Weitzel and Furnisses named 2026 Fundraising Volunteers of the Year

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State has named James “Jay” M. Weitzel, a committed supporter of Penn State Greater Allegheny and current co-chair of the campus’ campaign committee, and John and Mary Furniss, longtime volunteers for the Eberly College of Science, as the 2026 Fundraising Volunteers of the Year.

The awards, which recognize individuals, couples or groups who demonstrate exceptional commitment and leadership in building philanthropic support for the University, will be presented at two ceremonies this fall. The dual selection reflects Penn State’s commitment to honoring volunteerism at both University Park and the Commonwealth Campuses.

“Jay, John and Mary have shown remarkable commitment to the University as they have galvanized support from our alumni and friends,” said Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi. “Their leadership as volunteers has expanded the availability of scholarships, bolstered our programming and infrastructure and positioned Penn State to innovate solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems. It is my great pleasure to recognize them as the Fundraising Volunteers of the Year and to express my sincere gratitude for their exceptional dedication and service to Penn State.”

Jay E. Davenport, vice president for development and alumni relations, echoed the President’s remarks, saying, “It is a great privilege to celebrate Jay, John and Mary, whose tireless advocacy has energized countless supporters and broadened the reach of our engagement efforts. We are a stronger University today because of their exemplary influence and because they have inspired so many to follow in their footsteps.”

Jay Weitzel

Jay Weitzel said he credits his mother and father, who held leadership roles with the Boy and Girl Scouts, their family’s church, and other community organizations, with instilling in him a love for volunteerism, which Weitzel has carried forward in his efforts to build a culture of philanthropy at Penn State.

“Jay has a talent for inspiring others to rally their generosity behind a shared mission,” said Megan L. Nagel, regional chancellor of Penn State Greater Allegheny. “Jay has a deep understanding of our campus within the broader context of the University and can anticipate the resources and support our students will need to succeed and adapt to a changing future. The number of Penn State Greater Allegheny students who have been impacted in one way or another by the downstream effects of Jay’s influence and volunteerism is remarkable.”

Weitzel attended Penn State Greater Allegheny from 1970 to 1972. While there, he co-founded the campus radio station, which operated for nearly 50 years. With philanthropic support from Weitzel, the new radio station was installed in 2003 when the Student Community Center was opened, and it is now being converted into a multi-media recording studio. After completing his degree in political science at University Park in 1974, Weitzel became a contract specialist in the Department of Defense between 1978 and 1986. He earned his juris doctorate from the Catholic University of America in 1986 and spent 12 years as an associate attorney for the global law firm Fried Frank before finishing out his career with a 20-year stint as division counsel at Northrop Grumman, an aerospace and defense technology company. He retired in 2018.

“What motivates me is the belief that everyone has a part to play in making Penn State the best it can be,” said Weitzel. “Anyone can lend a hand as a volunteer, donate their time or make a gift at the grassroots level. And then when you add up all these ways of contributing, you end up with a powerful wave of support that drives down costs for students and their families.”

Weitzel has also supported the University through his own philanthropy. He and his wife, Kimberly Rogan Weitzel, have established the Jay and Kim Weitzel Trustee Scholarship at Penn State Greater Allegheny, which is targeted to students with financial need from western Pennsylvania. The couple were also recognized as members of the Atherton Society after formalizing plans to grow this fund when their estate plans are realized. Alongside their giving priorities at Penn State Allegheny, the Weitzels have also directed support to the Hintz Family Alumni Center at University Park.

Weitzel has amplified his influence through his volunteerism. He currently serves as Penn State Greater Allegheny’s campaign committee co-chair for the University’s current campaign, now in its quiet phase, and as chair of the chancellor’s advisory council. Weitzel led the effort to engage campus advisory council members as fundraisers for the campus’s 2025 GivingTuesday campaign. Bolstered by his outreach strategies, peer-to-peer messaging, and direct follow-up, Greater Allegheny raised more than twice the total of any GivingTuesday campaign at Greater Allegheny from the past five years.

In addition to his work at Greater Allegheny, Weitzel is currently serving a third three-year term on the Penn State Alumni Council, where he has chaired the development committee, served on the executive board and now serves as vice-chair of the governance committee, helping shape volunteer leadership and strategic direction for the Penn State Alumni Association.

