Kelley Lynch comes forward with far-reaching gift to enhance student success

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Advancing her lifelong commitment to expanding educational opportunities, Penn State Trustee Kelley M. Lynch has stepped forward with a major gift to drive forward student success across the University. Realized through a combination of near-term giving and an estate commitment, her support will play a pivotal role in building mentoring and engagement networks through the Penn State Alumni Association, bolstering co-curricular activities at Penn State Greater Allegheny, expanding opportunities for women within Intercollegiate Athletics and awarding Smeal College of Business undergraduate scholarships to students with financial need in addition to students who participate in a study abroad experience.

“Kelley has made a meaningful impact on countless students through her work as a volunteer and tireless advocate for student success. Her service on the Board of Trustees and her leadership as president of the Alumni Association have already strengthened our University community,” said President Neeli Bendapudi. “Now, with her generous philanthropic support, she is delivering resources that will help students grow and thrive. On behalf of all those who will benefit from her gift, I want to express my sincere gratitude for the inspiring example she has set and the incredible impact she will make.”

Lynch, who served as president of the Penn State Alumni Association from 2021 to 2023 and has served as a member of the Board of Trustees since 2023, has directed her giving to four priorities:

• The Kelley M. Lynch Student-Alumni Engagement and Professional Enrichment Fund at the Penn State Alumni Association will support leadership opportunities within student organizations such as Lion Ambassadors and the Blue & White Society. The new resources will augment professional development events and programming, sustain mentorship networks, enable interactive engagements with industry executives and provide other ways to build bridges to successful careers.
• The Kelley M. Lynch Student Experience Fund at Penn State Greater Allegheny will enrich programmatic support for student organizations such as Lion Ambassadors, the Blue & White Society, athletics programs and study abroad options.
• The Kelley M. Lynch Teammates for Life Fund in Intercollegiate Athletics will strengthen an initiative, launched in 2023, that is dedicated to elevating female student-athletes.
• The Smeal College of Business will split resources evenly into two new endowments. The Kelley M. Lynch Student Success Scholarship will award annual scholarships to Smeal undergraduates with financial need, helping to ease their paths to graduation. The Kelley M. Lynch Study Abroad Scholarship will channel resources to Smeal students who participate in a study abroad experience, with the goal of removing financial barriers to transformative learning beyond the United States.

These endowments build on Lynch’s existing philanthropic legacy, which includes the Kelley M. Lynch Endowment for Alumni Association President Impact for the Penn State Alumni Association and the Catherine Dugan Lynch Open Doors Scholarship at Penn State Greater Allegheny.

“I feel so grateful to have had an amazing Penn State experience that empowered me to flourish professionally and lead a rewarding life,” Lynch said. “My goal with this gift was to pay forward the extraordinary opportunities I was given by expanding paths to student success and creating opportunities for leadership and self-discovery. In doing so, I hope other volunteer leaders may also feel inspired to consider how they can support students through philanthropy.”

Jay E. Davenport, vice president for development and alumni relations, thanked Lynch for her support, saying, “As a member of the Board of Trustees and a longtime volunteer within the Penn State community, Kelley is deeply committed to ensuring that the world-class education we offer is available to students from all economic backgrounds and that the University’s opportunities can be accessed by everyone who enrolls. Her gift is a meaningful example of how leaders can make a profound difference and inspire others to do the same.”

Lynch, who was among the second generation in her family to go to college, attended Penn State, where she was a Lion Ambassador, a two-time THON dancer, a member and treasurer of the sorority Alpha Omicron Pi, a member of University Choir and a member of the 1986 Homecoming Court. She graduated in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in finance and went on to earn an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University in 1994.

She leveraged her Penn State education to launch her career at the paint and coating manufacturer PPG Industries and rose through the ranks of the manufacturing, pharmaceutical and engineering industries to become an executive leader in roles related to finance, accounting, human resources and business management. Today, she serves as the chief financial officer for sovaSage, a healthcare technology company.

Lynch said she credits her paternal grandmother, Catherine Dugan, with teaching her resilience and an enthusiasm for learning.

“My grandmother was born into a meager life on Achill Island of County Mayo off the west coast of Ireland and was orphaned as a child,” Lynch said. “In her teens, she literally dug potatoes to stave off hunger and poverty. And when she emigrated in search of a new life, first to Scotland and then to the United States, she found a beautiful marriage with my grandfather, but she was widowed young and devoted much of her time to caring for her three children, including a son with disabilities.”

Still, Lynch said, her grandmother, who lived to the age of 97, never saw her life as tragic.

“Even though she only had a third-grade education, and for a time was a seamstress who sewed pockets into suit vests, she just had an incredible curiosity about the world and a zest for life,” said Lynch. “My hope is that this gift can help young people like my grandmother who love learning but would struggle to afford a college education.”

Lynch’s service and volunteerism have benefited numerous community and church organizations in Pittsburgh, including the Center for Victims, Leadership Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business and the finance council of her church. She credits her parents, Mike and Joan Lynch, with setting an example of service to community that inspired her commitments, and she said she hopes to do the same in turn for her seven nieces and nephews.

“As an alumna herself, Kelley understands the Penn State experience extends beyond the classroom to provide enriching opportunities for professional and personal growth through avenues like industry-specific mentoring and study abroad experiences,” said Ryan Jones, interim leader of the Alumni Association. “Her gift will grow these opportunities and make them available to more students, so that every Penn Stater can find their passion and build the experience to excel at it.”

Donors like Lynch advance the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students to join the Penn State family and prepare for lifelong success; driving research, outreach and economic development that grow our shared strength and readiness for the future; and increasing the University’s impact for families, patients and communities across the commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting raise.psu.edu.