Ned Brokloff
- Defense Research Liaison and Professor of Practice, Penn State College of Engineering
A 1982 graduate of Penn State’s College of Engineering, Ned Brokloff holds a graduate degree in physics from the Johns Hopkins University. He worked at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory for 36 years. His career focused on connecting researchers with engineers to translate science from theory to practice for the U.S. Department of Defense.
In 2019, he returned to Penn State as the defense-related research liaison for the College of Engineering and the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL). He reports dually to the Dean of the College of Engineering, and the Director of ARL. His main objective is to match the capabilities in Engineering with opportunities across laboratories and agencies that support federal government research, specifically for defense.
Ned has been deeply involved with the Penn State community for more than a decade. He is a member of the Penn State Alumni Association and the Penn State Engineering Alumni Society. He serves on the Penn State Annual Giving Advisory Council, College of Engineering Development Council, and as co-chair of the Student Affairs/Undergraduate Education Development Council. He is also a passionate donor and mentor for the students producing THON, the student-run philanthropic 46-hour dance marathon that raises awareness and millions of dollars to benefit those affected by childhood cancer.
In 2019, Ned received the Kay and Ernie Salvino Volunteer Year of the Award from the Penn State Alumni Association.
Levon T. Esters, Ph.D.
- Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion and Faculty Affairs, Purdue Polytechnic Institute
Levon T. Esters is Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Faculty Affairs at Purdue University’s Polytechnic Institute. He also serves as professor in the Department of Youth Development and Agricultural Education at Purdue University. He is the Director of the Mentoring@Purdue (M@P) program which is designed to increase the number of women and URMs receiving advanced post-secondary STEM-based agricultural and life sciences degrees in Purdue University’s College of Agriculture.
Dr. Esters is a nationally recognized scholar on equity and diversity within the STEM-based agricultural and life sciences disciplines. His research focuses broadly on issues of educational equity and access of underrepresented minorities with a concentration on the mentoring of graduate students of color; STEM career development of racial and ethnic minorities attending Historically Black Land-Grant Colleges and Universities; and educational and professional mobility of graduate students and faculty of color. Dr. Esters is among a few African-American scholars in the United States who conducts research in these two areas, and has been able to serve as a national role model for other African American graduate students who are committed to broadening participation of URMs in the Ag+STEM disciplines.
Hannah Furnas, Ph.D.
- Research Manager @ Chime
- Research Manager @ Facebook 2017-21
Hannah is a Research Manager on the Growth Research team at Chime, a fintech startup in San Francisco. Trained as a survey scientist and quantitative sociologist and demographer, she brings a social science lens to complex industry research questions. Prior to Chime, Hannah spent four years at Facebook where she led the Ground Truth Measurement team in developing machine learning ground truth best practices. She’s passionate about connecting academic researchers to opportunities in industry.
Nancy Merritt, Ph.D.
- Senior Policy Advisor, U.S. Department of Justice
Nancy Merritt is Senior Policy Advisor with the National Institute of Justice. In this capacity she oversees research efforts in both the social and technical sciences; coordinates outreach; and leads agency policy and planning teams. She has held research positions with the RAND Corporation; Virginia and Pennsylvania Sentencing Guidelines Commissions; and the Virginia and Ohio Departments of Corrections. Dr. Merritt has designed and managed a wide variety of criminal justice research studies and aided in the analysis and modification of criminal justice policy in several states. Dr. Merritt, a former faculty member with the California State University Los Angeles, received her PhD from Rutgers University and her MS and BS from the Pennsylvania State University.
Matt Stein
- Program Coordinator, Penn State Career Services
Matt Stein is the Program Coordinator at Penn State Career Services and is focused on supporting students in their career development. He is passionate about leading and learning and ensuring that students have the necessary resources and skills to be the best version of themselves. Matt graduated from Penn State University in the College of Education and taught for 18 years and spent 3 years building a training and development program in industry before making his way back to his alma mater. Matt holds a master’s degree in social sciences from Ohio University and a Master of Educational Leadership and Administration from The Ohio State University. Matt believes that everything in life is an opportunity; embrace it. He supports his wellness by spending a lot of time in the outdoors and reading.