The People of Penn State
Welcome to the People of Penn State Podcast — the podcast from the Penn State Alumni Association that brings you the incredible stories of Nittany Lions making their mark on the world! Each episode, a rotating cast of hosts sit down with Penn State alumni who are changing the game in business, science, sports, the arts, and beyond. You never know who you'll hear from next — but you do know it'll be a conversation worth tuning in for!
Episodes
Brian Shaunessy knows the Penn State experience well, having attended Penn State Brandywine and University Park. A 1986 graduate from the Smeal College of Business, Shaunessy danced in THON as a student and has stayed involved with local chapters as an alumnus. Currently, he serves as president of our Triangle Chapter in North Carolina, which received this year’s Fundraising Award for providing relief in the wake of Hurricane Helen...
On this episode of The People of Penn State podcast, we sit down with Brett King (’81 Lib), producer, creative consultant, and longtime media executive.
As the founder of NON LP B-SIDE, Brett partners with legacy media, emerging technologies, brands, and creators to amplify stories that are both culturally specific and globally relatable. He also serves as Editor-in-Chief of Culture & Editorial at Network in a Box (NAIB), a medi...
Dominic DeFreece ’01 has always been driven to give back and serve his community. The former sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserves, DeFreece continues to make an impact as president of our Berks County Chapter. It's a family effort, as Dominic's wife, Mayleene ’01, herself a Penn State grad, serves as chapter vice president. They attended Penn State games and events as they raised their three children, Derek ’24, Isabella ’2...
A highly accomplished player and coach, Steven Williams ’14g spent several seasons in Happy Valley (2012-15), serving as an offensive and defensive assistant and assistant strength and conditioning coach. With the Nittany Lions, he created weekly scouting reports, organized practices and assisted with the Nittany Lions’ wide receivers, secondary and linebackers. On gamedays, he signaled play calls, assisted with special teams and a...
Volunteer leaders Joe Huxta ’71 and Michael Turk ’87 have deep ties to Penn State and possess a strong sense of volunteerism, especially with wanting to give back to the University and our alumni.
In overseeing our Lehigh Valley Chapter—one of our largest affiliate groups—they’ve aligned their personal and professional passions, while keeping more than 10,000 local Penn Staters connected through chapter watch parties, community ser...
On this episode of The People of Penn State podcast, we chat with Laura McKinney (’20 Com), founder of StrataBrand.
After graduating amid a global pandemic, Laura took the skills she developed at Penn State to New York City, where she launched StrataBrand to bridge the worlds of marketing, PR, and strategy. Her company helps to move ideas from concept to reality with speed and authenticity.
Her work spans industries and scales: from ...
This week's episode features Janelle Rushton ’15, longtime volunteer leader for our Philadelphia Chapter and current president-elect of our H&HD Alumni Society.
Janelle discussed her path to becoming a Penn Stater, the mission of the Philadelphia Chapter, why she's passionate about higher education fundraising and engagement, and much more.
To learn more, visit the chapter's website and follow the chapter on Face...
In this episode of The People of Penn State podcast, we talk with Joe Apgar (’08 Bus), CEO of Pelotonia.
During his senior year at Penn State, Joe was diagnosed with testicular cancer. After his recovery, he began riding and fundraising for Pelotonia, a nonprofit founded in 2008 to support lifesaving cancer research.
After earning his finance degree in 2008, Joe joined Rockbridge Capital, where he focused on capital raising and strat...
This week's episode features Jim Keib ’11g, president of our Greater Syracuse Chapter. Jim discussed following in his son's footsteps when he earned his graduate degree from World Campus in 2011, memories of spending time with his family on the University Park campus, and the importance of giving back to his community, both on behalf of Penn State and his neighbors.
The season premiere features volunteer leader Bethany Pace ’95, ’98g, vice president of our Upper Chesapeake Chapter. The two-time Penn State grad shared wonderful stories of her time at Penn State, why she’s kept the sweatshirt she bought downtown after taking her final exams as a senior, and the importance of staying connected through an affiliate group.
