Three selected as Administrative Fellows for 2025-26

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Administrative Fellows Program offers Penn State faculty and staff the opportunity to work with senior University officers to gain knowledge and experiences pertaining to leadership in the academic community.

For the 2025-26 academic year, the Administrative Fellows are:

• Danielle Symons Downs, professor of kinesiology and obstetrics and gynecology, College of Health and Human Development; associate director, Penn State Social Science Research Institute; director, Exercise Psychology Laboratory. Her mentor will be Andrew Read, senior vice president for Research.
• Tammy Spevak, associate director, Academic Services and Retention, Penn State Hazleton. Her mentor will be Andrea Dowhower, vice president for Student Affairs.
• Pauline Thompson, professor of psychology, Penn State Brandywine. Her mentor will be Kathleen J. Bieschke, senior vice provost and interim dean of Undergraduate Education.

The Administrative Fellows Program enables participants to strengthen their administrative talents and qualifications by working with a Penn State leader in a mentoring relationship. Fellows increase their understanding of the contexts within which decisions are made and of the work done in units across the University.

Learn more here about the Administrative Fellows Program.