UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A Penn State alumnus and senior vice president of a global public relations agency will meet with students and faculty members from March 18 to 20 as part of the 13th annual Bronstein Lecture in Ethics.
Joe Colacurcio, senior vice president of analytics and insights at Weber Shandwick, was selected as the 2025 Bronstein Lecturer. He will present and participate in class discussions on March 19, including a session open to all students and the public at 9 a.m. in Paterno Library’s Foster Auditorium.
The student-focused ethics series is hosted by the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications and organized by the Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication, a research center in the Bellisario College.
Colacurcio will share his expertise and experience in market research, specifically the role of innovation and culture. He will also discuss the inner workings of data-powered business communication and the use and ethical implications of artificial intelligence in these areas.
During his time on campus, he will speak with students taking COMM 420: Research Methods in Advertising and Public Relations, as well as participate in meet-and-greets and presentations with faculty members and graduate students from the Bellisario College.
Colacurcio joined Weber Shandwick’s Analytics & Insights team in June after having spent the past several years in Edelman DXI's Human Intelligence practice. There, he led the development and deployment of research programs, measurement frameworks and issues/crisis reporting for U.S. and global clients in food and beverage, CPG, aviation/travel and finance.
His prior experience includes leading Ipsos' Social Intelligence Analytics in the United States, where his team earned "finalist" status in the Quirk's 2019 Marketing Research and Insight Excellence award for its global Media Intelligence Program at Uber.
Colacurcio also spent time with Omnicom at Ketchum-Zocalo Group and got his start in “social listening” while at Nielsen – BuzzMetrics.
Colacurcio graduated from Smeal College of Business in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in finance. He minored in Spanish and economics. He’s also an alumni of the Penn State Crew, having had a six-semester rowing and coxswain position on the team during his time at the University.
The Bronstein Lecture is made possible by an endowment from Penn State alumnus Ben Bronstein. Bronstein, who earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1961, 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 healthcare associations.
Bronstein, a member of the Mt. Nittany Society as a result of his lifetime contributions to the University, formerly served as president of the Lion’s Paw Alumni Association and the Mount Nittany Conservancy.
As an undergraduate, Bronstein was editor of the Penn State Student Handbook, a sportswriter for the Daily Collegian, secretary-treasurer of the Interfraternity Council (IFC), secretary of the IFC Board of Control (judicial/disciplinary body), president of Phi Sigma Delta social fraternity and a member of Lion's Paw and Skull and Bones senior leadership honor societies.
Founded in 2004, the Page Center is an international leader in research on ethics and integrity in public communication. Center initiatives focus on research support, educational development and outreach opportunities that enhance ethics and responsibility in all areas of public communication.