UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A respected ESPN senior writer and legal analyst and the senior director of communications for the Pittsburgh Penguins will discuss sports communications, sports ethics and more during a free public session in mid-November at Penn State.
The session — “Fair Play in Sports News,” set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 18, in the HUB-Robeson Center's Freeman Auditorium on Penn State's University Park campus — features Lester Munson of ESPN and Jennifer Bullano of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Conducted under the auspices of the Ben Bronstein Lecture in Ethics and Public Relations, the discussion will be moderated by Frank Dardis, associate professor of advertising/public relations in the College of Communications.
Munson is a writer and reporter for ESPN and ESPN.com who specializes in legal affairs and investigations. For 21 years, he has reported on celebrity, drugs, gender, greed, money, race, sex, violence, court decisions and government actions in the sports industry. His assignments have included the indictment of Roger Clemens for perjury, the sexual assault charges against Ben Roethlisberger, labor union issues in the National Football League and National Hockey League, and the investigation of Lance Armstrong on use of performance enhancing drugs.
From 1991 to 2004, Munson was on the staff at Sports Illustrated. He is an adjunct instructor at the Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism. A graduate of Princeton University and the University of Chicago Law School, he is a lawyer licensed in Illinois.
Bullano joined the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2006 as a graduate intern and spent the following two years as manager of media relations before being promoted to director of communications in 2008. She is entering her 10th season and currently is senior director of communications. A 2003 Penn State graduate in advertising/public relations, she is presently the only female to hold her position in the NHL.
Bullano oversees the daily operations of the Penguins communications department and is responsible for coordinating all player and management interviews. She travels full time with the team and was a part of the Penguins Stanley Cup championship in 2009. She has been a key contact for behind-the-scenes shows such as HBO’S “24/7 The Road to the Winter Classic,” “NHL Revealed” and “In the Room.”
A native of New Castle, she is an adjunct professor at Point Park University. Prior to joining the Penguins, Bullano spent three years working for the Walt Disney Company in guest relations, media relations and VIP services. Bullano earned a masters of business administration with concentration in sports, arts and entertainment management from Point Park University in 2007.
The Ben Bronstein Lecture in Ethics and Public Relations, coordinated by the Don Davis Program in Ethical Leadership housed in the College of Communications, was created by Bronstein, who earned his Penn State journalism degree in 1961 and has been a longtime supporter of the University. He endowed the lecture in order to support ethics-related events as a part of the core mission of the college.
Bronstein was the founding director of public relations at the Penn State College of Medicine and Hershey Medical Center and held director positions in public relations at two statewide health care associations.
The mission of the Davis Program is to promote professional, academic and personal integrity within the College of Communications community. The program has a special focus on the development of responsibility and integrity among undergraduates in the college as part of their preparation to be principled leaders of media institutions.