Q&A: (Millennial) Alumni Association chapter presidents

Editor's Note: This story originally appeared in AlumnInsider, the Penn State Alumni Association's monthly member e-newsletter. You can click here for information on becoming a member, and you can follow the Alumni Association on Facebook and Twitter for more stories and updates on events.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In the first of a series, we talk with millennial chapter presidents and hear how they develop leadership skills early on, learn from alumni who’ve been involved with their chapter for years (or decades), and stay connected to Penn State through their volunteerism.

First up: Greater Boston President Katherine Huber (Class of 2011), Hawaii Chapter President Erika Mazur (Class of 2011) and Arizona Chapter President Thomas Blechman (Class of 2012).

Katherine Huber, Greater Boston President

Penn State Alumni Association: How did you initially become involved with your alumni chapter, and what inspired you to become your chapter's president?Katherine Huber: I did an internship in Boston the summer before graduation, and I didn’t know many people. I figured a good way to network would be to attend some Alumni Association events. I attended some events that summer, and when I moved back, I decided I wanted to be more involved with the group. I attended some events after moving here and met a good group of friends in the organization and knew I wanted to be more actively involved. I was originally the communications chair, and eventually the president opportunity came up, so I jumped on it.  

Penn State Alumni Association: Being a young chapter president, did you have any prior experience that helped prepare you for this leadership position, and what have you learned during your time as chapter president that's helped you grow, personally and professionally?Katherine Huber: I was involved in a lot of activities at Penn State. Most notably, I was the president of Nittany Nation (now Legion of Blue, the student section for Penn State men’s basketball and Lady Lions), and through that, I gained a lot of leadership experience: planning events and philanthropy activities, and engaging with students to increase support for the program. My four years of involvement with Nittany Nation definitely transferred to my role with the alumni chapter. As a big-time Penn Stater, having the passion for the University and wanting to build a strong and positive Penn State community interest in Boston has really motivated me to do what I’m doing in my current role.  

Penn State Alumni Association: Do you have any chapter members who've belonged to the group for a long time, perhaps decades? If so, how special is it to bridge those generational gaps and have shared Penn State experiences with alumni who might've graduated decades earlier?Katherine Huber: The Penn State family is definitely something that spans multiple generations. It’s great when we have football game watches to see alumni who’ve been here for 10, 20 years and plus families with kids. We really value involvement from new graduates and older graduates, as everyone has a common interest in the Penn State community. It’s been nice to get perspectives on events and what will draw diverse audiences, and it’s been great to work with a variety of people.

Penn State Alumni Association: In what ways does belonging to an alumni chapter help you stay connected to Penn State, and why is it important to keep that connection?Katherine Huber: What I hear across the board is a lot of people who move to Boston don’t know many people, and turning to an alumni group is the easiest way to connect with like-minded people. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had new Penn State Bostonians come up to me and say, “I just moved here, and I’m looking to get involved and meet people.” Having that opportunity to know you have a Penn State community here that’s eager to meet you and have you involved is really reassuring to a lot of people who are starting their careers or relocating to Boston. It’s an awesome network, both socially and professionally. We may be over 400 miles from University Park, but our Boston community is a great reminder that Happy Valley can exist wherever there is a strong group of people who bleed blue and white to carry on the Penn State tradition.

Erika Mazur, Hawaii Chapter President

Penn State Alumni Association: How did you initially become involved with your alumni chapter, and what inspired you to become your chapter's president?Erika Mazur: When I first moved to Hawaii, I wanted to find something that was familiar. I immediately jumped and in and reached out to the chapter president, and I became the chapter secretary. Once I did that, I tried to be involved with everything the chapter was doing, and that’s how I wound up running (for president) the following year.

Penn State Alumni Association: How did you learn about your local Alumni Association chapter, and was joining an alumni chapter something you knew about even as a student?Erika Mazur: I’m from a Penn State family, and everyone from our family was part of the Alumni Association. I found out about the chapter by typing into Google: “Penn State Hawaii alumni,” and I found the Alumni Association’s website that pulled up chapters from each state.

Penn State Alumni Association: Being a young chapter president, did you have any prior experience that helped prepare you for this leadership position, and what have you learned during your time as chapter president that's helped you grow, personally and professionally?Erika Mazur: Being a chapter president, those were big shoes to fill. To prepare, it’s like taking your ambitions and running with them and gaining support to do that along that route. The support I have from our board made that possible. It’s really important that everyone has his or her own piece to the puzzle. Everyone on the board is either dealing with finances or activities or different things of that nature. For myself, it was really challenging to lean on those people and their own expertise. By nature, I’m a department trainer, and for myself, it was more about finances and taxes and making sure we can implement and have funds to do our activities. I received a lot of support from our board.

