In This Issue
- New Waves in Marketing – Major Updates
- Faculty Spotlight
- Alumni Spotlight
- Student Spotlight
- More News
New Waves in Marketing – Major Updates
Dr. Sean Yim
The Marketing major at Penn State Behrend is positioned for continued success! We are boasting strong enrollment in the discipline, and we continuously improve our approaches to student learning, put our efforts into knowledge advancement, and seek collaboration opportunities with external stakeholders. We have exciting news to share with our students, alumni, and the community.
First, we have three new faculty members who joined us at Penn State Behrend:
- Ben Lee, Ph.D. in Marketing from Indiana University
- Amit Agarwal, Ph.D. in Marketing from Georgia State University
- Kevin Pratt, M.B.A. from Penn State Behrend
Second, we welcome all new Marketing Advisory Board members:
- Kimberly Kaercher ’99, corporate marketing officer at Erie Insurance
- Jeff Stempka ’07, brand manager at Gibson Guitars
- Karla Mazza ’07, owner and vice president of FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers Erie
- Kyle Molloy ’12, director of analytics at JOANN Stores
- Bryce Putman ’16, associate director of investments at Mediahub Worldwide
- Kevin O’Connell ’19, regional sales manager at Oracle
Third, Marketing faculty members recently started a research collaboration with industry partners. We expect this collaboration process to benefit industry partners by having external opinions through research projects, benefit faculty through academic research and consulting projects, and benefit students by directly joining the research projects or indirectly learning the research process in a classroom setting.
We also congratulate Dr. EJ Han on the birth of her first child, Evelyn! Dr. Han will return to teaching in Fall 2023, and the marketing discipline will have a full faculty roster to meet and learn with our students!
Thank you!
Dr. Sean Yim, associate professor of marketing
Marketing discipline lead, Black School of Business
Faculty Spotlight
Dr. Ben Lee
Dr. Ben Lee
Dr. Ben Lee is an assistant professor of marketing at the Black School of Business, Penn State Behrend. He is originally from South Korea and earned his doctorate in marketing from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. His research investigates how firm-level strategic marketing decisions impact firm outcomes and performance, specifically within two distinctive substantive streams: product-market competition, and the intersection of strategic leadership (e.g., Board, CEO, and TMT characteristics) and marketing strategy. His research has appeared in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science and the Academy of Marketing Science Review.
What is your favorite thing about being a professor?
This position always provides me opportunities to learn from other professors and students!
What do you like most about Behrend?
I really like the students and faculty members. Students here are very engaging and fun, making classes very interesting. The faculty members here are very friendly and supportive, too.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I love sports—I oftentimes play sports such as soccer, basketball, golf, tennis, and baseball with my colleagues. You will be able to find me playing basketball at the new Erie Hall or tennis at Behrend’s tennis court!
Any advice for Behrend Students?
There is no such thing as a dumb question. So, ask a lot of questions to anyone—for example, faculty members, friends, etc.
Alumni Spotlight
Jonathan Wolff ’13
Global Events Manager, Lenovo
Jonathan Wolff, '13
What exactly do you do at Lenovo?
I work with global teams to develop process and manage end-to-end the logistics, resources, strategy, and budget of events that may take place in multiple locations and time zones, and work with people from diverse cultures to ensure that events are successful and impactful. Some tasks associated are:
- Manage event logistics, including venue selection, vendor management, travel and accommodation arrangements, and event registration.
- Collaborate with marketing and communications teams to develop event promotion strategies and collateral, and leverage social media and other digital channels to engage attendees.
- Evaluate the success of events, and provide recommendations for improvement based on attendee feedback and performance metrics.
What is one of the most interesting/unique aspects of your job?
The people I work with and the opportunity to plan and execute events on a global scale. This involves working with people from different countries, cultures, and languages, and managing the logistics and coordination of events that may span multiple time zones and locations. I’ve traveled from Singapore to Barcelona, where I was able to catch a football game.
Which Behrend course has helped you the most in your career?
MKTG 445 Global Marketing. With how globally connected we are nowadays, it’s good for students to have an understanding of the cultural, technological, economic, political, and social environments that international businesses and marketers face as they seek to expand products or service offerings.
What was your proudest moment at Behrend?
Meeting my wife. We started dating in college and that’s where I asked her to marry me (at the Lion Shrine, of course). We were in a lot of the same classes and clubs, including LEB and Reality Check, and Behrend will always be special for us.
Student Spotlight
Michaela Florence
Michaela Florence
Michaela Florence is a rising junior Marketing and Business Economics major. She is president of Delta Sigma Pi and treasurer of DARE, and is a Beta Gamma Sigma inductee and a Business Ambassador.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received at Behrend?
Early in my college career, an older friend told me not to let my perfectionism ruin my college experience. I always go back to that advice when I’m feeling a lot of pressure.
What’s been your proudest moment at Behrend?
One of them was being named Behrend’s Outstanding First-Year Student last spring. Another was being elected president of Delta Sigma Pi. My goal at Behrend, other than graduating, is to positively impact this campus. I think both of these moments proved that I’m on the right track.
Why did you choose to major in Marketing?
I chose Marketing because I think I’m equally creative and analytical. Marketing allows me to explore both of those skill sets.
More News
Thank you for keeping up with Penn State Behrend and the Marketing Department! We are thankful for the continued leadership of Dr. Ray Venkataraman, department chair, and Dr. Greg Filbeck, most recently director of the Black School of Business and new interim associate dean for academic affairs, and we are excited for the new leadership of Dr. Ozgun Demirag, interim director of the Black School of Business.
Please visit our website or follow the Black School of Business on LinkedIn for the latest news and updates!