BING-GLOW! From campus tours to an ice cream social to a rousing round of glow-in-the-dark bingo, it was nothing but good times for the alumni, family, and friends who gathered at University Park in June for We Are Weekend 2026.

Engaged and Ready

New Alumni Association CEO Reggie Bustinza sees individual connection at the heart of a bigger and better Penn State alumni network. 

Twenty years deep into a career in alumni relations, Reggie Bustinza of course knew about the Penn State Alumni Association—the largest dues-paying alumni association in the country and a benchmark for world-class alumni engagement. But it wasn’t until he began researching the association’s open CEO position that Bustinza’s eyes were truly opened to the ubiquitous nature of Penn State pride. 

“When I decided I was going to pursue this opportunity, I started meeting Penn Staters and seeing Penn State stuff everywhere. I’d see it at the gym, I’d see license plate frames, I noticed Penn State gear in airports. And that meant a lot to me, because it told me there was deep passion for this institution,” says Bustinza, who began his dual role as associate vice president for alumni relations and chief executive officer of the Penn State Alumni Association in early July. “People are proud to be Penn Staters. And I was tremendously impressed with what was happening here.”

Bustinza came to Penn State from the Northern Illinois University Foundation, where he served as executive director of annual giving and alumni relations. His 20 years of experience in the field includes leadership across public and private institutions, management of alumni engagement, volunteer board and donor relations, data services and systems, prospect research, IT, and communications. His reputation in the industry is clear: He was recently elected by his peers to serve as vice president and president-elect of the Council of Alumni Association Executives (CAAE); his term will start in September 2027.

Here at Penn State, Bustinza is focused on increasing the Alumni Association’s membership—a lofty goal for an organization that is already the world’s largest. “Tip O’Neill famously said, ‘All politics is local.’ And I would say that all alumni relations is personal,” he says. “It all boils down to a population of one—the individual—and how does that individual feel about their relationship with their alma mater? Our job is to scale that and try to build that up among 800,000 individuals. My ultimate goal would be for every single Penn Stater to be connected—to each other and to the institution—in a way that is meaningful and personal to them. That’s what we’re going to be working towards.”

Born and raised in Peoria, Illinois, Bustinza says central Pennsylvania already feels like home given his Midwestern working-class upbringing. “Penn Staters are kind, they’re welcoming, but they’re also hardworking, industrious, and collaborative,” he says. “And that has come through loud and clear.”

Save the Date

Oct. 2–4: BAR 2026

Black Alumni Reunion gives alumni an opportunity to reconnect with old friends and make new ones while helping current students cultivate a greater sense of belonging at Dear Old State. Follow coverage of the annual weekend—this year’s theme is “Welcome Home: A Family Affair”—via @allthingspsubar on Instagram and the Penn State Black Alumni Reunion Facebook page.

Oct. 9 Roar Tour: Pregame at Hintz

The Roar Tour comes home to Hintz the night before the Nittany Lions take on USC, with a pep rally featuring local spirits from the Central PA Tasting Trail, local food vendors, live music and family-friendly games, and appearances by the Nittany Lion and Penn State cheerleaders. Register at alumni.psu.edu/roartours

From the Archives

Collegial Collage

Larry Krezo ’67 A&A created this kaleidoscope of Penn State football snaps for the 1974 Maryland game issue of the Beaver Stadium Pictorial. It was a matchup of top-15 teams in which defensive back Jeff Hite ’77 Lib scored two of his team’s three touchdowns as the Nittany Lions prevailed, 24-17. The Penn Stater recycled the collage for our January/February 1975 cover. 

Chapters & Groups

MYRTLE BEACH CHAPTER
The Myrtle Beach Chapter’s 10th annual “Fore the Kids” golf tournament was held in June and attended by 143 golfers and 22 volunteers. Competition categories included three top teams, men’s and women’s closest to the pin, and men’s and women’s straightest drive. Monies raised from the tournament help support THON, as well as local Myrtle Beach children’s charities Fostering Hope, Backpack Buddies, Jason’s House, and Toys for Tots. The chapter also presented a $500 scholarship to Jenna Zamrik, a local student from North Myrtle Beach High School who is attending University Park this fall.

COLLEGIAN AIG
Former Daily Collegian writers, editors, and photographers from the late 1960s and early 1970s met in State College in mid-July for a reunion that included talks by former Collegian general manager Gerry Hamilton ’67 Com and retired journalism professor R. Thomas Berner ’71 Lib, ’74 MA Com. The group honored colleagues who have died, looked through bound issues from the student newspaper’s history, and toured the current Collegian office in the Donald P. Bellisario Media Center in Willard Building.

NASHVILLE CHAPTER
The Nashville Chapter held its annual Student Sendoff event in early July at Live Oak Nashville, the chapter’s new home for Penn State watch parties. Members presented the chapter’s annual scholarship to local Penn Stater Zuleyka Fuentes Diaz, a second-year engineering major who is involved in Air Force ROTC and the Engineering Ambassadors Program.

Volunteer Spotlight 

Kate Wiltsie, Connecticut Valley Chapter

Helping her daughter through the college selection process reminded Kate Wiltsie ’94 Lib how much she had loved her own college experience. So it was serendipitous when an encounter with a Penn State parent brought Wiltsie back to her alma mater via the Connecticut Valley Chapter, where she has served on the board since 2016, including six years as the chapter’s president. 

The chapter is known for its Home for the Holidays Break Bus, which brings hundreds of Penn Staters home to New England for breaks via chartered Fullington buses. The endeavor doubles as a chapter fundraiser, raising $10,000 to $12,000 annually for scholarships.

As president, Wiltsie started a Freshman Mentoring Program that paired local alumni with first-year students to send care packages or encouraging notes during their first semester. “It’s just this little thread from home to Penn State to help ease the transition to college,” she says. 

Support PSAA

ELMS COLLECTION MAKES GREAT GIFTS 
Items from the Penn State Elms Collection make unique and meaningful gifts for any Penn Stater on your holiday shopping list. When you purchase an heirloom-quality item from the collection, a portion is donated toward planting trees at University Park. So, not only are you giving a second life to the majestic elms that once stood on campus, but you’re helping to ensure that future Penn Staters can make memories on a campus that’s as picturesque as it was in your day. Visit pennstateelmscollection.com to purchase your piece of Penn State history.

LEAVE YOUR MARK ON CAMPUS
Since the fall of 2021, almost 1,700 Penn State alumni and loved ones have added their names and messages of pride to the Alumni Plaza outside the Hintz Family Alumni Center. Proceeds from the pavers, available in three sizes, fund the Alumni Association’s student groups—Blue & White Society and Lion Ambassadors—and support FastStart, a mentoring program for first-year students. Adding your personal paver to the Alumni Plaza is a great way to commemorate your time at Dear Old State and pay it forward to the next generation of Nittany Lions. alumni.psu.edu/alumniplaza

Alumni Fellows Announced

Fifteen impressive alumni have been selected as recipients of the 2026 Alumni Fellow Award, the most prestigious award given by the Alumni Association. This year’s winners are:

• Joseph Atkinson ’92 Bus, global chief AI officer for PwC  
• Jason A. Borrelli ’94 Eng, ’06 MBA GPS GrtVly, managing director of EQT Real Estate 
• Jonathan U. Dougherty ’99, ’06 PHD Eng, vice president of Strategic Initiatives for Providence Engineering 
• Lori Feathers ’90 Lib Hon, co-owner and book buyer of Interabang Books
• Linda R. Frank ’82 Nur, professor of public health, medicine, and nursing at the University of Pittsburgh, School of Public Health, Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology
• Jennifer L. Homendy ’94 Hbg, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board
• Ehsan Hoque ’04 Behrend, professor of computer science at the University of Rochester
• Anju Jain ’96 H&HD, global human resources executive and entrepreneur
• Basel S. Kayyali ’96 Eng Hon, senior partner, global co-leader of Tech and AI Practice for McKinsey & Company
• Michael Marcus ’67 Bus, chairman of Echo Lake Entertainment
• John M. Mason ’70a Eng, ’72 Hbg, senior principal engineer for Kittelson & Associates Inc.
• Anthony F. Misitano ’77 H&HD, ’81 MBA Lib, founder, chairman, and CEO of PAM Health
• Casey A. Moore ’89 Eng, EVP and national market sector leader, Transportation, Bowman Consulting
• Khalid N. Mumin ’01 MED Hbg, superintendent of Reading School District
• William J. Weiss, ’85 Eng, ’88 MS, ’95 PHD IDF, C. McCollister Evarts Professor in artificial organs, professor of surgery and biomedical engineering, and chief of the Division of Applied Biomedical Engineering in the Department of Surgery, Penn State College of Medicine

The 2026 Alumni Fellows will be celebrated at an event on Sept. 23 at University Park. Since 1973, the Alumni Fellow Award has been given to select alumni who, as leaders in their professional fields, are nominated by an academic college and accept an invitation from the president of the university to return to campus to share their expertise with students, faculty, and administrators.  —Penn State Alumni Association