CARLISLE AND UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa — Two accomplished alumni have been chosen to deliver the 2026 Penn State Dickinson Law commencement addresses during upcoming ceremonies at the University Park and Carlisle locations.
Brandon Biegenzahn, class of 2004, will speak at the University Park commencement, taking place on Friday, May 15, at 3 p.m. at Eisenhower Auditorium in University Park. Noreen M. Tama, class of 1986, will speak at the Carlisle commencement, taking place on Saturday, May 16, at 10:30 a.m. at the Forum Auditorium in Harrisburg. Both ceremonies will be livestreamed.
A member of the Law School’s Leadership Council Advisory Board
Brandon Biegenzahn serves as president of McDermott + Bull Executive Search, one of the largest executive search firms within the Hunt Scanlon Top 50 Recruiters list. It has been honored as one of Forbes’ "Best Executive Recruiting Firms." Biegenzahn helps businesses throughout North America and Europe identify and recruit executives for permanent and interim roles.
As president, he leads the strategic buildout and development of the firm’s team of executive search managing directors and partners. He also chairs the firm’s Financial Services Practice, partnering with financial services firms, including investment banks, commercial banks, private banks, credit unions, asset managers, institutional investors, and fintech companies.
Biegenzahn is a generous donor to and supporter of Penn State Dickinson Law. In 2022, he endowed a scholarship at the Law School. He has also mentored 1L (first-year law) students, served as a guest lecturer at Penn State Dickinson Law, and hosted dinners for newly admitted students in Southern California, where he lives. He currently serves on the Law School’s Leadership Council Advisory Board (LCAB).
Before joining McDermott + Bull, Biegenzahn practiced in the corporate finance departments at Sheppard Mullin and Buchalter. As corporate counsel, he advised his clients on mergers and acquisitions, asset-based financing, and real property purchase and sale transactions.
Biegenzahn frequently guest lectures on leadership and career development at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business’s Executive MBA program. He is a member of the California Coast Chapter of YPO, a leadership group, and sits on the Mission Hospital Foundation Board of Directors.
A Rambo Award-winner with expertise in high-stakes commercial transactions
Noreen M. Tama worked for Mobil Oil and Exxon Mobil Corporation for nearly 25 years and now serves as chief legal officer at All Sober, Public Benefit Corporation, a startup assisting people suffering from substance use disorder and their loved ones.
At Exxon Mobil, Tama advised on high-stakes commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and regulatory matters related to the supply, trading, distribution, and marketing of crude oil and refined petroleum products across global markets.
In 2021, Tama received the 26th Annual Hon. Sylvia H. Rambo Award from the Women’s Law Caucus at Penn State Dickinson Law. It honors a woman lawyer or judge whose distinguished career has made the professional success of other women more likely.
Indeed, Tama has prioritized offering guidance and encouragement to the next generation of legal leaders. She has served as a mentor to Penn State Dickinson Law students and participated in the Exxon Mobil Women’s Interest Network Mentoring Program and Law Mentoring Program. In addition to serving with Biegenzahn on the LCAB, Tama established the Noreen Tama Scholarship for Juvenile Justice at Penn State Dickinson Law to support students committed to serving underrepresented youth.
Prior to joining Exxon Mobil, she was an associate at the Washington, D.C., law firm of Van Ness, Feldman, PC, and served as general counsel to the Institute for Clinical Information.
Tama has volunteered at Inova Fairfax Women’s Hospital, the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women, the Montgomery County (Texas) Animal Shelter, and the St. Isadore Abundant Harvest Community Food Truck. She has provided pro bono legal assistance to the Mid Atlantic Innocence Project and to victims of domestic violence in Fairfax County, Virginia.