Meet the Board
Meet the Board
Brian Shaunessy ‘86
I have served the Triangle Penn State community in a variety of leadership roles for more than a decade. Joining the Alumni Board in June 2015, completing the term of Social Chair, and was elected Vice President in 2016. In that role, I strengthened connections with Penn State Athletics by coordinating outreach to visiting coaches and organizing baseball team tailgates for four consecutive years. I expanded our professional engagement by organizing four Career Development events in 2017 and 2018.
From 2020 to 2021, I served as Student Relations Chair, overseeing the application and review process for the Triangle Chapter Penn State Alumni Association Scholarship. In June 2022, I was elected President of the Triangle Penn State Alumni Association and have been proud to serve in that role for the past four years.
Professionally, I have been a Project Manager at MetLife since 2012 and has been based in the Raleigh area since 2014.
President
Justin Ward ‘14
Dylan Schoemaker ‘20
My name is Dylan Schoemaker, and I am honored to serve as the Vice President of the Penn State Alumni Association Triangle Chapter! I am a proud Nittany Lion alumni and a member of the Penn State Class of 2020, where I earned my degree in Plant Sciences. I grew up in Reading, Pennsylvania, and after spending four years in Madison, Wisconsin, for graduate school, I made the move to the Triangle in May 2024. One of the things I have always loved most about Penn State is the sense of community.
I am a proud supporter of all Penn State sports but never miss a PSU football game or wrestling match. Outside of my involvement with the Alumni Association, I enjoy spending time with family and friends and being outside every moment that I can. I am an avid runner and also love to bike, hike, and kayak. I also enjoy reading and spending time with my two cats, Tim and Callie.
Vice President
Treasurer
My name is Amy Penner, and I graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Penn State Smeal College of Business in 2000. My husband and I relocated to Raleigh from Phoenix in 2012.
While living in Phoenix, I served on the local Penn State alumni board as both a board member and Vice President. Since 2020, I have been actively involved with the Triangle Chapter Board and currently serve as Secretary. I am a full-time real estate broker, my husband works in the tech industry (a Purdue grad), and together we have two boys, ages 13 and 11.
When I’m not cheering on Penn State Nittany Lions or showing homes, you’ll usually find me at the ballfield watching our boys play baseball, vacationing in the mountains, or relaxing with a good book.
Secretary
Amy Penner ‘00
Justin Ward
I earned my BA in Political Science from Penn State in 2014, completing the degree through World Campus while serving five years in LRS at Fort Bragg. After the Army, I went on to earn an MS in Applied Statistics from Rochester Institute of Technology and an MBA from Syracuse University.
Professionally, I've spent the last decade plus in various data and analytics roles, all of which were cross-functional. I currently work with private equity backed rollup platforms in their growth stage to facilitate data engineering, data strategy, and digital transformation.
I've been in the Triangle since relocating from Atlanta in 2019. Outside of work, I enjoy powerlifting, collecting wine, and watching PSU football.
Kathy Webb ‘82
Kathy graduated in 1982 with a degree in Health Planning and Administration. After working in non-profit fundraising for a few years, she earned her Masters of Library and Information Science at UCLA. She has recently retired from a 30 year career at the University of Dayton where she served as Dean of University Libraries for the last 17 years. She and her husband Steve (who earned his PhD at Penn State in 1984) moved to Raleigh in May 2024. They are excited about being involved with the Penn State Triangle chapter and getting to know the area and other PSU alumni.
Communications Co-Chair
Social Chair
Jen Ehninger ‘07
Jen moved to the Triangle in June 2024 and wasted no time getting involved as the chapter's Social Chair. After calling Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, London, and Pittsburgh home since graduating from Penn State in 2007, she's excited to finally put down roots in Apex and build connections with fellow alumni in the area.