Penn State Alumni Association: So there was something about your personality that initially made it difficult to delegate tasks?Erika Mazur: Yes, my personality is gung-ho. I make sure everything needs to get done, and in a big organization, you can’t pretend that you know how to get everything done yourself. It was challenging to put those responsibilities in other peoples’ hands, but it was definitely worth it.

Penn State Alumni Association: Do you have any chapter members who've belonged to the group for a long time, perhaps decades? If so, how special is it to bridge those generational gaps and have shared Penn State experiences with alumni who might've graduated decades earlier?Erika Mazur: Our vice president (Bruce Smith) he has been involved with the Alumni Association for 40 years. Our chapter is relatively young, so he’s been a great supporter. He makes sure that he’s at everything he can possibly go to. He’s always encouraging me to “take your ideas and make them happen.” We’ve talked about having our own website, and he said, “Let’s talk about it. I’ll help you out as long as you maintain and function the website.” He’s also been very encouraging, telling me I don’t need to do everything by myself, and I’ve really absorbed that advice.

Penn State Alumni Association: In what ways does belonging to an alumni chapter help you stay connected to Penn State, and why is it important to keep that connection?Erika Mazur: We all joined the alumni chapter for the same reason — we all have a strong connection to Penn State, and it was such a significant period in all our lives. It’s awesome that regardless of how old alumni are, we can connect about the HUB, or the Berkey Creamery or different aspects of campus. It’s great sharing those stories.

Thomas Blechman, Arizona Chapter President

Penn State Alumni Association: How did you initially become involved with your alumni chapter, and what inspired you to become your chapter's president?Thomas Blechman: I got involved when I left school; I got a job with an NHL team, the Coyotes. I moved from Pittsburgh and had never been to Phoenix. I had no idea what to expect, didn’t know any friends or family, and I wanted to meet people who didn’t work with me. I looked up the Alumni Association online and found the chapter, and showed up for a viewing party for one of the football games. I met people who were genuinely nice; we talked about a lot of Penn State stuff and became good friends. Then they needed someone else to take over as president. They said, “Tom, would you be all right with us nominating you?” and I said, “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help.” The entire chapter voted for me, and here I am.

Penn State Alumni Association: How did you learn about your local Alumni Association chapter? Was joining an alumni chapter something you knew about even as a student?Thomas Blechman: I knew we had a large alumni association in school — that was one of the major things I learned — and I wanted to find people who had similar interests to me. I moved in a two-week span, and I didn’t have time to meet people. I went to the Alumni Association’s website and looked up “Penn State alumni in Phoenix,” and it’s the best decision I ever made. You can’t beat it, Penn Staters are genuinely nice people and that’s what I hope people feel when they come to our chapter. We’re here to help anytime, professionally and personally.

Penn State Alumni Association: Being a young chapter president, did you have any prior experience that helped prepare you for this leadership position, and what have you learned during your time as chapter president that's helped you grow, personally and professionally?Thomas Blechman: I used to do a lot of work with the marketing association when I was a student at Penn State. I was a project manager, that helped me be a leader and I’ve learned a ton since I took this position. There’s a lot more that goes into game-day viewing parties, charity events, everything we do — that takes a lot more steps than you think when you show up. There are a lot of people behind the scenes doing work, and you don’t think about that when you show up. I got lucky — there were a couple prior chapter presidents who helped bridge the gap.

Penn State Alumni Association: Do you have any chapter members who've belonged to the group for a long time, perhaps decades? If so, how special is it to bridge those generational gaps and have shared Penn State experiences with alumni who might've graduated decades earlier?Thomas Blechman: Absolutely. Honestly, that’s the biggest thing. We all connected on what we had done at Penn State, because a lot of things haven’t changed. When you’re talking with other chapter members, as long as you’re from Penn State and you have that pride, you have something to talk about it. As long as you’re willing to listen and add in your own two cents, you learn a lot. Everybody thinks about how much fun they had, and this is a way to rekindle that anytime we do an event as a chapter and as Penn Staters.

Penn State Alumni Association: In what ways does belonging to an alumni chapter help you stay connected to Penn State, and why is it important to keep that connection?Thomas Blechman: I think it’s important because you’re meeting new people of all ages, new grads and old grads. You get to learn about their experiences and their closeness to Penn State. When you leave school, you’re so full of Penn State pride and you want to have some people to share that with. Being part of the Alumni Association allows you to continue to remember those good times and create new ones with Penn Staters. There’s nothing like it.