The School of Public Policy’s leadership series spotlighting professionals with careers in public policy will feature family and social policy expert Larry Makowski Seamans on Wednesday, December 7 at 11:30 a.m. EST.

Seamans has a thirty-five-year career centered on public policy, housing, and child poverty. He is president of FamilyAid, a Boston-based organization identified by Jeffrey Bezos’ Day 1 Families Fund in 2019 as one of twenty-eight leading nonprofits moving the needle on family homelessness. Larry has been a longtime advocate for two-generation strategies to reduce poverty. He recently worked on federal and state legislation to enhance children’s behavioral health and, during the pandemic, served as an adviser to the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness and the National Council of Large Public Housing Agencies. He serves on state and citywide blue-ribbon commissions to improve Medicaid services and supportive housing for children in Massachusetts. Previously, Larry held management positions with Procter & Gamble and Viacom and executive positions with Big Brothers Big Sisters and YWCA. He also has a master of science degree from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. The recipient of the 2020 Liberal Arts Alumni Service to Society Award, Larry and his husband, Brad, have established an educational equity scholarship in the college.

He will join the “Policy Profiles” series to discuss her experience and take questions from attendees.

Join us for one of our upcoming webinar sessions about Penn State’s Master of Public Policy degree program. Our director of graduate studies and current MPP students will discuss the Master of Public Policy (MPP) program, curriculum, degree requirements, career options and earnings for grads, the application process, opportunities for undergraduates, life at Penn State, and more! They’ll also take YOUR questions.

Join us for one of our upcoming webinar sessions about Penn State’s Master of Public Policy degree program. Our director of graduate studies and current MPP students will discuss the Master of Public Policy (MPP) program, curriculum, degree requirements, career options and earnings for grads, the application process, opportunities for undergraduates, life at Penn State, and more! They’ll also take YOUR questions.

The School of Public Policy’s leadership series spotlighting professionals with careers in public policy will feature education policy expert Shelley Clark Nickel on Wednesday, November 9 at 11:30 a.m. EST.

Nickel is a strategic policy adviser leading state higher education systems and institutions to plan and execute complex initiatives, including consolidations and enterprise-wide solutions. Her experience was primarily gained in Georgia, both in state government and as an executive in the University System of Georgia, which now includes the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Her focus remains on providing students a pathway for the successful completion of their higher education goals.

Nickel attributes much of her professional success to her educational experience at Penn State. She holds both a master of public administration degree and a bachelor of science degree in Community Development from Penn State. 

She will join the “Policy Profiles” series to discuss her experience and take questions from attendees.

Join us for the Government and Public Sector: Crime, Law, and Policy Career Expo on Tuesday, October 4, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Heritage Hall at the HUB-Robeson Center. Students may network with federal, state, and local agencies for internships, jobs, and career information.

CJRC FA22 Fall Career Expo Crime, Law, Policy, Government and Public Sector (1)

The School of Public Policy’s leadership series spotlighting professionals with careers in public policy will feature financial services director and adviser Terry Schwakopf on Wednesday, October 12 at 11:30 a.m. EDT.

Schwakopf currently serves as an independent senior adviser for Deloitte focusing on regulatory, risk management, and governance. In that role, she advises financial institutions, investors, and trade associations on regulatory requirements, risk management, governance, and strategic issues.

Before working with Deloitte, she was the executive vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, with overall responsibility for banking supervision. During her twenty years with the Federal Reserve, Schwakopf oversaw community affairs, public information, the corporate secretary’s function, communicating arts, and banking supervision. She was a member of the Executive Committee and the Strategic Planning Committee and chaired the Risk Management Committee. As head of banking supervision, she oversaw all bank holding companies, state member banks, and foreign banking operations in the nine states comprising the San Francisco District with a staff of 300. Before the Federal Reserve, Schwakopf held various positions in commercial banking and savings and loan industries, including finance, loan workout, and internal audit.

Schwakopf serves on the Banner Bank and Banner Corporation board, where she chairs the Risk Committee and is a member of the Nominating and Governance Committee. She is on the advisory boards of Blockchain Capital, a venture capital fund; Blockchain Coinvestors, a fund of funds; and Liquineq, a blockchain-based funds transfer platform. She formerly served on the boards of Bridge Bank and Bridge Capital Holdings (Audit and Risk Committees), Nara Bank in Los Angeles, and Rabobank NA (Audit and Risk Committees). She was a member of the accreditation cadre for the Conference of State Bank Supervisors and a board observer for Solar Mosaic, a crowdfunding site for solar. She was on the Audit Committee of United Way of the Bay Area as a director for nine years, involved in numerous nonprofit organizations, including Go Red for Women of the American Heart Association, the Development Committee for the Bay Area Red Cross, and the International Women’s Forum. In 2019, Schwakopf was named one of Women, Inc. Magazine’s Most Influential Corporate Directors.

Schwakopf graduated from Penn State (B.A.) and California State University (MBA). She resides in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Park City, Utah.

She will join the “Policy Profiles” series to discuss her experience in governance, regulatory and risk management. She’ll also take questions from attendees.