2026 Alumni Council Election
The nomination period for the 2026 Alumni Council Election has closed.
The Alumni Council election takes place May 10–31, 2026. Voting instructions for the all-online election will be emailed on May 10 to all Penn State alumni who are members of the Alumni Association for whom we have a deliverable email address.
If you’d like to receive ballot reminders at a different email address, update your information here. You can also call us 800-548-LION (5466), option 1.
FAQs
Who is eligible to vote in the Alumni Council election?
All Alumni Association members entitled to vote in Alumni Association elections (as defined by the Amended and Restated Alumni Association Mission and Bylaws) shall generally vote by email. To vote online, we must have your email address. If you do not receive our monthly e-newsletter AlumnInsider or emails about our events and programs, we probably do not have your email address on file. You can add or delete your email address—or other information such as your street mailing address—online.
What are the roles within Alumni Council?
Read our Alumni Council Role Descriptions PDF
Who can be a candidate in the Alumni Council elections?
Please refer to Article V. Elections; SECTION 1: ELIGIBILITY of the Penn State Alumni Association Bylaws. All Candidates must be a member of the Penn State Alumni Association.
What is the process for candidacy?
Eligible and Interested Alumni Association Members must complete and submit a Nomination Form by 11:59 pm ET on January 15. The Nominating Committee will report a slate of candidates to the Alumni Council; by March 1. All nominees will be notified of their selection or rejection to the ballot by late February or early March of. For those individuals selected to stand for election, the Alumni Association staff will work with each candidate to procure biographical information and position statements for use on the election ballot.
Is the Alumni Council election the same as the Penn State Board of Trustees election?
No. These two elections are both held in the spring of each year and Alumni Association members are generally eligible to vote in each. But otherwise, they are completely separate elections for very different governing bodies. Information about the Penn State Board of Trustees members and its election process is available at the BOT website.
Does the Alumni Association endorse any alumni candidates for the Alumni Council or Board of Trustee election?
No. Alumni Association policy is to refrain from publicly endorsing, supporting, or campaigning to elect individual candidates to the University’s Board of Trustees or to Alumni Council. The Alumni Association takes the position that all candidates whose name appears on the election ballot for the University’s Board of Trustees and the Alumni Council are worthy of consideration; thus, the Alumni Association would not recommend one or more specific candidate(s) to its large and diverse body of alumni.
Moreover, alumni groups affiliated with the Alumni Association also refrain from endorsing specific candidates. The Alumni Association does, however, promote the full slate of candidates for each election in order to encourage greater University alumni participation in both elections and encourages its affiliate groups to do the same.
2025 Alumni Council Election Results
| Elected Alumni Council members |
|---|
| Darlene Dunay ’79 Sci |
| Michael Martocci ’88 Bus |
| Jay Weitzel ’74 Lib |
| Johanna Ramos ’92, ’99g Eng |
| Brian Sielski ’88 Eng |
| Patrick M. Cook ’91 Eng |
| Tom Maziarz ’93 Eng |
| Appointed Alumni Council members |
|---|
| Leila Farzam ’14 Altoona, ’16g, ’21g Edu |
| Nilda Cid Gumbs ’92 Com |
| Donovin Lindsay ’14 WB, ’21g Lib |
| Jay Robert Ludy ’84 Bus |
| James McCarty ’13 Berks, ’16g Edu |
| Clarabelle C. Lin ’94 Eng |
| Tiffany Veet ’14 Eng |
*Certified results posted June 1, 2025; 7,318 voted out of 142,173 eligible voters (5.15%). The election was administered and results were certified by YesElections.
Questions?
Contact our volunteer services team at:
800-548-LION (5466), option 3
