Another Schuylkill County native, Nicholas J. Stanziola, 31, of Harrisburg, has announced he is seeking a seat on the Penn State board of trustees this spring.
Stanziola, a Frackville native, graduated from the University Park campus in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering.
While attending Penn State from 1998 to 2002, he participated in intramural sports and served three terms as president of Beaver Hall's Engineering and Applied Science Interest House.
He noted he's also a life member of the Penn State Alumni Association, a member of the Nittany Lion Club and a football season ticket holder.
Stanziola graduated from Cardinal Brennan High School in 1998, and is the son of Frackville residents Robert and Virginia Stanziola.
A senior systems engineer for Motorola Solutions Inc., he oversees development of state-of-the-art public safety radio communications systems and 911 dispatch centers, and is a licensed professional engineer in both Pennsylvania and Maryland.
He said that he chose to seek a nomination to the board because he hopes to "contribute sound judgment and a sense of responsibility for the success of all Penn State students, employees and alumni," according to a prepared statement.
Saddened by the recent events surrounding the Penn State community, he felt compelled to play an active role in guiding the university throughout the coming years.
Stanziola joins four other alumni from the county who are trying for one of the three alumni seats opening this year on the board of trustees: John J. Mika, Tower City, a 1985 graduate in secondary education; Andrew Tellep, Mar Lin, a 1974 graduate in math education; Kyle Heffner, Pottsville, a 2008 graduate in agribusiness management; and Terry F. Rakowsky, Doylestown, a 1982 pre-med graduate.
There are nine alumni seats on the board. Three are elected to the board each year, and they each serve three-year terms.
Nominating ballots are sent to all Penn State alumni who have, within two years before March 1, been either active members of the Penn State Alumni Association or contributors to the Penn State Fund. All other alumni must make a request in writing for a ballot by sending an email to BOT@psu.edu and provide their name, year of graduation, college/major and email and home addresses.
Qualified alumni who receive 50 or more nominating votes, and who accept the nomination in writing, have their names placed on an election ballot that is sent to the alumni about April 10.
During spring commencement week, the ballots are tabulated in the presence of two trustee tellers and the three candidates receiving the highest number of votes are declared the winners.