UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — With near-record results in its first year, a new Penn State fundraising campaign will be led by a group of alumni volunteers who bring a broad range of experience and expertise to the effort. The Campaign Leadership Council, steered by Andy Sieg, a 1989 graduate of the Smeal College of Business and head of wealth at Citigroup Inc., was announced today by President Neeli Bendapudi. The group is charged with planning for the effort, which is expected to be the most ambitious in Penn State’s history, and it will serve as the executive organization for a volunteer force that will eventually number more than 500 and represent all colleges and campuses and other units across the University.
“The members of our Campaign Leadership Council embody excellence in their professional achievements, in their depth of generosity and volunteer spirit and in their passion for giving back to our University through philanthropy and service,” said Bendapudi. “I am so grateful to our council for lending their time and expertise to this campaign as we steward our University toward continued growth as a global leader in higher education, interdisciplinary research and public service. Together, we will continue to elevate the life-changing impact Penn State has on our students, our commonwealth, our nation and our world.”
Sieg noted that the Campaign Leadership Council (CLC) members will be active partners in developing and pursuing the campaign’s vision.
“No one is more deeply invested in the University’s future than those of us who feel grateful for the success that our Penn State education and experience made possible,” said Sieg. “The CLC will work hard to communicate to our fellow volunteers, alumni and friends of the University that the ability of new Penn State generations to find their own path to achievement will depend upon the support we raise.”
The primary CLC members announced today are:
Jason Borrelli, who received a bachelor's degree from the College of Engineering in 1994 and an MBA from the Smeal College of Business in 2006, is a principal at EQT Exeter, a real estate private equity fund manager. Jason's leadership on the Penn State Real Estate Advisory Board and the Smeal Board of Visitors was instrumental in reinstating real estate as a stand-alone major in 2022. With his wife, Julie Borrelli (below), he endowed the Jason and Julie Borrelli Institute for Real Estate Studies, and the couple was named Penn State’s 2024 Philanthropists of the Year in May.
Julie King Borrelli, who received a bachelor's degree from the College of Health and Human Development in 1994, shares with her husband, Jason Borelli, a commitment to supporting the Talk School, a center for children with autism and/or speech and language disorders. The couple also serves on the University of Pennsylvania's Abramson Cancer Center Director's Leadership Council, which Julie chairs, and she is an advocate for awareness and research related to Lynch Syndrome, a genetic predisposition to several cancers. The Borrellis are members of the Laurel Circle of the Mount Nittany Society, which recognizes Penn State donors.
Jackie Brova, who received a bachelor's degree from the College of the Liberal Arts in 1975, retired following a 40-year career as an executive human resource professional, and she has served as a trustee and board member for ArtsQuest, a nonprofit in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. A College of the Liberal Arts volunteer leader, Brova has been recognized with the Christopher B. Gamble Service to Penn State Award and the Outstanding Alumni Award from the College of the Liberal Arts. With her husband, Matthew, she is a member of the Laurel Circle.
W. Forrest Coley Jr., who received a bachelor's degree from the College of Health and Human Development in 1985 and an MBA from the Smeal College of Business in 1990, is retired from a career in healthcare sales and marketing, and he is a real estate investor and member of the National Association of Realtors. He also volunteers with community organizations in the Old Fourth Ward of Atlanta, Georgia. At Penn State, he has supported scholarships intended to foster education equity, and he is active in the Atlanta chapter of the Alumni Association.
Bill Emerson, who received a bachelor's degree from the Smeal College of Business in 1986, is president, COO and board member for Rocket Companies LLC, and he is vice chairman of Bedrock. Emerson serves on the board of directors of Xenith Inc., a football-helmet company focused on safety; the United Way of Southeast Michigan; Detroit Economic Club; Detroit Sports Organizing Committee; Housing Policy Council; Mortgage Bankers Association; National Football Foundation; the Detroit Children’s Fund and the Skillman Foundation. He and his wife, Marlene Emerson, are members of the Laurel Circle.
Richard A. Gottscho, who received a bachelor's degree from the Eberly College of Science in 1974, is executive vice president and strategic advisor to the CEO – Innovation Ecosystem at Lam Research. Gottscho is a fellow of the American Physical and American Vacuum Societies, and the U.S. National Academy of Engineering inducted him in 2016. Gottscho has also been honored with the AVS’s Peter Mark Memorial Award, the AVS Plasma Science and Technology Division Prize, and the Dry Process Symposium Nishizawa Award, and as a VLSI Semiconductor All-Star. He and his wife, Yuko Yamao, are members of the Mount Nittany Society.
