UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A pair of accomplished Penn State alumni who have crafted standout careers in advertising and public relations, and a faculty member who has influence generations of students, were honored with awards from the Advertising and Public Relations Alumni Board in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications.
The annual awards were presented during an on-campus awards ceremony and reception March 22.
Those honored were:
Becky Kitlan, Outstanding Alumni in Advertising
Kitlan, a 2007 Penn State graduate, serves as group creative director for GALE. She has built a career in advertising while earning some of the industry’s highest honors. Her work has been recognized with a Gold Lion at Cannes for the Chipotle "Doppelgänger" campaign as well as awards from the One Show, the Effies and Webbies.
This year GALE was recognized as Ad Age’s Business Transformation Agency of the Year and Adweek’s U.S. Media Agency of the Year.
Kitlan has consistently maintained and nurtured relationships with Penn State students and programs. She has been a guest lecturer in advertising classes, spoke at student organization events, previously served in the Ad/PR Alumni Network board and supported the Bellisario College’s annual “Success in the City” internship and job fair as well as the Maymester program in New York City.
Bjorn Trowery, Outstanding Alumni in Public Relations
Trowery, a 2008 Penn State graduate, is head of consumer communications for Yelp. He has also led communications efforts at Meta and Heineken during his career — helping guide brand voice, public perception and global campaigns.
At Meta, he played a key role in the company’s rebrand and helped lead thought leadership for senior executives while supporting initiatives ranging from Meta’s first Super Bowl advertising program to nationwide voter registration efforts and creator programs supporting Black and Latinx voices.
At Heineken, he helped shape global brand storytelling across partnerships with the Olympics, Coachella, UEFA Champions League, Major League Soccer and the "James Bond" franchise.
He is widely recognized as a leader in the communications profession, serving as a PRWeek Global Awards judge, a PR Daily Advisory Board member, and a recipient of multiple PRWeek and SABRE awards for excellence in communications and social media.
A previous Bunton-Waller Scholar as a student at Penn State, he continues to give back as a guest lecturer, mentor, collaborator and adviser — to both students and faculty.
Steve Manuel, Lifetime Achievement Award
Steve Manuel holds two degrees from Penn State, a bachelor’s and a master’s, and as an associate teaching professor he has impacted generations of students at the University.
For three decades, he has brought that real-world experience directly into the classroom, teaching courses in crisis communications, public relations, ethics in photojournalism and more. He has helped students understand both the power and responsibility of communication.
Before joining Penn State, he served as a public affairs officer for the Office of the Secretary of Defense and as a Marine Corps spokesman, helping guide communications for some of the most complex and sensitive issues facing the U.S. military.
Alongside his communications work, Manuel built an impressive career as a photojournalist, earning numerous awards for both photography and writing. His images have appeared in more than 115 publications globally, including USA Today, Sports Illustrated, the New York Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer. He has photographed everything from Penn State athletics to USO tours around the world, documenting moments that connect audiences to the people and stories behind them.