Linda Yaccarino, Twitter's New CEO, Is a Penn State Graduate
Penn State loves to promote the number of CEOs it has graduated. The latest is Twitter's Linda Yaccarino, who becomes one of the most influential people in guiding online discourse.
Elon Musk, who bought Twitter in 2022, announced Friday that Yaccarino will be Twitter's new CEO. Yaccarino, a 1985 Penn State graduate, arrives at Twitter from NBCUniversal Media, where she was chair of advertising and global partnerships. Yaccarino has worked in media for three decades at NBCUniversal and Turner. She also has served at the World Economic Forum, the Ad Council and on the boards of several organizations.
Yaccarino has worked with several presidential administrations. She served on the President's Council on Sports Fitness and Nutrition during the Trump administration and, as chair of the Ad Council, partnered with the Biden administration and Pope Francis to produce a COVID-19 vaccination campaign.
In 2020, Penn State awarded Yaccarino, who graduated with a degree in telecommunications, with the Distinguished Alumni Award, the university's highest honor. Yaccarino is an alumni fellow with Penn State's Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications and has served on the College of Communications' Dean's Advancement Council. And according to her Twitter bio, she's a Penn State football fan. Penn State hosts West Virginia in September for the debut of NBC's new Big Ten Saturday Night broadcast.
According to the Penn State Alumni Association, "Yaccarino is very active within the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications. She is an Alumni Fellow, and has served as commencement speaker, addressed the Penn State Forum, hosted on- and off-campus recruiting events, and mentored countless alumni, many of them at NBCUniversal."
Yaccarino is the latest CEO whom Penn State has graduated, which the university promotes often. According to a 2018 LinkedIn survey, Penn State ranks second among U.S. colleges in graduated CEOs, behind only Stanford and ahead of Harvard Business School, Berkeley, and MIT.
More on Penn State
Penn State Basketball on SI.com
Former Penn State soccer star Ali Krieger elected to the university's Board of Trustees
Penn State plans $700 million renovation of Beaver Stadium
Where does Penn State rank in college football's recruiting arms race?
The fascinating legacy of Penn State's 2018 football recruiting class
Why Green Bay valued the 'moxie' of Penn State's Sean Clifford
Penn State's 2024 draft could be record-breaking
The highs and lows of Penn State's 2023 NFL Draft
Two Penn State basketball stars headed to NBA Draft Combine
Penn State basketball undergoes a roster reset
Qudus Wahab, a 6-11 center from Georgetown, transferring to Penn State
Lions land North Carolina transfer Puff Johnson
Penn State sets dates for 2024 U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials at the Bryce Jordan Center
AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.
