UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Smeal College of Business Alumni Society Board honored its 2018 Alumni Society Board award winners on April 6. Two students and four alumni were recognized at the 2018 Awards Program and Hammond Society Dinner in the Business Building Atrium.
The awards and the 2018 recipients are as follows:
Board Sponsorship Award
Recognizes a Smeal graduating senior for demonstrating outstanding leadership and scholarship. The recipient is given the opportunity to be an ex-officio member of the Alumni Society Board for the year following graduation.
Recipient: Sam Ferro is majoring in marketing and minoring in entrepreneurship and innovation. After graduation, she will be joining IBM full time as part of its Consulting by Degrees Program in New York City.
Student Diversity Award
Recognizes a Smeal student for leadership in an individual or group project that furthers diversity efforts at Smeal.
Recipient: Kamyla Fonseca is double-majoring in finance and accounting with a minor in Portuguese. She will be completing the integrated Master of Accounting Program. She will intern with Google this summer as a finance intern and then graduate in December.
Alumni Diversity Award
Recognizes a graduate who has demonstrated a commitment to the college’s goal of being a diverse and mutually supportive community that provides a climate of sensitivity, open-mindedness, and respect.
Recipient: Wanda Bryant Hope (class of 1987, marketing) is the chief diversity and inclusion officer for Johnson & Johnson worldwide.
Outstanding Young Alumnus Award
Recognizes a graduate for career achievements and community service.
Recipient: Brian C. Drury (class of 2012, supply chain and information systems) worked for two years at Kimberly Clark as an export analyst after graduation. He then joined VF Corp. as a supply chain internal auditor. In 2015, he started his own company, Overcoming Graduation LLC, to teach people everything he wished he’d known to help them progress to the next level in their own lives. He recently accepted a new role with Vans, working as a footwear planning analyst.
Service to Smeal Award
Recognizes an alumnus/alumna for their outstanding service to the Smeal College of Business through volunteer activities and/or efforts that enrich the college community.
Recipient: Lynn Kennedy Cruser (class of 1983, management) has served Smeal in a number of roles, including: Smeal Alumni Society Board, ASB president, Hammond Society member, and Mentoring Task Force.
Undergraduate Distinguished Achievement Award
Recognizes a graduate alumnus/alumna whose career achievements have enhanced the prestige of the college.
Recipient: Simon Ziff (class of 1987, finance) is the president of Ackman-Ziff.
Graduate Distinguished Achievement Award
Recognizes a graduate alumnus/alumna whose career achievements have enhanced the prestige of the college.
Recipient: Matt Sheehan (2005, MBA) is president, CEO and board director of Primo Water.
Three new members also were inducted into the Hammond Society, which is named in recognition of J.D. Hammond, dean of Smeal from 1989 to 1999.
Induction into the Hammond Society serves to honor alumni who have demonstrated a commitment to Smeal and to foster their continued involvement in the college. Membership is offered to alumni of the college who have served out their maximum number of terms on the Smeal Alumni Society Board as an at-large director.
Hammond Society inductees: Michael Cocco, Melissa Ferrari, Matthew Hilldoerfer.