Alumni awards celebrate professional achievement, service and community impact

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — Penn State Lehigh Valley recognized nine alumni and PPL Corporation during its Donor Appreciation Reception and Alumni Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 29, celebrating professional achievement, community service and support for student success.

Held in the campus’s Nittany Station Café, the event brought together alumni, donors, community partners and members of the campus community. Honors included the Alumni Achievement Award, Alumni Spirit of Impact Award, Corporate Partner Award and LPN Milestone Award.

“While their professional accomplishments are impressive, it is their dedication to service, mentorship, volunteerism, leadership, and community engagement that truly sets them apart,” said Tina Q. Richardson, chancellor of Penn State Lehigh Valley. “Their achievements reflect the values we hold dear: integrity, excellence, generosity, and a commitment to helping others succeed.”

Richardson also recognized donors whose support provides scholarships and strengthens campus programs, connecting their generosity to Penn State’s land-grant mission of educational access and community service.

Alumni Achievement Award

Alumna Jessica Riedy presented the Alumni Achievement Awards, recognizing four recipients for excellence, leadership and service throughout their lives.

“We are proud to honor these remarkable individuals and thank them for the lasting impact they make in their professions, communities, and the Penn State family,” Riedy said.

Tiffani Blevins is a Penn State Lehigh Valley alumna, fundraiser and community advocate who serves as development officer for the Northampton Community College Foundation. She builds relationships with individuals, businesses and community partners to create opportunities for students. Her approach to philanthropy emphasizes listening, sharing knowledge and connecting people, alongside financial support. Her service extends across education, youth development and community engagement in the Lehigh Valley. In 2026, she was recognized among Lehigh Valley Business’ Forty Under 40 and Lehigh Valley Style’s Influential Women of the Year.

Nicholas Giglio is a construction engineer with Urban Engineers in Allentown, serving as an owner’s representative for Pennsylvania Department of Transportation bridge and highway projects throughout District 5. He began his education at Penn State Lehigh Valley before earning a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at Penn State Harrisburg in 2019. Active in the American Society of Civil Engineers, he served as Lehigh Valley Section president from 2024 to 2026 and was elected to the organization’s Region 2 Board of Governors in 2026. An FAA-licensed drone pilot, Giglio also shares his appreciation for engineering through photography of bridges and other notable structures.

Capt. David F. Merida, a 2007 Penn State Lehigh Valley alumnus, serves as weapons and tactics officer for the 112th Cyberspace Operations Squadron at Biddle Air National Guard Base in Horsham. He enlisted as a hydraulic systems technician in August 2016, serving with the Air Force Reserve at McGuire Air Force Base before transferring to the Pennsylvania Air National Guard. He subsequently trained and qualified as a cyber warfare operator and mobilized in support of several critical Air Force weapons systems. Merida lives in Easton with his wife, Jamie, and their three children.

Lisa Walkiewicz is president and chief executive officer of Via of the Lehigh Valley, a Bethlehem nonprofit serving more than 1,200 children and adults with disabilities annually. She joined Via in 2007 and became CEO in 2019, helping guide its growth from $2 million to $12 million. Working with Via’s leadership team, she helped develop an employee engagement initiative that reduced direct support professional turnover to less than half the national average and earned the 2026 national Moving Mountains Award. She also received The Morning Call’s 2026 Top Workplaces Leadership Award. A Penn State journalism graduate, Walkiewicz helped raise more than $1.5 million for Four Diamonds as marketing chairperson for the 1997 Penn State Dance Marathon.

Alumni Spirit of Impact Award

Liz Keptner presented the Alumni Spirit of Impact Awards to Terry DeGroot and Howard Kulp. The award recognizes alumni whose volunteerism, mentorship, advocacy and philanthropy strengthen Penn State, particularly the Lehigh Valley campus.

DeGroot began his civil engineering education at Penn State Behrend before completing his degree at University Park. His involvement with a local Penn State Alumni Association chapter in 1990 launched a commitment to the University that has continued for more than three decades, with a particular focus on supporting the Commonwealth Campuses. He owns Terraform Engineering, which he founded in 2007, specializing in civil engineering projects with an emphasis on K–12 educational facilities. DeGroot and his wife, Julie, are Penn State alumni, as are their children Pieter and Ellyssa.

Kulp earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Penn State in 1973 and founded Howard Kulp Architects, PC, in 1978, leading the firm until its sale in 2024. A campus advisory board member since 2007, he has held several leadership roles and remains active on its executive committee. During the campus’s 2009 relocation from Fogelsville to Center Valley, Kulp donated architectural expertise that helped develop the library, fitness center, engineering laboratories and science laboratories. A longtime THON supporter and development committee co-chair since 2008, he has helped strengthen philanthropic support for students and the campus.

Corporate Partner Award

PPL Corporation received the Corporate Partner Award for its sustained support of Penn State Lehigh Valley and its students.

Since 1982, PPL Corporation, the PPL Foundation and employees participating in the company’s matching gift program have contributed more than $3.3 million to Penn State. At the Lehigh Valley campus, PPL has supported the Teen Entrepreneurship Challenge, Lehigh Valley LaunchBox and work-based learning opportunities that connect students with practical experience and career pathways.

LPN Milestone Award

Steph Schleef, campus practical nursing program coordinator, presented LPN Milestone Awards to Kiana Douglas, Jackeline “Jackie” Garrido and Denise Wright. The award recognizes practical nursing graduates for educational achievement, commitment to nursing and continued professional growth.

Douglas was inspired to pursue nursing after witnessing the compassionate care her grandmother received while battling metastatic lung cancer in 2020. She graduated from Penn State Lehigh Valley’s practical nursing program in December 2025 and now works as a correctional nurse, caring for an often underserved patient population. She plans to continue her education through an LPN-to-RN program, building on her commitment to helping patients feel heard, respected and cared for.

Garrido pursued a longtime goal of becoming a nurse after attending her son’s nursing pinning ceremony in 2023. Overcoming personal challenges and self-doubt, she enrolled in Penn State’s accelerated practical nursing program, graduated in December 2024 and passed the NCLEX-PN licensing examination. Now a licensed practical nurse and mother of three, she hopes her experience encourages others to pursue their goals. The resilience, empathy and strength she developed throughout her journey continue to inform her patient care.

Wright began her nursing career in 2019, providing behavioral health care at Merakey Personal Care Home. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she supported testing and vaccination clinics and provided COVID-19 testing and measles vaccinations to Afghan refugees arriving in Philadelphia. She graduated from St. Luke’s School of Nursing in 2025, where she served as Student Nurses Association treasurer, was selected as student commencement speaker and received the Student Choice Award. Wright now works full time with St. Luke’s Behavioral Health Central Staffing Float Pool while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing at Chamberlain University.

A lasting connection to Penn State

Campus advisory board chair Pete Nickischer closed the ceremony by recognizing the honorees’ contributions to their professions, communities and future generations of students.

“Through their professional accomplishments, community involvement, mentorship, and dedication to supporting future generations of students, they have made a lasting and meaningful impact on our campus and beyond,” Nickischer said.

“To our honorees, thank you for serving as inspiring examples of what it means to be a Penn Stater.”