Outstanding Alumni Award
2024
Alani Bankhead
Supervisory Special Agent Alani I. Bankhead has 20 years in the military, government, and non-profit worlds. Alani is a 2004 graduate of the Pennsylvania State University where she double majored in Latin American Studies and Crime, Law, and Justice. She has served in a variety of positions around the world with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations including counterintelligence, a deployment with special ops targeting Al Qaeda senior leaders, multiple Commands in and out of the Middle East, and as the lead bodyguard to a top Pentagon official.
Alani separated from active duty after 12 years to pursue her passion of protecting the vulnerable. She was subsequently hired as the International Director of Investigations and Law Enforcement Development for the International Justice Mission, the world’s largest anti-slavery NGO. In this capacity, Alani was responsible for all child rape and child sex trafficking operations and host nation police training in Latin America.
After moving to Hawaii, Alani became the Alternate Commander/Special Agent at the Hawaii Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. In this capacity, Alani created and oversaw all anti-child exploitation ops for the state. She was the architect and lead agent for Operation KEIKI SHIELD (“keiki” = “child” in Hawaiian) resulting in 85 arrests, the identification of 25 victims, and a 96% conviction rate. She also created Operation SHINE THE LIGHT focused on the recovery of missing and runaway foster children. Alani is also the handler to K9 Lulu, Hawaii’s first Electronic Detection K9 whom she did a TEDx Talk with.
Since leaving ICAC, Alani has continued her work as a coach and consultant as the owner of Mighty Sparrow Coaching LLC. In this capacity, she trains justice system professionals to achieve better and more efficient results through public speaking, workshops, and trainings around the topic of imposter syndrome.”
2023
Victor Curley
Special Agent Vic Curley earned his bachelor’s degree in Crime, Law, and Justice in 2004, and earned a Master of Legal Studies degree from American University’s Washington College of Law in 2022. He is the division chief, Homeland Security Investigations for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where he oversees national security programs that work to identify, disrupt, and dismantle national security threats, terrorist organizations, and hostile foreign intelligence entities. In his more than fifteen years with Homeland Security, Special Agency Curley has had assignments ranging from narcotics and contraband smuggling investigations in Arizona, to serving as the attaché to the U.S. Embassy Honduras and leading internal affairs offices with the Office of Professional Responsibility. He also served more than twenty-four years in the U.S. Army Reserves with three overseas tours supporting Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Special Agent Curley is a proud father of two, devoted husband, and a dedicated mentor to youth and young adults.
2022
Juan Abreu
Juan emigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic when he was just seven years old. He spent most of his childhood in upper Manhattan and the Bronx until he and his family moved to Pennsylvania in his junior year of high school.
After graduating from high school, Juan joined the United States Army, later transitioning to the Pennsylvania National Guard to attend Penn State, where he was part of the Schreyer Honors College and the Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program. He graduated in 2002 with a degree in Crime, Law, and Justice.
Juan went on to earn a juris doctorate from Rutgers-Newark School of Law, as well as a master’s degree in criminal justice, after which he joined the New York County District Attorney’s Office, spending more than 12 years conducting investigations and prosecutions of violent and white-collar crimes. He ultimately became a homicide assistant.
Today, Juan works at the New York State Attorney General’s Office, where he is responsible for civil and criminal investigation and prosecution of large-scale healthcare fraud by providers.
2021
Dr. William E. Snizek
Dr. Snizek earned his bachelor’s degree from Stony Brook University in 1963, after which he came to Penn State, earning his Master of Arts and doctoral degrees in sociology in 1966 and 1969 respectively. For nearly 40 years, Dr. Snizek was a faculty member at Virginia Tech, where he now holds the title of Alumni Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Sociology. A prolific scholar, he is the author or editor of 11 books and research monographs and more than 70 articles in sociology, management, and computer science journals. Throughout his career, he received two National Science Foundation research grants and three Department of Agriculture grants. He was a Senior Research Fulbright Fellow at Leiden University in the early 1980s and a Founding Fellow of Virginia Tech’s Center for Human and Computer Interaction in 1995. Dr. Snizek is the only faculty member at Virginia Tech to win all four of its major teaching awards. Other awards—numbering more than 25 in all—have included the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia’s Outstanding Faculty Award, which was presented by the governor of Virginia. Though Bill’s career has been rich with many awards and accomplishments, he is most proud of the fact that he taught very large Introductory sociology classes virtually every semester while at Virginia Tech–each class comprised of some 650 students.
