Bellisario College of Communications

Guest speaker to share message of empowerment

Free public lecture Feb. 1 to focus on positively impacting a community, addressing inequities in health care, social justice and more

Odell Bizzell will be the featured speaker discussing empowerment related to breast cancer, health care inequities, social justice and more Feb. 1 on the University Park campus. Credit: Odell BizzellAll Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Just days before some Penn State student-athletes and community members plan to combine for a high-profile event to battle breast cancer and support survivors, an on-campus guest lecture leading into that event will focus on empowering people to make a difference.

Author and professional speaker Odell Bizzell will be the featured guest at 7 p.m. Feb. 1 in Freeman Auditorium of the HUB-Robeson Center on the University Park campus. His lecture is free and open to the public.

Bizzell will share ways in which people can change the narrative on all cancers affecting women. He will engage those in attendance and will educate, equip and empower them with the tools needed to positively impact their family members and communities regarding that topic and others.

Along with his message focused on breast cancer in advance of the women’s basketball team’s Play4Kay Game benefiting PA Pink Zone on Feb. 6, Bizzell’s message of empowerment includes topics such as health care inequities and social justice. His overarching theme addresses positively impacting a community.

Bizzell, who has been speaking on college campuses across the nation for more than eight years, has written six books. A trained facilitator, his work in leadership development and his lectures have been featured in more than 200 media outlets, including CBS, USA Today and Yahoo! Bizzell also specializes in teaching leaders to better recruit, retain and motivate their organization’s members.

The Penn State women’s basketball game against Northwestern — which will honor breast cancer survivors from all over the state of Pennsylvania as part of a collaboration with PA Pink Zone — begins at 2 p.m. Feb. 6 in the Bryce Jordan Center. Pink Zone works to unite central Pennsylvania in the fight against breast cancer. In the past decade and a half, the organization has distributed more than $2.1 million to its partner organizations and individuals battling breast cancer.

Last Updated January 20, 2022