Penn State Alumni Association, Central Texas Chapter
Board of Directors 2022-2023

JAKE PUSCH, PRESIDENT

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Jake is a 2011 graduate from Penn State. He has a B.A. is Psychology & a Minor in Law.
While he was a student you could find Jake tailgating on game day, enjoying a fish bowl at Bar Bleu, and occasionally studying in the library.  

After graduation, Jake lived north of Pittsburgh working as a Drug & Alcohol Counselor.  In  the fall of 2012, Jake quit his job and traveled the country for three months. He then began a career in Sales while residing downtown Santa Barbara, California. Jake arrived in Austin, Texas during the spring of 2013 after landing a job at Oracle. 

Jake took the role of President in August 2022 and is focused on growing the PSU community here in Austin, Texas. During his free time, Jake enjoys playing guitar, running town lake, traveling, and meeting new people. ​

DEREK TURNER, VICE PRESIDENT

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Derek attended his lifelong dream school in Penn State from 2013-2017 and graduated with a B.S. in Marketing from The Smeal College of Business and a Minor in Military Science. During his Penn State years, Derek split his time between Lion Ambassadors and Army ROTC.

After graduation, Derek Commissioned as an Army Officer and spent 4 months recruiting for ROTC at Penn State before being stationed at Fort Hood, TX in January of 2018. Upon completing his Military service, Derek decided to stay in Central Texas and currently works in medical device sales for Intuitive Surgical.

Derek spends his free time playing sports and piano, being outside, and hanging out with friends. He's passionate about meeting new people, making others happy, and of course, Penn State.

"Love helping this Chapter continue to grow! We have big things planned for Austin!"

ALEXANDRA LEON UNG, VP OF MARKETING

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Alexandra (Alex) is a 2017 graduate from Penn State University. She has a B.S. in Industrial Engineering with a minor in Product Realization. She is originally from Panama City, Panama and she is fluent in Spanish. In 2022 she received her MBA from Michigan State University - although she is still a Nittany Lion  first!

After graduating in 2017, she joined Masco Corporation in Michigan as part of their leadership development program where she held multiple roles in Product Management, Strategic Marketing, Operations, and Supply Chain over the last 5 years. After earning her MBA from MSU, Alex moved to Austin in 2022 to pursue a new opportunity as Product Manager for Microsoft Corporation. She was excited to see how active the Penn State Alumni Association was in Austin and decided to join the board as VP of Marketing to help make this chapter a home for other Penn State alumni  and supporters in Central Texas.

During her free time Alex enjoys trying new restaurants, dancing, traveling, and meeting new people!

MARIELLE BALZ, TREASURER

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Marielle is a Central Pennsylvania native, born and raised in Mechanicsburg, PA.  She is a 2013 graduate of Penn State University, with a Bachelors and Masters in Accounting.  Marielle chose Penn State for the school pride and endless opportunities that a big school has to offer.  At Penn State you could find Marielle at the McCoy Natatorium practicing with the Club Swim Team or the Smeal Business Building.

After graduation, Marielle worked for KPMG in New York City in their audit practice.  After 5 years, she was ready for a new adventure and transferred to Austin, TX.  Marielle now works as the Controller of a software company.

Marielle served as our Chapter President from 2019-2022 and is excited to continue her involvement with the alumni community in Austin as Treasurer.

NIKKI RAMIREZ, MARKETING CHAIR

Nicole Ramirez (Nikki) is a 2013 graduate from Penn State University. She has a B.A. in Journalism with a minor in Sociology. She is originally from Slippery Rock, a small town in Western Pennsylvania. After PSU, she received her M.A. in Mass Communications and Journalism from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA.

After graduation, she went on to pursue magazine journalism and worked as an Adjunct Professor for Penn State teaching English 420: Writing for the Web. Nicole now works in digital marketing and owns a company called NR Digital Consulting and hosts a podcast called Talk Digital To Me. She still writes as a contributor for publications such as Forbes and The Huffington Post and is an avid public speaker, including a recent TEDx Talk in 2018.
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Nicole is excited to come on as the Marketing Chair and help build alumni engagement and relationships in Central Texas. You can find her every weekend in blue and white at Parlor & Yard!

TALIA POTOCHNY, MERCH & DESIGN CHAIR

Talia graduated from Penn State in 2021 with a B.S. (Honors) in Geography/GIS and Minors in Sustainability Leadership and Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Talia was heavily involved with The College of EMS Student Council and THON, serving as Director of Fundraising Outreach, a Dancer Relations CM, and a THON Dancer her senior year.

After graduation, Talia moved to Austin, TX to pursue her M.S. in Information Studies at the University of Texas at Austin (Hook ‘em!). She currently works part-time as a UX Researcher with Favor, a tech company in ATX, while she finishes her degree.

Talia was excited to connect with other Nittany Lions in Texas and decided to use her design background to create some fun merchandise for the CENTEX Alumni Chapter.
Talia spends her free time getting outside as much as she can, going to the gym, traveling, going out to eat with friends, and watching lots of trashy reality tv (#bachelornation anyone?)!

GRACE DESJARDINS, SECRETARY

​Grace graduated from Penn State in 2018 with an honors degree in Marketing and minors in International Business and Psychology. During her time at Penn State, you could find her walking backwards as a tour guide, running around the BJC at THON, or coordinating networking events for Penn State Prime. She could also frequently be found at the library, Waffle Shop, Gaff, and Champs.

After graduation, Grace moved to Boston to start her career at TJX in the e-commerce division. She moved to Austin to begin a new role in Operations for Apple. While in Beantown, Grace had been an active member of the Penn State Alumni Board, so she was excited to get involved in the CenTex chapter!

Outside of work, Grace enjoys traveling, golfing and going to concerts. She also loves catching up with her book club and volunteering through the Junior League.

MATT IKENBERRY, SPORTS COMMITTEE MEMBER

Matt Ikenberry is a 2018 graduate of Penn State with a bachelor’s degree in Energy, Business & Finance and a minor in Entrepreneurship. He could frequently be spotted splitting a case of Ponies at Skellar or riding his mountain bike at Rothrock.

After graduation, Matt moved to Pittsburgh to start a career in the natural gas industry at EQT. In 2021 he moved to Austin for a job as a Natural Gas Pipeline Scheduler for Whitewater and hasn’t looked back.

Matt is eager to help grow the Penn State community here in Austin by getting alumni together for fun activities such as inter-mural sports, professional events, and social activities.

Wanted:  Capable, Passionate Leaders and Volunteers

Interested in developing new skills or building your professional network?  Do you love all things Penn State and want to help bring folks together? 
​Whatever drives you, we'd love to have you be a part of the PSU Central Texas chapter!   

If you have the interest in social media, event planning, or just a bit of time each month to contribute to our chapter, contact us and let us know.  
We'd love to work with you!  ​

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