SHARON, Pa. — Jo Anne Carrick, campus director and chief academic officer of Penn State Shenango, has announced her intention to retire from the University, effective June 28.
An alumna of Penn State, Carrick has served as campus director and chief academic officer since 2014, following stints as a nursing program coordinator and RN, B.S.N. (registered nurse, bachelor of science in nursing) program faculty member at both the Beaver and Behrend campuses. At Shenango, Carrick oversaw strategic planning, academic programming, campus budgeting, community and alumni relations, philanthropy, and faculty and staff development.
“There is something special about my connection to Sharon,” Carrick said. “I started here at the Shenango campus as a student and spent much of my professional life at Penn State tied in some way to this campus.”
During her tenure, Carrick oversaw the launch of an athletics program in 2018, following a 20-year absence from the campus. Shenango Athletics has since grown to include six sports and has directly resulted in a shift in the campus’ demographic from 70% adult learners previously, to 75% traditional-aged students, currently.
Under Carrick’s leadership, the University partnered with the city of Sharon and the Community Foundation of Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio to invest $4 million to create the Shenango Launchbox powered by the Greater Sharon Community, as well as the Sharon Economic Development Fund to support local businesses and entrepreneurs.
Additionally, the campus underwent an $8 million renovation of its Forker Laboratory building during Carrick’s tenure. Forker Laboratory is now the home of the Penn State Shenango Information Technology Cybersecurity Center, which launched in the spring of 2024.
“We were faced with many challenges when I started here in 2014,” recalled Carrick. "With the outstanding efforts of our faculty and staff over the years, we have changed the trajectory of this campus moving forward, and we are a pillar of excellence that this community can be proud of.”
Carrick has been an active and engaged member of the Sharon community since taking on her role at the campus, serving on the Sharon City Development Corporation, and was the previous chair of Primary Health Network’s board and is a former board member of the Shenango Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Prior to her time as a faculty member and administrator at Penn State, Carrick enjoyed a career in nursing, serving in various hospital roles throughout western Pennsylvania. She and her husband, John Carrick, a Penn State alumnus, have one son: Sean, who also is an alumnus of Penn State and is an elementary teacher in the Aliquippa School District in Beaver County.