Penn State Penn State: College of the Liberal Arts

2019 Spring Career Workshop and BOV Banquet

2019 Spring Career Workshop and BOV Banquet

This year’s 2019 Spring Career Workshop and Board of Visitors Banquet took place on Thursday, April 25, 2019. Sixteen Political Science alumni and approximately fifty students participated in the workshop. Students had one on one meetings with the alumni where they were able to share their resumes and discuss future employment goals and opportunities. The alumni offered feedback and advice on the students’ resumes to help the students progress so that they can reach their future goals. The workshop was held at the Bank of America building from 1:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. Following the Career Workshop was the Board of Visitors Banquet which was held at the Nittany Lion Inn from 5:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M.  where approximately one hundred participants attended. During the banquet, twenty-eight undergraduate students and thirteen graduate students were recognized for winning awards and scholarships, four undergraduate students presented posters, and Susan Welch, Dean of the College of the Liberal Arts honored three alumni with the Outstanding Political Science Alumni Awards:

Bob F. Buckhorn Jr.– ’85 political science, was elected mayor of Tampa, Florida, after serving two terms on the Tampa City Council. Since becoming mayor, Bob has gained citywide recognition for his leadership, initiative, and progressive policies. He has annually balanced the budget, made strategic investments in infrastructure, and dramatically increased the city’s credit rating. Tampa has seen a 40 percent drop in its crime rate during Bob’s tenure as mayor. He has received a number of awards for his achievements and dedication to the community.

Brian C. Blase- ’03 political science and mathematics, is the special assistant to the president for economic policy. He previously worked as a Senior Research Fellow with the Spending and Budget Initiative at George Mason University, where he researched the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid, writing regular studies and commentaries. From 2011-2015, Brian worked as a senior healthcare staffer on Capitol Hill for both the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Senate Republican Policy Committee. He received his Ph.D. in economics from George Mason University in 2013, with a dissertation on the Medicaid program. 

Deborah A. Miller- ’85 political science, earned her juris doctorate at George Washington University Law School. In 2002, she joined the U.S. Department of State as a foreign service officer, serving as vice consul to the U.S. Consulate General in St. Petersburg, Russia. Since then, Deb has served as the human rights officer at the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia; as consul for the U.S. Consulate in Kolkata, India; as chief of the political and economic section of the U.S. Embassy in Riga, Latvia; and as consul general at the U.S. Embassy in Astana, Kazakhstan. She is currently in training to prepare for her next assignment to Erbil, Iraq. She also served as senior political officer in the Office of Russian Affairs at the State Department in Washington, DC. Before joining the Foreign Service in 2002, Deb worked in the legal publishing division of Thomson Reuters and as an attorney in private practice. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Deb speaks fluently in Russian, Latvian, and German. 

We thank everyone who participated in this event and made it a huge success.