Steven Bugajski, a 1994 Management Information Systems graduate who also earned an MBA at Behrend in 2004, was recently presented with the Behrend Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award.
The award is presented annually to an alumnus or alumna of Behrend who has made significant contributions to and achievements in their profession, in their community, and at Penn State Behrend. Recipients are those who have demonstrated professional leadership, been active in community affairs, and contributed to the betterment of society, social values, and/or justice.
Bugajski is the vice president and chief information officer for U.S. Steel, where he leads the company’s global IT operation, including digital strategy and cybersecurity.
He serves as an executive in residence for the Black School of Business, has mentored dozens of Behrend students, and together with other U.S. Steel IT professionals, has developed programs for students to learn about business, technology, and cybersecurity in the corporate world.
Two Behrend graduates—Joseph Snyder and Dr. Ala Stanford—were chosen to receive Alumni Fellow Awards, the most prestigious honor given by the Penn State Alumni Association.
Snyder graduated in 1997 with a degree in Electrical Engineering Technology. He is the retired president of Process and Data Automation, LLC, a member of the Krones Group and a full-service industrial integration firm specializing in the design, programming, and commissioning of automated equipment and systems.
Snyder co-founded Process and Data Automation in 2002 as a three-person business and grew it into a premier control systems integration and data services company with nearly fifty employees. In 2015, he relocated the business to Penn State Behrend’s Knowledge Park.
Stanford ’91 began her college career at Penn State Behrend before graduating with a Biology degree from University Park. She earned her medical degree from Penn State’s College of Medicine in 1997. Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Stanford created the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, bringing together more than 200 health-care professionals to test—and subsequently vaccinate—thousands of residents in Philadelphia’s minority neighborhoods. In 2021, she expanded the consortium’s scope, creating the Dr. Ala Stanford Center for Health Equity.
In her current role as a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regional director, she works to see that communities across her six-state region of responsibility have access to information and resources to stay safe and healthy.
Would you like to nominate someone (or yourself) for the Behrend Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award? Nominations will be accepted until March 31.