UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Smeal College of Business Nittany Lion Fund alumni and other supporters gathered in New York last month to celebrate the June 30 retirement of two influential leaders: J. Randall ‘Randy’ Woolridge, Goldman Sachs & Co. and Frank P. Smeal University Endowed Fellow in Business Administration; and Robin Stevens, director of Wall Street Initiatives.
As a professor of finance, director of the Rogers Family Trading Room and longtime president and CEO of the Nittany Lion Fund, Woolridge will be remembered for bringing the real world into the classroom and helping to establish Penn State as a credible and respected presence on Wall Street.
Stevens has been equally instrumental in that success as the founding director of Wall Street Initiatives.
Robin Stevens
Stevens joined Penn State as a conference coordinator in 1993, and two years later, was named coordinator of the MBA and undergraduate internship programs. She became director of career and corporate services (now the Business Career Center) in 2001.
Stevens co‑launched Smeal’s Wall Street Boot Camp with Woolridge in 2007, building a program that connects students with alumni, industry mentors and career opportunities while preparing them to navigate Wall Street with confidence and professionalism.
In 2011, she became director of alumni career services at Smeal, making Smeal the only unit outside of the Penn State Alumni Association to offer career services to graduates. In 2017, she was named the college’s first director of Wall Street Initiatives, where she built networks, strengthened recruiting pipelines and mentored students.
Corey Phelps, John and Karen Arnold Dean of Smeal, praised Stevens for her contributions to the college.
“Robin’s impact on Smeal is both profound and enduring,” he said. “She helped transform an idea into a nationally respected model for preparing students for careers on Wall Street — one built on relationships, preparation and high expectations. Because of her leadership, generations of students have found not just fulfilling career opportunities, but a professional network that will support them throughout their careers.”
Ryan Newman, a 2001 Smeal College of Business graduate and Schreyer Honors Scholar who is now a managing director at Goldman Sachs, said Stevens has an extraordinary ability to connect with students.
”Her ability to recall details about someone’s background and use that to connect others is a large part of what makes Robin so special,” he said. “She’s a larger-than-life figure at Penn State, and her impact has been felt by the countless students and alumni who’ve gone on to successful careers on Wall Street.”
Stevens said she’ll miss the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with students, alumni, faculty and recruiters.
“Students I’ve worked with and other alumni who support our program have become lifelong friends, and I cherish those relationships. As I reflect back on my career, it’s been a dream to work with Randy and others at Smeal to create a path for students to get to Wall Street,” she said.
“I’ve had so many great memories over my career, but nothing compares to the honor of learning that Ryan Newman created a scholarship in my name. I’m so grateful for the recognition and hope it will impact students for many years to come.”
J. Randall ‘Randy’ Woolridge
Phelps said that Woolridge helped redefine what experiential learning can mean in business education.
“The Nittany Lion Fund was never just about managing money. It was about responsibility, judgment, discipline, preparation, humility and trust. Students had the chance to sit in the seat, feel donors’ expectations, meet the standards and discover what they are capable of,” he said. “Because of Randy’s vision, programs like the Nittany Lion Fund, Wall Street Boot Camp and Leveraged Lion Capital (which formed in 2017) became the defining college experience for generations of Smeal students.”
Woolridge joined Penn State as an assistant professor of finance in 1979.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of North Carolina, an MBA from Penn State, and a doctorate in finance from the University of Iowa. At Smeal, he taught courses such as corporate finance, commercial and investment banking and investing at the undergraduate, graduate and executive MBA levels.
He authored or co-authored several books, and his research has been cited extensively in the business press, including the New York Times, Forbes, Fortune, the Economist, Barron’s, the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Investors’ Business Daily, USA Today and other publications.
He’s also been a guest on programs such as CNN’s "Money Line," CNBC’s "Morning Call" and "Business Today" and Bloomberg’s "Morning Call."
Anthropic’s Emily Zheng, a former president of the Nittany Lion Fund who currently works in product finance and strategy, recalled Woolridge’s impact for thousands of students.
“Penn State is a big place. But Randy made every single one of us feel like we were the one he had been waiting to teach,” Zheng said.
“Over a long enough career, most people harden and turn more cynical, but Randy never did. He walked into every class — every one-on-one conversation — with the same energy and excitement, like it was all new. He believed the work mattered, just like he believed we mattered.”
Reflecting on his career, Woolridge said he was lucky to have spent nearly 47 years at Penn State.
“I have tremendous gratitude for the career I’ve had and for the chance to be part of something that’s helped so many students succeed. Over the years, I’ve had 50,000 or 60,000 students pass through my classes and hundreds more involved with the Nittany Lion Fund or Leveraged Lion Capital,” he said.
“In many cases, I’ve worked with students through their four years at Smeal and even beyond. You build very deep personal relationships, and you stay connected as they go into their careers. That’s what makes it so meaningful.”
Rogers Family Trading Room Endowment
To honor Woolridge’s service to Smeal and to celebrate his career, alumni were invited to make a gift to the Rogers Family Trading Room Endowment during a semester-long fundraising initiative. The Trading Room gives students access to professional-grade software for research, risk modeling and interactive trading simulations. Those who are interested can visit this link to learn more about supporting the Trading Room endowment.
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.