2020
Ed Myer
Marilyn Horan 1976 BS Law Enforcement and Corrections, is Judge, Butler County Court of Common Pleas, in Butler, PA. She has been a Common Pleas trial judge since June 1996. In addition to her county judicial service, Judge Horan has contributed to the Commonwealth through her service on the Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission, the Judicial Conduct Board, and the Pennsylvania State Trial Judges Education Committee. She has also lectured for many educational programs, locally and statewide. She has been a recipient of a number of awards, including the 2014 Anne X. Aplern Award from The Pennsylvania Bar Association Commission on Women. This award is presented annually to a female lawyer or judge who demonstrates excellence in the legal profession and who makes a positive professional impact on women in the law.
Judge Horan is married to Joseph Caparosa and they have four children.
2019
Marilyn Horan
Marilyn Horan 1976 BS Law Enforcement and Corrections, is Judge, Butler County Court of Common Pleas, in Butler, PA. She has been a Common Pleas trial judge since June 1996. In addition to her county judicial service, Judge Horan has contributed to the Commonwealth through her service on the Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission, the Judicial Conduct Board, and the Pennsylvania State Trial Judges Education Committee. She has also lectured for many educational programs, locally and statewide. She has been a recipient of a number of awards, including the 2014 Anne X. Aplern Award from The Pennsylvania Bar Association Commission on Women. This award is presented annually to a female lawyer or judge who demonstrates excellence in the legal profession and who makes a positive professional impact on women in the law.
Judge Horan is married to Joseph Caparosa and they have four children.
2018
Robert P. Caruso
Robert P. Caruso serves as the Executive Director of the State Ethics Commission and is the longest tenured Commission employee, having been continuously employed by the Commission since August 1982. Prior to his current position of Executive Director, Rob held a variety of positions with the Commission including Special Investigator, Director of Investigations, Deputy Executive Director and Executive Director since 2013.
Rob earned his undergraduate degree in Law Enforcement from Penn State and his master’s in Criminal Justice from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He maintains numerous certifications in the areas of interviewing and interrogation, financial investigations, and analytical investigative techniques, and is active in the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws, an international group dedicated to improving governmental ethics.
During his extensive career with the State Ethics Commission, Rob has reviewed and processed over 14,000 complaints and has directed over 2,000 investigations, including serving as the lead investigator in the first prosecution of public officials charged under the Ethics Act. This culminated in the convictions of Allegheny County Commissioners for selling votes in return for official action to approve the development of the Ross Park Mall. He also led the investigation of a high-level state employee for accepting bribes in return for the award of technology grants (resulting in 5 federal convictions), and the investigation of former State Representative Jeffrey Habay, which led to a criminal conviction that provided the legal basis for the “Bonusgate” investigations. Most recently, Rob led the Commission’s investigation of high-ranking Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board officials, resulting in federal prosecutions and fines in excess of $9.5 million to liquor vendors. He continues to serve as an expert witness in multiple state and federal criminal trials.
Rob and his wife Paula live in Harrisburg and have a son who is a Penn State graduate.
2017
Nancy Lauer
Nancy Lauer holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Administration of Justice from Penn State University and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from California State University, Long Beach. She is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy and the Boston University Senior Management Institute for Policing.
Nancy served on the Los Angeles Police Department for 29 years where she was recognized as a results oriented leader with a passion for community service. She substantially reduced crime and associated urban blight in each of her LAPD commands by building strong community partnerships, and creating and implementing innovative crime and traffic collision reduction strategies.
