UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Ian Rosenberger was named the 2015 honorary grand marshal for Homecoming during Penn State Homecoming's fifth annual Legacy Celebration on April 22.
While attending Penn State, Rosenberger studied agricultural extension and educational leadership. He was the 2003 Homecoming king and danced in THON the same year. He was also the University’s Undergraduate Student Government president in 2003 as well as a member of Lion’s Paw and Parmi Nous honor societies.
Since his time at Penn State, Rosenberger founded both Team Tassy and Thread in response to the Haiti earthquake in 2010.
Team Tassy helps people in poor conditions with a lack of resources find jobs. Team Thread transforms trash from poor neighborhoods into fabric. They sell the fabric to apparel and accessory brands who want to make their products more authentic.
Team Tassy has helped employ almost 300 Haitians for jobs and Team Thread has shipped nearly 2 million pounds of recycled plastic from Haiti and Honduras to be turned into finished goods.
Rosenberger has received several awards for his work including the 2013 Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership award. He is also a 2013 Dignity and Respect Champion, and placed third on CBS’s "Survivor." Rosenberger has traveled across the country to speak about his experiences and has been featured on CNN as well as in The Atlantic, The Guardian and The Huffington Post.
The honorary grand marshal is usually a local figure and someone that the Penn State community will recognize.
“We chose this year’s honorary grand marshal because Rosenberger has done a lot of notable things in his industry," said Homecoming Alumni Relations Director Katrina Brintzenhoff. “He has given back to the community in many ways, and is a very down-to-earth person.”