As a Penn State marketing graduate, Jen spent more than a decade in digital media before she and her husband traded corporate life for entrepreneurship, launching a small business, the Chimney Cakery, specializing in traditional Eastern European chimney cakes. When she's not planning alumni events, you'll likely find her cheering on the Nittany Lions or Steelers, traveling, trying new restaurants, or exploring everything the Triangle has to offer with her husband, Bill and their 7 year old son Finn.
Lori Thomas
Scholarship Chair
Jeancy Rossy ‘16
Jeancy Rossy joined the Penn State Triangle Chapter in 2022 and has served as Philanthropy Chair since Fall 2023. Passionate about building community and creating meaningful connections, she has helped support the chapter’s philanthropic efforts while fostering alumni engagement across the Triangle.
A 2016 Penn State graduate with a B.S. in Biobehavioral Health, Jeancy is an engineering leader in healthcare technology, where she focuses on developing teams, driving continuous improvement, and delivering high-quality experiences. Outside of Penn State activities, she enjoys hiking, running, traveling, exploring new restaurants, and spending time with her rescue dog, Dee.
Philanthropy Chair
Game Party Chair
Steve Ottone
43 years working as a technical service person in the paper industry. Have lived in Phoenixville, PA, Naperville, IL, Highland Mills, NY, Dover DE, and Cary, NC. Cary since 1991. Current job duties: develop and implement alternative paper packaging into the food service market that’s fully recyclable, biodegradable, and compostable. Yep, this is a step toward a more sustainable world. Imagine being able to throw a coffee cup into a standard recycling bin! Started with the Triangle Chapter in 1999; back when the game day parties were at O’Mulligans. Loved the family-like spirit of those events from day 1. Started as the halftime host in 2014; that stirring Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland game against Central Florida and also James Franklin’s first game as PSU head coach. The game was won on the last play, as Sam Ficken connected for his fourth field goal of the day. That first halftime discussion centered on famous PSU QBs who wore #14; the number that sophomore Christian Hackenberg was wearing on game day.
Member at Large
Julia Chan ‘24
Julia Chan is a Penn State College of Nursing alumna and a current Master of Science in Population Health Sciences student at Duke University School of Medicine.
She works as a registered nurse at Duke University Hospital while pursuing her interests in health equity, public health, and health policy.
Since moving to the Triangle, Julia has enjoyed staying connected to the Penn State community through the Triangle Chapter and is passionate about fostering alumni engagement, supporting students, and strengthening the Penn State network. In her free time, she enjoys napping, exploring local restaurants, and tackling home improvement projects.
Membership Chair
Todd Worsham
Member at Large
Aaron Snead ‘02
As Chief Operating Officer of TECHEAD, he enjoys helping people grow their careers, building strong teams, and creating lasting relationships throughout the business community.
Outside of work, Aaron is passionate about giving back. He serves as Chair of the Mayor’s Substance Misuse Task Force and on the board of Citizens Assisting Police in Apex (CAPA), supporting local programs that strengthen and serve the community.
Aaron and his family live in Apex, where you’ll often find him cheering on his kids at sporting events, volunteering, traveling, golfing, or talking Penn State football with fellow alumni. He believes some of the best connections come from shared experiences and is excited to help the Penn State Alumni Triangle Chapter create opportunities for alumni to gather, give back, and stay connected to the Penn State family.
Member at Large
Dayna Brewer ‘21
Dayna joined the Penn State Triangle Board in 2025. She is a 2021 graduate of Penn State's Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications. Dayna also has a Masters degree in Athletic Leadership from Clemson University. She relocated to the Triangle in 2024 after spending time in Asheville, NC & Myrtle Beach, SC working as a News Producer. Dayna currently works for Sheetz as a Community Engagement Specialist in NC and VA. In her free time she loves watching sports (specifically Penn State football & any Pittsburgh pro team), spending time outdoors and hanging out with her friends and family in the area. Dayna currently lives in Clayton with her fiance Todd who she met at PSU and her two dogs Stormy & Percy.
Member at Large