MALVERN, Pa. — In honor of our campus' 60th anniversary, 12 deserving constituents were honored as Penn State Great Valley’s Diamonds of the Decades at our Spring Fling on April 11. This special award was created to recognize and show our appreciation for staff, faculty, alumni, students, and friends who have made a lasting impact and/or achieved considerable success.
Penn State Great Valley congratulates these awardees, who were chosen from among several dozen worthy nominations. The winners are:
Troy Beane, class of 2017
A graduate of Great Valley’s Master of Leadership Development program, Beane served in the United States Air Force and United States Army for 21 years and retired from the Pennsylvania National Guard as a major. In 2022, Beane left his position as a minority owner and chief operating officer of Greencastle Consulting to start his own business, Veteran Executive Leadership, which helps veterans with entrepreneurial aspirations. Beane has dedicated his career to helping other veterans jumpstart their entrepreneurial endeavors.
John Biglin, class of 1995
John Biglin is a public speaker and best-selling author who earned his MBA from Penn State Great Valley. He is the CEO of Interphase Systems, a Magna5 Company. He was also co-founder and CEO of HighPoint Solutions, the founder and CEO of Dynamic Technologies Inc., a senior consultant at IBM, and a senior software engineer at Liberty Techologies Inc.
Madlyn Hanes
Madlyn Hanes served as the vice president for Commonwealth Campuses, chancellor of Penn State Harrisburg, and chief academic officer of both Penn State Great Valley and Penn State Brandywine. She is a member of the Penn State Great Valley’s Giving Society. She also endowed the Michael and Madlyn Hanes Part-Time Graduate Scholarship in 2018.
Joseph Henry
Joseph Henry serves as Penn State Great Valley’s Advisory Board chair and is a member of the Giving Society. He endowed the Joseph P. Henry and Marilyn H. Henry Part-Time Graduate Scholarship Fund in 2018. He also became the namesake of Penn State Great Valley’s Henry Art Gallery in 2013 with making a major gift to expand its facilities, art acquisitions, and programs.
JoAnn Kelly
JoAnn Kelly is director of Enrollment Management and Student Services at Penn State Great Valley. She goes above and beyond for students, staff, faculty and her team. Kelly has spent her entire career supporting Penn State University — and the last 31 years advocating directly for Penn State Great Valley. She began her career as an admissions counselor at University Park in the Recruitment and Alumni Relations office in 1986; joined Penn State Great Valley as a program and enrollment coordinator in 1993; became the associate director of enrollment management and student services in 2012; and then director of that unit in 2018.
Dallas Krapf
Dallas Krapf is a member of Penn State Great Valley’s Advisory Board and the Giving Society. In 1999, he and his wife Di established an endowment for repair and maintenance of the Alumni House, now named for them. He and Di are also presenting sponsors at golf outings; host an annual holiday party at Penn State Great Valley; and named the Knowledge Commons lounge.
Jeffrey Lipson, class of 1997
Lipson graduated from Penn State Great Valley in 1997 with his master’s in information science. He worked as a program manager at Lockheed Martin, served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 32 years, and is now the CEO of Layer 8 Security. An engaged alumnus and donor, Lipson funds an annual scholarship and is a member of the Advisory Board and Giving Society.
Gerald McLaughlin
As Penn State Great Valley’s first development officer, Gerald McLaughlin secured a $3 million gift for campus expansion. As a result, Great Valley was included in Penn State’s "Grand Destiny" Campaign, and the campus went on to achieve and exceed an $8 million goal. In addition to the building that houses the Musser Auditorium, Grand Destiny gifts included the Di & Dallas Krapf Alumni House, the school’s first endowed professorship, and numerous endowed fellowships, scholarships and awards.
Karen Norheim, class of 2007 and 2009
Karen Norheim is president and CEO of American Crane and Equipment Corporation. She earned her MSIS and MBA from Great Valley, and she has served on both the BS Engineering, Multidisciplinary Engineering Design (MDE) IPAC and the Great Valley Advisory Board. In addition to her support of women in manufacturing and STEM programs, she has been a strong supporter of the MDE program. American Crane is a member of the Giving Society.
Daniel Pedriani
A retired president and CEO of AmeriHealth Administrators, Daniel Pedriani is a member of the Giving Society and Advisory Board. He is also a donor who endowed the Daniel J. Pedriani III Memorial Scholarship in 2018 and the Tessa Pedriani Smith Launchbox Endowment in 2021. He also named Great Valley’s Knowledge Commons atrium and the game room.
Kailash Satyamurthy
Kailash Satyamurthy is an assistant professor of engineering whose commitment and leadership on our campus is unwavering. Thanks to his support of Camp Dreamcatcher, an organization that supports children and families infected or affected by HIV/AIDS, it is one of the most impactful community outreach programs our campus has participated in. This endeavor supports these families as they start every school year with new backpacks and school supplies, as well as during the holidays to provide these families with needed resources.
Scott Weikert, class of 2000
Scott Weikert earned his MBA from Penn State Great Valley and is a highly motivated senior executive leader with over 40 years of experience in business development, construction, facilities management, and military operations. Weikert retired from the Navy in 2013 after nearly four decades of service. His military awards include the Legion of Merit (3 awards), Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal (2 awards), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (3 awards), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (2 awards) and numerous other service decorations. Weikert is the founder and president of W2 Advisors LLC.
