UNIVERSITY PARK — Penn State Smeal College of Business students interested in careers in branding will have a unique opportunity to learn about the profession from an array of industry experts during the seventh annual “Forging a Career in Branding” panel discussion.
The virtual event, which is sponsored by Penn State Prime in partnership with the AD/PR Club and Levlane Advertising, is scheduled for 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27.
Penn State Prime is a student-run marketing organization at Smeal. Members work directly with industry leaders and companies to develop both hard and soft skills through hands-on workshops, real-world projects and case competitions. Throughout the fall semester, students build their competencies in branding, advertising and consumer insights. In the spring, members have the opportunity to explore the relationships between brand clients and advertising agencies through curriculum integration.
“This year we have a unique set of alumni panelists, each in marketing roles in a variety of different fields,” said Julia Loewen, the professional development director for Prime. “We are excited to host a group with such varying experiences and personalities.”
This year’s panelists include:
- Christina Clauson (class of 2014, marketing), a senior manager with the National Hockey League
- Laura Edwards (class of 1991, marketing), director of marketing operations and medical campaigns, North America, with Drager
- Angel Grant (class of 2007, marketing), director/division lead of programmatic media for L’Oreal
- Max Litke (class of 2017, corporate innovation and entrepreneurship), director of talent partnerships at Millennial Entertainment
- Bjorn Trowery (class of 2008, public relations), consumer communications and public relations for Meta
- Peter Wolkowski (class of 2013, Master of Business Administration), marketing director of onboard products, partnerships and inflight entertainment at United Airlines
“When trying to decide who to invite to be a panelist, we looked for alumni with significant ranges of experience in a variety of different fields. We want the panel to have the greatest impact on as many students as possible, so we wanted to ensure that we have panelists in different fields that appeal to Penn State students,” Loewen said. “This year in particular, we wanted to look for panelists who might have seen major shifts in their role, or in their industry, due to the many changes brought upon by COVID-19.”
Smeal accounting alumnus Timmy Garde, class of 1978, the chief innovation leader at LevLane Advertising and a former member of Smeal’s Alumni Society Board, will reprise his role as the moderator of the discussion.
“After the panel, we will create six breakout rooms, one for each panelist, so students can network one-on-one with the alumni after the panel discussion,” Loewen said. “Our goal here is to model a networking session on Zoom, giving students the opportunity to relate their personal interests, experiences and goals with those of the panelists, and potentially foster a relationship moving forward.”
A registration site for the event can be found online.