UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Smeal College of Business alumna Brontë Hamilton was recently appointed to the college’s Finance Advisory Board.
Hamilton is currently a vice president of strategy and business development at TE Connectivity, building on a deep finance career in a global industrial technology leader that designs and manufactures connectivity and sensor solutions.
The board comprises alumni in the finance and investment communities who advise faculty and administration on matters related to the strategic direction of the department. They work with students in the classroom, mentor them, facilitate internship opportunities and encourage research and collaboration between faculty and students.
Board members meet twice each year — once on the University Park campus and once in the New York City region. They also make a financial commitment to the college in support of innovative programs and services that benefit students and faculty in Smeal’s Department of Finance.
Hamilton, originally from Australia, spent a year in Denmark through a Rotary Youth Exchange scholarship, before joining the Australian Regular Army and enrolling at the Australian Defense Force Academy (the equivalent of the United States Military Academy at West Point). She graduated from there in 1998, with majors in information systems, management and politics and First-Class Honors in information systems.
Following a year of focused Army officer leadership training, Hamilton spent two years with the Australian Army Signals (telecommunications) Corps, before moving into intelligence. She was deployed to Iraq in 2004 as part of the search for weapons of mass destruction and counter-terrorism efforts, and to Afghanistan in 2007 as a member of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), tasked with local reconstruction and security. She said her experiences left her with a deep appreciation for the inestimable value of education and security.
Awarded the inaugural Chief of Army Scholarship to study overseas, and looking to diversify her skillset, Hamilton enrolled in the residential Smeal MBA program in 2008. While she continued her career in the Australian Army, reaching the rank of major, the Smeal MBA had given her a sense of the opportunities in the United States, and in 2011, she resigned and returned to the U.S.
“The Penn State alumni network offered me a connection to TE Connectivity, and what I thought was just an informational interview turned into a job offer,” she said. “This was a pivotal transition for me: my first civilian job, my first job in finance, my first job in the United States. I’ll forever be grateful to Penn State and Penn Staters for opening the door for me. It’s been a fantastic ride so far.”
Hamilton started as an analyst but quickly climbed the corporate ladder. Within seven years, she was named vice president of financial planning and analysis for the global enterprise, and, after taking on a business unit CFO role, moved into the industrials space as vice president of strategy and business development two years ago.
Corey C. Phelps, John and Karen Arnold Dean of Smeal, said he was thrilled to welcome Hamilton to the board.
"Brontë brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise, from her past military service and her professional path at TE Connectivity, to Smeal’s Finance Advisory Board. I am confident that her unique perspectives and contributions will strengthen our finance program, and I look forward to formally welcoming her to the group at the board’s June meeting,” Phelps said.
Hamilton said she continues to be impressed by the caliber of available programming for students.
“The technical side of the program — stocks and investing —is really strong. I’d like to help the program be even stronger by advocating for increased program options for students with an interest in career paths in corporate finance or international finance,” Hamilton said.
“When I look to the future, I see immense change coming. We need people who can work across borders, who understand how to optimize human decision-making systems and artificial intelligence and who can interpret all of the data that is available in today’s world. I am excited to play a part in helping Smeal achieve that for today’s learners.”
The board’s next meeting is scheduled to take place on June 3 in New York City. The board will also celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Nittany Lion Fund.
Hamilton’s gift advances 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; and increasing the University’s impact for students, families, patients and communities across the commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting raise.psu.edu.