Alumni NEWS
Totzke named 2021 Penn State Alumni Fellow MATTHEW TOTZKE, a 1996 Behrend mathematics graduate, was named a Penn State Alumni Fellow in 2021. The lifelong title of Alumni Fellow is the highest award given by the Penn State Alumni Association. Totzke is the president and chief executive officer of Erie-based Larson Texts and Big Ideas Learning, which produce print and digital mathematics learning products. He maintains a close connection to the college. In 2016, he facilitated creation of a $500,000 Larson Texts Excellence Scholarship at Behrend and helped to establish a program that provides tuition assistance to undergraduate students working at Larson Texts and Big Ideas Learning. The companies also support Behrend’s annual statewide Best Practices in Teaching and Learning Mathematics Conference. “The connection between Penn State Behrend and Larson Texts is strong, and Matt Totzke is the linchpin in that connection,” said Behrend Chancellor Ralph Ford. “He has been with Larson since he was a student, fully committed to its success all that time, and committed as well to his alma mater.”
Alumna Appointed to HSS Post, Earns National Honors DR. ALA STANFORD ‘92, a Philadelphia-based surgeon who began her Penn State studies at Behrend, has been appointed by President Biden to be a regional director of Health and Human Services. She was also honored recently by two national news organizations. Stanford is founder of the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, which has provided more than 100,000 COVID tests and vaccinations since 2020. She will serve as director of Region 3 of the HSS, covering five states, including Pennsylvania, plus the District of Columbia. She is one of three directors to be appointed for “deep expertise in their issue areas as well as critical relationships with federal, state, tribal, and local leaders,” the White House said. Late last year, Stanford was also selected by CNN as one of its Top Ten Heroes for 2021, and earlier this year, USA Today named Stanford one of its Women of the Year for her advocacy and leadership.
JOSEPH MICHAELS, a 2018 Mechanical Engineering graduate, was recently elected to City Council in Warren, Pennsylvania. He’s one of the youngest individuals to serve on the council in the history of the city. KATHERINE DAHLKEMPER, a 2016 Marketing grad-
2021 Alumni Fellow Matthew Totzke, center, with his wife, Rebecca, and Behrend Chancellor Ralph Ford.
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uate and assistant manager at Dahlkemper Jewelry Connection in Erie, was recently chosen as one of the Top 20 Jewelers Under 40 by Jewelers of America, a national industry trade association.
