Women's History Month Panel: In Celebration of Her-Story!

In celebration of Women's History Month, join us for a panel presentation comprising Penn State Great Valley alumnae who are business leaders in a variety of industries. Celebrate our alumnae and their success while enjoying networking opportunities and light refreshments. This event is brought to you by the Penn State Great Valley Diversity Action Council and a grant from the Office of Educational Equity.

5 to 6 p.m. — Networking with panelists and guests.

6 to 8 p.m. — Panelists will share “her-stories” about their careers and what it takes to be a successful business leader in today's ever-changing work environment and engage in a Q&A session.

Register here. 

Panelists

Kathy Kovalic is the head of marketing and director of marketing operations at Eugia US. As a life sciences professional with a track record of success driving business and expanding brand's performance in local and overseas markets, Kovalic has proven success in product lifecycle management and go-to-market positioning. She is a leader of change with a track record in upstream and downstream marketing across matrixed teams. Kovalic earned her MBA from Penn State Great Valley and her bachelor of science in information science from the University of Pittsburgh.

Kathleen (Kathy) Harkins is a senior principal scientist at Merck & Co. Inc. with more than 25 years of experience in pharmaceutical research. She specializes in clinical trial systems development, software development for statistical analysis, project management, mentoring, standard operating procedure development, regulatory reporting to domestic and international agencies, and more. Harkins has authored research articles for a variety of publications. She holds a master of science in engineering science from Penn State Great Valley and a bachelor of science in computer science from Penn State.

Kelly Beck is CEO of PolyCore Therapeutics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for Parkinson's disease and other disorders. She previously served as vice president of investor relations and administration with Ocguen, Inc, where she played an instrumental role in the growth of the company. Beck is a member of Women in Bio and Alpha Sigma Alpha. She holds an MBA from Penn State Great Valley, a master of science in human resource development from Villanova University and a bachelor of science in business administration from Millersville University.

Heather Chandler is president of Sealstrip Corporation, a manufacturer of easy-open and resealable features for packaging. She is a member of Vistage, an international CEO peer group, and serves on the board of TeamPA Foundation and the advisory council of Ben Franklin Technology Partners. Chandler's leadership has been recognized by CEO Magazine, Tri-County YWCA, Tri-County Network and The Girl Scouts of Eastern PA. She holds a a master of management from Penn State Great Valley,  a juris doctor from Temple University and a bachelor of science in education from Penn State.

Moderator

Sally Sue Richmond is an assistant teaching professor of information science at Penn State Great Valley. She acquired extensive industry experience in a broad range of positions, such as systems analyst, network analyst, project manager and manager of network operations. She teaches courses in human-computer interaction, computer organization, embedded systems, telecommunications, networking, software development life cycle, and IS architecture. Richmond earned her master of science in information science at Penn State Great Valley and her bachelor of arts in art at Penn State.