Lifetime Achievement
Dr. Alain E. Hunter '73 '74 attended Penn State DuBois in 1949 when it was known as the DuBois Undergraduate Center. Alain took a few years off during his undergraduate career to serve his country in the US Army for twenty plus years as a commissioned officer in combat and combat support units in North and Southeast Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Upon returning to Penn State, he earned his baccalaureate degree in Vocational Industrial Education in 1973 and his M. Ed. in Counselor Education in 1974. He continued his education at the University of Illinois where he earned his doctorate in 1980. He has served the past eight years on the senior staff of the Secretary of the Air Force (Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization) as a program manager and education specialist in higher education and as the Assistant Director for Small Business Training and Development. Prior to his current position, Dr. Hunter served six years as a senior manager in military occupational research and personnel classification at the Bureau of Naval Personnel (Occupational Development and Analysis Center); nine years in academic research, teaching, and service in training and development and vocational special education at George Washington University and the University of Maryland; three and a half years as an Education Fellow at the University of Illinois; and three and half years as a secondary education counselor and vocational teacher. He has a long history of service to Penn State. He has been a member, committee chair, vice-president and president of the College of Education’s Alumni Society. He is a member of the Nittany Lion Club and active in the Metro Washington Alumni Chapter. He was elected to Alumni Council in 2002, and served as the commencement speaker for Penn State DuBois in May of 2003.
Outstanding Alumni
Lois A. Richards '89 graduated from Penn State in 1989 magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary and Kindergarten education. Her first post-college position was as a long-term substitute at Jeff Tech. She then moved on to the Clearfield County Vo-Tech (now Clfd. Co. Career & Technology Center) as a full-time instructor in Adult Business. While working full-time she began her continuing education credits and earned her Co-op Certification. She worked hard to complete her graduate degree in time to walk across the stage at Penn State DuBois in 2002 with her Masters of Arts in Workforce Education and Development at the same time that her daughter was receiving her MBA. Early in 2004, she was promoted to the position of Executive Director of the CCCTC. On top of her busy work schedule, she still finds time to volunteer. She has served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Penn State DuBois Alumni Society, she is active in her church where she participates each Christmas in their annual pageant that draws people from all over the state, and she volunteers for the General Federation of Women’s Clubs to name but a few of her many activities.
Outstanding Young Alumni
Jana L. Sharlow '00 graduated from Penn State DuBois in 2000 with a degree in business. After graduation, Jana attended Pitt in pursuit of her MBA which she received in 2003. While attending school both full and part time, she worked for Eat’n Park restaurants working her way through the ranks, from Assistant Manager to her current position as the Field Director of Leadership Development. Jana is also active in her community. She leads by example and encourages volunteerism in the restaurants for both hourly and salary employees. From 2002-2004, she has received the Outstanding Volunteer Award presented by the Eat’n Park Hospitality Group in Pittsburgh. She has participated in the United Way Day of Caring, where she served as co-chair in 2002 for Eat’n Park and is a leadership giver. She supports the Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital, chairing the event for her region at Eat’n Park. She also volunteers for the Great Race and the JA bowl-a-thon in DuBois on an annual basis.
Distinguished Ambassadors
Senator Joseph B. Scarnati III '82 (Joe) received his Associate’s Degree in Business Administration from Penn State DuBois in 1982. He was a third-generation business owner in Brockway and carried on the long family tradition of working to better his community through involvement and civic leadership. He began his career in public service with his election to the Brockway Borough Council in 1986 where he served for eight years. Since being elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate in 2000, Joe has used his background in economic development and local government to ensure that we have a better quality of life in our rural area. He currently serves as Chairman of the Senate Labor and Industry Committee, where he works daily to balance the needs of our businesses with the desires of our employees. Scarnati is also a member of the Senate Appropriations, Law & Justice, Banking & Insurance, and the Public Health & Welfare Committees.
Mr. Dan A. Surra '73 entered the teaching profession where he taught for a number of years at the DuBois Area High School. He is the founder of the Pennsylvania Environmental Network, a grassroots network that he organized to fight a landfill coming to the area. He then used the political profile he created to run for and win the election to become a State Representative for Clearfield and Elk counties where he has served since 1991. He serves on the following committees: Education, Environmental Resources & Energy (Subcommittee Chairman on Mining), Game & Fisheries, and Labor Relations. Dan returns to campus each year to speak to students in the Wildlife program about the importance of registering to vote (and then actually doing it), how a bill becomes a law in PA and any new policy coming down the pike that relates to the Game Commission.