Alumni Receive Alumni Honoree Awards
Alumni Receive Alumni Honoree Awards
Sociology and Criminology Alumni, Chris Dobbins ‘06 and Lina Dostilio ‘00, have received Liberal Arts Alumni Honoree Awards from the Department of Sociology and Criminology, presented at the 2026 Alumni Awards Ceremony.
Chris Dobbins, recipient of the Outstanding Criminology Alumni Award, is a people and culture leader with deep experience building and scaling teams in high-growth technology environments. He currently leads people and culture at Jack Archer, a direct-to-consumer apparel startup, where he partners with leadership to design integrated people strategies, strengthen operations, and enable high-performing teams. Previously, Dobbins held people leadership roles at DoorDash, Uber, and Twitter during transformative periods of hypergrowth and public-market maturation. His work focused on building scalable systems, shaping organizational strategy, and supporting teams through rapid change. Dobbins is also a veteran of the United States Air Force, where he served five years as an intelligence officer specializing in counterterrorism drone operations. A Penn State graduate and former Air Force ROTC member, he also holds a certificate in Leadership and Strategy from Harvard Business School Executive Education. He lives in San Francisco with his wife, Lindsay, and their daughter, Noémie.
Lina Dostilio, recipient of the Outstanding Sociology Alumni Award, is vice chancellor for external relations at the University of Pittsburgh, where she serves as deputy and strategic adviser to Senior Vice Chancellor Kevin Washo. In this role, she ensures alignment across the University's outward-facing functions, including Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement, Government Relations and Advocacy, and Communications and Marketing, and oversees university-wide efforts in community engagement, economic development, and public impact storytelling.
Dostilio holds an academic appointment as associate professor of practice in the School of Education, where she teaches and advises doctoral students in educational leadership. Her research focuses on the professionalization of community engagement professionals and cross-sector partnerships.
Over a twenty-year career in higher education, she has cultivated strategic partnerships across sectors to expand universities' public reach and relevance. Dostilio earned her EdD and MA from Duquesne University and her bachelor’s degree in sociology from Penn State. She, her husband Joe, and their two children, Joey and Miriam, live in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania.
Sociology and Criminology Alumni, Chris Dobbins ‘06 and Lina Dostilio ‘00, have received Liberal Arts Alumni Honoree Awards from the Department of Sociology and Criminology, presented at the 2026 Alumni Awards Ceremony.
Chris Dobbins, recipient of the Outstanding Criminology Alumni Award, is a people and culture leader with deep experience building and scaling teams in high-growth technology environments. He currently leads people and culture at Jack Archer, a direct-to-consumer apparel startup, where he partners with leadership to design integrated people strategies, strengthen operations, and enable high-performing teams. Previously, Dobbins held people leadership roles at DoorDash, Uber, and Twitter during transformative periods of hypergrowth and public-market maturation. His work focused on building scalable systems, shaping organizational strategy, and supporting teams through rapid change. Dobbins is also a veteran of the United States Air Force, where he served five years as an intelligence officer specializing in counterterrorism drone operations. A Penn State graduate and former Air Force ROTC member, he also holds a certificate in Leadership and Strategy from Harvard Business School Executive Education. He lives in San Francisco with his wife, Lindsay, and their daughter, Noémie.
Lina Dostilio, recipient of the Outstanding Sociology Alumni Award, is vice chancellor for external relations at the University of Pittsburgh, where she serves as deputy and strategic adviser to Senior Vice Chancellor Kevin Washo. In this role, she ensures alignment across the University's outward-facing functions, including Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement, Government Relations and Advocacy, and Communications and Marketing, and oversees university-wide efforts in community engagement, economic development, and public impact storytelling.
Dostilio holds an academic appointment as associate professor of practice in the School of Education, where she teaches and advises doctoral students in educational leadership. Her research focuses on the professionalization of community engagement professionals and cross-sector partnerships.
Over a twenty-year career in higher education, she has cultivated strategic partnerships across sectors to expand universities' public reach and relevance. Dostilio earned her EdD and MA from Duquesne University and her bachelor’s degree in sociology from Penn State. She, her husband Joe, and their two children, Joey and Miriam, live in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania.