UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Several members of the Penn State liberal arts family were honored during the College of the Liberal Arts’ annual alumni awards ceremony on Thursday, May 1 at the Nittany Lion Inn.
The event included awards sponsored by the college’s Alumni Society Board as well as awards sponsored by the college. Randy Wussler, president of the Alumni Society Board; Clarence Lang, Susan Welch Dean of the College of the Liberal Arts; and Kirt Wilson, department head of communication arts and sciences and the evening’s emcee, presented the awards.
This year’s honorees included:
Elizabeth “Liz” Bower, Penn State class of 1997 (history), received the Outstanding Alumni in Business Award. Bower is a litigation partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP and co-chairs the firm’s accounting litigation and enforcement group. She has helped shape the firm’s culture through leadership roles in recruiting, training, and mentoring, and represents clients across the accounting, insurance, and financial sectors. Her pro bono work focuses on supporting women, children and LGBTQ+ individuals fleeing violence and persecution.
Bower lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with her husband, Chris Washington, and their daughters, Avery and Jolene. She also serves on the UNC Law Foundation Board and the Leadership Advisory Committee of the National Women’s Law Center.
Richard “Dick” Hayes, Penn State class of 1968 (political science), received the Chaiken Leadership Award. Hayes is the retired senior vice president and tax director for Allianz of America and previously held leadership roles at Arthur Young & Co., First Interstate Bancorp and Wells Fargo. He holds both a juris doctorate and a Master of Laws from New York University School of Law.
A long-time supporter of Penn State, Hayes and his wife, Bebe, have funded a dean’s fund and supported initiatives in political science and the Child Study Center. Since relocating to State College in 2020, he has represented the College of the Liberal Arts on the Penn State Alumni Council and serves on its audit and risk committee.
Ernie Janssen, Penn State class of 1965 (history), received the Outstanding Alumni Award. Janssen served six years in the U.S. Navy as a supply officer before spending more than 35 years in the maritime fuel industry, where he held leadership roles as part owner, owner, and director of two firms. Most notably, he led KPI International — a global ship fuel brokerage with six international offices — to industry prominence.
Retired for 16 years, he has remained deeply involved with Penn State, serving 11 years on the College of the Liberal Arts Alumni Society Board, including as president, and contributing to student recruiting and mentoring. He also served seven years on the University’s Global Advisory Council.
Carmen Paredes, Penn State class of 2018 (economics, public affairs and governability), received the World Campus Outstanding Alumni Award. Paredes is the founder and CEO of Ruruka, a triple-impact business focused on revalorizing residual mud — turning waste product into usable resources — and of Marajapy, an award-winning artisanal chocolate venture. Through Ruruka, she has earned international acclaim, including the 2023 Inter-American Development Bank-FEMSA Award and recognition as a Top 100 entrepreneur in the 2024 Entrepreneurship World Cup. She is also a fellow of Peru-based Young Water Solutions and serves on the board of the Association of Young Entrepreneurs Paraguay.
A proud liberal arts alumna, Paredes earned her undergraduate degree in economics with a minor in political science and a specialization in governability and public innovation, as well as her master’s degree in public affairs and governability from Penn State World Campus in 2018.
Dionne Whitby, Penn State class of 2011 (international politics), received the Outstanding Young Alumni Award. Whitby is an international program specialist at NASA and the agency’s lead expert on human exploration and operations cooperation with Canada. She advises senior leadership on international policy and negotiates agreements tied to the International Space Station and Moon and Mars missions.
A Boren Scholar and Liberal Arts Emerging Alumni Leader, Whitby began her career after graduating from Penn State and later completing a master’s in strategic security studies from the National Defense University. She has also held roles at the Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction and the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, where she trained more than 700 senior leaders from over 70 countries.
Delore Zimmerman, Penn State class of 1986 (sociology), received the Service to Society Award. He is president and CEO of Praxis Strategy Group, which he co-founded in 1994 to drive economic transformation and regional growth. He earned a doctorate in sociology from Penn State in 1986 and is a founding member of the university’s Sociology and Criminology Board of Visitors.
Zimmerman also leads Praxis Africa Ltd., promoting sustainable development in 11 African nations. He serves as development chief for the Awutu-Mankessim Traditional Area of Ghana, where he is known as Nai Awuah Kotoko, or “The Porcupine Warrior.” A recipient of the U.S. Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award, he also serves as ambassador-at-large for the United Nations Alliance for Sustainable Development Goals.
Linda Belfus, Penn State class of 1970 (English), received the Christopher B. Gamble Service to Penn State Award. After graduating from Penn State, Belfus built a distinguished career in publishing, serving as senior vice president at Elsevier, where she led global content strategy and co-chaired the Elsevier Women’s Network. She previously co-founded and led Hanley & Belfus, a Philadelphia-based medical publishing company later acquired by Elsevier.
Belfus holds a master’s degree from Villanova University and serves on its Graduate Education Advisory Council. She remains active with Penn State as a member of the Liberal Arts Alumni Society Board, a mentor and the creator of two undergraduate scholarships in the College of the Liberal Arts. She lives in Media, Pennsylvania.
Cameryn Allen, Penn State class of 2025 (psychology), received the Christopher B. Gamble Undergraduate Service to Penn State Award. Allen is a recent Penn State graduate and student leader with a strong commitment to research, mentorship and advocacy. She served on the College of the Liberal Arts’ First-Generation Committee, held internships in law and public health and contributed to several research labs.
As an intern with the college’s institutional research office, Allen analyzed post-graduation data and developed outcome dashboards. She also mentored peers through the Chaiken Center and served as an Undergraduate Research Ambassador. Most recently, she organized the college’s inaugural Undergraduate Research Expo.
Jeff Lieb, Penn State class of 1988 (accounting), received the Welch Alumni Relations Award. Lieb has served as financial officer for the College of the Liberal Arts since 2006, overseeing a general budget of more than $175 million — the largest of any academic unit at University Park — along with $25 million in non-general funds. He joined Penn State in 2003 after working in private-sector accounting across several industries.
Through his stewardship, Lieb ensures compliance with University policies and supports the college’s long-term financial health and academic mission. He lives in Centre Hall with his wife, Sheila, and they are the parents of three Penn Staters: Rachel, Mason and Josh.
Additional information about these college-level awards, and names of recipients of alumni awards bestowed by several of the college's departments, centers and institutes, can be found in the Alumni Honorees section of the college's website.