SCHUYLKILL HAVEN, Pa. — Penn State Schuylkill celebrated the kick-off of the new University wide fundraising campaign with honored guests at the Blue and White Dinner, held Oct. 20 at the Schuylkill Country Club, Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania.
Thomas W. Wylonis, Ph.D., of Johns Island, South Carolina, was the featured speaker of the evening. Wylonis is an angel investor, educator, management consultant and scientist.
He has been an angel investor to nine high-tech companies in Denmark and the United States. Among these companies, he is currently chairman of Evaxion Biotech, a vaccine/antibody company headquartered in Denmark. He is the largest shareholder and a member of the board for the digital marketing company, Vertic, and also the founding chairman of the board for Connect Denmark, a foundation that supports a majority of high-tech startups in Denmark.
After Wylonis returned to the U.S. in 2007, he re-engaged at Penn State and MIT in mentor-driven programs, and has been a mentor for the electrical engineering department at the University since 2011. He was selected to receive the Alumni Fellow Award this year, the highest award presented to an alumnus by the Penn State Alumni Association.
Alexis Collins, from Hackensack, New Jersey, served as the student speaker. Alexis, a sophomore at Penn State Schuylkill, is a broadcast journalism major and a member of the campus Honors program. Her speech highlighted the impact of her scholarship and how it has allowed her to develop as a scholar through her experiences at Penn State Schuylkill.
Penn State Schuylkill has established a goal to raise $5 million over the next five years. The campaign will focus broadly on helping Penn State’s students, faculty and staff to maximize their impact in the world. According to Schuylkill Chancellor Kelly M. Austin, “A campaign of this magnitude will truly transform the campus.” Roy Heim, president of Heim Construction Company, serves as the campaign volunteer chair; and Kimberly Lorimer, vice president of Evans Delivery, as the campaign volunteer vice-chair, at the campus level.