UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- From an intellectual property lawyer from Delaware to a senior engineer to a Wyoming health administrator, 10 Penn State alumni have been elected to Alumni Council, the governing body of the Penn State Alumni Association.
New members elected to serve on Alumni Council, along with their vote totals, are: Karen E. Keller (6,676); Sharon B. Stringer (5,897); Martha "Liz" Bligan (5,343); Beverly Sobel-Redler (4,829); Jeff High (4,742); Roxanne (Hoffman) Shiels (4,435); Shawn M. Hinkle (4,426); Samuel Morris Bernstine (4,420); Wendy E. Braund (4,391); and Steven Wagman (4,241). Each of these 10 alumni will serve a three-year term from July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2015.
Three additional alumni will be appointed by Alumni Association President Kathleen Arnold Smarilli to serve on Alumni Council, as required by the Alumni Association's bylaws. The three appointees will be announced later this month and also will begin three-year terms on July 1.
Alumni Council is an all-volunteer governing body that guides and directs policy for the Penn State Alumni Association. The council determines strategies and programs to be carried out by the Alumni Association staff and also is responsible for electing the Alumni Association president and vice president. The Alumni Council election is conducted entirely online. Alumni members of the Penn State Alumni Association are eligible to vote. Of the 132,432 eligible voters, 10,669 voted, for a voting percentage of 8.06 percent. The turnout this year exceeds last year's participation of 6.63 percent. The election was administered and results were certified by Votenet Solutions Inc., of Washington, D.C.
Following is a brief biography about each newly named Alumni Council member:
Samuel M. Bernstine, New Castle, Pa.; A 1978 graduate of the College of Health and Human Development, Bernstine is a principal of Kepner-Tregoe Inc. This is his second term on Alumni Council, having been appointed to a three-year term in 2009. He previously served as vice chair of the Membership Committee.
Martha "Liz" Bligan, Chesterbrook, Pa.; A 1981 graduate of the Eberly College of Science and a 1998 Interdisciplinary Fields graduate, Bligan is director of Human Resources for AGC Chemicals American Inc. This is her second elected term on Alumni Council. She previously served on the Membership Committee and Volunteer Support Committee.
Wendy E. Braund, Cheyenne, Wyo.; A 2001 graduate of the Penn State College of Medicine, Braund is a state health officer and senior administrator in the Public Health Division of the Wyoming Department of Health. This is her first elected term on Alumni Council. She previously served as the representative from the College of Medicine Alumni Society and was a member of the Legislative Education and Advocacy Committee.
Jeffrey L. High, Frederick, Md.; A 1991 and 1993 graduate of the College of Engineering, High is a senior engineering manager for Manitowoc Inc. This is his second elected term on Alumni Council. He previously served as vice chair of the Volunteer Support Committee.
Shawn M. Hinkle, Reading, Pa.; A 2001 graduate of Penn State Berks, Hinkle is the demand planning manager for C.H. Briggs Co. and is the president of the Berks County Chapter of the Alumni Association. This is his first elected term on Alumni Council.
Karen E. Keller, Wilmington, Del.; A 2000 graduate of the Eberly College of Science, Keller is a partner at Shaw Keller LLP. This is her first elected term on Alumni Council.
Roxanne (Hoffman) Shiels, Julian, Pa.; A 1990 and 1993 graduate of the College of Agricultural Sciences, Shiels is associate director of strategy, planning and faculty/student engagement in the Office of the Vice President for Outreach at Penn State. This is her first elected term on Alumni Council.
Beverly Sobel-Redler, Fairfax, Va.; A 1985 graduate of the College of the Liberal Arts, Sobel-Redler is writer/consultant for RedPrompt. This is her first elected term on Alumni Council. She previously served as the representative from the College of the Liberal Arts Alumni Society and served on the Budget & Finance Committee.
Sharon B. Stringer, State College, Pa.; A 1978 graduate of the College of Communications and a 1996 and 1999 graduate of the College of Agricultural Sciences, Stringer is an associate professor at Lock Haven University. This is her second elected term on Alumni Council. Previously, she served as chair of the Communications Committee and as a member of the Executive Board.
Steven B. Wagman, Blue Bell, Pa.; A 1982 graduate of the College of Health and Human Development, Wagman is vice president of Siemens Medical Solutions USA Inc. This is his first elected term on Alumni Council.
For more information about the Alumni Association or its Alumni Council governing board, visit http://www.alumni.psu.edu/council online.