• Describe your connection to Penn State and why it has prepared you to guide the University’s strategic future. Provide a narrative description of the nature of your engagement, the length of service, and the depth of commitment reflected.

I have lived in State College since 1980, regularly attend university events, and meet with stakeholders including elected officials, donors, students, faculty, staff, and alumni. I also taught at Penn State for 20 years, am a lifetime Penn State Alumni Association member, and have been an elected University trustee for the last three years. My 100% meeting attendance, engagement with other trustees, public outreach, and willingness to incur personal and financial hardships reflects a deep commitment to ensure Penn State has responsible governance.

Do you meet the criteria of engagement with Penn State? YES

• Experience with governance/board service: What experience do you have participating in a collaborative fiduciary decision-making body? Provide a narrative description of your history of service and approach to work in a decision making body.

I have served on the board of a local non-profit health and human services agency, and on community political and educational advisory groups. I find that focusing my service on ‘acting locally’ vastly improves the collaborative decision-making process, and yields faster and better outcomes when participants meet face-to-face.

As a Penn State trustee, I enjoy working with other trustees. I have been attending Board meetings in person since 2005, and bring a unique and valuable historical understanding of the challenges our University and Board face. I enjoy sharing and educating other members on financial matters, which might not be their area of expertise. Although I feel that every fiduciary must engage in substantive discussions, that does not mean we should be rubber stamps. Diversity of thought is our strength, and must be a priority.

I am proud of my contribution to ensure that Penn State follows the laws and statues of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, including the Sunshine Laws, which seek to ensure transparency in governance. A fundamental rule of governance is that we must protect the interests of others, including the citizens and taxpayers of Pennsylvania, by utilizing public discussion and being transparent. Without it, Penn State is a private club instead of a public institution.

Do you meet the criteria of experience with governance/board service? YES

• What of the skills reflected in the Board Skillset Inventory would you bring to your service as a Penn State Trustee and how did you develop this skill/these skills? Provide a narrative description of your relevant skill set and other relevant expertise, including how attained.

My broad background (Penn State Smeal College MBA, 30 years in the business) in financial analysis, projections, and forecasting are a valuable skill that allows me to review, scrutinize, and provide oversight of the university administration. It’s their job to implement actions and policies as outlined by the Board of Trustees, but our job as fiduciaries to provide direction, especially at a university the size and complexity of Penn State. Imprudent spending, which results in higher tuition, must be minimized because it ends up being passed to the students. Current Board policies are failing to support the university’s missions and President Bendapudi’s transformational vision for Penn State.

• What about your life experience and unique background makes your voice important to be heard at the Board of Trustees? Provide a narrative description of your unique perspective and experiences and how they will positively impact the work of the Board of Trustees.

As an in-state parent of four college-age children, I have experienced first-hand the shocking fact that Penn State has the most expensive in-state tuition in the Big10 Conference. Clearly, the hardworking citizens of Pennsylvania are being priced out of the world-class education Penn State provides.

I am one of the few trustees who know first-hand that $30,000-50,000 a year in tuition does pose a roadblock to our children’s future. These are the opportunities that my family and generations of Pennsylvania families used to raise themselves economically and socially. We can, and must, at least match the affordability of our cohorts at the University of Michigan and Ohio State so that transformative opportunities will be available for the current generation and for generations to come.