One Penn State World Campus grad is packing her bags to travel to Paris this month to help support athletes participating in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
Lisa Milne is the director of alumni relations for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and a 2021 graduate of the Penn State Online MBA.
Milne works with Olympians, Paralympians, and Team USA alumni creating connections and communities across the Olympics and Paralympic Movements.
“Alumni relations work at its purest is bringing people together with a common affinity. It just so happens that for the work I’m doing, it has to do with competition at the highest level,” she explained.
Connections could be based on the alumnus’ sport, games year (Olympic or Paralympic), or regional location.
Milne said she has always had a fondness and interest in the Olympic and Paralympic Movements. She vividly remembers watching the different athletic events as a child and teenager. Milne grew up playing sports and has coached rowing at the collegiate level.
Now, she merges her interest in athletics with the knowledge she gained from the Penn State Online MBA program.
Building her career
Milne has worked in a variety of positions and industries throughout her adult life. It wasn’t until her work in career development for college students that she reflected on what she really wanted for her future.
“It really gave me an opportunity to think about what my career could be and how I could use the skills that I’ve garnered over the last 20 years of my life,” she said.
Milne decided to combine her experience with the Penn State Online MBA program led by the internationally renowned Penn State Smeal College of Business.
Course work with real-world applications
Milne enrolled in the Penn State Online MBA program in May 2018. Today, that course work guides her work as an alumni relations professional. She credits her career progression to hard work, networking, and the things she’s learned along the way from coworkers, professors, and her peers in the program.
“I specifically loved the team I did my capstone project with,” she said. “That group was a lot of fun, and a lot of hard work went into that project.”
The capstone project included creating a strategic plan, a concept that she is applying to help connect Team USA alumni athletes.
“That’s exactly what I’m doing right now,” she said.
As an alumni relations professional, Milne’s work takes her all over the country. She and her team attended the Team USA swimming trials, track and field trials, and Olympic and Paralympic Day celebrations in St. Louis and Houston.
“For us to build a community, we need to get out there and meet the people our work will impact. To know how a person engages, you have to understand their desire to want to engage in the first place,” she said.
Supporting Team USA
Milne enjoys the opportunity to work with Team USA athlete alumni and active athletes.
“It makes me feel like I’m really part of something, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted in a career,” she said. “I am specifically excited to be a champion for our Paralympic athletes and their amazing representation of Team USA in the games. A lot of Americans don’t follow this part of the Movements, and they should — these elite athletes are outstanding to watch.”
She is attending the Paris 2024 games to help with logistics but will be taking notes for when the United States hosts the next summer games in Los Angeles in 2028. She wants to see how alumni relations can positively impact the games, athletes, and supporters of Team USA.
About the Penn State Online MBA
The Penn State Online MBA is a 48-credit program led by the Penn State Smeal College of Business. Professionals enrolled in the program learn to strategically manage groups and solve real-world business challenges.
Students can choose from more than 25 different concentrations in topics such as finance, strategic leadership, and project management.
A Penn State education online
Penn State World Campus has been offering a Penn State education online since 1998 and now has a comprehensive selection of more than 200 undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs.
Learn more about the Master of Business Administration offered in partnership with the Penn State Smeal College of Business online through Penn State World Campus.