UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Smeal College of Business Center for Global Business Studies (CGBS) has announced the recent addition of the four newest members to its advisory board: David Basmajian from Takeda, Eduardo Cordova from Neon4Business, Laura Cushing from Amazon and George Strickler from Summa Health.
“It’s remarkable that such accomplished Penn State alumni, two of whom studied at Smeal, are willing to give their time and expertise to help build the college’s reputation in international business,” said Terrence Guay, director of CGBS and associate dean for international programs.
“Over the past 2 1/2 years, I’ve tried to put together a diverse advisory team that represents different industries, levels of experience and global perspectives," Guay added. "I look forward to working with this impressive addition of mid-career and senior executives who bring a wealth of international business knowledge to CGBS.”
The new board members include:
- David Basmajian, who received a bachelor’s in international politics/foreign service from Penn State. He has lived and worked abroad since 2008, primarily in China and Singapore. He has held the following positions: director, communications and publications and more recently governor at American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai; head of policy, Asia Pacific at Baxter International; and director, internal communications at Shanghai Disney Resort. He currently works in Singapore as senior advisor, public affairs with Takeda.
- Eduardo Cordova, who holds a bachelor’s in industrial engineering from Penn State, with a minor in Mandarin Chinese language. His professional journey began as a technical associate at Credit Suisse in both New York and London. Cordova has more recently been involved in entrepreneurial ventures including Excuses to Meet and Neon4Business, which establishes merchandising collaborations with sports teams in the English Premier League and Formula 1. As a Sandler-trained executive, he also offers B2B and growth consultancy.
- Laura Cushing, manager of product management at Amazon and based in London. After receiving dual degrees in finance and psychology from Penn State, she earned an MBA from IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain. Cushing has more than nine years of international product management, strategy and finance experience in the technology and financial services sectors across the United States and Europe. She is co-president of Women at Amazon, the largest affinity group at Amazon.
- George Strickler, chairman of the board of Summa Health in Akron, Ohio. Strickler holds degrees in accounting from Penn State and an MBA from the University of Akron. He began his career at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. and worked in a variety of finance and treasury positions. Strickler later became executive vice president and CFO of BorgWarner, and then held those positions at Republic Engineered Products. His work experiences included assignments in Brazil, Peru and other countries. In 2023, Smeal’s Strickler Office of International Programs was named to honor a $2.5 million estate commitment by Strickler and his wife Alice.
CGBS Advisory Board members typically meet twice each semester. Since many members are geographically dispersed around the world, meetings are held in a hybrid format. The next meeting is scheduled for June 4.
Advisory Board members support the center’s mission in a variety of ways. They provide strategic and programmatic advice to the director, interact with the CGBS Faculty Council, give presentations to graduate and undergraduate students and participate on panels oriented toward careers in international business.
These new advisory board members join 11 others:
- Pierre Cohade, former president Asia-Pacific, Goodyear
- Jonathan Doh, professor and associate dean of research and global Engagement, Villanova University
- Patrick Dugan, former CFO, Wabtec
- Salvador Gala, senior director, global sourcing excellence team, McCormick & Company
- Bill Lane, former senior director global government and corporate affairs, Caterpillar
- Debra Lodge, managing director, head of corporate international solutions, HSBC
- Noelle Long, director, export development, SEDA-COG
- Joey Ly, global director of R&D procurement, chemicals innovation, sustainability and resiliency, Kenvue
- Amanda Ogden, foreign service specialist, U.S. Department of State
- Sydney Palmer, senior manager, export controls and sanctions, KPMG
- Marc Payne, deputy managing director, Eurasia business unit, Chevron