Penn State’s first woman president is Neeli Bendapudi, who came to State College last spring from the University of Louisville. The Indian American marketing and consumer behavior scholar, known for her prodigious fundraising and financial acumen, now leads one of the nation’s largest universities and an academic powerhouse – Penn State reached a record $1 billion in research expenditures last year. Bendapudi is expected to keep the momentum going, drawing on her experience in Louisville, where she presided over rising recruitment, enrollment, diversity and graduation rates.
2022 will go down in the annals of Pennsylvania’s political history for producing not one but two firsts as state Sen. Kim Ward became her chamber’s first female President Pro Tempore and state Rep. Joanna McClinton spearheaded the Democrats’ retaking of the state House. As demonstrated by their occupying the top two spots in our inaugural Power of Diversity: Women 100, political power matters in the commonwealth. For more evidence of this, look no further than the longtime state politicians, the quartet of U.S. Reps – who will be joined by the groundbreaking Summer Lee in January – and the high-level political appointees across the state.
The honorees profiled on the following pages – researched by City & State staff and written by journalist Hilary Danailova – include female public servants, business executives, nonprofit leaders, advocates, academics and others who meet at the intersection of politics and policy.
https://www.cityandstatepa.com/power-lists/2022/11/pennsylvania-power-diversity-women-100/380073/