President
Ken Sherman
president@psuchicago.com
Major at Penn State: Quantitative Business Analysis
Year Graduated: 1993
Activities/Clubs while at Penn State: Marketing Director
for La Vie, the Penn State Yearbook; Pollock Halls Government Representative
Favorite Penn State Memory: Working out at East Halls
Gym
Occupation: Information Systems Manager for Kraft Foods
Been a Chicagoan Since: 1999
Board Involvement/Former Positions: President, Vice President,
Student/Parent Interaction Chairperson, Member-at-Large
Fun Fact: I was just in Whistler and snowboarded for
the first time. I liked it so much I bought a board!
Vice-President
Samantha Shaffer
vicepresident@psuchicago.com
Major at Penn State: Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional
Management
Year Graduated: 1998
Activities/Clubs while at Penn State: Phi Lambda Sigma
Service Sorority, Oriana Singers
Favorite Penn State Memory: Too many to pick a favorite
Occupation: Director of Finance for two Marriott hotels
in downtown Chicago
Been a Chicagoan Since: 2002
Board Involvement/Former Positions: Prior Member-at-Large
Fun Fact: I grew up in Los Angeles and figured out I
love the seasons once I made it to State College.
Secretary
Jennifer Hawley Price
secretary@psuchicago.com
Treasurer
John Wenaas
treasurer@psuchicago.com
Alumni Admissions
Missy O’Brien
alumniadmissions@psuchicago.com
Major at Penn State: English
Year Graduated: 1998
Activities/Clubs while at Penn State: Worked at the
helpdesk, blanking out on the rest
Favorite Penn State Memory: Playing Frisbee on the
lawn of Old Main
Occupation: English teacher at Dunbar (Chicago Public
Schools)
Been a Chicagoan Since: 2000
Board Involvement/Former Positions: Alumni Admissions
Chair, Member-at-Large
Fun Fact: Like playing volleyball, cooking, and hanging
out with friends
Communications
Erika Dusen
communications@psuchicago.com
Majors at Penn State : English and History
Year Graduated: 2001
Activities/Clubs while at Penn State: Kalliope Literary
Magazine, Voices Magazine, SPIRT II Rocket Project, Feminist Majority
Leadership Alliance
Favorite Penn State Memory: First day of freshman English
Occupation: Internal Marketing Manager for Lincoln
Financial Group
Been a Chicagoan Since: 2001
Board Involvement/Former Positions: Communications
Chair
Fun Fact: I recently finished my Masters of Writing
at DePaul University
Membership
Shaun Mason
membership@psuchicago.com
Major at Penn State: Civil Engineering
Year Graduated: 2002 (BS), 2004 (MS)
Activities/Clubs while at Penn State: Schreyer Honors
College, Lion Ambassadors, THON 2003 Dancer, THON 2004 Hospitality Captain,
Homecoming 2002 Parade Captain, Homecoming 2003 Alumni Relations Overall
Chair, Parmi Nous Senior Honor Society
Favorite Penn State Memory: Watching the Nittany Lions
knock off the F$U Criminoles in the 2006 Orange Bowl in Miami and rushing
to the airport immediately after the game to catch a 7:00 AM flight.
Occupation: Structural Engineer with Skidmore, Owings
and Merrill LLP
Been a Chicagoan Since: July 2004
Board Involvement/Former Positions: Member-at-Large,
Membership Chair
Fun Fact: It is believed that I am the great, great,
great nephew of Harrison D. “Joe” Mason, the man who created
the Nittany Lion mascot in 1904.
