Penn State Harrisburg alumni named Alumni Fellows

William Lambert

Michael Fiaschetti

Penn State Harrisburg alumni Michael Fiaschetti and William Lambert were among 19 named Penn State Alumni Fellows at a ceremony at University Park, Pa. on Oct. 16, 2012. The highest award given by the Penn State Alumni Association, the lifelong Alumni Fellow title recognizes outstanding professional achievements.

Alumni Fellows video includes Lambert presentation.

Alumni are nominated by a college or campus as leaders in their fields and accept an invitation from the University president to return to campus to share their expertise with students, faculty and administrators. Only 700 of the University’s 560,000 living alumni have received this award since it was established in 1973. More than 30 Penn State Harrisburg alumni have been named Alumni Fellows.

Fiaschetti ’04g, of Enola, earned his MBA at Penn State Harrisburg. He is president of Health Markets for Highmark Inc., a leading health insurance company employing more than 19,500 people and serving 4.9 million health plan members in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Delaware. He has 25 years of executive experience in the managed care and health insurance industry. A Penn State Harrisburg Advisory Board member, Fiaschetti also serves on the boards of the Harrisburg Regional Chamber, Capital Region Economic Development Corporation, and is chairman of the Inter-County Health Plan and the Pennsylvania Health Information Exchange boards. In 2008, the Penn State Harrisburg chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma, an international business honor society, named Fiaschetti a Distinguished Honoree. He received the 2011 Penn State Harrisburg Alumni Achievement Award.

Lambert ’80, of Cranberry Township, holds a degree in mechanical design engineering technology from Penn State Harrisburg. He is president and chief executive officer of Mine Safety Appliances Company, the world’s leading manufacturer of worker safety products. Lambert joined the company in 1981 as a design engineer and soon after developed and patented the Quick-Fill System, which enables firefighters to restore their air supplies rapidly in emergency situations. A member of the Penn State Harrisburg Board of Advisors, Lambert also serves on the boards of the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, the American Red Cross of Southwestern Pennsylvania, the Senator John Heinz History Center, and the International Safety Equipment Association. In 2010, he received the Penn State Harrisburg Alumni Achievement Award.

“Alumni are the University’s most valuable resource,” said Roger L. Williams, executive director of the Penn State Alumni Association. “The Alumni Fellow program gives us the opportunity to showcase the significant contributions Penn Staters make to our nation and the world.”