WYOMISSING, Pa. — A new class of nearly 250 Penn State Berks students will receive their baccalaureate and associate degrees at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 6, at the Santander Arena in downtown Reading, when Berks hosts its spring 2023 commencement ceremony. The honorary keynote speaker this year will be Brian S. Dreibelbis, Penn State Berks alumnus and senior director of supply chain human resources/labor and employee relations at the Land O’Lakes Corporation. He is also a member of the Penn State Berks Advisory Board.
Dreibelbis is a nationally recognized labor leader. In his role at Land O’Lakes, he acts as a strategic human resources business adviser with corporate supply chain professionals, develops broad company labor and employee relations strategy, and interacts with key labor leaders across the United States. Before joining Land O'Lakes, he held supply chain, human resources, and labor and employee relations positions with The Walt Disney Company, General Mills, and Kraft Foods.
An active member of organizations such as US LERN, the U.S. Labor Negotiations Institute, and The National Food and Dairy Board, Dreibelbis has held positions on numerous U.S. House of Representatives and Senate subcommittees to address the multiemployer pension crisis for U.S. workers. In March 2019, he reached a unique agreement with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters to adopt a company-defined contribution plan as a pension replacement – the first of its kind in U.S. labor history. He currently works closely with the U.S. Department of Labor on key labor issues facing our country.
A Penn State alumnus, Dreibelbis attended Penn State Berks from 1981–1983 and earned a bachelor of science degree in supply chain/operations management from Penn State University Park in 1985.
He went on to earn an executive master’s degree in labor and employee relations from the University of Michigan in 1993. He has served on many committees at Penn State Berks since 2016, and most recently was appointed to the college’s advisory board in 2021.
In 2018, Dreibelbis became actively involved with Penn State’s Smeal College of Business Mentoring Program. He offers insight and guidance to Smeal’s Tarriff Center for Business Ethics and Social Responsibility, the Supply Chain and Information Systems Department, and the Office of Diversity Enhancement Programs.
In March 2023, Dreibelbis was awarded The Penn State Smeal College of Business Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award, presented to alumni who have made significant contributions and achievements in their chosen profession, their community, and to the Smeal College of Business.