Nine Regional Leaders Named to Council of Fellows
Penn State President Graham Spanier has appointed nine new members to the Council of Fellows at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. The Council of Fellows is composed of community and business leaders who advise the college’s administrators on issues related to economic development and regional need.
John A. Bauman is president of The Victor Group, an Erie-based manufacturer with three subsidiaries: Fralo Industries, which manufactures precision sheet metal enclosures; First Machining & Manufacturing, which specializes in precision CNC turning and milling; and First Quality, provider of parts inspection services. He is a Penn State Behrend mathematics alumnus and earned a master’s degree in statistics at Penn State’s University Park campus.
John E. Brigham recently was appointed president and CEO of Erie Management Group LLC, and also serves as chairman, president and CEO of Kold Draft Industries Inc. A corporate strategist who has worked for a variety of public and private international businesses, he has 25 years’ experience in building and revitalizing global brands. Brigham holds an accounting degree from Syracuse University and an M.B.A. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; he is an active member of the City of Erie’s Mayoral Advisory Committee and the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership.
John Dineen is president and CEO of GE Transportation, which is headquartered in Erie and employs 8,500 people worldwide. Dineen joined GE in 1986 and has since held a variety of assignments within the company, most recently as general manager of Plastics-Resins at GE Advanced Materials. A graduate of University of Vermont, Dineen holds bachelor’s degrees in both genetics and computer science.
Matthew Glass, partner in the Erie-based business-to-business marketing communications firm Altman-Hall Associates, is a graduate of Penn State’s Smeal College of Business and began his career in sales and marketing with Hammermill Paper Co. Glass is president of the Northwestern Pennsylvania Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, a member of the advisory board at Sterling Technologies in Lake City, and founder, president, and varsity head coach for club hockey at Fairview High School.
Thomas M. Kennedy is president of Professional Development Associates, Inc., a full-service business and real estate development company headquartered in downtown Erie’s Renaissance Centre. A native of Long Island, New York, Kennedy is an engineering graduate of the State University of New York Maritime College and later earned an M.B.A. at Penn State Behrend. His community involvement has included chairing the Erie Metro Transit Authority and Greater Erie Board of Realtors, serving as a corporator for Hamot Medical Center and Saint Vincent Health Center, and active membership in Rotary.
Laurence J. Mroz is vice president of National City’s Private Client Group and immediate past president of the Penn State Behrend Alumni Society. Mroz holds a degree in accounting from Penn State Behrend, as well as the Certified Public Accountant and Certified Financial Planner professional designations. He is a director and member of the executive committee at Sarah A. Reed Children’s Center, a member of the Fairview School District board of directors, and committee member for the United Way of Erie County’s Young Leaders Club.
Kathryn Nusbaum is co-owner and managing director of Middle America Planning, Inc., a fee-only financial planning practice with offices in Pittsburgh and Erie. She holds Certified Financial Planner, Certified Public Accountant, and Pennsylvania Registered Investment Adviser Representative designations, and is a vocal advocate for personal empowerment through increased financial literacy. Nusbaum earned her undergraduate business degree at Penn State Behrend and M.B.A. at Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Barbara J. Welton is a Penn State Behrend political science alumna and attorney in private practice with offices in Erie and Meadville. She is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh’s law school and a member of the board of directors of the Penn State Behrend Alumni Society.
William C. Witkowski is the owner, chairman and CEO of Port Erie Plastics Inc., a Harborcreek manufacturer owned by his family for more than 50 years. He began his academic career at Penn State Behrend, then graduated from Penn State’s University Park campus in 1962 with a degree in industrial engineering. He is a founder and active member of the college’s Plastics Engineering Technology Industrial Advisory Board and was the 2005 recipient of the college’s Alumni Fellow Award, the most prestigious honor bestowed by the Penn State Alumni Association.
In addition, Council of Fellows member Karen Burton Horstman has been appointed to the Board of Directors. Horstman is vice president for finance at Burton Funeral Homes and Crematory, Inc. She holds a business degree from Penn State and an M.B.A. from University of Pittsburgh.