Parent-Student Interaction
Mark Israel
psi@psuchicago.com
Major at Penn State: Business Administration
Year Graduated: 1973 from the Harrisburg Campus
Activities/Clubs while at Penn State: Business Manager
of the Campus Radio Station, Sports reporter and columnist for the Campus
Newspaper
Favorite Penn State Memory: Kidnapping the statue of
the Nittany Lion from the Main Administration Building
Occupation: Salesman for Loeb Equipment and Appraisal
Co., a major dealer in used processing and packaging equipment for the
food, beverage, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries
Been a Chicagoan Since: 2003
Board Involvement/Former Positions: Member-at-Large,
Parent-Student Interaction Chair
Fun Fact: I’m a former crew chief for a hot air
balloon pilot in Texas and I still dabble in the activity for a local
pilot in Naperville at a few rallies through the summer
Scholarship
Charlie Carter
scholarship@psuchicago.com
Year Graduated: 1990, 1991m
Activities/Clubs while at Penn State: IM sports, Tau
Beta Pi, Student Society of Architectural Engineers
Favorite Penn State Memory: Beating Miami in the Fiesta
Bowl to win the 1986 National Championship -- that game still stands
as the quintessential triumph of good over evil.
Occupation: Chief Structural Engineer at the American
Institute of Steel Construction (AISC)
Been a Chicagoan Since: 1991
Board Involvement/Former Positions: Vice-President
(1997-1999), President (1999-2001), Immediate Past President (2001-2003)
Fun Fact: I had women's volleyball coach Russ Rose
as a course instructor for bowling, which met at the old bowling lanes
at Rec Hall (no longer in existence). At the start of every class he
implored us to "Spray those shoes!" with disinfectant before
we put them on. He knew very little else about bowling, but that was
good advice nonetheless.
Service
EJ Kim
service@psuchicago.com
Major at Penn State: Finance
Year Graduated: 2000
Activities/Clubs while at Penn State: University Choir,
Theater
Favorite Penn State Memory: 25 cent wings and $2 lagers
at Allen Street Grill
Occupation: Project Manager, United Stationers
Been a Chicagoan Since: May 2005
Board Involvement/Former Positions: I'm a rookie on
the team, so what you see is what you get! (I guess I can't put down
"Village Idiot" as a former position...)
Fun Fact: I worked as campus security for a year (often
referred to as "rent-a-cops
Social
Chris Duerwachter
socialchair@psuchicago.com
Sports
Dave Hart
sports@psuchicago.com
Webmaster
Ben Gruber
webmaster@psuchicago.com
Major at Penn State: Secondary Education – Social
Studies, History Minor
Year Graduated: 1995
Activities/Clubs while at Penn State: Delta Chi Fraternity,
Member of The Penn State Veterans Outreach
Favorite Penn State Memory: Are you kidding, carrying
the goal posts downtown after beating Notre Dame……..or maybe
enjoying the Screaming Ducks at the Phyrst on Thursday nights.
Occupation: General Manager of Village Cycle Center
– the nation’s largest bicycle store
Been a Chicagoan Since: My wife and I moved here in
August of 1995.
Board Involvement/Former Positions: Webmaster –
I was a slacker before…….
Fun Fact: My son, Douglas turned one on March 9th,
2007 and I’ve been to every Big 10 football stadium and (go figure)
ours is the best. I also make a mean bloody mary, as any who has traveled
on any of our early morning bus trips to away football games can attest.
By the way, the Cheaters easily have the worst stadium and if you don’t
know who the cheaters are you really didn’t go to Penn State……..
Member at Large
Bill Rzasa
razz@catenrazz.com
BillRzasa@mac.com
Member at Large
Gina Razum
gina@psuchicago.com
Major at Penn State: Industrial Engineering
Year Graduated: 1989
Activities/Clubs while at Penn State: Are you kidding?
I spent all my time in Hammond Building!
Favorite Penn State Memory: Having a Long Island iced
tea at the Café after a really hard final; attending JoePa’s
tying game at Northwestern and the next week attending #324 in Happy
Valley.
Occupation: Alumni Manager at KPMG. Before that SmithBucklin
and technology and management consulting with IBM, Accenture and BearingPoint
Been a Chicagoan Since: August 1, 1994
Board Involvement/Former Positions: Alumni Admissions
Chair, Vice-President, President, Immediate Past President
Fun Fact: I’m an avid volleyball player, I make
a mean margarita, and I’m also an Ohio State Buckeye (MBA). And
yes, I absolutely root for Penn State when they play each other!
