Alumni Association

10 elected to serve on Alumni Council

Each of the 10 alumni elected to Alumni Council will serve a three-year term from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2024. Credit: Penn State Alumni Association / Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Ten alumni leaders have been voted onto Alumni Council, the Penn State Alumni Association’s governing board, and will begin their terms July 1.

New members elected to serve on Alumni Council, along with their vote totals, are Ryan K. Brown, Jr. (3,945), Susan Steadman (3,943), CAPT John Brabazon (3,885), Melissa Brickhouse (3,608), Wendy Forrest Edgar (3,522), Tiffany McKenzie (3,453), Ami Patel Hopkins (3,392), Jacqueline Barkley Floor (2,515), Rob Biertempfel (2,509) and Rajdeep Champa (2,455).

Each of these 10 alumni will serve a three-year term from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2024. For full information on Alumni Council, visit the Alumni Association’s website.

Alumni Council is an all-volunteer governing body that advises and guides the Penn State Alumni Association on programs and initiatives to uphold its mission of service and support to Penn State. Alumni members of the Alumni Association are eligible to vote in the annual election, which takes place online.

Of the 142,612 eligible voters, 6,844 voted. The resulting voter turnout percentage is 4.80%.
The election was administered and results were certified by Votenet Solutions Inc., of Washington, D.C.

Following is a brief biography of each newly elected Alumni Council member:

  • Ryan K. Brown Jr., 2013, College of Arts and Architecture, San Diego, California; Brown is a surface warfare officer in the United States Navy.
  • Susan Steadman, 1983, 1989g, Smeal College of Business, Hummelstown, Pennsylvania; Steadman is a retired vice president of continuous improvement for The Hershey Company/Central PA Food Bank.
  • CAPT John Brabazon, 1996, College of Engineering, Annapolis, Maryland; Brabazon is a commanding officer in the United States Navy, serving at Naval Air Station Patuxent River.
  • Melissa Brickhouse, 1999, Smeal College of Business, Fort Mill, South Carolina; Brickhouse is the IT project management director for Cigna Healthcare.
  • Wendy Forrest Edgar 1992, College of Nursing, Venetia, Pennsylvania; Forrest Edgar is a full-time nursing instructor at Penn State Fayette and enrolled in Penn State’s Doctor of Nursing Practice Program through the World Campus.
  • Tiffany McKenzie, 2019, College of Health and Human Development, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania; McKenzie is an executive assistant for Hospital Administration at the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
  • Ami Patel Hopkins, 2004, College of the Liberal Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Patel Hopkinns is a fifth/sixth grade science teacher within the School District of Philadelphia.
  • Jacqueline Barkley Foor, 1988, College of Education, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Barkley Foor is the director of organizational advancement at the Consortium for Public Education.
  • Rob Biertempfel, 1987, Bellisario College of Communications, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Biertempfel is a senior writer covering major league baseball for The Athletic.
  • Rajdeep Champa, 2011, College of Information Sciences and Technology, York, Pennsylvania; Champa is a project leader and researcher at Harrisburg University.

In addition, and in accordance with the bylaws, the officers of the Alumni Association will be appointing 10 additional members of Alumni Council. The 10 appointments will be announced in the near future.

For more information about the Alumni Association or its Alumni Council governing board, click here

Last Updated June 15, 2021