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The Tarriffs

In 2019, Scott and Marcy Tarriff pledged $5,000,000 to establish the Tarriff Center for Business Ethics and Social Responsibility within Penn State’s Smeal College of Business. Scott Tarriff, a 1981 marketing graduate of Smeal and founder and CEO of Eagle Pharmaceuticals, has 30 years’ experience in the pharmaceuticals industry. He is a member of Smeal’s Board of Visitors. Marcy is also a Penn State alumna, earning her degree in health policy and administration in 1981.

They have long been invested in the future success of Smeal students, having created the Scott and Marsha Tarriff Trustee Scholarship in 2005. Their passion for Penn State, as well as for social responsibility, led to their vision of a Center that would enhance Smeal’s commitment to ethical decision-making and prepare students for their future roles in an ever-changing professional landscape.

People

Administration

Advisory Board Members

Harry Barfoot III, Technology and K-12 Educational Services (Retired); Class of 1977, Economics.

Dawn L. Budd, Assistant Vice President and Treasurer at Educational Testing Services (ETS); Class of 1987, Finance.

Sherise Curd, Vice President Human Resources at Hewlett Packard Enterprise; Class of 1993, Management and 1997, MBA in Finance.

Jeff Douville, Director of Logistics at General Dynamics Electric Boat; Masters in Business Logistics & Operations Research, 1994.

Brian S. Dreibelbis, Sr. Director of Supply Chain Human Resources/Labor and Employee Relations for Land O’Lakes; Class of 1985, Supply Chain/Operations Management. 

Eric Goldstein, Chief Risk Officer at Antares Capital LP; Class of 1996, Accounting.

Suzanne Libby, Vice President of Ethics & Investigations at Fannie Mae. Class of 1997, Advertising & Political Science.

Jason O'Neill, Chief Executive Officer at LiveHelpNow and HelpSquad; Class of 2001, Business Logistics.

Frederik Wenzel, President & Chief Executive Officer at Schuetz Container Systems, Inc.; Class of 1991, Management.

Friends of the Tarriff Center

Emma Pirchalski, class of 2020, MIS. As an undergraduate student, Emma helped to establish Smeal’s Business Ethics Case Competition Team, which is developing into a cornerstone of our student engagement efforts. Upon graduation, she has been actively supporting the Tarriff Center by chairing the “Recent Alumni Engagement” working group, which focuses on supporting those who are navigating ethical challenges and opportunities early in their career.

Samantha Schmitt, class of 2019, Finance and Sociology. Sam brings her experiences as a recent alumna to the Tarriff Center through her efforts as co-chair of the “Mentoring in Ethical Leadership” working group, alongside Harry Barfoot. She also is an active participant in the Center’s Recent Alumni Engagement group.

Harry Barfoot, class of 1977, Economics. Harry leverages his 40+ years of professional experience in technology and K-12 education services to support the development of current Smeal students, and serves as co-chair of the “Mentoring in Ethical Leadership” working group, alongside Sam Schmitt.

Affiliate Faculty

Scott Collins, Ph.D. Scott is a faculty member and director of the one-year Master’s program in Accounting. His professional experience as an auditor and controller not only benefits his accounting students, but also the Tarriff Center, as we strive to increase students’ understanding of the practical importance of ethics and social responsibility. 

Jamey A. Darnell, D.B.A. Jamey currently serves as an Assistant Clinical Professor in the department of Management and Organization and is the Assistant Director of the Center for Penn State Student Entrepreneurship. His passion for higher education, and desire to make a positive difference in society by economically empowering others, makes him an ideal leader of the Tarriff Center’s work to establish a prison entrepreneurship program, which will enable students in our professional graduate programs to provide strategic feedback to inmates who are striving to prepare for a successful re-entry into society.

Ron Johnson, Ron currently serves as an Associate Teaching Professor in the department of Management and Organization and is well known by Smeal students and alumni as a primary instructor for the college’s courses BA 342, “Socially Responsible, Sustainable and Ethical Business Practice” and MGMT 301, “Introduction to Business.” Leveraging his 20+ years in academia, as well as his prior business leadership experience, Ron is helping to develop ethical leadership and social responsibility “Treks” for Smeal students. These treks will enable students to engage in site visits and meet with leadership teams in order to better understand how companies operationalize their commitments to ethics and social responsibility. 

Arthur Jones, Ph.D. Art currently serves as an Associate Teaching Professor in the department of Supply Chain & Information Systems. He teaches MIS 250, "Spreadsheet Analysis and Info Mgmt", MIS 432 "Bus Inf Sys Analysis", BAN 831 "Data Visualization for Bus", MIS 204 "Intro Mgmt Information Systems", PSU 006 "Business First Year Seminar", HPA 855 "Info Sys Hlth Adm", IST 301 "Information and Organizations", MIS 390 "Information Systems Management and Applications", IST 220 "Networking and Telecommunications", and IST 210 "Organization of Data". His expertise and work experience help students who comprise Smeal's undergraduate Business Ethics Case Competition Team. 

Özge Pala, Ph.D. Özge is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the department of Management and Organization. She teaches Management 451, “Business, Ethics, and Society” and Business Administration 342, “Socially Responsible, Sustainable and Ethical Business Practice.” Her expertise in organizational behavior, as well as her international work experience, uniquely help students who comprise Smeal's undergraduate Business Ethics Case Competition Team, as they analyze contemporary issues and present their findings at competitions that engage students from around the world.