UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — As work gets underway on the 11 new priority workstreams announced by Penn State leadership in late September, President Neeli Bendapudi has named Frantisek Marko, distinguished professor of mathematics at Penn State Hazleton and immediate past chair of the University Faculty Senate, to serve as the strategy implementation lead and senior adviser to the president, effective Oct. 1.
In this role, Marko will lead the new Strategy Implementation Unit (SIU), which will help to coordinate and accelerate the University’s transformation efforts, working across workstreams to move initiatives from idea to impact.
“I am very pleased that Dr. Marko has agreed to take on this important new leadership role as we move into the next phase of developing clear, actionable plans that will advance our University and position us for sustained excellence,” Bendapudi said. “Throughout his time in the Faculty Senate, Dr. Marko has been a thoughtful partner. His collaborative approach, deep commitment to Penn State’s success, and steadfast focus on what is best for our students, faculty and staff across our campuses, make him well suited to lead this important effort. I am grateful for his willingness to serve and look forward to working with him as we translate these workstreams into meaningful outputs and recommendations that will drive meaningful progress.”
The SIU will oversee the work of the University’s portfolio of 11 priority workstreams, accelerate alignment across units, build organizational capabilities, and reinforce accountability for results. Rather than simply tracking the status of initiatives, the SIU is designed to identify and help to resolve roadblocks, facilitate targeted discussions, maintain momentum toward transformation goals, and elevate key decisions to University leadership, when needed, to keep work moving.
Other transformation activities in the Office of Enterprise Change and Transformation, the Provost’s office, and elsewhere across the University will continue separately from the work of the SIU.
Marko will continue in this role until the implementation work is complete, after which he will return to his faculty position.
“Dr. Marko has been an outstanding leader in the Faculty Senate, and I look forward to continuing to work with him in this new role,” said Kathy Bieschke, senior vice provost and interim dean of Undergraduate Education. “He genuinely cares about the University and about doing what is best for our community. He brings a critical faculty perspective to the table that will be essential to the success of this work, along with a strong commitment to listening to diverse perspectives, collaborating across stakeholder groups, and finding a constructive path forward. Dr. Marko is someone who gets things done, and I know he will bring that same energy, care and commitment to this new responsibility.”
Marko was first elected to the Faculty Senate in 2010, and he served as Senate chair from 2025 to 2026. In addition to his Senate service, he has held several University leadership roles, including service on the University Promotion and Tenure Committee, Immediate Tenure Review Committee, and Joint Committee on the University Budget. He also participated in the Big Ten Academic Alliance’s Academic Leadership Program.
Marko joined Penn State Hazleton in 2001 as an assistant professor of mathematics and was named distinguished professor of mathematics in 2019. His research spans algebra, representation theory, number theory, discrete mathematics, computation and cryptography. Over 25 years, Marko has taught approximately 125 courses, primarily in mathematics and computer science. He holds doctoral degrees in algebra from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and in number theory from the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava, as well as a master’s degree in computer science from Comenius University in Bratislava.
“I am very energized about the transformation of Penn State and honored to be able to contribute to this work in such a meaningful way,” Marko said. “This role feels like a natural progression of the work I have done as Senate chair and as chair of the Joint Committee on the University Budget. As a mathematics faculty member for more than 25 years, I look forward to bringing my faculty perspective, particularly as a Commonwealth Campus faculty member, and my quantitative background to this work. This is a comprehensive transformation, and now is the time for our faculty to bring their ideas to the forefront. I have many of my own, and I am eager to work collaboratively with so many talented and committed Penn Staters to implement our collective vision for Penn State’s future.”
Under Marko’s leadership, the SIU will work alongside workstream sponsors, leads and teams to coordinate efforts across the University and maintain momentum toward transformation goals. The unit will be staffed with expertise in finance, human resources, information technology, organizational development, and strategic communications, and it will include liaisons to the University Faculty Senate and University Staff Advisory Council.
In addition to Marko, the following individuals have been named to serve on the SIU:
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Bennett Ulmer, director of strategy implementation, Office of the President, and chief of staff, Division of External Affairs
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Jeremy Bean, organizational development lead and assistant vice president, Office of Enterprise Change and Transformation
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Somer Brown, analyst and project manager, Office of Enterprise Change and Transformation
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Amanda Jones, human resources lead and assistant vice president for Human Resources
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Sarah Fasano, strategic communications lead and assistant vice president, Office of Strategic Communications
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David Gindhart, IT lead and associate vice president, Administrative IT
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Lee Wagner, finance lead and associate vice president for Budget and Finance and controller
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Brad Sottile, University Faculty Senate liaison, associate teaching professor, College of Engineering, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
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Alice Puzarowski, University Staff Advisory Council liaison, pre-award coordinator, College of Earth and Mineral Science
Together, the SIU team will provide coordination and implementation support across the University’s workstreams, helping to connect initiatives, align resources and ensure that priorities continue moving forward.
More information about the Strategy Implementation Unit, including its membership and the University’s workstream sponsors and leads, is available on the Penn State Road Map website.