Program Leadership
Louis A. Martarano is the Director of the Science BS/MBA Program. After graduating from Penn State in 1976, Lou worked as a Manufacturing Chemist for W.R. Grace in Lexington, Massachusetts. He attended the Yale School of Management, earning a Master of Public and Private Management (1981). He started his financial services career at Kidder Peabody & Co in New York as a specialist in the energy, environmental and infrastructure industries. Subsequently, at Merrill Lynch Lou was responsible for a leading role in its project finance business and established and managed its London Project Finance Group. He counseled a wide range of domestic and international clients in raising funds for large-scale facilities through public and private offerings of equity and debt (high grade and high yield), joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, and advisory assignments.
After his Wall Street career, he assisted businesses and entrepreneurial ventures in organizational assessment, executive coaching, and management best practices.
Lou is pleased to have overseen the Science BS/MBA Program since 2016. He served on the Eberly College of Science Dean's Advisory Board, serves on its Development Committee, and has served on the Advisory Board of Penn State's Palmer Art Museum, all of which he has chaired. He is on the board and has been Vice President of the Yale Alumni Non-Profit Alliance and established its program on governance best practices. He is a board member of Project Pericles, which promotes civic engagement in higher education. He was a trustee of Marymount Manhattan College, which board he also chaired.
Beth Johnson is the Director of the Science major in the Eberly College of Science and the Director of Academics for the Science BS/MBA program. In this role she oversees the undergraduate academic curricula and provides guidance to students regarding completion of degree requirements. She holds a bachelor of science in Biology from Muhlenberg College (Allentown, PA) and doctorate in Entomology from Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences.
Prior to joining Penn State, Beth was an Adjunct Professor at Juniata College (Huntingdon, PA) where she taught a variety of science courses including entomology, evolution, plant biology, biostatistics, and laboratory courses. Beth joined Penn State in 2016 and has held numerous roles including academic adviser for Science and Premedicine majors, Academic Recovery Specialist for students facing academic difficulty, and Intellectual Property & Technology Transfer Liaison to support the capture, protection, and commercialization of innovations developed by faculty.
In her current role, Beth serves as the faculty program head for students in the Science major, the Natural Science minor, and the Science BS/MBA program. She teaches the Science BS/MBA fall and spring seminar courses as well as the internship and co-op courses. She also advises students in the Schreyer Honors College and serves as a college ombudsperson.
Erin Long is the Managing Director for the one-year residential MBA and specialty masters programs in Penn State’s Smeal College of Business. She serves as the primary point of contact on the MBA side throughout the Science BS/MBA program. In her role with Smeal, Erin provides strategic direction for the portfolio of Smeal’s residential masters programs as well as oversees the recruiting and admissions functions, marketing communications and outreach efforts, and overall program success.
Erin’s background is in learning design, leadership and organizational development, and teaching and learning with technology. She holds a doctorate in lifelong learning and adult education from Penn State.
Joy Mack is the Director of Admissions for the one-year residential masters programs in Penn State’s Smeal College of Business. She is the point of contact for individual inquiries regarding the MBA curriculum, application process, and onboarding into the MBA.
Joy’s professional background is in higher education admissions and recruiting working with undergraduate and graduate populations. She holds a master's degree in organizational management from Misericordia University.
Debbie Brown is the administrative support assistant for the program. She will answer questions about the program and assist prospective students with the application process. She's available to assist and provide guidance to current students with questions and schedule appointments for Mr. Martarano. Debbie is located in the Associate Dean's Office for Undergraduate Education in 111 Ritenour Building and can be reached at 814-863-0211 or via email at debrown@psu.edu.