Welcome
Each member of our staff has written a short message and bio of themselves so that you can get to know them better.
Kenneth F. Lehrman,
III, Director
Carmen B. Borges, Associate Director
Andrea Commaker, Senior Affirmative
Action Specialist
Bill Ritzman, Coordinator, Americans
with Disabilities Act Programs
Tom Gesell, Senior Applications Programmer/Analyst
Beth McLaughlin, Professional Development
Specialist
Suzanne Adair, Professional Development
Coordinator
Cindy Harter, Administrative Assistant
Tanya Pasko, Staff Assistant
Rosemary Ekeada, Staff Assistant
I come to Penn State after ten years as Director of the Office of Affirmative
Action and Equal Opportunity at the University of Oregon. Prior to serving
in that capacity, I was an Associate Professor of Political Science
at Ithaca College. I have a B.A. in political science and M.A. in public
administration from the University of Oklahoma and, in 1983, a Ph.D.
in political science from the University of Oregon. In 1993 I earned
a J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law. I am a former member
of the Oregon State Bar.
Ken Lehrman, III
Director
kfl2@psu.edu
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Carmen B. Borges
Associate Director
cbb1@psu.edu
TOP
Hello. I handle most of the external complaints filed with state and
federal agencies as well as some of the internal complaints filed with
our office. I have worked at Penn State since 1986, primarily as a counselor
for students of color in the Multicultural Resource Center and as an
instructor teaching courses in women's studies, business law, employment
law, and criminal law. My educational background is in both education
and law. Throughout my professional career, I have dedicated myself
to ensuring that all people are treated fairly, with dignity and respect;
so each individual has the opportunity to reach her or his full potential.
In order to achieve this goal, I believe that we must work together
to eliminate every form of discrimination; I hope that you will join
me in this endeavor. If I can assist you in any way, please contact
me.
Andrea Commaker
Senior Affirmative Action Specialist
asc1@psu.edu
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Bill Ritzman, ADA Coordinators
Hello and welcome. I've been with Penn State since 1986 working in various roles from counseling students and veterans with disabilities to assisting employees who were injured on the job return to work. I have been in the AAO as the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Coordinator since October 1999. One of my roles is providing guidance regarding University-wide compliance related to the ADA and Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as they relate to facilities, programs, services, and employment, and to assist people who believe they have been treated differently because of disability. I thoroughly enjoy working collaboratively with others to promote Penn State's commitment to equal access for people with disabilities. Additionally, I coordinate the reasonable accommodation request process for faculty and staff.
In addition to my duties as the ADA Coordinator, I Chair the University Access Committee (UAC). I am especially proud of the work UAC does. In addition to UAC's primary mission to improve access to facilities, committee members, both collectively and individually, provide consultation and education to the University community in regard to the importance of fostering a welcoming environment at Penn State for people with disabilities.
I especially enjoy working with students and faculty in a variety of majors to provide opportunities for them to incorporate access and disability issues as a focus in their class projects when time permits. Please don't hesitate to contact me if I can be of assistance.
Bill Ritzman
ADA Coordinator
wwr1@psu.edu
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Tom Gesell, Senior Applications
Programmer/Analyst
teg1@psu.edu
Beth McLaughlin, Professional Development
Specialist
Hello. I've been with Penn State since 1996 and in July, 2004 I re-joined
the Affirmative Action Office. During my career I have always, in some
capacity, been involved with teaching and facilitating adult learning
whether it was in a community agency, industry, or higher education.
In my current role, that is still my focus and I enjoy working with
colleges and units around Penn State in providing a multitude of courses
on diversity as well as facilitating discussions with teams and units.
Please feel free to call on us for you professional development needs
in regards to diversity and equity.
Beth McLaughlin
Education Coordinator
bqm9@psu.edu
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Suzanne Adair, Professional Development
Coordinator
Hi! I've been in the AAO since 2001 when I began providing diversity
training on a part time basis as a doctoral student in the Educational
Theory and Policy program here at Penn State. I came on board full time
in July of 2004 and received my Ph.D. in 2005. While my background is
in mental health, social work, and public education, my work in the
AAO has provided a wonderful opportunity to work within higher education.
As one of the two trainers in the office I'm on the go quite a bit providing
professional development services to individuals and to entire teams
or units throughout the university. I continue to be challenged by the
work I do and know that it is just one way that I can contribute to
the greater good.
Suzanne Adair
Professional Development Specialist
sca917@psu.edu
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Cindy Harter, Administrative Assistant
Hi! I have been employed in the Affirmative Action Office since 1987.
I provide administrative support to the Director and Specialists in
the office. In addition, I am responsible for making travel arrangements
for staff, arranging meetings and scheduling appointments and assisting
the Director with budget planning. I am responsible for monitoring all
tenure track faculty searches to ensure federal affirmative action compliance.
In addition, I maintain our office website so if you have suggestions
for something you would like to see on our site, please contact me.
Cindy Harter
Administrative Assistant
cih1@psu.edu
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Hi! I joined the Affirmative Action Office in March, 2001. As a Staff
Assistant, my responsibilities range from general clerical duties, scheduling
of meetings with our specialists, and assisting our specialists in various
projects, developing and maintaining AAO database, analyzing data, creating
various reports; developing and designing office newsletter, forms,
brochures, flyers and informational materials; creating and editing
office web site. If I can be of assistance, please contact me.
Tanya V. Pasko
Staff Assistant
tvp2@psu.edu
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Rosemary Ekeada, Staff Assistant
Hi there. I joined the Affirmative Action staff in January 2003 as
a Staff Assistant. My duties include general clerical duties, maintaining
our applicant pool database, scheduling meetings and conducting legal
research. Please feel free to contact me if you need any help from our
office.
Rosemary Ekeada
Staff Assistant
rum12@psu.edu
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Affirmative Action Office
Contact
328 Boucke, University Park, PA 16802
Phone: (814) 863-0471 V/TTY
Questions regarding web issues, please contact Cindy Harter, cih1@psu.edu
Original Design by OVPEE
Web page last modified December 4, 2007