MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — Penn State Harrisburg will hold its fall 2018 commencement ceremony at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 15. Approximately 740 degrees will be conferred.
Penn State Harrisburg alumna and founder of JAL Executive HR Consulting Jane Leipold will deliver the keynote address at the ceremony.
Leipold is a global executive and consultant with a variety of business accomplishments in human resources, engineering and operations. As founder of JAL Executive HR Consulting, she works with CEOs and board directors to identify key strategies for driving growth, geographic expansion, and operational improvement, while also developing strong leaders, organizations and reshaping company culture.
Leipold began her business career as an engineer at AMP Inc. in 1981. After holding roles in engineering and operations, she moved into human resources. In 1994, she was appointed manager of the AMP Engineering Education Program and served in several HR training and development roles before assuming the role of vice president of human resources for Tyco Electronics in 2001. In 2006, she was named senior vice president and chief human resources officer for TE Connectivity, a $14 billion global technology leader serving the consumer electronics, health care, automotive, aerospace and industrial machinery industries. She held this role until 2016.
Leipold holds a bachelor of science degree in quantitative business analysis from Penn State, and an MBA from Penn State while attending the Harrisburg campus. In 2013, she was named a Penn State Alumni Fellow, the highest award given by the Penn State Alumni Association, in recognition of her outstanding professional accomplishments.
Most recently, she joined the board of directors for New England Science and Sailing, an ocean adventure nonprofit that provides STEM-based education programs, on and off the water, for students from all walks of life. She also is a member of Penn State Harrisburg’s Board of Advisers. Leipold previously served on the board of the United Way of the Capitol Region, has been an invited guest lecturer at various universities, and has been an active member of HR50, The Personnel Roundtable, and the CHRO Board Academy.
Leipold recently pledged $1 million to support scholarships and student services at Penn State Harrisburg, committing $500,000 to enhance opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), with first preference for women and minorities, and $500,000 to establish the Jane Filby Leipold Human Resources and Career Readiness Fund.
