From Dean Brady

Matt Brezina, '03 Eng - Co-Founder and CEO Sincerely, Inc.

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 14:50:38 -0500

Matt Brezina, '03 ENG.mp3Matt is an exceptional young entrepreneur and a member of the Schreyer Honors College's External Advisory Board. Recently he was featured in Penn State's "Faces of Penn State" campaign.

MATT BREZINA, turning a software startup company into Apple's chief rival

Finding success isn't just about determination and hard work; sometimes it's about serendipity too. Former Penn State graduate Matt Brezina '03 knows this firsthand, as his path to success started with a simple post on Craigslist.

After graduating from Penn State's College of Engineering and relocating to the University of Maryland to work on his Ph.D, Matt was in the market for a new roommate. His pleading Craigslist ad was answered promptly by MIT graduate Adam Smith, and the two clicked immediately. Through a quick discovery of common entrepreneurial interests, they developed their first software startup company, Xobni, in March 2006. The name―"inbox" spelled backwards and pronounced zob-nee―and concept were created to meet the ever-growing demands of email use.

In just a few short years, the two were hailed by INC magazine as up-and-coming entrepreneurs―and their recognition was well-deserved. Fresh out of college, the dynamic duo created user-friendly software, raised an impressive $14 million to promote and sell their product, and even grabbed the attention of Bill Gates, who demonstrated their product at a Microsoft developers' conference.

But this was just the beginning. Matt then went on to develop a mobile photo-sharing application company, Sincerely. With the help of one of his Xobni teammates, Sincerely launched in the spring of 2011 with its first product, Postagram, debuting to the public shortly thereafter. The innovative yet simple idea allows people to send and share their Instagram photos as personalized greeting cards and postcards in the mail for just 99 cents. Since the debut of Postagram, the company has also developed a stream of successful apps, including PopBooth, Ink, and the Ship Library.

The Los Angeles Times dubbed Brezina's 12-person start-up company as "Apple's chief rival." There is no doubt that he's trailblazing an inspiring path for others to follow, and leaving a changed and improved media and technology landscape in his wake.

Daphne Smallwood, '14

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 16:30:09 -0500

Second in our series of interviews with members of the Presidential Leadership Academy, we talk with Daphne Smallwood, '14.

Daphne is a junior Academy member and Schreyer Scholar majoring in Art in the College of Arts and Architecture. She is a recipient of a Bunton-Waller Scholarship, Richard A. Ash Scholarship, and the College of Arts and Architecture Trustee Scholarship. Currently she is an intern with Teach for America and involved with Silent Praise Mime Ministry as well as Writer's Organizing to Represent Diverse Stories (WORDS).

Daphne Smallwood, '14.mp3

TJ Bard, '13

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 14:40:29 -0500

This is the first podcast in our new series on students in the Presidential Leadership Academy. This was a great discussion of student leadership in a time of crisis and the value of a Penn State education.

TJ Bard is a senior in the Presidential Leadership Academy and was president of UPUA during the 2011-12 academic year. During the Sandusky crisis TJ stepped up as a leader not just of students, but the university. He was interviewed on most major news programs and networks as well as ESPN. Even before arriving at Penn State he was pushing boundaries as the world's youngest real estate agent.

TJ Bard, '13.mp3

Sean Misko, '04 Lib, State Department

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 16:40:38 -0500

Sean Misko is a special advisor to the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (SRAP) at the U.S. Department of State, part of the team implementing a "diplomatic surge" to facilitate a political settlement of the Afghanistan war. He is responsible for shaping U.S. efforts to support Afghan reconciliation and coordinating negotiation of a strategic partnership to guide U.S.-Afghan relations following the withdrawal of combat forces.

Sean is the 18th Mark Luchinsky Memorial Lecture.

Each year the distinguished speakers inspire and challenge audiences to think, to question, and to learn beyond the classroom setting. In 1996, Senator Harris Wofford kicked off the lecture series followed by a Gold Medalist (Kurt Angle) and Astronaut (Dr. Jim Pawelczyk).

In later years, the Luchinsky Lecture showcased Distinguished Scholar Alumni who have excelled in their respective careers an opportunity to return and talk about their roles as leaders around the world, their areas of expertise and their professional achievements.

Scholar Alumni welcomed back to campus have included a Rock Star Nutritionist (Jill Jayne), the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense (Mary Long), and for those who may have attended our last Memorial lecture, you would have heard Money Coach, Farnoosh Torabi.

