Central Penn names Business Partner of the Year
Select Medical is chosen for supporting students and the school
By Sara Walters
Knightly News Reporter
sara.walters@mymail.centralpenn.edu
Select Medical was recognized as the 2023 Central Penn College Business Partner of the Year at the 19th annual breakfast earlier this month.
The company was chosen because of its support of Central Penn’s student-athletes and its support of the college’s athletic-training program, college officials said.
Select Medical recently partnered with Kasey Hicks, Central Penn athletic director, to expand the athletic training facility and training offerings on campus. Select Medical’s continuous support and donations have allowed Central Penn athletes a physical space on campus dedicated to them.
Steve Hassinger, Central Penn’s director of career services, told the audience of about 120 people gathered for the breakfast in the college’s conference center that Select Medical has also offered internships and fieldwork sites to Central Penn students, and hired graduates from nearly every academic program the college offers, including marketing, physical therapist assistant and occupational therapist assistant.
Select Medical representatives have also attended many Central Penn recruiting events.
Lance Ritter, physical therapist assistant student, and Hailey Heverly, business administration student, were named interns of the year.
Phyllis Hicks and Dimitri Theofanis were named site supervisors of the year.
Hicks is executive director of the Kidney Foundation of Central Pennsylvania. Theofanis is a physical therapist at Select Therapy.
Human resources leader Katie Koppenhaver accepted the award on behalf of Select Medical, from which Central Penn athletic trainers Emily Horn and Katie Olenick come.
Karen Young, author, and president and founder of HR Resolutions LLC, was the keynote speaker.
Young is a sought-after speaker, trainer and author. Her latest book, “Sought After: How to Be Heard, Be Trusted, and Be Recognized for Your Expertise,” explains what it takes to climb the corporate ladder. In the book, Young shares her experiences as she stumbled her way into becoming a professional, and was recognized for her passion, hard work and expertise.
Young published her first book, “Honest and Real: An Essential Guidebook to Drama-Free Human Resources,” in 2015. In that book, she relates the significant role that human resources plays in companies of all sizes. She writes about the benefits of defining expectations, creating strong job descriptions that drive HR strategy, and improving employee morale and retention.
Gabryelle Breski, Knightly News Media Club president, attended the breakfast.
“The Business Partner of the Year Breakfast was a great experience to learn how to be confident in who you are and confident to know when you need to learn more about it is that you want to do,” Breski said.
The Center for Career Services and Development thanked sponsors Members 1st Federal Credit Union, Abel Personnel, FedEx Freight, PSECU, Giant, Verber Dental Group and UPMC for making the event possible.
Comment or a story idea? Contact KnightlyEditors@CentralPenn.Edu.
Edited by media-club co-adviser and blog editor Professor Michael Lear-Olimpi.