As a traffic commander, Nancy founded the Traffic Assistant Scene Investigator (TASI) Program for LAPD’s cadets, ages 13-20 years old. Since its inception, over 500 cadets have received specialized training in traffic safety and collision investigations.
While the commanding officer of Criminal Gang and Homicide Division, Nancy conceived of and launched the LAPD’s Homicide Library in partnership with the FBI. The project, which digitized hundreds of LAPD homicide cases, has resulted in numerous “cold case” arrests, some decades old.
In an effort to build trust in minority communities, Nancy created the Faith Based Network in south-central Los Angeles, whereby she and her officers spoke from the pulpit on policing issues most relevant to the community. She ensured compassionate partnerships with the Justice for Murdered Children, Project Cry No More, and Justice for Homicide Victims family advocacy groups.
In her final command, Harbor Division, Nancy’s team of over 285 sworn and civilian personnel finished in the No. 1 position of LAPD’s 21 commands with an 11.1% reduction in Part 1 Crime. Nancy was commended by the Chief of Operations who wrote, “…through your steadfast and caring guidance you have helped save lives and created healthier neighborhoods.”
Nancy is currently a Parks and Recreation Commissioner for the City of Signal Hill. She is an active volunteer in the Signal Rotary Club where she holds the positions of Service Projects Coordinator and Interact Club advisor. Nancy sits on the board of the Penn State Department of Sociology and Criminology Board of Visitors and was the 2017 Outstanding Alumni Awardee.
2016
Kevin M. Deasy
Kevin M. Deasy is Associate Dean of Students and Associate Professor of Legal Writing at the University of Pittsburgh Law School. He holds a BA in Social Welfare and Psychology from Penn State, and an MSW and JD from the University of Pittsburgh.
Kevin’s areas of interest include academic support for students from underrepresented groups and use of short fiction to help students improve their persuasive writing skills.
In his role as Dean of Students, Kevin provides students with both academic and counseling assistance. In addition, Kevin serves as faculty adviser for the Law School’s Client Counseling Program as well as the joint JD/MSW program with the School of Social Work. He also oversees the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project, a joint effort of the Schools of Law and Social Work in which law students teach constitutional law classes at local high schools in economically-disadvantaged neighborhoods. Kevin is also active with the Council on Legal Education Opportunity, a national program that works to increase diversity in legal education and the profession.
Kevin has mentored numerous students through Penn State’s Liberal Arts mentor program and remains active with his alma mater. His primary hobby is O-gauge model railroading, with a particular interest in railroads that served the Appalachian coal region of southwestern Virginia. He and his wife Rebecca Phipps reside in Pittsburgh.
2014
Michael Ostroff
Michael Ostroff, originally from Philadelphia, splits his time between Florida and New York. A Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), he is the founder and principal of The Ostroff Group (TOG), a consulting firm that works exclusively with domestic and global non-profit organizations to help them achieve their organizational and philanthropic goals. The firm has an extensive track record of success working with a broad range of clients in the cultural, educational, health, human service areas and with the Jewish community. Services of The Ostroff Group include comprehensive financial resource development programs focusing on annual, capital and planned giving programs, board/leadership development, strategic planning and marketing.
Michael’s fundraising career spans 35 years and he has played leadership roles in campaigns that have collectively raised in excess of $1 billion. Prior to forming The Ostroff Group, Michael worked on behalf of community organizations in Cleveland, New Jersey, Rochester, Montreal and Boca Raton. With a keen understanding of volunteer and donor motivation, Michael specializes in major gift solicitation, campaign and strategic planning, coaching of nonprofit professionals and volunteer/board training. He is a frequent presenter on those topics in North America, Europe and Israel.