Alongside his volunteerism at Penn State, Weitzel, who is a resident of Springfield, Virginia, serves as a member of the Board of Visitors of Catholic University Law School, president of the North Springfield Swim Club, an adult supervisor for Scouting America, and as past commodore of the Sailing Club of Washington, where he currently chairs the training committee.

“Students understandably have a lot of anxiety about the disruptions caused by AI [artificial intelligence] and the emergence of new technologies that are transforming how industries operate,” Weitzel said. “For those of us who have navigated challenges in the past and adapted throughout our careers, we owe it to the next generation of Penn Staters to do what we can to ease their path forward.”

John and Mary Furniss

Alumni couple John and Mary Furniss had been annual donors to Penn State for nearly four decades when an email in 2019 alerted them to a matching program, and they soon created the John V. Furniss and Mary Kohli Furniss Open Doors Scholarship in the Eberly College of Science. From that point forward, they deepened their involvement through opportunities like student mentorship and through volunteerism aimed at building support from other alumni and friends of the college.

“John and Mary are exceptionally proactive volunteers, always the first to ask how they can help and eager to find new ways to bring people together,” said Tracy Langkilde, Verne M. Willaman Dean of the Eberly College of Science. “Their energy is infectious, and the fact that they’ve been able to accomplish so much from so far, at their homebase in Scottsdale, Arizona, is a testament to their tremendous commitment to our mission. I want to add my voice to the chorus of congratulations about this well-deserved honor as we continue to collaborate on building a strong and vibrant future for the college.”

Mary earned her bachelor's degree from the University of New Hampshire in 1974, followed by a master’s in nutrition and public health from Penn State’s College of Health and Human Development in 1981. During his time at Penn State, John earned a bachelor's degree with majors in biology and psychology in 1976 and a master’s degree in physiology in 1978, supporting himself across that time with jobs as a resident assistant, Ritenour lab technician, campus loop bus driver, phlebotomist, and commercial construction worker. He then pivoted into a career in technology services that included stints at Electronic Data Systems, Perot Systems and Dell and culminated in his co-founding of Guide IT in 2013. He retired in 2017.

For five years and counting, John has mentored students in the Biotech Boardroom Pitch Competition. The program has students break into groups, identify sustainability challenges and build a comprehensive solution presentation for a panel of expert alumni judges.

“When I first meet my group each semester, I tell them: the odds are slim of a mentor having the knowledge of the science they are working with,” John said. “They know plant and microbial science far better than I do, but my value to them is in honing the sales pitch — going beyond mere accuracy and precision to build a case that is actionable, compelling and far-reaching in its impact.”

John has paired his mentorship of students with volunteerism related to development. In 2024, he joined the Eberly College of Science’s campaign development committee. Since joining the committee, John and Mary have twice convened alumni and donors at their home in Scottsdale, Arizona, alongside faculty experts in neuroscience and astronomy, to promote awareness of how the generosity of donors can accelerate research and expand opportunities for students. Beyond hosting, John has created tutorial videos to reach audiences on digital platforms, and he served as the program presenter at Eberly’s 2025 donor celebration.

In recent years, the Furnisses have amplified the Furniss Open Doors Scholarship with estate arrangements and early activation, as well as continuing to diversify their giving toward other scholarship funds, THON, GivingTuesday and neuroscience initiatives.

“People will ask me: ‘Why does Penn State need my donation if they already have a $5 billion endowment?’” John said. “I used to be the one posing this same question, so I’m in a position to answer it. I explain that the endowment is almost entirely earmarked for very specific purposes, and the spendable funds it generates annually fall far, far short of what’s needed to close funding gaps. At $5 billion, our endowment amounts to 10% of Harvard’s $50 billion endowment, the bellwether of philanthropy, and places in the middle of the Big Ten school rankings. So, when you start to line up these facts, you can crack open the door to the next conversation, and one day down the road you end up moving the needle.”

Beyond his service to Penn State, John also serves chair of two committees for the city of Phoenix, advising on their extensive mountain parks and preserves. For her part, Mary is a local leader with an organization called Sew Powerful, which enables Nambian girls to stay in school all month and successfully compete in the pivotal seventh grade national exam.

Despite their distance, the Furnisses said they intend to stay deeply engaged with Penn State.

“John and I hope this award helps to shine a light on the incredible work being done in Eberly and beyond and encourages others to think about where they can make a difference,” Mary said. “When we band together, we can accomplish so much.”

Donors like Weitzel and the Furnisses 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.