MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — Jodi Grothe, director of stewardship at Penn State Harrisburg, has been awarded the 2026 Lori Ebert-Tyworth Memorial Stewardship Award from the Penn State Division of Development and Alumni Relations (DDAR).
The award recognizes the consistent outstanding performance of a DDAR staff member or partner in a Penn State office who has demonstrated entrepreneurial thinking, implemented creative ideas or improved donor stewardship practices at Penn State.
Grothe has been part of Penn State Harrisburg’s Office of Development since 2011 and took on her stewardship role in 2015. In that role, she manages donor funds and oversees donor stewardship.
Grothe’s nominators described her as a creative force behind stewardship, reimagining how donors experience impact through personalized reports, innovative scholarship processes and meaningful recognition events across Penn State Harrisburg.
“As stewardship director, Jodi helps bring stories of student success to life for every supporter,” said Noah Roufos-Abbey, senior director of development and alumni relations at Penn State Harrisburg. “Beyond that, she connects donors to students in powerful, personal ways, building relationships that lead to increased giving, lasting trust, and lifelong gratitude.”
The award is named for Lori Ebert-Tyworth, a longtime associate director of stewardship at Penn State, who died in 2020. Grothe accepted the award from Ebert-Tyworth’s family at a ceremony in May.
Grothe said she was honored to receive the award.
“Lori’s legacy reminds us that stewardship is not just about gratitude. It’s about relationships, trust and caring deeply for the mission and for the people who make it possible,” she said. “Lori’s passion for stewardship and the care she showed for others live on in this award and through the people it honors. It’s a privilege to help carry the legacy forward.”