Michael holds a BA in Social Welfare from Pennsylvania State University, an MSc in Social Administration from Case Western Reserve University, and an honorary doctorate from the Hebrew Union College. He serves on several non-profit boards, has three adult children, two grandchildren and is married to Esther Rosenberg.
2014
Delore Zimmerman, Ph.D.
Delore earned his doctoral degree in Sociology from the Pennsylvania State University in 1986 where his research focused on the mobilization of territorial-based alliances for economic development.
Delore is a founder and President of Praxis Strategy Group a research, policy, strategy and development company that works with leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs in business, government and education to create more opportunistic and competitive ventures and communities. Delore has served as the principal investigator on eight competitively awarded Small Business Innovation Research projects to develop leading-edge practices and tools for development professionals and community leaders to build innovation-based economies. He has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs and companies to start and grow their business.
Since 2004 Delore has served as the Executive Director of the Red River Valley Research Corridor, a regional development effort to catalyze a more science and technology-based economy.
In 2009 he co-founded Praxis Africa, a farm, food and ag communications enterprise headquartered in Accra, Ghana. As the result of his work in rural Ghana Delore was installed as the Development Chief for the Awutu-Mankessim traditional area in Central Region in October 2011. His stool name is Nai Awuah Kotoko.
Delore serves as a board member on several technology companies. He has served as the Honorary Vice Commander at the Grand Forks Air Force Base for six years.
Delore is a native of Wishek, North Dakota and holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of North Dakota. He is married to Sonia Zimmerman, Ph.D., OTR, an Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy at the University of North Dakota. They have two adult children, Ian and Rachel, and a grandson Levi. Delore enjoys traveling, sailing, reading science fiction and playing guitar.
2013
James McJunkin
James McJunkin received the Outstanding Alumni Award. James is a 1982 graduate of Penn State, where he earned a B.S. in Administration of Justice. He began his professional career as a state trooper with the Pennsylvania State Police. During his 25 year career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), he served in the San Antonio, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C. field offices, and held significant leadership positions at FBI Headquarters. After the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, he was promoted to the Counterterrorism Division at FBI Headquarters where, over the course of just nine years, he held several positions of unit chief, including assistant director at FBI Headquarters, acting special agent in charge, and assistant director in charge of the Washington (D.C.) Field Office, the FBI’s second largest. In 2004, Director Robert Mueller personally appointed Jim to direct a multi-agency task force assembled to thwart an Al Qaeda-sponsored terror attack against the US Homeland. He was later recognized as the recipient of the US Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award in connection with his leadership of this task force. Jim guided FBI efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan in direct support of the US Military, and he supervised all FBI counterterrorism operations worldwide. He has traveled extensively and built lasting relationships and partnerships with foreign intelligence and law enforcement agencies in those countries. He retired from the FBI in 2012 and currently serves at Director of Corporate Security for Discover Financial Services. He now lives in a quiet suburb north of Chicago with his wife Carla and their three children, James Jr., Jared, and Jon.
Young Alumni Award
2023
Samantha Phillips
Sam Phillips graduated from Penn State in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in Criminology and a double
minor in Psychology and Sociology. She moved to Philadelphia for Temple University’s
Criminal Justice doctorate program. After obtaining her master’s degree, Sam decided to leave their program in the fall of 2021 to pursue another path.
Sam began working as a caseworker and eventually a reentry coordinator for a nonprofit that primarily serves unhoused and low-income individuals. Sam also worked part-time at Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site for four years, with most of the time spent in their Education Department. She taught visitors and guests about the world’s first penitentiary and mass incarceration today.
Sam is currently working on her second master’s degree in social work at Bryn Mawr College.
