicenter of culture surrounding Shakespeare and his early modern contemporaries. He is the Artistic Director of the American Shakespeare Center. Located in the  Shenandoah Valley, Virginia’s premiere classical theatre is at once intimate in scale and e...

On today's episode of The People of Penn State, Attorney at Law and accomplished author David Savitz '65 joins the show. David chatted with us about his role in the highly publicized Ross Carlson Case; the impact of mental health in the criminal justice system; his work with The Kempe Foundation, which invests in the people and programs that build better futures for children; his fondest...

We don't advise you listen to this episode of The People of Penn State on a hungry stomach! We're joined by Kristina Mazza '02, the owner of Hoagies & Hops restaurant in Indianapolis, Indiana!  With bread coming from South Jersey, meat, pickles and chips coming from Philly and the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country, through Hoagies & Hops, Kristina hopes to give Indy a tast...

Marnie Schneider '90 as taken her experiences attending Penn State Football and Philadelphia Eagles games, and turned them into a highly successful series of children's books called "Gameday In The USA." This series includes 8 books that focus on a city and its football team, including the Eagles and the Steelers. It follows lovable characters, Football Freddie and Fumble the D...

The  J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company was the brainchild of Penn State alumni James P. Jimirro and Robert W. Schneider. The company presents professional revivals of  worthy Broadway musicals; in doing so it provides an opportunity for patrons to re-visit these shows and, in some cases, experience them for  the first time. The Company chooses shows that it deems deserving of  continued exposur...

The NYC Hope Gala is a 100% volunteer-led annual gala and year-round fundraising organization established to support the fundraising efforts of Penn State Dance Marathon (THON). Since 2008, The Hope Gala has raised over $1.5 million towards the mission of conquering childhood cancer. In episode 10 of The People of Penn State, Co-Executive Directors of The Hope Gala, Sara Leary Swanson '14 and...

Brian Anthony Davis '18 is an Educator Activist and Inspirational Speaker, and he joined us for a great conversation on The People of Penn State. He joined Alumni Association CEO Paul Clifford '20g to talk about the special relationship that he has with Penn State President Eric Barron, being able to speak at multiple TED Talk events, and his experiences as the Associate Director of Equi...

If alumnus Ryan K. Brown, Jr. '13, '21g, were to ever write a book, it'd be titled "Staying Busy." Since graduating from the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture in 2013, Ryan has served in the United States Navy as a Lieutenant, co-founded his own Trinidadian Hot Pepper Sauce company, joined the Military Leadership Development Program at Johnson and Johnson, became...

Professional Track Sprint Cyclist Mandy Marquardt '14 joins The People of Penn State to give us an inside look at her journey to competing for the USA Cycling National Team. Diagnosed with Type-1 Diabetes at 16, Mandy has overcome challenges associated with the disease to become a 22-time U.S. National Champion, U.S. National Record holder, and Olympic hopeful. Currently pursuing her MBA with...

In today's episode of The People of Penn State podcast, we hear from Mike Karns '11. Mike is a Tony Award-winning theater producer, and the founder and CEO of Marathon Digital, the first social media agency representing prominent influencers and revolutionary brands on Broadway and beyond. Mike's current clients include the Broadway hit "Hamilton," "Ain't Too Pro...

The People of Penn State is back from our "bye week" over the Thanksgiving holiday, and we've got another great conversation for you to listen to! In this week's episode, we're joined by Paula Trimble '98! Paula is the Policy Chief and Small Business Programs Director at the Space Development Agency in the U.S. Department of Defense. Now two years old, the Space Devel...

In Episode Four of The People of Penn State, we chat with John Amaechi OBE! John is a respected organizational psychologist, best-selling New York Times author, sought after public speaker, executive coach and Founder of APS Intelligence . John joined us to discuss his new book, "The Promises of Giants," which takes a thought-provoking look at the role of leaders and leadership in societ...

Daniel Berlin '92 has never let his vision loss affect the life he wanted to live. Dan is co-founder and former CEO of Rodelle, a world-leading vanilla extract company, and the co-founder and president of Team See Possibilities, a non-profit organization which empowers young people with vision loss to thrive. Dan has traveled the world as an endurance athlete and advocate for the blind. In Ep...

In Episode Two of The People of Penn State. we're joined by US Air Force First Lieutenant, NFL Cheerleader and Entrepreneur, Haley McClain Hill '18 ! Haley joined us to share her Penn State story, her experiences serving our country in the Air Force, life as an NFL cheerleader, her new clothing line, and much more. Follow Haley on Instagram: @iam_halymarie and @torch_byhaleymarie . Learn...

The inaugural episode of The People of Penn State is here! In our very first episode, host Paul Clifford '20g is joined by Penn State alumnus and Paralympian Jake Schrom '11 . Schrom graduated from Penn State with a bachelor’s degree in landscape contracting and now works professionally in landscape design and sales for his family’s company.  Jake is the President of the Penn State Mont...

The People of Penn State, a podcast from the Penn State Alumni Association, will share the stories of Penn Staters doing inspiring or impactful things across the world. Hosted by Alumni Association CEO Paul Clifford '20g, each episode will feature a Penn Stater discussing their Penn State journey and what they are passionate about. Here's a quick intro on what you can expect.  For more a...