Topics

More

Baroness Alumna Joanna Shields To Speak At Penn State Monday

Penn State alumna Joanna Shields will speak Monday at 8 p.m. in Heritage Hall about her career path and current role as “The Baroness Joanna Shields, OBE, U.K. minister of internet safety and security and under-secretary of state.” It sounds like something out of a movie, but we swear it’s just her official job title in the United Kingdom.

Shields graduated from Penn State with a degree in public service in 1984 before earning her MBA from George Washington University. She then moved to Silicon Valley, where she became CEO of Veon, a video streaming technology firm. After leading companies like Bebo and AOL, Shields was recruited to be vice president and managing director of Facebook’s operations in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa in 2009.

When Shields spearheaded Facebook’s efforts to help London and Britain become technological hubs in Europe, then-Prime Minister David Cameron asked her to become the United Kingdom’s ambassador for digital industries and CEO of TechCity U.K. Shields was eventually promoted to “officer of the Order of the British Empire for ‘services to the digital industry and voluntary service to young people'” in October 2014, officially making her a baroness.

She was appointed to her current position in May 2015. She’s now responsible for “overseeing Britain’s efforts to combat online extremist recruitment and radicalization; eradicate harmful online crimes, including child abuse, exploitation and cyberbullying; and ensure safe and open access to the internet for everyone,” according to Penn State News.

The lecture is free for students and is co-sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and the Student Programming Association.

Your ad blocker is on.

Please choose an option below.

Sign up for our e-mail newsletter:
OR
Support quality journalism:
Purchase a Subscription!

About the Author

Elissa Hill

Elissa was the managing editor of Onward State from 2017-2019. She is from Punxsutawney, PA [insert corny Bill Murray joke here] and considers herself an expert on all things ice cream. Follow her on Twitter (@ElissaKHill) for more corny jokes.

A New Era: Jay Paterno Reflects On College Football In New Book

Paterno’s book is available on Amazon Prime.

[Photo Story] Autumn on Campus: A Worm’s Eye View

Our neighborhood-friendly worm led us on a self-guided fall tour of campus.

‘I Want To Play A Lot Of Guys’: Penn State Hoops Utilizing Depth Early

Veteran Nick Kern Jr. came off the bench in the Nittany Lions’ season opener.

113kFollowers
164kFollowers
62.3kFollowers
4,570Subscribers
Sign up for our Newsletter
Other posts by Elissa

2020 Blue-White Game To Kick Off April 18

More details will be announced following the 2019 season, but the game is usually scheduled for a mid-afternoon kickoff and aired live on BTN.

Penn State Football Announces First Five Kickoff Times For 2019 Season

Behring, Barlow, Engeman, & Marshall Secure Democratic Nominations For State College Borough Council