2022
Bryanna (Hahn) Fox
Bryanna earned degrees in crime, law, and justice, and psychology in 2008. She then studied criminology at the University of Florida before heading to the United Kingdom, where she earned her doctorate in criminology at the University of Cambridge. Her doctoral dissertation resulted in a new evidence-based approach to offender profiling, which has been implemented in police departments around the globe. After teaching briefly at Cambridge, Bryanna returned to the States to work for the FBI, first as a research fellow in the Behavioral Science Unit and later as a special agent conducting investigations on the International Organized Crime/Southwest Border Drug Squad in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2013, Bryanna joined the faculty of the University of South Florida and today is an associate professor of criminology and co-director of the USF Center for Justice Research and Policy. She is also the co-editor of Justice Quarterly, one of the top journals in the field. She has received over $3.9 million in grant funding for her work and continues to conduct research in the areas of psychological criminology, risk assessment, and experimental evaluations of crime prevention.
2022
Bryanna Hahn Fox
Bryanna earned degrees in crime, law, and justice, and psychology in 2008. She then studied criminology at the University of Florida before heading to the United Kingdom, where she earned her doctorate in criminology at the University of Cambridge. Her doctoral dissertation resulted in a new evidence-based approach to offender profiling, which has been implemented in police departments around the globe. After teaching briefly at Cambridge, Bryanna returned to the States to work for the FBI, first as a research fellow in the Behavioral Science Unit and later as a special agent conducting investigations on the International Organized Crime/Southwest Border Drug Squad in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2013, Bryanna joined the faculty of the University of South Florida and today is an associate professor of criminology and co-director of the USF Center for Justice Research and Policy. She is also the co-editor of Justice Quarterly, one of the top journals in the field. She has received over $3.9 million in grant funding for her work and continues to conduct research in the areas of psychological criminology, risk assessment, and experimental evaluations of crime prevention.
2021
Jazmine Abadia Russell
Jazmine graduated from Penn State in 2006, majoring in crime, law, and justice, with minors in sociology and military studies. A member of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (Air Force ROTC), she graduated with distinction as a commissioned Second Lieutenant. However, since Jazmine wanted to attend law school, the Air Force gave her special permission through a program called Educational Delay, which allowed her to earn her juris doctorate at Indiana University’s Mauer School of Law in 2009, pass the BAR exams in both New Jersey and New York, and then enter active duty as a First Lieutenant in the Air Force, serving as a Judge Advocate.
In addition to being able to practice law in the highest court of both New York and New Jersey, Jazmine has also been admitted to practice law before the Supreme Court of the United States and the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.
Jazmine served on active duty from January 2010 through April 2021, when she transferred to the Airforce Reserve Program. While on active duty, she served as a prosecuting attorney, Chief of Military Justice, Special Victims’ Counsel, Legal Advisor to Boards convened by the Secretary of the Air Force, and finally as Deputy Staff Judge Advocate. Also, during active duty, she served a tour in Afghanistan from 2012-2013, where she was an Executive Officer and Rule of Law Field Support Officer. After active duty, Jazmine transferred to the Air Force Reserve program.
In November 2019, determining there was a need to tell the military story, Jazmine launched the “Military Murder” podcast, where she discusses true crime cases committed by military members and veterans. Her goal was to return the voice to victims whose stories are left untold or are overshadowed by other military cases. The podcast continues to be a great success and is expected to hit its ONE MILLIONTH download this month.
2020
Dr. Dorian Burton II
Dr. Burton is a 2006 sociology alumnus who went on to earn a master’s degree from NYU and a doctorate in education leadership from Harvard University. He is the Chief Program Officer and Assistant Executive Director at the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust in Chapel Hill, NC, a foundation that supports building healthy and whole communities. He is also the co-founder of Paraquel Capital, a venture capital firm that merges investing for financial gain with devoting resources to social change. While at Harvard, he was a Wasserman Family Fellow and was selected for the Dean’s Committee on Equity and Diversity. In addition to other distinctions, Dorian was a Gordon Ambach Fellow with the National Governors Association Education Division and The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, as well as a Non-Resident Fellow at the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard University.
Before Harvard, Dorian worked as an independent consultant with various non-profits and school districts between Harlem, NY; Houston, TX; and Newark, NJ, where he provided strategic support to Newark Public School principals in launching their Renew School Turnaround initiative.