Naren Gursahaney, who received a bachelor's degree from the College of Engineering in 1983, currently serves as a director for NextEra Energy and Stericycle, an adviser for Berwind Corporation, and a trustee for Penn State. He previously served as the president, the chief executive officer and a director of the ADT Corporation. Gursahaney has also held executive roles at Tyco International and General Electric. He is a recipient of the Outstanding Engineering Alumni, Alumni Fellow and Distinguished Alumni Awards. Along with his wife, Judy Gursahaney, he is a member of the Laurel Circle.
Greg Lucier, who received a bachelor's degree from the College of Engineering in 1986, is the executive chairman of Corza Medical, a surgical technologies company he cofounded with private equity firm GTCR. His philanthropy has been directed primarily to Penn State Athletics and the College of Engineering, including initiatives intended to strengthen the college’s academic excellence and further its commitment to equity through the Women in Engineering Program. Lucier is a recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award, and with his wife, Marilena Lucier, he is a member of the Laurel Circle.
Honorary members of the council include leaders of past University fundraising efforts:
Jim Broadhurst, who received a bachelor's degree from the College of the Liberal Arts in 1965, chaired the Penn State Board of Trustees and the University’s “Grand Destiny” campaign, and he has been a volunteer leader for every campaign since. He is also the chairman of Eat’n Park Hospitality Group Inc. Both Jim and his wife, Suzy Broadhurst (below), serve on numerous corporate and community boards in the Pittsburgh region. Jim has received the Alumni Fellow and Distinguished Alumni Awards, and the Broadhursts are members of the Laurel Circle.
Suzy Broadhurst, who received a bachelor's degree from the College of Education in 1966, is the retired director of corporate giving and a former board member for the Eat’n Park Hospitality Group. She also served on the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and the Phipps Conservatory trustee boards, as trustee and vice chair of the University of Pittsburgh and as a board member and interim president of the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh. She was a founding member of the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s Women’s Leadership Council.
Edward R. Hintz Jr., who received a bachelor's degree from the Smeal College of Business in 1959, and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1963, is president of Hintz Capital Management. At Penn State, Hintz has served as Board of Trustees chair and as president of the Smeal Alumni Society Board of Directors. He chaired the “Grand Destiny” campaign, and with his wife, Helen Hintz, he has received the Lion’s Paw Medal. He also is a recipient of the Alumni Fellow Award and the Distinguished Alumni Award. In 2016, the Hintz family was named the University’s Philanthropists of the Year, and the couple belongs to the Elm Circle.
Arthur "Art" Nagle, who received a bachelor's degree from the College of the Liberal Arts in 1961, is a senior adviser of Vestar Capital Partners, which he co-founded, and he has served on the board of more than 25 major firms. At Penn State, he chaired the “Investing in People” fundraising initiative. Nagle is a recipient of the Alumni Fellow and Distinguished Alumni Awards. He and his wife, Paige Nagle, received the Fundraising Volunteer of the Year Award, and they are members of the Elm Circle.
Richard ‘Rick’ Sokolov, who received a bachelor's degree from the College of the Liberal Arts in 1971, is vice chairman and board member of retail real estate company Simon Property Group. At Penn State, Sokolov currently serves on the Board of Trustees, the Smeal Real Estate Advisory Board and the Presidential Counselors. He chaired the “Greater Penn State” campaign, and he is a recipient of the Alumni Fellow and Distinguished Alumni Awards. With his wife, Susan Sokolov, a 1971 Penn State College of Education graduate, he is a member of the Elm Circle.
Peter Tombros, who received a bachelor's degree in 1964 and a master's degree in 1968 from the College of Agricultural Sciences, has been a top executive at many healthcare and pharmaceutical companies and a faculty member for the Science B.S./MBA program in the Eberly College of Science. Tombros chaired the “For the Future” campaign, and he is a recipient of the Alumni Fellow and Distinguished Alumni Awards. Tombros and his wife, Ann Tombros, were named the Philanthropists of the Year in 2022, and they are members of the Elm Circle.
“Penn State already has reason to be grateful to the leaders who have stepped forward as CLC members,” said David J. Lieb, interim vice president for development and alumni relations. “Through their support and service, they have helped the University to become the institution that it is today. I am honored that the CLC has now chosen to play a vital role in what Penn State will be in the years ahead.”
Fundraising volunteers advance the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students to join the Penn State family and prepare for lifelong success; driving research, outreach and economic development that grow our shared strength and readiness for the future; and increasing the University’s impact for families, patients and communities across the commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting raise.psu.edu.