Behrend Talks: A Penn State Podcast
Behrend Talks: A Penn State Podcast
Penn State Behrend
Join Dr. Ralph Ford, Chancellor of Penn State Behrend, and guests for conversations about interesting things happening in the Erie community. 
A five-year plan for the Open Lab, with Dr. Greg Filbeck and Dr. Alicyn Rhoades
Dr. Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, talks with Dr. Greg Filbeck, vice chancellor and associate dean for academic affairs, and Dr. Alicyn Rhoads, vice chancellor and associate dean for research and graduate studies, about the college’s new five-year strategic plan. Originally recorded on July 15, 2026.
Jul 31
44 min
Enhancing student opportunities in the School of Science, with Dr. Cora MacBeth
Dr. Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, talks with Dr. Cora MacBeth, a 1996 Behrend graduate, about her first year as director of the School of Science. Originally recorded on June 15, 2026.
Jul 8
42 min
A Fulbright experience in Erie, with Bibiana Mayer Steckel
Dr. Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, talks with Bibiana Mayer Steckel, a Fulbright Scholar from Brazil, about her work with the Virtual/Augmented Reality Lab, where she is studying the use of VR technology to connect with children who have autism. Originally recorded on April 30, 2026.
Jun 15
43 min
Creating the sneaker of the future, with Tiffany Beers
Dr. Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, talks with Tiffany Beers, vice president of enterprise innovation at VF Corporation, about her work designing products for Nike, Tesla, Logitech and The North Face. Originally recorded on May 8, 2026.
May 17
37 min
Engineering the next generation of space travel, with Julia Cecchetti
Dr. Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, talks with Julia Cecchetti, a 2020 graduate and recipient of the Alumni Achievement Award, about her work at SpaceX and at Impulse Space, where she is a senior propulsion engineer. Originally recorded on March 19, 2026.
Apr 17
35 min
Supporting Erie’s business community, with Brandon Mendoza
Dr. Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, talks with Brandon Mendoza, president and CEO of the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership, about the Erie 300 strategy and the role of local universities in economic-development work. Originally recorded on January 12, 2026.
Jan 16
43 min
A productive partnership for women's health, with Dr. Will Walker
Dr. Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, talks with Dr. Will Walker, director of the college's Women's Health Innovation and Science Translational Lab, about how Behrend's role in the MWRI-Erie initiative is helping to benefit medical research, undergraduate learning experiences, and the broader Erie community. Originally recorded on November 14, 2025.
Nov 21, 2025
34 min
What COVID taught us about health care, with Dr. Ala Stanford
Dr. Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, talks with Dr. Ala Stanford, a pediatric surgeon and Alumni Fellow, about her work with the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she served as a regional director. Originally recorded on October 9, 2025.
Oct 24, 2025
40 min
Supporting family-owned businesses, with Dr. Christopher Harben
Dr. Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, talks with Dr. Christopher Harben, the Toudy Chair of Entrepreneurship and Family Business, about the Center for Family Business and the annual Family Business Conference. Originally recorded on September 15, 2025.
Sep 26, 2025
32 min
The rapid evolution of AI, with Dr. Tiffany Petricini and Kyle Chalupczynski
Dr. Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, talks with Dr. Tiffany Petricini, associate teaching professor of communication, and Kyle Chalupczynski, assistant teaching professor of management information systems, about their work with Behrend's Ad Hoc AI Task Force. Originally recorded on June 26, 2025.
Jul 4, 2025
59 min
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