When asked what inspires his volunteerism and philanthropy to Penn State, Greg Yahn ‘85 Eng, ‘99 MBA said, “We are… Penn State! I will help wherever I can. My time is an asset that I want to share with anyone who aspires to grow and prosper through education. Every Penn State graduate is a future leader, prepared to be a positive force in the world! I will support that every day.”
As a third-generation Penn State engineer, Greg loves his alma mater and is a proud Penn Stater. In the late 1980s, as an industrial engineering graduate with experience in the Foundry at Penn State, Greg was asked to be on the Cast Metals Advisory Board at University Park. The Board serves as a conduit between companies (foundries) and the University. The companies needed trained employees and the University was seeking funding and equipment, and through the Cast Metals Advisory Board, a fruitful partnership was born.
Greg has since become highly involved at Penn State Behrend, serving on various committees and boards, including the development committee for the Interdisciplinary Business with Engineering Studies (IBE) degree, which is now among the most successful academic programs at Behrend. In 2013, while Greg was serving on the Digital Media, Arts, and Technology development committee, Behrend received a gift from Autodesk software that supported the creation of the Digital Media, Arts, and Technology (DIGIT) program. “Penn State Behrend now has several classes of DIGIT graduates,” Greg said. From 2016 to 2018, he served on Penn State Behrend’s Black School of Business advisory board. During A Greater Penn State, the University’s most recent capital campaign, he volunteered to be the committee chair for Behrend, where he helped raise more than $75 million for the college.
Greg also chairs the advisory board of Penn State Behrend’s Center for Family Business. He proudly shares that after only one year, they have gained over fifty members and a half dozen philanthropic supporters. The center is a resource for family businesses in Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio and provides support for succession planning, leadership, and creates peer groups for its members. “My ultimate goal is to spread the resources of the center across the state via the Penn State Outreach program, thus continuing to fulfill our mission as a land-grant University,” he said. Greg chairs the meetings and speaks with current and potential members and supporters about the center and how it can be improved.
Greg has been a member of the Council of Fellows at Penn State Behrend since 2000, serving on the Council’s board since 2009. In 2014, the council was charged with raising funds to move the Erie Planetarium to Penn State Behrend. With the knowledge that his father was searching for somewhere to allocate his 401K and that he loved the mysteries of space and the stars, Greg suggested that he make a gift to the Planetarium Project Fund. He shared, “Now the Yahn Planetarium at Penn State Behrend is a part of his legacy and an example of my commitment to raising funds to advance the college,” Greg said, “As a member of the Council of Fellows and a supporter of student projects through my business, I see many student presentations on a variety of topics. I am always impressed by the ability and potential of Penn State Behrend students. Many of their presentations are Fortune 500 board room quality. These students are truly tomorrow’s professionals.”
Thanks to his success at Penn State, Greg shared that he has had a very good life and has secured a bright future for his family. “I feel it is so important to share my success with those who have not had this opportunity,” Greg said. “I honestly feel that when you give your time to a cause you love, you are not giving anything, you are simply having fun! The point is not to be checking boxes, but to do what you enjoy, making it fun and not work. I am simply giving back to that which has given me so much!”
Inspired by Greg’s service to Penn State?
Give to the Yahn Planetarium at Penn State Behrend
Give to the Greg and Heather Yahn Family Scholarship at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College