Penn State football fans may know Jordan Mott from the viral clip of him running out onto the field against USC. The prank set Mott back $1,800 to run out with Penn State, and he was the first and last fan to do so. That moment also opened the door to several once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for Mott.

Mott is a graduate of Penn State’s Class of 2013, where he graduated with a degree in advertising/public relations and another in criminology. As a student, he tried to walk onto the football team, and was involved in Greek life and THON. Despite being born and raised in California, Mott is the fourth generation of his family to graduate from Penn State.

After graduating, Mott returned home to the West Coast, where he works as a realtor and sales manager. Mott has since become a top 1% realtor nationwide and has facilitated over $800 million in real estate transactions. As an alumnus, he has also contributed $100,000 to Penn State’s NIL fund, Happy Valley United.

Now, Mott is running for a position on the Board of Trustees as one of the youngest nominees, and his mission is to increase collaboration and transparency to make sure more voices are heard in the Penn State community.

“There’s nothing wrong with someone having an opposing viewpoint on an issue, and that should be taken into consideration,” Mott said. “Usually, there is common ground for people to find in any given situation that they can work towards success and collaborative decisions that benefit everyone involved.”

As a sales manager at Intero Real Estate Services, Mott says he oversees 200 agents and has learned that he can help build a more collaborative environment, even if people have clashing viewpoints.

“There’s a lot of conflict resolution that has to take place,” Mott said. “There’s a lot of guidance that has to be provided for others to be successful, and we’ve really built that office around having a collaborative and respectful environment.”

Transparency-wise, Mott mentioned the decline in Commonwealth Campus enrollment and said that, to his knowledge, President Neeli Bendapudi did not consult the Board of Trustees when she announced in February that the university would look into closing 12 of the Commonwealth Campuses.

“I think that you have the Board of Trustees in place to help make huge decisions like that,” Mott said. “We need to stay in line with our land grant mission and make a Penn State education as accessible as it can be to everyone across the state.”

Mott recognized the importance of keeping the Commonwealth Campuses open, but said consolidation may be necessary to do so. He also proposed an idea to reclassify one of the Commonwealth Campuses into a Penn State-branded trade school to better serve the Commonwealth.

“Commonwealth Campuses are the lifeblood of those communities,” Mott said. “We need to address and take into consideration not only the impact that it’ll have on students who are at those universities, but the communities as well. Such as the impacted staff and the economic opportunity that those campuses are providing to those communities.”

As one of the youngest nominees running, Mott is looking to bring a fresh perspective to the Board of Trustees through his generational ties to Penn State and his status as a new board member.

“I think that’s part of bringing a fresh approach to things that you’re not impacted by previous exposure to those decisions being made,” Mott said. “You haven’t been swayed one way or another by one group of trustees or another group of trustees, so that you really enter things with an open mind, and you facilitate and build those connections. And by building those connections and building meaningful relationships, that’s where that collaboration can take place, and decisions can be made with the university and student success at the forefront.”

Mott is also focusing on current and prospective students in his campaign. His goal is to increase enrollment and make Penn State’s education more accessible and affordable while also attracting and retaining high-caliber faculty, staff, and students.

“I think No. 1 is just a commitment to the university and the longevity around such. I think student success being at the forefront,” Mott said. “I think making sure that students, future and present, are provided with the resources needed to thrive. Making sure that we’re providing a world-class education that’s accessible to as many people as possible, and leading with a mindset of collaboration is probably where you make the biggest impact.”

---

Editor’s note: Mott’s interview is one of a multi-part series aiming to feature alumni running for open seats on the Board of Trustees. Onward State does not, and will not, endorse any candidate(s) in this election. Check out our site to read more about the remaining candidates vying for spots on the board throughout this year’s election cycle.