FUNDRAISING VOLUNTEERS OF THE YEAR The award recognizes an individual, couple, or group who has served as fundraising volunteers, teachers, or mentors while demonstrating exceptional commitment and leadership in building philanthropic support for The Pennsylvania State University. 2021 marks the first year that the University is celebrating honorees who represent both University Park and the Commonwealth campuses.
KARLA TROTMAN
SAM BERNSTINE
Even as Karla Trotman leads her family electronics manufacturing business as president and CEO of Electro Soft, Inc., she has devoted her own time and resources to her alma maters. At Penn State, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in business logistics, she is currently a member of the University’s Volunteer Engagement Committee. Previously, Trotman was a member of the Black Alumni Reunion Weekend Committee and was active with the Smeal Alumni Society Board. At Drexel University, where she completed an MBA, she is a member of the Board of Governors and previously served as the Executive MBA Alumni Board President. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she has helped Penn State to remain actively engaged with its fundraising volunteers through her leadership in virtual discussions of race and equity, support of student veterans (her own father attended the University through the G.I. Bill), and other critical topics. She also stepped forward during the University’s now-concluded Educational Equity Matching Program to create a scholarship in the Smeal College of Business for students with financial need who contribute to the diversity of the institution. Within the college, Trotman facilitates a series of “Diversity Entrepreneurship Talks” with the mission of inspiring students from underrepresented communities to consider entrepreneurship in their future, and she was instrumental in the formation of Smeal’s Minority-Owned Business Network. Through both her service and her philanthropy, Karla is setting the standard for a new generation of Penn Staters who believe that they have both the power and the responsibility to advocate for a truly inclusive institution.
Sam Bernstine knows firsthand how important the Commonwealth campuses are in launching successful academic careers and professional lives for so many students, and he has been tireless in his efforts, since his time at Penn State Shenango in the 1970s, to ensure that future generations continue to benefit from the same experience he found at the campus. He has also served with distinction at the University-wide level for many years, and both Penn State Shenango and the College of Health and Human Development are proud to claim him as a former student and current volunteer leader. He began his degree at the campus through the 2+2 option and completed it at University Park. Bernstine has used his Penn State education as the foundation for a career in management consulting, and he currently specializes in operational excellence as a practice leader at Kepner-Tregoe. Despite the demands of this work, he is an active member and previous chair of the Penn State Shenango Advisory Board; the University Park Renaissance Scholarship Board; and the College of Health & Human Development Alumni Society Board. He has also held leadership roles in (and remains an active member of) the Lawrence County chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association (PSAA) and Shenango Alumni Society. With his wife, Pam, he has led Penn State’s fundraising efforts by example with support for several scholarships at Penn State Shenango. His family joined him in supporting the Sam, Pam, Aaron, Ilia, and Dierks Bernstine Open Doors Scholarship, and he has inspired his fellow alumni, advisory board members, and others to contribute to scholarships and other funds. Bernstine believes that those who are grateful for what Penn State has given to them must step up and give back, so the University can continue offering amazing opportunities at all of our campuses.
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