UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - On November 25, several Penn State men’s lacrosse student-athletes traveled to New York City for one of the program’s annual Career Information Days. The team received the opportunity to learn and network with some of the top professionals in the New York City corporate world.
This year’s event, organized and hosted by Edmond Perry ’04, Robby Black ’19 and Dylan Foulds ’20, G’21, took place inside the Bank of America Tower in Manhattan.
The day began with a handful of speakers sharing their experiences in the Sales & Trading sector. These speakers included men’s lacrosse alums Edmond Perry and Scott Gehnrich ’06, Penn State football alums Mark Lawn ’91 and Lance Lonergan ’89, G’91 and Rob Liberty, who serves as the Head of AMRS Cash Execution Services at Bank of America.
The team then heard from Sarah Russell about her path to working in Investment Banking. Along with Sarah, recent program alums Dylan Foulds and TJ Malone ’23, G’24 shared their experiences working in the Investment Banking & Transaction Services field.
Three men’s lacrosse alums then spoke to the team about a career in Asset Management & Private Markets. Robby Black (Brookfield Asset Management), Mike Shinske ’21 (The Carlyle Group) and Matt Shankoff ’11 (Vista Equity Partners) provided great insight into their individual career paths and general industry trends.
To conclude the morning session, the players took part in a Wealth Management & Private Banking information session. Penn State lacrosse alums Sean O’Brien ’92 (Bank of America Merrill Lynch) and Seamus Glynn ’22 (Morgan Stanley) covered these topics. Former Penn State football player Jesse Neumyer ’04, G’05 also joined the group to offer his expertise in the field.
Jamie Parrot, former Penn State women’s lacrosse player and current Head of Investor Relations and Business Development at Mane Global Capital Management LP, delivered the keynote address. She then spoke about networking and leveraging connections and how the Penn State men’s lacrosse Teammates for Life platform is an invaluable asset for the future.
The team also had the chance to listen to a pair of program alums in Chris Marcus ’94, a partner in Kirkland & Ellis’ Restructuring Group, and Dan Brandt ‘90, an Executive Director at RPA Advisors. Fellow Penn State alum Matt Curtin then joined them ’98, who currently serves as the Vice Chairman of the Board for the NFL Players Association.
The Real Estate industry then took center stage as Penn State lacrosse alum Brandon Stern ’20 (Saxum Real Estate) discussed experiences from the past and future projections alongside Jordy Elardo (Cushman & Wakefield) and Brendan Curry (Columbia Property Trust).
Nick Spillane ’19, Reilly Masterson ’19 and Kyra Harney then spoke about their personal journeys and what it is like working in the Medical & Technology Sales field to conclude the day.
Reflecting on the event, Penn State junior defensive midfielder Mark McKeon expressed, “it was a phenomenal experience that you couldn’t get anywhere else. The speakers were extremely engaging and gave us great insight into their day-to-day lives across various industries.”
McKeon added, “This event is one of the best that our alumni have organized throughout my three years at Penn State. This is just one of many examples of how much they care about the program and the future of our team. I know that the Teammates for Life network has already been an asset to me and my career aspirations and will only continue to be more helpful in the future.”
“We remain grateful for the unwavering commitment our alumni continue to demonstrate in support of our current student-athletes,” said men’s lacrosse coach Jeff Tambroni. “The ‘Pro Day’ visit to New York City is yet another example of the Penn State lacrosse experience. It not only fosters athletic development but also prepares our student-athletes for success in life after college.”