Rachel Brecht (née Aul) is chief people officer for the Pittsburgh Penguins, overseeing talent acquisition, employee experience and engagement, learning and leadership development, talent and performance, total rewards and recognition, internal communication, change management and employee relations.
She joined the Penguins in 2025 after a 14-year run as a principal consultant supporting business transformation, change management, communication and talent strategy for high-growth and Fortune 500 companies. Earlier in her career, she served as strategic communication manager for American Eagle Outfitters, leading field communication strategy and execution for more than 1,000 stores across North America.
Brecht's leadership has earned wide recognition. She delivered the keynote address for the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women luncheon in 2019 and returned to Slippery Rock University in 2020 as part of its Alumni Speaker Series. In 2023, she co-authored the book "Letters to My Corporate Sisters" and was recognized in connection with a National Association of Corporate Directors Private Company Board of the Year award. In 2024, she was named a Pittsburgh Business Times Woman of Influence, and from 2024 to 2026 she served as a mentor for the publication's Mentoring Monday program.
Brecht's community involvement spans several sectors. She serves as board secretary for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and sits on the executive committee for the National Association of Corporate Directors' Future of Board Leadership Symposium. She is also involved with Vibrant Pittsburgh, United Way's Women United, the Brave Women Project, the Allegheny Conference on Community Development's workforce development committee, and serves on the board and committees of St. Clair Hospital. Earlier in her career, she belonged to the Public Relations Society of America, the Pittsburgh Human Resources Association and the Association for Talent Development.
A 1997 graduate of Slippery Rock University, Brecht earned a Bachelor of Science in communication with a concentration in corporate communication and multimedia, and a minor in marketing. While at SRU, she served as managing editor of The Rocket, was a member of Sigma SigmaSigma sorority and the Student Government Association, and belonged to the Public Relations Student Society of America.
Ben Mitchell is assistant athletic director for creative and digital media at the University of Pittsburgh, where his team is responsible for creating, implementing and enforcing one of the freshest visual brands in college athletics.
In his role, which he began in 2019, Mitchell serves as the university's lead athletics designer, overseeing the process integrity and storytelling behind Pitt Athletics' website and mobile app. Prior to joining Pitt, he served as assistant athletic director forcommunications at Saint Francis University from 2010 to 2015, where he was spokesperson, creative director and digital strategist for the NCAA Division I athletic department and led a six-person communications and multimedia team. He began his career as director of athletics media at Thiel College from 2008 to 2010, serving as the department's primary spokesperson, and later worked as marketing manager at Red Oak Branded Solutions, leading marketing and creative strategy for the promotional products and apparel company.
Mitchell's work has earned recognition both on and off campus. He was named Pitt's first-ever Bridge Builder of the Quarter and served as a speaker at SkullSparks '25, a national sports creative conference. He is a member of College Sports Communicators of America. Mitchell graduated from SRU in 2006 with degrees in communication (emerging technology) and sport management. He was involved with WSRU-TV, serving as general manager and on-air talent.
Michael Cameron is founder and multimedia specialist at Grow Ag Media and Blink Multimedia, where he leads all aspects of media production, instructional design and digital communication for clients nationwide.
Since founding the companies in 2007, Cameron has developed video content, interactive e-learning modules, websites and graphic design for universities, government agencies and private clients, with a focus on translating complex subject matter into clear, engaging media — particularly in agricultural safety, education and training. He has also worked as a contractor in multimedia production and instructional design for the National Pesticide Safety Education Center, producing video content and interactive online training modules for national and state-level agricultural safety programs, including multilingual and certification-based education initiatives. Since 2011, he has additionally worked as a sports video production contractor for Romesberg Media Group, serving as a camera operator and production crew member for televised sports broadcasts reaching millions of viewers across power boat racing, football, hockey and motorsports.
Cameron's work has earned national recognition from the American Association of Pesticide Safety Educators for excellence in educational media, including his original Pollinator Protection videos and their expanded adaptation into multilingual online training modules for U.S. and Canadian audiences. He is a member of the American Association of Pesticide Safety Educators.
Cameron graduated from SRU in 2007 and earned a Bachelor of Science in communication with an emphasis in emerging technologies and multimedia, and a minor in film and media studies. He was involved in campus radio and was active in the wrestling team and bodybuilding club.
Undergraduate Excellence Award
Hayden Schultz is an assistant account executive in the Consumer & Brand Practice at Burson, supporting Fortune 500 financial and banking public relations accounts through earned media strategy, media relations and account coordination.
While at Slippery Rock University, Schultz served as editor-in-chief of The Rocket, leading a paid staff that won 11 awards from the Society for Collegiate Journalists while driving a 400% increase in unique web traffic and a 110% increase in Instagram impressions. He personally wrote more than 50 articles for the paper and later served as advertising manager. In 2024, he was one of 10 students selected for the Pittsburgh Media Partnership internship at New Castle News. He also worked as a content writer for University Marketing and Communication, producing dozens of institutional stories and supporting communications around the launch of the Haverlack College of Business. He is a member of PRSA Pittsburgh.
A 2025 graduate of Slippery Rock University, Schultz earned a Bachelor of Science in communication with a concentration in multimedia journalism, graduating magna cum laude with Dean's List honors five times.
Chloe Kemp is a proposal assistant at BrightTree Studios in Warrendale, Pennsylvania, where she assists with content development for blogs, thought leadership articles and social media, supports proposal submissions and business development materials, and collaborates on marketing campaigns, photography and videography.
While at Slippery Rock University, Kemp served as general manager of WSRU-FM, leading a 50-member organization and a $30,000 budget while coordinating guest speakers, musical artists, fundraisers and club collaborations. She previously held the station's program director, training director and promotions director roles, where she managed the on-air DJ schedule, conducted more than 30 training sessions, produced the station's first training manual for its WideOrbit Automation System, and sourced social media content for show and event promotions. She also served as assistant copy/web editor and advertising manager for The Rocket, copyediting student articles to AP style and designing print and digital ads for local clients, and worked as a content writer for SRU's University Marketing and Communication office, writing more than 30 articles for the SRU News website and ROCK Magazine. She was a member of Lambda Pi Eta and PRSSA.
A 2026 graduate of Slippery Rock University, Kemp earned a degree in communication with a concentration in public relations and integrated marketing communication and a minor in writing. She received a BEA Award of Excellence in the On-Air Personality category of the audio competition in 2026, was named to the Dean’s List multiple semesters, and was awarded the Ben Addison Marching Pride Scholarship in 2022. She is a member of PRSA.