Member at Large
Carrie Konosky
Major at Penn State: Broadcast Journalism
Year Graduated: 2005
Activities/Clubs while at Penn State: Penn State Dance
Team Captain (2002-2003), Penn State Dance Marathon (2005 Public Relations
Overall Chair, 2004 Entertainment Captain), Penn State Student Athletic
Advisory Board, Penn State Football Lift for Life, Parmi Nous Senior
Honor Society, LionScout
Favorite Penn State Memory: It’s probably a toss
up between dancing on the field when JoePa broke the record for most
wins and being on stage at THON during the last 4 hours of THON 2005.
Occupation: Development Director for the Kidney Cancer
Association
Been a Chicagoan Since: 2006
Board Involvement/Former Positions: Member-at-Large
Fun Fact: During my first semester I filled in for
friend to baby-sit for three of JoePa’s grandkids!
Member at Large
Cely Moreno
Aracely.moreno@saralee.com
Major at Penn State: Marketing, MBA
Year Graduated: 2005
Activities/Clubs while at Penn State: Tailgating, of
course!
Favorite Penn State Memory: Any Saturday night at Canyon
Pizza after Café 210!
Occupation: Associate Brand Manager, Sara Lee Food
& Beverage
Been a Chicagoan Since: 2005
Board Involvement/Former Positions: Member-at-Large
Fun Fact: Once met Mike Tyson and Paris Hilton in the
same night.
Member at Large
Jodi Feldheim
jsfeldheim@yahoo.com
Major at Penn State: Art History
Year Graduated: 2001
Activities/Clubs while at Penn State: Penn State Photo
Society, Lion Scout Student Recruitment
Favorite Penn State Memory: Countless hours spent inhaling
toxic fumes in the dark at the Arts Building photography lab
Occupation: Project architect
Been a Chicagoan Since: 2004
Board Involvement/Former Positions: Member-at-Large
Fun Fact: I “studied” abroad in both Rome
and Barcelona
Member-at-Large
Maggie Venema
Major at Penn State: Political Science
Year Graduated: 2004
Activities/Clubs while at Penn State: UPAC, SAF, Lambda
Sigma, Varsity Tennis
Favorite Penn State Memory: Rallys in the Valley
Occupation: Paralegal at Sidley Austin and graduate
student at Northwestern
Been A Chicagoan Since: My Whole Life (except of course,
the time when I was at PSU)
Board Involvement/Former Positions: Member at Large
Past President
Sally Anderson
sally@psuchicago.com
Major at Penn State:
Hotel, Restaurant & Institutional Management
Year Graduated: 1998
Activities/Clubs while at Penn State: Blue Band, Theta
Kappa Pi, La Vie, Dance Marathon Social Captain, University Concert
Committee, Senior Class Gift, Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society,
Mortar Board, Skull & Bones, Lion’s Paw
Favorite Penn State Memory: It is hard to name just one…marching
out of the tunnel at Beaver Stadium with the Blue Band, all of the bowl
games (with the Blue Band), climbing Mt. Nittany (what a view at sunset!)
and Homecoming Court my Senior year.
Occupation: HR Partner for the Global Technical Services
division of DoubleClick
Been a Chicagoan Since: May 2000
Board Involvement/Former Positions: Social Chair, Vice-President,
President; Metro Washington DC Penn State Alumni Chapter – Social/Service
Chair and Member-at-Large
Fun Fact: When I am not volunteering for Penn State,
I volunteer time for the American Cancer Society’s Daffodil Days
(current chair of the committee) and the Society of Human Resources
Professionals (current President). I enjoy playing volleyball, reading
for my book clubs, crocheting (yes, you read right…crocheting)
and cheering for Penn State and the Steelers.
