UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences honored four alumni with 2026 Outstanding Alumni awards in a ceremony on April 15 in State College.
The college’s annual Outstanding Alumni and Outstanding Recent Alumni Awards recognize alumni for their achievements, the impact they have in their professions, communities, and the college, and provides opportunities for recipients to connect with the college’s faculty, students and other alumni.
“Each year we gather to celebrate excellence, leadership and service through our Outstanding Alumni Awards,” said Troy L. Ott, the Peter and Ann Tombros Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences. “Each of our honorees represents the very best of who we are and what we strive to be. This is the highest honor the College of Agricultural Sciences bestows on its alumni, and I am incredibly proud of this year’s honorees who are wonderful representatives of the college and an inspiration to the next generation of ag sciences graduates.”
This year’s four honorees were welcomed into the college’s Armsby Honor Society alongside two other inductees. The Armsby Honor Society, named for the college’s first dean, Henry P. Armsby, recognizes alumni and friends who have demonstrated a profound commitment to the College of Agricultural Sciences through their service, scholarship, teaching and philanthropy.
College of Agricultural Sciences Outstanding Alumni Award recipients
Del Voight Jr. is a 1990 graduate of the College of Agricultural Sciences with a degree in agricultural science and has been employed with Penn State Extension since 1993. Today, Voight is a principal professional educator where he helps agronomic crop producers across Pennsylvania.
Among his professional contributions, Voight helped launch E Crop News, now known as Field Crop News, which reaches more than 10,000 subscribers weekly. He helped establish the Soybean On-Farm Network with support from the Pennsylvania Soybean Checkoff program and served as the interim Grain Crop Specialist for three years. Voight is deeply involved with his community through FFA, Envirothon, 4-H and the Lebanon County Fair. His work has been recognized both locally and nationally with the AgChoice Farm Credit Educator of the Year Award and a Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of County Agricultural Agents.
Voight is a board member of the PA Livestock Association and the PA Livestock Evaluation Center and serves as the director of the PA Angus Board. While a student, Voight was a member of the varsity wrestling team, ROTC and the Blue Band. He continues to play with the Penn State Alumni Blue Band.
Tom Slewinski graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology in 2003 and earned his doctorate in plant biology in 2010. He is currently a crop genome editing senior scientist and Bayer Science Fellow with Bayer Crop Science where he leads global initiatives in agricultural biotechnology.
His scientific contributions include more than 50 peer-reviewed publications and 3,100 citations, and he is an inventor on more than 20 patents and patent applications. He serves as a monitoring editor and associate editor on top plant research journals, was recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Maize Genetics Cooperation and has served in advisory roles in efforts to advance food security with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Slewinski has also co-led industry-wide mentoring initiatives for the next generation of scientists, including the Maize Genetics Industry Mentoring Program and the Bayer-University B4U Mentoring Program.
Mark Wach earned his master’s and doctorate in plant pathology from the college in 1983 and 1985, respectively. He is currently the chief innovation officer with Sylvan International Biotechnology Company Ltd., a Pennsylvania-based company and the world’s largest producer and distributor of mushroom spawn.
Wach is an internationally respected leader in fungal biotechnology and sustained agricultural innovation. His work spans fungal genetics, fermentation, commercial production systems and process development. He is named as an inventor on more than 15 patents, including pioneering technologies such as sporeless mushrooms and hybrid strains that have advanced commercial mushroom cultivation. Wach also has more than 35 scientific publications. Wach has served as president of the International Society for Mushroom Science and chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Mushroom Institute.
Since graduating, Wach has maintained a strong connection with the College of Agricultural Sciences. He is a past-president and board member of the Ag Council, a current member of the Dean’s Leadership Council and regularly consults with faculty on topics including disease management advancements and genetic research.
College of Agricultural Sciences Outstanding Recent Alumni Award recipient
Katie McLaughlin is a 2019 graduate of the college with a degree in agricultural science and minors in international agriculture and communications. She also earned her MBA from Penn State in 2024 with a certificate in Business Sustainability Strategy. Katie is currently the agriculture coordinator with the Pennsylvania Governor’s Office of Transformation and Opportunity where she is part of a team leading efforts to develop and implement the Commonwealth’s economic development strategy and frame a statewide Food and Agriculture strategic plan.
Prior to her current role, McLaughlin’s career included time with PennAg Industries Association, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, and the GIANT Company. McLaughlin previously served as a Pennsylvania FFA Foundation Trustee, has hosted undergraduate students in the college’s International Agriculture program in Harrisburg, and regularly volunteers and mentors students.
College of Agricultural Sciences Armsby Honor Society inductees
Tina Terrell graduated in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in forest science. She is the senior executive for national recruitment with the U.S. Forest Service where she champions workforce development, diversity and leadership. Over her more than 40-year career, Terrell has held 14 positions and helped shape policy, expand opportunities and strengthen conservation. Terrell was the first Black woman to earn a forestry degree from Penn State, helped found the University’s MANRRS chapter, is an honorary fellow of the Society of American Foresters and was named a 2025 Penn State Alumni Fellow.
Natalie Keller, who graduated in 2017 with a degree in food science, is a senior food scientist at The Campbell’s Company, where she leads the development of cookie and cracker products for the Pepperidge Farm brand. Prior to Campbell’s, Keller worked at Mondelez International and La Colombe Coffee Roasters. A Schreyer Honors College graduate, Keller is a dedicated volunteer and former president of the Schreyer Honors College Alumni Society Board. Keller was honored with a 2026 Penn State Alumni Achievement Award in March 2026.