Penn State alumni select two new trustees, reelect incumbent member in election

Yahoo

10-05-2025

Penn State alumni voted in two new members to the board of trustees and reelected an incumbent in this year's alumni election.
Incumbent Kelley Lynch and candidates J. Gregory Pilewicz and Uma Moriarity were the top three vote-getters in the alumni election, trustee Carl Nassib announced during Friday's board meeting. They beat out 14 other candidates.
Nassib and Trustee Matthew McGloin served as judges in the election; voting concluded at 9 a.m. Thursday.
A total of 17,720 ballots were cast in the election, in which Penn State alumni can vote, Nassib said. Lynch received the most with 4,942 votes. Pilewicz garnered 4,816 votes and Moriarity got 3,396 votes.
Lynch was already on the board as the immediate past president of the alumni association. She earned her finance degree from Penn State in 1987, followed by an MBA from Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business in 1994. For more than two decades, she has served as the Chief Financial Officer for small to midsize high-growth companies, according to her biography. In her position statement, she said she wants to make sure students continue to have the 'transformative' experiences, which she said is what Penn State students deserve.
'We are in a challenging yet exciting time for higher education. Penn State must be a leader in shaping its future, balance tradition with innovation to remain relevant and valuable. As we navigate these times, our approach must be rooted in building trust, being transparent, involving all stakeholders, and reimagining our land-grant mission,' Lynch said.
Pilewicz earned his finance degree from Penn State in 1985. He's an executive leader in State College and since 2015 has been the president/owner of SingleSource Management, where he leads all aspects of the property management company, according to his biography. In his position statement, he said he will bring an independent mindset to the board, he wrote in his position statement, and is committed to Penn State being world class in education, research and student life.
'If elected, I will bring an independent mindset and be a well-informed contributor to the role of Trustee. I am committed to Penn State being world class in the areas of education, research, and student life. I prefer not to see increases in tuition, capital projects that challenge the university's financial well-being, or a fractured governance. These items, along with our branch campus system's success are high priorities for me. Lastly, I am also an enthusiastic proponent of the student-run organizations, clubs, leadership programs, Greek-life, and athletics that make PSU such a special and memorable experience,' he said.
Moriarity graduated from Penn State in 2014 with a bachelor's degrees in accounting and finance, and a master's degree in accounting. She is a senior investment strategist and the global environmental, social and governance lead for CenterSquare Investment Management, according to her biography. She listed four key policy focus areas in her position statement to advance academic and institutional excellence: climate action, educational equity, governance reform and workers' rights.
'Moriarity has spent her career building the business case for sustainable capital allocation,' her position statement reads. 'She built her firm's ESG practice, which has grown into $2b in assets under management. She is ready to fix Penn State's budget deficit while securing institutional resilience with responsible investment policies and capital allocation practices. And through her Penn State service, she supports the faculty and students who make Penn State a climate leader — work she's excited to continue as a Trustee.'
There are nine alumni-elected trustees in all, and they serve staggered three-year terms with three seats becoming open each year. Lynch, Pilewicz and Moriarity will begin their terms July 1.
There were 2,048 write-in ballots, Penn State said in a news release. Incumbent Barry Fenchak was the only individual with 250 or more votes, with 1,304 votes. Fenchak launched a write-in campaign after a judge recently ruled that he may not appear on the ballot, upholding a decision the board's nominating subcommittee made earlier this year to deem him unqualified and ineligible to run. He posted on social media that he was not one of the three trustee candidates selected by alumni, and thanked his supporters.
Additionally, two trustee seats representing business and industry, an at-large seat, and a student trustee seat were also open. The trustees approved reappointing Naren Gursahaney and Richard Sokolov to the board representing business and industry, and Tracy Riegel was reappointed to her at-large seat, all for three year terms beginning July 1. Ruby Bjalme was selected for the student trustee seat for a two year term beginning July 1.
The election of trustees by the agricultural delegated was also conducted Thursday, in which Trustees Donald Cairns and M. Abraham Harpster served as judges. Three candidates were on the ballots, Dan Brown, Valerie Detwiler and Matthew Espenshade. Incumbent Detwiler and Espenshade were elected to the board for three year terms beginning July 1.