Randy Houston, the immediate past president of the Penn State Alumni Association, will contend for an alumni-elected seat on the university’s governing board, he announced this week.
Houston currently serves on the Board of Trustees in an ex officio position reserved for the alumni association’s immediate past president. That two-year term expires on June 30. He is now the seventh candidate to announce intentions to run for one of three seats in the upcoming election of trustees by alumni.
In a statement, Houston said he’s pursuing a term as an alumni-elected trustee to continue serving his alma mater.
“As a trustee, I was instrumental in selecting Dr. Neeli Bendapudi as our university president, chaired the board’s legal and compliance committee, and have been your voice in how Penn State is run,” Houston wrote. “But my trustee term ends on June 30, and I am not ready to end my service to Penn State.”
Houston said his platform narrows down to four areas of focus that would promote “a better Penn State for ALL Penn Staters.” They include fostering an affordable, world-class education at Penn State, celebrating the university’s history and traditions and maintaining “a diverse, safe and inclusive alma mater.”
An entertainment and trademark attorney who works as assistant general counsel for BuzzFeed, Houston graduated from Penn State with a pre-law degree in 1991 before earning a doctoral degree in law at the University of North Carolina. While studying in Happy Valley, he co-founded Penn State’s Student Minority Advisory and Recruitment Team (SMART).
He later served as the president of Penn State’s College of the Liberal Arts Alumni Society board. He was also appointed vice president of the Penn State Alumni Association before rising up the ranks to president until June 30, 2021.
Before Houston appears on the upcoming alumni trustee ballot, he will need to collect at least 250 signatures each during the nomination period, which begins on Jan. 15 and continues through Feb. 25. All Penn State alumni and most former students are eligible to nominate candidates and vote.
Once the nomination period ends, this year’s alumni trustee election will begin on April 10 when election ballots are delivered via email. The election will conclude at 9 a.m. on May 4. Those who participated in the 2022 election process will automatically receive ballots. Eligible individuals who don’t receive a ballot can request one online.
While an official slate of alumni trustee candidates isn’t available yet, at least seven candidates have announced intentions to run for the three opening seats. This year’s incumbents — Jay Paterno, Anthony Lubrano and Alice Pope— will collectively run to defend their seats. Meanwhile, Penn State Forward, a grassroots coalition that seeks to amplify younger, progressive alumni, said it will support three challenger candidates: Ali Krieger, Melinda Kuritzky and Uma Moriarity.
For more information on the upcoming alumni trustee election, visit the Board of Trustees’ website or browse the board’s election policies.
