UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Smeal College of Business 2006 alumnus Eugene Weissberger was recently appointed to the college’s Finance Advisory Board.
Weissberger is a managing director in the Sponsor Finance Group at First Citizens Bank, where he supports financial private equity sponsors and family offices nationwide.
Smeal’s Finance Advisory Board comprises alumni in the finance and investment communities who advise faculty and administration on matters related to the strategic direction of the Department of Finance. 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. The next meeting is scheduled to take place on June 3 in New York City.
Reflecting on his own college experience, Weissberger credited Smeal’s Nittany Lion Fund for laying the foundation for his own career success.
“I was lucky to be an original member of the Nittany Lion Fund,” he said. “At the time, it was difficult for anyone outside of the Ivy League schools to get an internship or full-time job on Wall Street, but the fund changed that. ... Now, virtually every student who joins the fund has a job lined up before they even start their final year of college. My experience with the fund certainly prepared me for my first job at Citigroup, and the connections and mentorship with other fund alumni have continued to help me throughout my career.”
Weissberger graduated summa cum laude from Smeal and the Schreyer Honors College, earning a degree in finance. He spent two years working on leveraged loan and high-yield bond deals at Citigroup in New York before joining the debt capital markets group at Natixis.
In 2016, Weissberger relocated to Chicago and joined the leveraged finance team at BMO Capital Markets. His current role at First Citizens Bank — the acquiree of CIT and Silicon Valley Bank — includes providing cash-flow solutions and other commercial banking services to middle market private equity companies and their portfolio companies.
In addition to his role on Smeal’s Finance Advisory Board, Weissberger is an active member of Smeal’s Alumni Society Board, a group of alumni leaders who support the college’s mission by fostering alumni engagement, mentoring students and contributing to strategic initiatives that strengthen the Smeal community. He and several other Nittany Lion Fund alumni formed the Nittany Lion Fund Alumni Board to help current and former fund members on their career journeys.
He is also an active member in the private equity community, serving on the board of the Association for Capital Growth’s Mergers and Acquisitions and Private Equity Committee.
Weissberger said his late father, who was also a Penn State graduate, taught him the importance of giving back.
“My dad was the ultimate Penn Stater,” Weissberger said. “He was a founding member of the Greater Scranton Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association and a scholarship donor, and he was involved at Penn State Scranton in a variety of ways for nearly 40 years. His example showed me the importance of giving back. After he passed away, I wanted to get more involved at Penn State. I am excited for the opportunity to join the Finance Advisory Board and help shape the future finance education at Smeal.”
Prior to getting involved as a volunteer, Weissberger and his wife, Marcie, created the Dr. Stephen J. Weissberger Memorial Scholarship in 2017 to honor his father and the Evan, Jacob and Sloane Weissberger Millennium Scholars Scholarship in 2020 to honor the couple’s three children.
Corey Phelps, John and Karen Arnold Dean of Smeal, said he was incredibly grateful for the many ways Weissberger is giving back to the University.
“From establishing two impactful scholarships to serving on Smeal’s Alumni Society Board to his decision to now join the Finance Advisory Board and our newly formed Nittany Lion Fund Alumni Board, Eugene continues to demonstrate both his generous spirit of philanthropy and his commitment to the Smeal community,” he said. “With nearly two decades of professional experience, his insights will be invaluable as we prepare our students for success in today’s dynamic financial landscape.”
Weissberger noted that Penn Staters are often eager to get involved but often need help taking that first step.
“Smeal offers opportunities for alumni to get involved. Impact Smeal Day or Smeal in Your City are just two of the many ways that come to mind,” he said. “I’d encourage everyone to find a local event. Jump in. The more engaged our alumni are, the more they’ll see that Smeal has something for them at every stage of their life.”