UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Kristin Sykes, assistant director of administrative and financial services for the Penn State Office of Physical Plant (OPP) was selected as an Administrative Fellow for the 2021-22 academic year and will be mentored by O. Richard Bundy III, vice president for Development and Alumni Relations.

The Administrative Fellows Program enables participants to strengthen their administrative talents and qualifications by working with a Penn State leader in a mentoring relationship. Fellows increase their understanding of the contexts within which decisions are made and of the work done in units across the University.

In Sykes’ current role, she provides financial and budget management along with business process analysis for efficient financial operations at OPP. She has also served on University committees such as the Capital Planning Working Group and the SIMBA Direct Billing Advisory Committee, and was previously the manager of financial support services responsible for OPP accounting and payroll operations.

Sykes said she aims to bring her extensive financial experience and institutional knowledge to her new role as an Administrative Fellow, in support of the University's mission.

“I am so thankful to have been selected as an Administrative Fellow,” said Sykes. “This program offers so many amazing opportunities and experiences. Over the next year, I look forward to being able to participate in as many of those as possible to discover and understand more about the University. I am equally excited to learn directly from Rich Bundy and have the opportunity to gain insight into Development and Alumni Relations.”

Bill Sitzabee, vice president of facilities management and planning and Penn State’s chief facilities officer said of Sykes’ fellowship, “The Administrative Fellowship program is an excellent avenue through which we can invest in our people. OPP has a strong commitment to developing our people and I am proud of Kristin for applying and being selected as a fellow. She is a high-performer here in OPP and is an excellent choice for the program.”

Sykes’ current supervisor, Terri Parker, director of administrative and financial services for OPP, added, “Kristin embodies the University values of integrity, respect, responsibility, discovery, excellence and community. I believe if you were to ask anyone who has worked with Kristin, they would all unanimously agree that she is an ideal candidate for this program.”

Her mentor for the year-long fellowship, Rich Bundy, is looking forward to working closely with Sykes.

“Kristin is eager to learn more about the important work we do in Development and Alumni Relations to advance Penn State’s mission and achieve the goals in our strategic plan, and we are excited to have her join us in this pivotal and historic final year of the $2.1 billion A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence campaign,” said Bundy. “We are equally excited that she will join us as we begin planning in detail for the post-campaign period, which will give her a comprehensive look into how we approach our work and plan for our future.”

To learn more about the Administrative Fellows Program, visit https://www.vpfa.psu.edu/administrative-fellows/.