UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Beth Albright, a 1989 graduate of the Penn State School of Labor and Employment Relations, will give the school’s 22nd annual Outstanding Alumni Lecture at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 28, in 104 Keller Building at University Park. Her talk, “Enough Already?!? Making a Change,” is free and open to the public.
Albright describes herself as a Fortune 500 C-suite executive and independent board director experienced in multibillion-dollar global transformations.
“Life is a series of changes — I want to show students and alumni how you can navigate those changes easier,” Albright said.
During her presentation, she will delve into lessons that have guided her through her life and diverse career. She also will present her formula for deciding when to make a change, whether that is personally or professionally.
“It’s a simple concept. I describe it as reaching a certain balance between two distinct lenses. These lenses can be applied to many aspects of life: job, career, relationships, business strategy or volunteering,” Albright explained.
From there, Albright will discuss how the workplace has changed during her career and how she expects it will continue to evolve in the future.
“It’s fantastic to have a plan, but you have to be open to how life unfolds. If you’re too rigid, you end up missing out on the fullness life has to offer,” she said. “The workforce is changing, and there’s a connection between the world changing and knowing when it’s time for you to make a change.”
The lecture will wrap up with what Albright describes as a key life skill. “You won’t want to miss that!” she joked.
Albright is currently on the boards of directors for Darling Ingredients; the National Association of Corporate Directors Philadelphia Chapter; and the Power of Professional Women, a nonprofit organization. She has been an active member of the School of Labor and Employment Relations’ Alumni Board of Directors since 2007 and is currently serving as the board’s co-president.
Albright was most recently the chief human resources officer for Chemours, a spin-off company of DuPont. Prior to that, she was an officer of DuPont, chief human resource officer at Day & Zimmermann, and senior vice president of global human resources at Tekni-Plex Inc. She also held progressive human resources leadership and managerial positions at Rohm and Haas (acquired by Dow), FMC Corp., and Fluor Daniel.
Additionally, Albright is the founder of Saidia, a transformational human resources consulting company, and she routinely mentors early and mid-career professionals. She also is a philanthropist focused on environmental issues and animal rescue.
Earlier this year, Albright and her husband, Scott, also a Penn State alumnus, created the Albright Family Labor and Employment Relations Fund in the College of the Liberal Arts. The purpose of the fund is to enrich the school by offering scholarships or enrichment funding for student activities such as internships, study abroad and undergraduate research.
Albright earned a bachelor of science degree in labor and industrial relations at Penn State and an advanced executive HR certification from the Ross Business School at the University of Michigan. She also was SPHR (senior professional in HR) certified and is an NACD Board Leadership Fellow.
As a student at Penn State, Albright was part of many on-campus activities. She was a student-athlete on the University’s diving team; president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Board; a member of Parmis Nous Secret Honor Society; played intermural co-ed flag football; served as treasurer of the Labor Studies Club; and was a Special Olympics volunteer. She also was a founding member and the first president of the NCAA Student Athlete Advisory Committee, representing Division I student-athletes' voice to the NCAA.