2025 Distinguished Speakers Invited to Campus

Rob DeMichiei

Rob DeMichiei ’87, retired Executive VP and CFO of UPMC, visited campus as part of the Distinguished SAGE Speaker Series. He shared insights from his career across Fortune 500 companies, healthcare innovation, and nonprofit service with students, faculty, and community guests in the John P. Murtha Center on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025.

Nick Chasler

Nicholas Chasler ’79, P.E., retired mechanical engineer, visited campus as part of the Distinguished SAGE Speaker Series. He shared insights from his 40+ year career at Appleton Papers in Camp Hill and Harley-Davidson Motor Company in York, highlighting how his Pitt-Johnstown Mechanical Engineering Technology degree prepared him for success, followed by discussion and Q&A with students, faculty, and community guests on Thursday, March 27, 2025.

Doug Weimer

Dr. Weimer, a Somerset County native with a background in federal law and public service, visited Pitt-Johnstown on April 3, 2025 sharing his journey from law school struggles to a distinguished career working closely with the federal government. Drawing on experiences that included developing monuments for key figures in U.S. history and collaborating with their families, he will discussed the importance of civic engagement, citizens’ rights and responsibilities, and how early civic education can empower the next generation to be informed, active participants in democracy.

Listening to Mr. Weimer was a very unique and interesting experience. He has lived such a great and fulfilling life from his career path. I especially thought it was interesting that he had worked on developing monuments for important figures in U.S. history and mentioned that he got to work with their families. Additionally, his story also resonated with me because of his upbringings as a boy from Somerset County. I also am from Somerset County, so hearing him talk about the great things he accomplished as a man from our area was truly inspiring.   

Ben Cotchen

With a background in federal law and public service, Mr. Weimer shared insightful and thought-provoking perspectives on the importance of civic engagement. He emphasized the need for Americans to understand their rights and responsibilities as citizens and how early exposure to civic education can empower them to actively participate in democracy. His extensive experience working closely with the federal government offered valuable real-world connections to the content we aim to teach as future educators. It was both informative and inspiring to see his continued dedication to strengthening civic education and encouraging the next generation to be informed, engaged citizens.         

Julie Rainey

I thoroughly enjoyed listening in on Dr. Weimer on the day of the Democracy bowl. He lived of a life of struggle and success, so it was very relatable for a college student as me. One thing he kept repeating was something along the lines that he wasn’t very successful in the beginning of his journey through law school. Although that lack of success did not deter him from his goals, as a student and college athlete I respect those qualities in a person. It shows great growth of character, and what type of person they are. Dr. Weimer by my understanding is a great man, who knows how to keep moving forward and that’s something that I respect. 

Julie Rainey

CEO Erin Lewellen is propelling Tilting Futures into a new era of innovation and impact and served as the keynote speaker for the August 22, 2025 Academic Convocation. She founded the organization’s innovative flagship program, Take Action Lab, and launched a systems change strategy with higher education institutions, educational nonprofits, and partners to identify best practices, build a robust evidence base, and integrate credit-bearing experiential immersive global learning into curricula as a global standard. A recognized thought leader in youth development and global education, Erin listens to young people and develops programming to meet their needs. She fosters a culture of equity and inclusion, earning the organization a top spot on Outside Magazine’s Best Places to Work and recognition in COLOR Magazine as an inclusive workplace.

Before joining Tilting Futures in 2014, Erin was a founding team member and the Vice President of School Partnerships at Revolution Foods and the Bay Area Director for Playworks. She has also served as the Board Chair for Oakland Leaf and is a member of the Advisory Board for Rising Sun Center for Opportunity. Erin regularly authors articles about her work and life to publications such as Forbes, Fast Company, Bloomberg, and NBC.