Outstanding Alumni
In 1999, Penn State 's Department of Communication Arts and Sciences established its Outstanding Alumni Award. The award's purpose is to recognize and reward alumni of the department, or those working in allied fields, for their success and influence as leaders, for significant career achievements, and for being outstanding role models for current students.
2005 Awards:
Robert V. Miller
In 1999, Penn State’s Department of Communication Arts and Sciences established its Outstanding Alumni Award. The award’s purpose is to recognize and reward alumni of the department or those working in allied fields for their success and influence as leaders, for significant career achievements, and for being outstanding role models for current students.
This year we have two very worthy recipients. The first is Robert Miller who graduated in 1983 with a Ph.D. in Speech Communication after completing a BA and MA at West Virginia University.
After completing his doctoral work, Robert became Director of the Media Studies Program at DePauw University where he also served for three years. During one of his years there, he was named Outstanding Professor of the Year. He then moved to the corporate world, becoming Vice President of MarketVision Research in Cincinnati. MarketVision was named by INC. Magazine as one of the fastest growing privately held companies in the United States. He eventually became the second highest ranking officer in the company and became nationally known in the market research field. After twelve years at MarketVision, Robert was named President and CEO of Cooper Research, a firm specializing in marketing intelligence for the health care industry.
Under his leadership, Cooper Research, has conducted nearly 3,000 research studies and has collected data from literally hundreds of thousands of consumers and heath care providers. Cooper has completed national studies for companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, American Red Cross, Merck, Wellpoint Health Networks, National Stroke Association, and many others. Cooper studies have been featured in major media national as well as local.
Robert is often called upon for his expertise in health care, and has been a keynoter at many national meetings and is also a frequent contributor to the popular media on health care topics of public interest, including access to care, quality of care, the growing uninsured, and the national nursing shortage.
Robert serves his community in many ways. He is Chairman of the Marketing Committee of the American Red Cross, Cincinnati Chapter, serves on the boards of advisors for the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University, the Business College at Ohio University, and the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati.
Robert, for your influence as a leader in your field, significant career achievements, and for being an outstanding role model for current students, we are honored to present to you this afternoon the Outstanding Communication Arts and Sciences Alumni Award.
Our second award winner is Adrian C. Ornik.
Adrian graduated in 1978 with a B.A. in speech communication. Early in his Penn State career, he was a student at Penn State-Ogontz (now Abington) and while there was the President of Student Government. After graduation, Adrian took a position at Armstrong World Industries. He moved up the corporate ladder in marketing moving to DeLoitte and Touche in 1986, Arthur Anderson in 1998, and then to his current company, PriceWaterhouseCoopers in 1990.
Adrian has had a distinguished career in marketing. He is the Director of US Markets and Business Development at PricewaterhouseCoopers, a firm that provides industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services for public and private clients and their stakeholders. Based in the Philadelphia office, Adrian also serves on the firm’s U.S. Leadership Team and its Global Marketing Leadership Team. His responsibilities include advertising, public relations, direct marketing, market research, and corporate sponsorship, among others.
Adrian has been recognized many times for his outstanding work. He was twice named as the one of the hundred most influential people in accounting by Accounting Today. Adrian is the past president of the Association for Accounting Marketing and one of the inaugural inductees of the AAM Hall of Fame. He also received the 1993 Marketer of the Year Award sponsored by CPA Marketing Report and Aspen Publications. He’s a frequent speaker at international, national, and local professional conferences and routinely quoted as a thought leader in accounting by national industry publications.
Adrian, for your influence as a leader in your field, significant career achievements, and for being an outstanding role model for current students, we are honored to present to you this afternoon the Outstanding Communication Arts and Sciences Alumni Award.
2004 Awards:
Cynthia Danel
Cynthia Danel graduated in 1971 with a bachelor of arts in speech. Cynthia continued her education at Penn State and in 1976 she was one of only seven women to graduate with a master of arts in speech communication.
As a student, Cynthia was active with several student groups including the Penn State Thespians. While pursing her degree she lived in State College and taught English as a second language. Her Masters thesis was titled, "The relationship of rhetoric and ritual as discussed in the major works of Kenneth Burke." She worked on this with Richard Gregg who encouraged her to go on to complete her doctorate.
After completing her Masters degree, Cynthia considered going on to pursue a doctorate, but instead worked her way through Duquesne University School of Law. In 1983, Cynthia joined one of the best-known law firms in Pennsylvania , Edgar M. Snyder & Associates, where she is now Partner. Here she has specialized in personal injury litigation, trying numerous cases before a jury as well as mediating and settling hundreds more. She has also successfully argued appellate cases before both the Superior and Supreme Courts of Pennsylvania.
This year Cynthia is the President Elect of the Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association. She is also a member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America and has served on the Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association.
Cynthia is well regarded for her community involvement in Western Pennsylvania . This includes work with such groups as Make-a-Wish Foundation and the Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council. She has served as a Judge in the Allegheny County High School and University of Pittsburgh Moot Court Competition , and she was the former chairperson of the High School Essay Contest of the Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association. She has also been a frequent panelist in continuing legal education seminars sponsored by the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association.
Previous awardees include:
Todd Blackledge '83, Commentator for CBS Sports
Jay Feldstien '59, Founder of Feldstein Grinberg Stein & McKee
