UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Corey Phelps, John and Karen Arnold Dean of the Penn State Smeal College of Business, has appointed Ryan Newman, a managing director at Goldman Sachs, to the college’s Board of Visitors.
Board members advise the dean and other Smeal administrators, drawing on their professional experience and knowledge of the latest issues and trends facing the business community.
Phelps said Newman brings a rare combination of strategic insight, global perspective and deep loyalty to Penn State to his new role on the board.
“Ryan’s experience advising leaders and organizations at the highest levels, paired with his longstanding commitment to student success and alumni engagement, makes him an invaluable voice on our Board of Visitors,” Phelps said. “Ryan understands both where higher education must go and how thoughtful leadership can help Smeal meet its strategic vision to be recognized as a top-five public business school.”
Newman, a Schreyer Honors College Scholar and Smeal graduate, earned a bachelor’s degree in economics with a minor in philosophy from Penn State in 2001. After graduation, he joined Goldman Sachs as a financial analyst and has built his career advising clients on the management of complex assets and long-term financial strategies. He was named a managing director in 2019.
Newman is a member of the firm’s Private Wealth Management Top Advisors and Advisors Council, representing the top tier of advisors globally. He also plays a leadership role in talent development, having designed and led new-advisor training programs for the firm on a global scale.
He remains deeply engaged with Penn State, currently serving on the External Advisory Board of the Schreyer Honors College and mentoring Smeal students through Wall Street Boot Camp. Newman also hosts the Invent Penn State podcast “Dare to Disrupt,” in which he interviews prominent alumni innovators and entrepreneurs to highlight the University’s leadership in economic development and entrepreneurial thinking.
In recognition of his professional accomplishments and service to the University, Newman received Penn State’s Alumni Achievement Award in 2011 and was named an Alumni Fellow in 2023. He also received the Smeal Distinguished Alumni Award in 2025.
Newman currently serves as Smeal’s volunteer chair for the "Penn State Forever" campaign. He and his wife, Meredith, have established multiple scholarships at Penn State, including awards honoring Director of Wall Street Initiatives Robin Stevens and Emeritus Associate Teaching Professor of Finance Gregory Pierce, as well as an honors scholarship supporting Schreyer/Smeal students.
Newman said that he’s been energized by the level of enthusiasm and engagement that Phelps has brought to the college.
“Dating back to my time as a student, I’ve had a tremendous amount of respect for Smeal’s Board of Visitors, and I am honored to have joined this important group in guiding the college,” he said. “Dean Phelps has a bold vision to be a top-five public business school within five years, and I’m excited to work with the board, the development and alumni relations office and Smeal alumni and friends to help make that a reality.”
The board’s next meeting will take place today and Friday, April 9-10.
The Smeal College of Business Board of Visitors is a nearly 40-member advisory board composed of global business and industry leaders who are Smeal alumni and friends. The complete list of Smeal’s Board of Visitors membership can be found online.
Donors and volunteers like Newman advance 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.