Learn more about the chapter on its website and follow the chapter on Faceboo...
In this episode of The People of Penn State, we chat with John Maurer ('15g A&A), a trumpet and flugelhorn artist, educator, and recording musician who has performed across North America.
He teaches trumpet at Marywood University in Pennsylvania and serves as a lead Teaching Artist at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the historic site of the Woodstock festival.
John has performed in renowned venues such...
In this episode of The People of Penn State podcast, we spotlight Drew Magid ('11 Com), a music industry leader and founding member of Track Management.
Drew has toured the globe with superstar acts including Imagine Dragons, Charlie Puth, alt-J, and Florida Georgia Line, earning the Live Production Summit’s Young Gun Tour Manager of the Year award. After a decade on the road, he transitioned into artist management with Big Lou...
On this episode of The People of Penn State, we chat with Kylee McGuigan (’20 Com), Associate Production Manager for Vogue.com.
Kylee always dreamed of living in New York City and working in fashion. But graduating during a global pandemic delayed those plans. She spent time working in local boutiques and freelancing before landing her first role as Associate Commerce Editor at Hearst Magazines, and the rest is history.
On this episode of The People of Penn State podcast, we talk with Aaron P. Brinen, PsyD (‘97, A&A).
Dr. Brinen is a co-developer of recovery-oriented cognitive therapy (CT-R), co-author of the original CT-R manual, and author of the recent book Living Well With Psychosis.
A clinical psychologist in private practice, he also serves as Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center...
In this episode of The People of Penn State, we talk with Dr. Jenni Hesterman ('86, EMS), a retired U.S. Air Force colonel with an incredible story of leadership, service, and exploration.
Dr. Hesterman served in three Pentagon tours and held multiple field commands. Her final military assignment was as Vice Commander at Andrews Air Force Base, where she led installation security, including the protection of Air Force One.
Since...
In this episode of The People of Penn State, we welcome Tressa Glover ('97, A&A), actor, writer, and host of the Pittsburgh-based podcast Yinz Are Good.
Yinz Are Good is dedicated to spotlighting the positive stories happening in our communities and the individuals making a difference. In addition to interviewing organizations, groups, and everyday heroes who are helping those in need, Tressa invites listeners to share pers...
In this episode of The People of Penn State, we sit down with Tom Mosser ('82, A&A), founder of Tom Mosser Design and Lucas Paw, LLC.
Tom shares the story behind his inventive artistic style, ranging from his unique loop and flow techniques to his signature Sports Ball Impressionism, where he transforms ordinary sports balls into striking works of art. He also reflects on the viral success of his Museum Series, which featur...
In this episode of The People of Penn State, Katie sits down with Arianna Davis (’09 Com), the Digital Editorial Director at TODAY.
Arianna leads the TODAY Show's digital strategy and frequently appears on air to highlight the top stories making waves online. She’s also the author of What Would Frida Do? A Guide to Living Boldly, a vibrant tribute to the life and legacy of artist Frida Kahlo.
In this conversation, Arianna reflec...
In this episode of The People of Penn State, we speak with Dr. Victoria Heasley (’14 Eng - Schreyer, ’18g Medicine), assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati in the departments of Sports Medicine and Orthopaedics, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Biomedical Engineering.
Victoria shares how her multidisciplinary background drives her work in adaptive sports medicine—providing comprehensive clinical care, designin...
Ever think it’s too late to start something new? Think again!
This week on The People of Penn State, we’re joined by Dave Blazek ('79), an award-winning cartoonist behind the syndicated comic "Loose Parts." Dave has drawn a cartoon a day for more than 25 years — but here’s the twist: he didn’t even learn to draw until he was 42!
"Loose Parts" is syndicated everywhere and appears daily in nearly 200 newspapers...
Popular Podcasts
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.