Brady Lucas - Keynote Speaker
Brady Lucas is from York, PA and was originally diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) on April 14, 2005 at age 8. Brady relapsed with ALL on September 20, 2010. He received a bone marrow transplant from his younger brother Shaun on February 2, 2011 and is now 6.5 years post-transplant.
Brady will be a senior at Penn State University this upcoming year. When Brady was undergoing treatment he formed bonds with the Penn State THON student organization that supported him. His involvement with Four Diamonds and THON was the driving force behind his desire to attend Penn State; he wanted to give back to the organization that helped to save his life.
During his time at Penn State Brady joined the organization that supported him all those years of treatment and had the chance to dance in THON 2016. He was a Dancer Relations Captain for THON 2017 and is currently the THON 2018 Special Events Director. There are very few times that you will see Brady not smiling. He is working to pursue a career in the field of pediatric oncology, with the hope to one day open his own Children's Hospital. Brady loves to golf, and is the current Co-Chairman for The Brady C. Lucas Golf Outing that supports Four Diamonds. Brady fights every day for all of those families battling cancer and to provide a chance for kids to grow up and see all the precious milestones he has been able to achieve. For The Kids®!
The Layn Burger Family - Keynote Speaker
Layn Burger is 12 years old and was diagnosed with Wilm’s Tumor, a pediatric kidney cancer, just days before his first birthday. After some failed treatments, Layn entered into a research study being done at the Penn State Children’s Hospital. The study used cord blood stem cells, from an unrelated donor, to be transplanted into Layn’s body. This research study required Layn to be confined to a special room at Penn State Children’s Hospital for a minimum of 40 days. Layn completed his treatment in October 2007. Layn’s treatment was experimental and risky. Without funding and research provided by the Four Diamonds, Layn would not be here today.
Layn enjoys playing basketball, Legos, video games, being outdoors, art, and music. Layn says that he’s a fighter and one day he hopes to be the Nittany Lion at Penn State University. He loves attending THON and all of its events. He has been paired with the same organization (LEV) since 2007, which was his first THON. He also enjoys attending Mini-THONs and any other Four Diamonds events. He is eager to share his story to inspire others. The Layn Burger family would like to thank everyone for their contributions of time, money and support.
Kathleen McGraw - #GetSocial
Following nearly 14 years in New York City (NYC), Kathleen McGraw returned to her home state of Pennsylvania in late 2012 to work for Hershey Entertainment & Resorts (HE&R), a premier entertainment and hospitality company that enhances the legacy of Milton S. Hershey. At HE&R, she serves as Director of Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility.
In this role at HE&R, Kathleen oversees press efforts and social media for the Resorts division, internal and executive communications, corporate branding and corporate philanthropy. She is pivotal in crisis communications management. During her tenure with Hershey The Sweetest Place On Earth, Kathleen has led the outreach efforts for the launch of Hersheypark's 13th rollercoaster, Laff Trakk and its newest attraction, Hershey Triple Tower.
Prior to her appointment at HE&R, Kathleen was a Senior Vice President at GolinHarris in NYC where she worked on a variety of accounts including Energizer Personal Care, Slim-Fast, and Hartz. Prior to GolinHarris, Kathleen was a Vice President at Edelman where she led the Barilla account and oversaw HSBC Bank’s Premier Banking PR initiatives.
From January 2006 to February 2010, Kathleen was a Vice President at Emanate overseeing key lines of business for Bank of America, Celebrity Cruises and Embassy Suites accounts. Kathleen came to Emanate from IBM’s Systems and Technology Group where she served as global media relations specialist for the company’s iSeries server division and handled media relations for the company’s technology partnership at the US Open Tennis tournament.
Prior to joining IBM, Kathleen was a manager at Burson-Marsteller where she focused on media relations and account management for Accenture, WWII Memorial, US Trust, Dale Earnhardt, Inc., and United Way of NYC.
Kathleen started her public relations career in NYC at Martin PR in 1999 where she worked on Bank One, Olympus, and Seiko. Before moving to NYC in 1999, Kathleen served as Communications Associate for the United Way of York County, PA.
Throughout her career, Kathleen has led programs and initiatives that earned numerous industry accolades including the Big Apple Award, SABRE, Silver Anvil, Bulldog Awards, and the HSMAI Adrian Award. A graduate of the University of New Hampshire, Kathleen earned a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Spanish. She also studied literature at Cambridge University.
Amy Caputo - Communication Nation
Amy Caputo currently serves as executive director of strategic communications for the Penn State Alumni Association. The Alumni Association serves more than 176,000 members and 658,000 alumni worldwide.
Amy joined the Alumni Association in 2007. She leads a team of communications, marketing, digital, and creative professionals whose focus is to strengthen the organization’s reach and image by producing and delivering innovative, high-quality, high-impact communications and content. The team also is charged with creating, raising, and sustaining awareness and engagement in the Alumni Association’s programs, activities, revenue-generating initiatives, and services. Specific responsibilities include strategy, content, design, and production of two of the Alumni Association’s major member-benefit publications—AlumnInsider and The Football Letter. The Strategic Communications team drives the organization’s overall online strategy and manages the Alumni Association’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media sites including oversight (with Alumni Career Services) of the organization’s LinkedIn networking group.