Sean Misko, '04 Lib.mp3

Farnoosh Torabi, '02 Bus

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 14:11:55 -0500

Farnoosh Torabi '02 Bus was our 2012 Mark Luchinsky Memorial Lecture. Our discussion was titled "Smart Money: A Conversation with Money Coach, Author, Financial News Correspondent."

There is an unfortunate scratching noise on this recording. It is minor and I hope will not be a distraction from a very nice interview.

Farnoosh Torabi, '02 Bus.mp3

Casimer DeCusatis '86 Eng - 2012 Outstanding Scholar Alumnus

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 11:20:25 -0500

Our 2012 Outstanding Scholar Alumnus Dr. Casimer DeCusatis is a 1986 Scholar Alumnus graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Science. He also holds an M.S. and Ph.D from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering.

Dr. Casimer DeCusatis is CTO for IBM System Networking, Strategic Alliances, and a Distinguished Engineer focused on networking and fiber optic communications. DeCusatis is a prolific inventor and holds over 110 patents, a number of which are ranked in the top five percent of contributions to IBM. Additionally, DeCusatis teaches networking as adjunct associate professor with both N.Y. City College of Technology and the State University of N.Y.

He is also the Founder/Director of Hudson Valley FIRST Lego League, which supports annual robotics competitions for 1,000 students, ages 6-14 who are interested in engineering, computer programming, and technology (nearly 60% of whom include young women and under-represented minority students).

Casimer DeCusatis '86 Eng.mp3

Stella Tsai, '85 Lib Arts - Outstanding Scholar Alumna 2012

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 17:37:20 -0500

Our 2012 Outstanding Scholar Alumna award winner Stella Tsai is a 1985 Scholar alumna graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Middle East History. She received her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1988.

Ms. Tsai is a business litigation partner at the Philadelphia office of Archer & Greiner, P.C. with a practice concentrating in corporate governance and regulatory compliance. Her practice now includes the representation of multi- national businesses in litigation, transactional, and regulatory matters. Ms. Tsai re-entered private practice after serving as Chair of Administrative Law at the City of Philadelphia Law Department from 2000-2003 where she managed the attorneys who represent the child welfare and social service agencies.

Stella Tsai, '85 Lib Arts.mp3

Daniel W. Veltri '07 Bus

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 09:08:03 -0500

Daniel Veltri is the co-founder and chief operating officer of Weebly, a San Francisco-based Internet company that has as its core product an intuitive drag-and-drop website creation service. Daniel W. Veltri '07Bus

Jeremy Frank '97 Eng, '01g Eng

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 20:51:51 -0500

Jeremy Frank is president and co-founder of KCF Technologies, Inc. a dynamic technology company that develops and commercializes products and solutions for industry and the military. Jeremy Frank '97 Eng, '01g Eng

Ken Fasola

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 15:17:10 -0500

Ken Fasola, '81 HHD (HPA) is a 25-year veteran of the health insurance industry. He joined HealthMarkets in October 2010 as president and chief operating officer. A graduate of the Pennsylvania State University with a BS in Health Planning and Ken Fasola

Holly Williams Leppo, '98 Arts and Architecture

Thu, 13 May 2010 18:58:14 -0500

Holly Williams Leppo, '98 Arts & Architecture

Keegan McCoy

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:49:09 -0500

Keegan McCoy, Sr. in the Inegrated Undergraduate Graduate program (getting a bachelors and a masters degree at the same time) in Electrical Engineering and Astronomy. Keegan is doing his second internship with NASA, this time at Cape Canaveral. Keegan McCoy

Greg Lucier '86 Eng

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:42:13 -0500

Greg Lucier '86 Eng and Scholar Alumnus. In May of 2003, Greg was appointed president and CEO of Invitrogen Corporation. Invitrogen provided essential technologies to biotechnology and biopharmaceutical researchers and companies worldwide. At t Greg Lucier '86 Eng

The Jewishness of Jesus

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:43:34 -0500

Placing Jesus into his first century Jewish context helps us understand why so many did not acknowledge him as the Messiah. The Jewishness of Jesus

SHC Oxford Debate 2009

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:29:12 -0500

The Schreyer Honors College’s Oxford Debate is patterned after England’s University of Oxford’s tradition of spotlighting challenging social issues to elevate the caliber of public discourse. After each panelist presents his or her formal argum SHC Oxford Debate 2009