The Penn State Behrend Speaker Series brings distinguished and accomplished individuals to campus to inspire thought and spark conversation about compelling issues and events. Our guest speakers, with their unique perspectives, enhance understanding of current events; community and economic development; and political, business, and societal challenges.
The Speaker Series is made possible by the college's Student Activity Fee, the Division of Student Affairs, and the Harriet Behrend Ninow Memorial Lecture Series Fund.
Dr. Ala Stanford, nationally recognized pediatric surgeon and leading advocate for healthcare equity.
Dr. Ala Stanford
October 9, 2025
7:30 p.m.
180 Burke
Dr. Ala Stanford '91, '97g is a nationally known health policy adviser and founder of the Center for Health Equity. A practicing physician, she created the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium to address barriers to care, testing, and vaccination. She received her medical degree from Penn State after starting her college career at Behrend, where she helped create the track and field program.
Daniel Luttner, a managing partner at NEOS by Argon & Co.
Daniel Luttner
Wednesday, November 7, 2025
7:30 p.m.
180 Burke
Daniel Luttner is a managing partner at NEOS by Argon & Co., a global supply chain solutions company.
Luttner’s talk, “Resilient Leadership: Falling, Rising, and Leading with Humanity in a Fragile World,” will explore recent innovations in supply chain networks, including the emergence of artificial intelligence. He will also discuss recent challenges to these complex and interconnected systems, including the COVID-19 pandemic, new U.S. tariffs, and emerging geopolitical tensions.
Luttner earned a degree in business and an MBA from Penn State Behrend’s Black School of Business. He has served on the school’s Business Advisory Board since 2021.
Before joining NEOS by Argon & Co., he served as senior managing partner at Plantensive and as a partner at Vaco, a Pittsburgh-based consulting firm, where he specialized in enterprise software and consulting services, including Oracle and JDA.
“Supply chain analysis is both art and science,” he said in an interview with the Business Topics On Demand video series, which is produced by the Black School of Business. “Even if you are the best data analyst or data scientist in the world, if you can’t convey that message or influence the others in your organization, or in your client’s organization, it’s not a super-useful skill. It’s part analytics, part data science, part understanding the technical aspects—and then it’s that soft skill: working with your clients to convey that message, to tell that story, and to gain consensus for buy-in.”
The Pennsylvania State University encourages qualified persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Brenda Zinram in advance of your participation or visit.
Previous Speakers
Explore the lineup of past presenters.