A former member of the Penn State varsity football team, Dorian started his professional career working for the National Football League. He also served as the founding Program Director of the Education Pioneers Houston Office, the Houston Director of Stand for Children, and the Chief Strategy Officer for TandemED. For his many accomplishments, Dr. Burton was selected as one of the 2019 Black Enterprise Modern Men of Distinction, and he was honored by The Root 100 as one of the 100 most influential African Americans in the country.
2019
Amanda Reinitz
Ms. Reinitz graduated from Penn State in 2005 with Distinction, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Crime, Law, and Justice, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, and a Minor in History.
Following Penn State, Ms. Reinitz received her J.D. from the University of Minnesota, graduating cum laude in 2008. She began her legal career at the Social Security Administration in Philadelphia, where she was Assistant Regional Counsel with the Social Security Administration’s Office of General Counsel. In this role, she litigated employment law disputes in a variety of forums and handled appellate matters in front of the Third and Fourth Judicial Circuits. In 2011 she was selected by the Social Security Administration to serve as a Special Assistant United States Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Through this assignment, she prosecuted a variety of white-collar fraud, focusing on government fraud and identity theft crimes.
In 2017 Ms. Reinitz joined the Department of Justice as an Assistant United States Attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and currently focuses on the prosecution of violent crimes and national security cases.
In 2017, Ms. Reinitz received national recognition for the prosecution of a national security case when presented with the Award for Excellence in Investigation from the National Council of Inspectors General. She also participates as a mentor in Penn State’s College of Liberal Arts mentorship program.
Ms. Reinitz is currently an adjunct professor at Temple University, Beasley School of Law, teaching Federal Criminal Practice.
2016
Corporal Bryon K. Dickson
Corporal Bryon K. Dickson was a 2003 Honors graduate in the Administration of Justice program at Penn State, and was selected as the Student Marshal for his academic achievements. He began his college education at Penn State Worthington Scranton where he was a Lion Ambassador, participated in the Veterans Club, and started for the men’s baseball team. Cpl. Dickson met his wife, Tiffany, at the Worthington Scranton Campus.
He served his country and state honorably as both a U.S. Marine and as a Pennsylvania State Trooper. Upon graduation from the Pennsylvania State Police Academy in 2007, he was stationed at Troop N, Fern Ridge, where he was assigned to conduct aggressive patrol operations throughout Monroe and Carbon counties. His passion for removing impaired drivers from our streets led him to complete his Drug Recognition Expert certification. In doing so he became one of the few highly trained troopers tasked with identifying drug-impaired drivers. During this time he also achieved pistol master, motor carrier safety assistance program-MCSAP, was nominated for the Trooper of the Year award, and attended the presidential inauguration.
In July 2013, Bryon was promoted to Corporal and assigned to Troop K, Philadelphia. A year later, he was transferred to Troop R, Dunmore where he served as a patrol unit supervisor. Cpl. Dickson’s End of Watch sadly occurred on September 12, 2014.
2013
Laura Tach
Laura Tach received the Young Alumni Award. Laura is an assistant professor in the Department of Policy Analysis & Management at Cornell University. Laura graduated from the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State in 2004 with a B.A. in Sociology and minors in Statistics and African & African American Studies. She received her Ph.D. in Sociology and Social Policy at Harvard University in 2010. Prior to joining the faculty at Cornell, Laura was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania. Laura’s research examines how social policies affect urban poverty and family life. With funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the National Science Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, she has conducted studies of mixed-income neighborhoods and poverty deconcentration policies. With funding from the National Institutes of Health and the Ford Foundation, she has also studied family instability and economic coping strategies among the urban poor. Her recent articles appear in journals such as Demography, Annual Review of Sociology, Social Problems, and the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences. She has also served as a consultant on projects for the National Academy of Sciences, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Urban Institute. Laura resides in Ithaca, New York with her husband Matthew and son Dexter.