Campus Life

Schreyer Scholar alumnus to deliver 2016 Mark Luchinsky Memorial Lecture Jan. 25

Business leader to emphasize importance of personal branding

Penn State and Schreyer Scholar alumnus Marke Dickinson will speak on the importance of personal branding for career advancement and leadership development at the 2016 Mark Luchinsky Memorial Lecture Jan. 25. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State and Schreyer Honors College alumnus Marke Dickinson will deliver the message “Get Branded or Get Overlooked” as the speaker for the 2016 Mark Luchinsky Memorial Lecture at 7 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 25, in the Freeman Auditorium in the HUB-Robeson Center. A reception will follow the event at 8 p.m. Both the lecture and reception are free and open to the public.

The Luchinsky Memorial Lecture Series was endowed by family and friends to honor the memory of Mark Luchinsky through the support of a speaker who exemplifies intellectual honesty, personal integrity and joy in learning. The 21st annual event and reception are sponsored by the Schreyer Honors College, the Presidential Leadership Academy and the Schreyer Honors College Student Council.

The lecture topic will define personal branding and explain why developing a personal brand is essential for the advancement of a career and identity as a leader. Dickinson will encourage audience members to reflect on their roles and personal narrative.

Dickinson, recognized as an insightful and thoughtful management professional, served in a leadership role for a dozen years at AAA, most recently as executive vice president and chief marketing officer for AAA Mid-Atlantic. In 2013, he was honored by AAA with a special award for fostering collaboration among AAA clubs across the United States and Canada. The previous year, the top 100 managers in AAA voted Dickinson as the leader who most exemplified the organization’s core values of teamwork, respect, integrity and commitment to quality.

Prior to joining AAA, Dickinson held positions with Accenture and the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. He graduated from Penn State with a bachelor of science degree in finance in 1989. He also earned a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard Kennedy School and a master of business administration from Harvard Business School.

Luchinsky was a Schreyer Scholar and biochemistry major who died in 1995 at the age of 20. A native of Pittsburgh who graduated first in his class in 1992 from Thomas Jefferson High School, he was a member of the Penn State Golden Key Society and the Alpha Epsilon Delta Premedical Honor Society. Known for his intellectual honesty and integrity, Luchinsky enjoyed the study of all subjects and loved the classics, sports, poetry, history and geography.

Past Luchinsky lecturers have included Wendy Kopp, founder and president of Teach for America; Sean Misko, special adviser to the special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan; and Schreyer Scholar alumna Mary Beth Long, former U.S. assistant secretary of defense. Additional information about the Mark Luchinsky Lecture and a list of previous speakers is available at https://www.shc.psu.edu/life/programs/luchinsky/.

The Schreyer Honors College promotes academic excellence with integrity, the building of a global perspective, and creation of opportunities for leadership and civic engagement. Schreyer Honors Scholars, including Gateway Scholars admitted after their first or second year of enrollment, total more than 1,900 students at University Park and 20 Commonwealth campuses. They represent the top 2 percent of students at Penn State who perform well academically and lead on campus.

For additional information about the event, contact Donna L. Meyer, coordinator of student programs, at 814-863-4542 or dlh15@psu.edu.

Last Updated January 14, 2016