UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Dean Charles Whiteman and the Penn State Smeal College of Business have named three members to its board of visitors. New board members include Tom Buday, senior vice president and head of marketing and consumer communication at Nestlé; Kim Dixon, executive vice president and chief operating officer for FedEx Office and Print Services Inc.; and Dave Marcinek, a partner with Goldman Sachs.
Board members serve in an advisory capacity, providing counsel to the dean and other Smeal administrators in areas of strategic importance to the college based on their experience and knowledge of the latest issues and trends affecting business. The board, which consists of Smeal alumni from an array of businesses and industries, meets twice a year. The complete board of visitors membership can be found online.
About Tom BudayBuday began his career with Proctor & Gamble in 1981 and joined Carnation Company as senior analyst of marketing research in August 1983, just prior to its acquisition by Nestlé. He was named marketing manager for the Friskies PetCare Division in 1988 and became vice president of marketing in 1995. Buday moved to Vevey, Switzerland, in 1999 and was named European marketing director of Nestlé Purina PetCare in 2003. He assumed his current role in 2008. He serves as a member of Facebook’s Client Council and Twitter’s Influencer Council, providing advertiser perspective and input to the development of their respective products and platforms. Buday is a 1980 graduate of Penn State and holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing.
About Kim DixonAfter eight years with GTE (now Verizon) in various marketing and sales roles, Dixon joined Sprint Nextel Corporation in 1996. She rose through the ranks to senior vice president of consumer sales and distribution, gaining experience in retail operations, sales and marketing. In her current role at FedEx Office and Print Services, she directs the domestic and international retail operations, print production network operations, retail merchandising, sourcing, operations planning and real estate, overseeing more than 1,800 retail locations and 19 print production facilities in North America. Dixon earned her MBA from Penn State in 1989.
About Dave MarcinekMarcinek, a Schreyer Scholar, is a 1993 Penn State graduate and holds a bachelor’s degree in finance. Following graduation, Marcinek worked in asset/liability management for PNC Bank until 1996. After completing an MBA at Columbia University, he joined Goldman Sachs as an associate in 1998. He was named managing director in 2005 and partner in 2008. Marcinek is currently co-head of the U.S. Financial Institutions Group (FIG) in Goldman Sachs’ Investment Banking Division and co-head of the Insurance sector for FIG Americas. He received the Smeal Undergraduate Distinguished Achievement Award, which recognizes someone whose career achievements have enhanced the prestige of the college, in 2012. David and his wife, Susan, became members of the Mount Nittany Society in 2015. The Mount Nittany Society represents the pinnacle of philanthropy to Penn State.