Amy has nearly 30 years of experience in business development, marketing, communications, and management for corporations, non-profit associations, government, education, and media organizations. Prior to returning to Pennsylvania, she was director of marketing and business development for a top-tier Southeastern regional law firm with 300 attorneys based in Richmond, Va. She led a 16-person team responsible for firm-wide communications, marketing, business development, client relations, event planning, and professional services training/coaching functions for the firm’s offices in North Carolina, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
Amy earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Penn State, where she served as managing editor of The Daily Collegian and was also a fellow with The Poynter Institute for Media Studies. She earned a master’s in mass communications with a concentration in media management from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Amy is a life member of the Penn State Alumni Association and a member of the American Society of Association Executives. Among her many volunteer and community service activities, she currently serves on the board of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts; volunteers with the Communications Committee of Centre County United Way; and completed Leadership Centre County (class of 2013).
JoAnn Reisinger - Events on Fleek
JoAnn has been with the events company, Shumaker PDT, for two years. Before joining Shumaker, JoAnn owned and operated her own flower shop. As an award-winning floral designer for more than 30 years, JoAnn has designed flowers for celebrities, ambassadors, and a previous First Lady of the United States.
“I love working with the talented professionals on the Shumaker team. Each team member is an expert in their field, and they are always willing to share their knowledge and educate other team members. What they create as a collaborative team is astounding. I also value how community-minded each person is. Being an active part of the Lancaster community is a priority for each staff member.”
Dustin Imhoff - Events on Fleek
Dustin has been with the events company, Shumaker PDT, since 2012. Working in the wedding and event business since 2000 means Dustin has a deep knowledge of the field. That experience and his creative design sense make him an outstanding asset to the team.
“I enjoy delving into the logistics and details of an event, as the details are what make a good event a great event! Working with a fantastically talented group of people every single day creates an environment perfect for creative collaboration. Tapping into the best parts of each of us, we combine years of experience in design, fabrication, and logistics to provide our clients with top-notch service.”
Barry Bram - Lead the Way FTK®
Barry has worked in Student Affairs at Penn State for 23 years, serving in a variety of roles within both Residence Life, Union and Student Activities, and Student Affairs. He currently serves as the Senior Director of Student Engagement Programs. Additionally, as a part of his responsibilities, Barry advised Penn State's Dance Marathon (THON) from 2008-2013. He has worked with student leaders throughout his professional career and looks forward to discussing challenges and opportunities that come with advising student organizations.
Barry is originally from Cleveland, Ohio. He has degrees from Miami University in Ohio and The University of Vermont.
2016-17 Mini-THON Student Leadership Council - Crushin' Mini-THON
The Mini-THON Student Leadership Council, comprised of a select group of student leaders, provides feedback and input to the Four Diamonds staff on the Mini-THON program. Council members meet with Four Diamonds staff members to provide recommendations on program elements and assist in developing solutions for program challenges. Council members also serve as representatives of the students participating in Mini-THONs and advocates for Four Diamonds and Mini-THON. Finally, these students provide guidance on current trends with youth and their peers to help grow the Mini-THON program.
Corrine Bauman - Crushin' Mini-THON
Corrine Bauman has been the lead adviser for Camp Hill High School Mini-THON for the last 3 years. Growing up in a Penn State family, Corrine has known about THON her entire life. In fact, her dad attended the first THON in 1973. She attended Bloomsburg University and was part of the committee to start Relay for Life on campus.
Corrine became the advisor for Mini-THON when it first started at Camp Hill in 2015. In just 2 years, she has helped guide her students to raise over $106,000 for Four Diamonds. She is a Special Education teacher at Camp Hill Middle School, teaching reading classes for 6 - 8th grade.
Barbara Schindo - Pitch Perfect
Barbara Schindo is the Managing Editor at abc27 News, and a graduate student at Shippensburg University, earning a Master’s degree in Communication Studies. Barbara graduated from Shippensburg in 2011 with a Bachelor’s in Communication/Journalism. During her time as an undergrad, Barbara was nominated for an Emmy Award for her work with the university’s television station, SUTV. Outside of work, Barbara likes reading and cooking.
Betty Bryan Fish - Pitch Perfect
Betty Bryan Fish is the Creative Services Director for WHTM abc27 News. In her role, she manages the brand image, viewer engagement and community outreach. Betty has extensive experience working with community groups to create partnerships that create awareness for both groups. Outside of work, Betty is extremely active with Girl Scouts and has been a leader since 2006. She has a son who recently graduated from Cumberland Valley High School and a daughter entering her junior year. Prior to joining WHTM, she worked at WVEC-TV, WTKR-TV and WTVZ-TV in Norfolk, Virginia. While in Hampton Roads, she was a volunteer with the International Azalea Festival and launched NATOFest.
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