Alumni News

Jimmy Kroon’s work at the Delaware Department of Agriculture has changed over the years, but the focus has stayed rooted in the same place: helping people solve problems. Kroon, a Penn State alumnus who earned his master of geographic information systems (MGIS) in 2011, recently was appointed deputy secretary of the Delaware Department of Agriculture after more than two decades with the agency.

Penn State Sustainability recently published a guidebook to support Penn State faculty in implementing sustainability into their curricula. The guidebook was created by Sustain Penn State, located within the Office of Undergraduate Education and one of the offices that makes up Penn State Sustainability.

Jazmyn Clark did not come to Penn State planning to study geography, and she did not picture herself building a career in GIS. She arrived with a different major in mind and a clear idea of what her future was supposed to look like.

Penn State’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences and Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science mourn the loss of John A. Dutton, who died on Feb. 13, at the age of 89.

The Alumni Association chatted with Emmy-nominated meteorologist Cheryl Nelson, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences graduate, about her journey from Penn State to national broadcast news and beyond.

Gretchen Watkins, board director at The Mosaic Company and former president of Shell USA and executive vice president of Global Shales, will give the 2026 G. Albert Shoemaker Lecture in Energy and Mineral Engineering at Penn State

The College of Earth and Mineral Sciences has announced the appointment of two new members to the Graduates of Earth and Mineral Sciences (GEMS) board of directors, and four new members to the college’s Development Council.

Geography alumnus Bob Myers, who has worked for decades as an attorney, continues to take courses at Penn State. He earned a master's degree in Geographic Information Systems and a master of science in spatial data science. He also recently toured Penn State's Geographics Lab, which he contracted to assist on a project in honor of his late brother.  

Penn State geography alumnus Benjamin DeAngelo is stepping into a new role — one that allows him to apply a career’s worth of climate expertise in a more direct and collaborative way. He recently launched Operation Future, a consulting and advisory service focused on climate adaptation and resilience. 

Harrison Cole, an alumnus and former postdoctoral scholar in the Penn State Department of Geography, designs maps for the National Geographic Museum of Exploration, currently under construction in Washington, D.C. Cole said the work he did as a postdoctoral scholar in the Walker Building translated directly into the skills he now uses at National Geographic.