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Office Leadership and Staff

Kathleen Bieschke

Kathleen Bieschke

Senior Vice Provost and Interim Dean of Undergraduate Education

After joining the Office of Faculty Affairs as Vice Provost in August, 2017, Kathy Bieschke was elevated to Senior Vice Provost in July 2024. As Senior Vice Provost, she leads both the Office of Faculty Affairs and the Office of Undergraduate Education. She earned a B.S. in Psychology and an M.S. in Clinical Psychology from Illinois State University, and a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology in 1991 from Michigan State University. She joined the faculty at Penn State University in 1991 and is a professor of education. Bieschke was an administrative fellow for Penn State’s Executive Vice President and Provost in 2012-2013. She served as Head of Educational Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education from 2013-2016, and as Interim Dean of the Schreyer Honors College in 2016-2017.

Areas of Responsibility:

  • Faculty affairs including policies, academic human resources, and leadership and faculty development activities
  • University Promotion and Tenure
  • Executive searches
  • Liaises with University Faculty Senate and the Big Ten Academic Alliance.
Ann Clements

Ann Clements

Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs

Ann Clements is the Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs – Faculty Development. She earned a BME degree from the University of Puget Sound and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Washington (2002). She is a professor of music education and founder and former director of Penn State’s Center for Pedagogy in Arts and Design (C-PAD), where she oversaw faculty professional development within the College of Arts and Architecture. She has served as the head (2016-2020) and the graduate program chair (2013, 2015-21) of music education and served multiple terms as a faculty senator.

Areas of Responsibility: 

  • Leadership and Faculty Development Programming including new faculty onboarding, implementing a University-wide mentoring program, training new administrators, and enhancing the recruitment and retention of diverse faculty
  • Oversees the evaluation of program effectiveness and assesses tenure-line and non-tenure-line faculty and leadership development needs University-wide
Abby Diehl

Abby Diehl

Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs

Abby Diehl has served as Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs at Penn State since July 2024 and as Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs since 2020. Prior to her roles in the Office of Faculty Affairs, Diehl served as assistant dean for career development and engaged learning in Penn State’s College of Health and Human Development. In that role and in other roles in the college over the span of 20 years, her areas of responsibility included alumni relations, leadership initiatives, education abroad, and communications. She also served as a Penn State Administrative Fellow during the 2012-13 academic year. She received her Ph.D. in higher education in 2007, an M.Ed. in higher education in 2001, and a B.A. in advertising and public relations in 1996, all from Penn State.

Areas of Responsibility:

  • Compliance with academic HR policies and data pertaining to faculty and the development of reports and information that inform University decision-making
  • Policies and practices related to non-tenure-line faculty appointments and promotion; sabbatical leaves and phased retirements
Peter Hopsicker

Peter Hopsicker

Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs

Peter Hopsicker joined the Office of Faculty Affairs in January 2025 and currently serves as Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs. He began his tenure at Penn State University in 1997 at the Altoona College, serving in multiple leadership roles over 28 years. His positions included Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (2019–2025), Associate Dean for Research and Sponsored Programs (2023-2025), Head of the Division of Education, Human Development, and Social Sciences (2013–2019), Chair Elect/Chair of the Penn State Altoona Faculty Senate (2011–2013), Program/Discipline Coordinator for Kinesiology (2006–2019), and Director of Intramural and Recreational Sports, Facility Management, Aquatics, and Club Sports (1997–2005). He earned his Ph.D. in Kinesiology (History and Philosophy of Sport) from Penn State in 2006, his M.A. in Kinesiology (Sport Management) from the University of Maryland in 1994, and his B.S. in Physical Education Teaching (K–12) from Ithaca College in 1992.

Areas of Responsibility

  • Oversees promotion and tenure processes across all academic units of the university and provides strategic leadership in policy implementation, data utilization, strategic planning, and faculty-related initiatives across Penn State’s campuses. 
Wendy Blumenthal

Wendy Blumenthal

Administrative Assistant

Cassie Caldwell

Cassie Caldwell

Project Manager

Rachel Killoren Corp

Rachel Killoren Corp

Executive Assistant to the Senior Vice Provost

Christine Luzier

Christine Luzier

Administrative Assistant