UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Results from this year’s Penn State Board of Trustees elections were announced at the group’s meeting today (May 3).
University alumni elected Matt McGloin and Carl P. Nassib and re-elected incumbent Brandon Short as alumni trustees.
Delegates of agricultural societies re-elected incumbents Donald W. Cairns and Chris R. Hoffman.
Robert E. Fenza and Mary Lee Schneider were re-elected as trustees representing business and industry. Julie Anna Potts was re-elected as an at-large trustee, and Nicholas J. Rowland, distinguished professor of sociology at Penn State Altoona, was re-elected as academic trustee.
Agricultural societies
Delegates from agricultural societies:
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Re-elected Donald W. Cairns, a 1988 Penn State alumnus who owns and operates Cairns Family Farm in Chester County, a 1,600-acre crop farming operation. He also spent 35 years as a professional risk management consultant, developing complex risk management and insurance programs for large businesses and government agencies. Cairns’ agricultural service includes Chester County 4-H Center, Inc.; Chester County Agricultural Land Preservation Board; Farm Bureau Legislative Committee; USDA Farm Service Agency County Committee; Villages in Partnership Advisory Board; and many local and regional ag promotional activities.
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Re-elected Chris R. Hoffman, who owns and operates Lazy Hog Farm, a 1,400-sow farrow to wean 4,800-head nursery barn, and 4,400-head finishing barn in Juniata County, and Lazy Chick Farm, which raises 250,000 chickens annually. He has served on the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau’s state board of directors and executive committee, as well as its president and vice president. He serves on the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Friends of Agriculture Foundation. His service history also includes leadership positions with the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau’s agriculture promotion committee and the American Farm Bureau Federation’s promotion and education committee.
Representing business and industry
The board:
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Re-elected Robert E. Fenza, retired chief operating officer of Liberty Property Trust. A 1980 Penn State alumnus who holds a bachelor of philosophy in landscape architecture and real estate, Fenza is a member of the University’s Society of Distinguished Alumni. His service to Penn State includes previously leading the College of Arts and Architecture’s “For the Future” fundraising campaign and served as vice chair of the "A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence” campaign. He has been awarded the University’s Alumni Fellow Award and was named Fundraising Volunteer of the Year in 2012.
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Re-elected Mary Lee Schneider, who has served in senior leadership roles in public and private companies across the publishing, printing and educational services industries. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Penn State in 1984, and she holds a master of science degree in printing and image technology from Rochester Institute of Technology, as well as a Master of Business Administration and a master of science degree in medical informatics, both from Northwestern University. Schneider serves on the boards of the Larry H. Miller Company and PGIM’s Alternative Investments Funds, she volunteers on the Chicago Public Library Foundation, and is chair of Mercy Home for Boys & Girls’ Leader Council. She has earned the National Association of Corporate Directors Directorship Certification and was named a “Director to Watch” by Private Company Director magazine. She was named a Penn State Alumni Fellow in 2006.
At-large trustee
The board:
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Re-elected Julie Anna Potts, president and CEO of the North American Meat Institute (NAMI). Potts supports NAMI's board of directors as an officer and its affiliated foundation as chair, and assists other organizations in the corporate family with governance and strategy. She serves on the board of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and has recently concluded service on the boards of Agriculture Future of America, and the International Stockmen’s Educational Foundation. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Bryn Mawr College and a law degree from the George Washington University Law School. She was honored with an Honorary Alumni Award from the Penn State Alumni Association in 2024.
Academic trustee
The board
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Re-elected Nicholas J. Rowland, distinguished professor of sociology at Penn State Altoona. He holds a master’s degree and a doctoral degree from Indiana University, as well as a bachelor’s degree from St. John’s University, each in sociology. A decorated instructor, Rowland has been recognized by Penn State with the Excellence in Classroom Teaching Award, the Grace D. Long Award for Faculty Excellence and the George W. Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching. In 2017, he was named the University’s first faculty scholar in the Engaged Scholarship Academy and joined the Schreyer Institute of Teaching Excellence as a faculty fellow. He is a member of the Penn State Faculty Senate, for which he served as chair for the 2019-20 academic year. He was named a distinguished professor at Penn State in 2024.
Alumni trustees
Penn State alumni:
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Elected Matt McGloin, a 2012 Penn State alumnus and former quarterback for the Nittany Lions. Originally from Scranton, Pennsylvania, he played professional football for seven years in the NFL and XFL, retiring in 2020. He currently serves as a Lackawanna County commissioner and as the chairman of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport Joint Board of Management, as well as a board member of the Lackawanna County Opioid Fund Settlement Committee, the Lackawanna County Prison Board and the Agency for Community Empowerment.
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Elected Carl Nassib, a 2015 Penn State alumnus who has played for seven NFL seasons with the Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Las Vegas Raiders. He was named team captain for the Buccaneers in 2019, became the first openly gay player to participate in both a regular season and postseason NFL game in 2021, and retired in 2023. Post-retirement, Nassib founded Rayze, a tech startup aiming to connect nonprofits with young philanthropists. He serves on the United Way of Chester County board and collaborates with various organizations, including AAU Sports, The Trevor Project and (RED). An advocate for financial wellness, he works with Financial Finesse to promote financial independence for athletes.
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Re-elected Brandon Short, a 1999 Penn State alumnus who holds a Master of Business Administration from Columbia Business School. Short was a two-time captain of the Nittany Lion football team and was named a consensus All-American linebacker. He was drafted in the NFL in 2000 and had a seven-year NFL career with the New York Giants. He has worked for Goldman Sachs in New York and Dubai, and at Round Hill Capital, a real estate private equity firm in London. While at Goldman Sachs, Short advised corporate boards on mergers and acquisitions transactions and implementing structural and governance best practices. He is currently a real estate portfolio manager with PGIM.
The total distribution of the votes cast in the alumni election is listed below by the position of the candidates on the ballot.
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Brandon Short — 17,083
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Steven B. Wagman — 9,616
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Matt McGloin — 15,064
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Alvin de Levie — 10,006
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Carl P. Nassib — 13,274
Write-In Ballots – 1,106
Total Eligible Voters – 732,219
Total Ballots Cast – 24,060 (58 Mail-In)
Penn State’s 38-member Board of Trustees is composed of six members appointed by the governor, nine members elected by alumni, six members elected by agricultural societies, six members elected by the board representing business and industry endeavors, one student trustee, one academic trustee, three at-large trustees, and the immediate past president of the Penn State Alumni Association. In addition, five members are ex-officio by right of their office, including Gov. Josh Shapiro (non-voting), Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi (non-voting), Secretary of Agriculture Russell C. Redding, Secretary of Education Khalid N. Mumin and Secretary of Conservation and Natural Resources Cindy Adams Dunn.
For more information on Penn State's board members, visit the Penn State Board of Trustees website.