Abdullah Konak, professor of information sciences and technology at Penn State Berks, was recently named the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology Statewide Faculty Member of the Year. He was presented with the award on Oct. 27.
The University-wide award recognizes outstanding faculty members from across the Commonwealth who exemplify the mission of the college for improving the lives of people in Pennsylvania, the nation and the world, through integrated, high-quality programs in teaching, research and outreach.
In 2021, Konak was named distinguished professor of information sciences and technology at Penn State Berks, awarded to faculty who are leaders in their fields of research, have demonstrated excellent teaching skills and contributed significantly to the education of students who subsequently have achieved recognition of excellence in their fields. Earlier this year, Konak received the Penn State Open and Affordable Educational Resources Champion Award for creating original materials for his courses, including five interactive e-books with labs.
Konak helped develop and enrich three of the college’s programs: information technology, cybersecurity analytics and operations, and security and risk analysis degree programs. He created the Collaborative Virtual Computer Laboratory (CVCLAB) at Penn State Berks to provide students with active learning experiences that involve collaborative hands-on experimentation. He also created the Artificial Intelligence, Modeling, and Simulation Laboratory (AIMS Lab) to inform and educate the community about emerging issues in AI, provide research-guided assistance to organizations, and educate and support the next generation of AI experts.
Konak also serves as the faculty adviser for the Penn State Berks Cyber Lions student organization, whose aim is to raise awareness of cybercrimes and scams targeting seniors and to help protect them from scammers and criminals.
Konak’s community engagement efforts were recognized in 2022 when he was honored with the INFORMS Volunteer Service Award. Konak served as vice president, treasurer, secretary and council member in the telecommunications and network analytics section of INFORMS. Additionally, he was a key member in organizing the telecommunications and network analytics conference.
In September 2023, Konak served as a panelist at the United Nations Research Summit. He is a co-investigator on the NSF-funded AccelNet-Implementation: US-Africa Sustainable Food Systems through Water-Energy-Food Nexus Networking (SustainFood), a University-wide collaboration among multiple departments and campuses, as well as the NSF-funded Cultivating Innovative Thinking Skills in STEM Education grant.
Konak earned his doctorate in industrial engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, his master’s degree in industrial engineering from Bradley University, and his bachelor’s degree from Yildiz Technical University in Turkey.
Eric Huff has joined S&T Bank as senior vice president, managing director of asset-based lending. With more than 25 years of experience in financial services, most recently as the senior regional director and business development officer at Huntington Bank, Huff brings a wealth of knowledge and experience. In his role at S&T Bank, he will be responsible for the ongoing sales and growth of the bank’s asset-based lending portfolio.
Huff graduated from Clarion University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in finance. In addition to his professional experience, Huff is committed to community service and involved with a variety of organizations, including the Risk Management Association, the Turnaround Management Association, the Association for Corporate Growth and the Commercial Finance Association.
Sean E. Cullen has joined the firm of Hamburg, Rubin, Mullin, Maxwell & Lupin as a partner in its Family Law and Criminal Law Departments. Cullen has been assisting Montgomery County residents for years with their domestic relations and criminal defense law matters.
Cullen also has a special expertise in representing non-profits organizations such as law enforcement, volunteer fire departments and first responder organizations. He has represented, advised, maintained in compliance, and helped reinstate non-profit status to hundreds of non-profits. He also has experience with professional licensing issues, suspensions, and reinstatements.
In the area of criminal law, Cullen has handled more than 7,000 matters, first as a prosecutor in the Montgomery County District Attorney’s office, and later as defense counsel. He also has expertise involving wiretap matters, having handled more than 15 investigations as a prosecutor. He has lectured widely on electronic interceptions and the legal issues and physical effects of narcotics and fraud. He has recently focused on the legal side of getting illegal and ghost guns off the streets and has founded a non-profit.
In the family law arena, Cullen has experience with matters involving divorce, custody and support. He also has an expertise in the termination of parental rights, adoption and dependency matters.
He has established multiple non-profit organizations. He and his wife Sharon founded the Montgomery County Hero Fund which assures military, law enforcement, firemen, first responders and their families will be cared for in the time of tragedy. In addition, Cullen founded Eagle Vision and Training Academy to educate law enforcement on how to identify, track down and get illegal guns off the streets.
Prior to joining the firm, Cullen was a founding member and managing partner for 18 years of the Law Offices of Cullen and Conwell, and Of Counsel at Dischell Bartle Dooley. He currently serves as the solicitor for the Montgomery County Police Chiefs Association, the Montgomery County Detectives Association, the Bobby Rydell Foundation, and Plymouth Ambulance #308 Services.
He is a past professor at the Temple University Municipal Police Officers’ Education and Training Commission, and the Temple University and Montgomery County Municipal Police Academies, where he lectured members of the local law enforcement community on such topics as constitutional and criminal law.
Cullen is involved with the Norristown Maenner-Chor Club, Holy Savior Club, Norristown Police Foundation, Whitemarsh Police Benevolence, Whitemarsh War Memorial Fund, the Elmwood Park Zoo, and numerous other local organizations. In 2020, he receuved the National Liberty Museum Medal of Valor recognizing his community service and founding of the Montgomery County Hero Fund.
A 1994 graduate of Temple University, Cullen received his law degree from Widener University School of Law in 1997 and his Masters in Trial Advocacy from the Temple University Beasley School of Law in 2001.
