UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Jonathan Dambrot, CEO and co-founder of Cranium AI — an award-winning AI security and trust software firm, is the recipient of the 2023 Fischer Award of Distinction. Dambrot was presented the award during the Penn State Outreach and Online Education (OOE) Appreciation Dinner on Oct. 26 for his long-standing support for Penn State students and Penn State OOE programs.
“I was starting my first business while pursuing my MBA through Penn State World Campus and it was incredibly helpful to have that immersive experience alongside my studies,” Dambrot said. “As my business grew, the equity become highly valuable. When I sold that business, it presented me with my first opportunity to give back to the University.”
Since then, he and his wife, Alana, have provided funding to Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center, created the Dambrot Fund for Excellence in the World Campus and are sponsors of the AI Excellence Awards in Penn State Outreach, which annually awards five students $1,000 for their work with the Nittany AI Alliance and industry collaborators to create solutions for real-world problems using AI for good.
“I began working with the Nittany AI Alliance as a panel judge and sponsor to support the Nittany AI Challenge and witnessed students using machine learning and AI to effectively build products, and later on to create companies, that have become successful,” Dambrot said. “It is awesome to see students who work really hard and drive that excellence into AI be awarded in a small way. Students who show such promise can make the impact that we need to see the AI for good mission succeed.”
Dambrot also is engaging with faculty in the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) on research involving efforts to protect the integrity of AI technology.
Additionally, Dambrot has served as both chair and a member of the Penn State OOE Advisory Board.
“Jonathan’s contributions to Penn State Outreach have been extremely impactful,” said Larry Terry, vice president for Penn State Outreach. “His support of the Nittany AI Alliance has allowed students to continue their work in AI beyond the classroom, his generosity toward Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center has enabled the staff to contribute to the ecosystem by planting additional trees, and his time on the OOE Advisory Board moved the land-grant mission of the University forward for nearly a decade.”
Along with the 2023 Fischer Award of Distinction, Dambrot was recognized in 2015 as the recipient of the Penn State World Campus Outstanding Alumni Award.
“We are so fortunate that Jonathan chose to pursue his MBA through Penn State World Campus. His engagement on our advisory board has brought valuable insights to our work and future opportunities in online education,” said Renata Engel, vice provost for Penn State World Campus. “His financial support to World Campus has enabled us to support students to follow their path to success. His immense talent, generosity and commitment to the educational experiences of others truly makes us Penn State proud.”
The Fischer Award of Distinction recognizes friends, donors, alumni and volunteers (including posthumous) who have distinguished themselves through extraordinary service to advance Outreach and Online Education. Recipients have advanced the Outreach and Online Education vision and mission through their work, their volunteer efforts, and their financial support. They have made significant contributions in their field of work and/or humanity, have achieved great distinction and success in their professional endeavors, or have been recognized by their peers or others.
This award is named in honor of the Fischer family: Floyd, Naomi and Rich. Rich Fischer was the recipient of the first Award of Distinction in 2008, which was then renamed the Fischer Award.