Melissa Doberstein Director

Melissa joined the Presidential Leadership Academy in March of 2009. She is responsible for the overall planning, implementation and administration of the Presidential Leadership Academy. Previously, Melissa worked as a Coordinator in the Office of Residence Life and as the Student Volunteer Coordinator in the Undergraduate Admissions Office at Penn State. A Long Island native, she earned her undergraduate degree in Political Science and her Master's Degree in Higher Education Administration at The State University of New York at Buffalo.

Melissa lives in State College, PA and enjoys spending time with her husband, two Siberian Huskies, and a cat. She is also a Penn State Fitness instructor. You can reach Melissa at mif3@psu.edu.

Glorie Josephs Administrative Support Assistant

Glorie Josephs joined the Presidential Leadership Academy in 2019. She is responsible for managing all events and travel, including budget oversight. She collaborates with students, staff, vendors, and alumni across the University to enrich and support the Academy team and to “glorie-fy” office operations.

A Penn State alumna with a Bachelor of Arts in telecommunications, Glorie is originally from Philadelphia. Fun fact: Glorie interned at Marvel Comics in New York City. Glorie spent several years in the advertising world and then moved to State College to run a printing company with her husband. Since 2014, she has worked for the University in client service roles, most recently for the Penn State Alumni Association.

Glorie lives in State College with her husband, Steve, and sons, Cooper and Griffen. She enjoys conversing with the bright stars in the Presidential Leadership Academy, trying new recipes, flowers, and fun. You may reach Glorie at gjj10@psu.edu.

Holly Linkoski Graduate Assistant

Holly joined the Presidential Leadership Academy in August 2020. She is responsible for managing and supporting the students in their blogging efforts as well as supervising them on special tasks. In addition, she assists the PLA Director in the implementation of new projects and initiatives. Holly graduated from Penn State in 2019 with a B.S. in Mathematics and worked for a year as a cost analyst for a government contractor. Now, she is entering her first year of graduate studies in the Higher Education program. Holly is looking forward to working with the motivated students of the PLA who are striving to become the leaders of tomorrow.

Holly grew up in Erie, PA and is excited to be back in Pennsylvania after a short stint in Washington, D.C. She loves watching sports, relaxing in local coffee shops, and exploring the wonders of nature. Holly can be contacted at hal5157@psu.edu.