Celebrating student success, community partnerships, and entrepreneurial momentum.
Welcome to our O’Pake Institute Newsletter, where we highlight the momentum, partnerships, and progress happening across our community.
Each semester, our students, staff, and community partners work together to support entrepreneurs, strengthen local organizations, and advance innovative ideas. This newsletter provides a snapshot of that work in action. Inside, you will find highlights from student projects, updates on community collaborations, and key metrics that show how we are progressing toward our strategic goals.
We also look ahead to what’s next, sharing upcoming initiatives, events, and opportunities to engage with the work happening throughout the institute
Together, these stories reflect the impact of experiential learning, the strength of our partnerships, and the collective effort that continues to move the O’Pake Institute’s mission forward
Strategic Initiatives
Art Grant Rider Allentown
Team Highlights
The Wrap-Up
STRATEGIC INITIATIVE
As the O’Pake Institute for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship continues to grow and expand its impact, several strategic initiatives are helping shape the future of our work across entrepreneurship, innovation, and community engagement. From pursuing transformative grant opportunities to building collaborative partnerships and expanding our physical presence, these initiatives reflect our commitment to creating meaningful opportunities that serve both our students and the broader community.
NSF Art Grant Initative
The O’Pake Institute is currently pursuing an NSF ART Grant opportunity designed to support institutions advancing innovation, entrepreneurship, and workforce development through strategic collaboration and program expansion. This grant represents an important opportunity for our institute, as selection would provide the resources needed to implement key components of our strategic plan and further expand our impact. Through this initiative, we aim to strengthen
Rider University Partnership
The O’Pake Institute is also in the process of developing a partnership agreement with Rider University that will allow us to share and help implement our institute model within another institution. This collaboration reflects the growing recognition of the work being developed through our programs and the effectiveness of our student-powered, community-centered approach programming, enhance innovation-focused opportunities, and continue building pathways that support entrepreneurs, students, and community partners. The NSF ART Grant would serve as a major catalyst for growth and long-term sustainability across several of our strategic priorities.
Expanding Our Presence in Allentown
This year also marks an exciting milestone for the institute with the establishment of our new office space in Allentown. This new location represents an important step in expanding our visibility, ,
520 Hamilton Street, Allentown accessibility and community presence within the region. By creating a physical presence in Allentown, we hope to increase engagement opportunities, strengthen local partnerships, and generate greater foot traffic that connects community members, entrepreneurs, and organizations with the resources and support available through the institute. As we continue to grow, this new space will serve as an important hub for collaboration, innovation, and community impact Proposed Plan
O’PAKE TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
At the O’Pake Institute for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship, our students continue to demonstrate the power of innovation, leadership, and service through the meaningful work they contribute across our programs and initiatives This past year, graduate assistants and student leaders played an essential role in advancing operations, supporting community partnerships, strengthening innovation efforts, and helping create memorable experiences for both our campus and external communities. We are proud to celebrate a few of the outstanding students whose dedication, creativity, and professionalism made a lasting impact on our department and the communities we serve.
GA Highlights
Nicholas King
GA of Operations
As Graduate Assistant of Operations, King played a vital role in supporting departmental operations, event coordination, and strategic initiatives. He helped ensure the success of major events, including Latinos Unidos and Expressions of Excellence, through strong logistical and planning support King was also instrumental in developing the O’Make Creative Suite, expanding opportunities for creative merchandise production and organizational support. His creativity, operational leadership, and problem-solving skills strengthened both departmental processes and innovation efforts.
As Graduate Assistant of Community Impact, DeGroodt made meaningful contributions through community engagement and preservation initiatives He developed and maintained a database cataloging more than 2,700 historical items for the Reading Area Firefighters Museum, creating a sustainable resource for future use He also served as a Personal Finance Program Facilitator through Opportunity House, delivering financial literacy presentations to community members. Additionally, he supported major cultural events with professionalism, leadership, and a strong commitment to service
Dr. Bernude Heaps
During her time with the department, Mezier Heaps supported commercialization strategy initiatives focused on entrepreneurship, innovation, and growth She contributed to NSF grant reporting, collaborative research activities, and faculty liaison efforts that strengthened communication across project teams As a member of the Berk Innovation Collaborative, she helped foster interdisciplinary collaboration and forward-thinking ideas. We are also proud to celebrate her recent achievement of earning her PhD, reflecting her dedication and commitment to excellence
Fellow Highlights
Anthony Hugee, Ryann Healy, Jaden Roman, & Logan Minford
Anthony supported a wide portfolio of clients including WS Electric, Snapo Toys, and Baby Basics OT, while serving as a Captain Fellow for Client/Financial Services
Ryann supported a wide range of initiatives, including pitch decks, financial empowerment programming, and community event materials
Jaden Roman is a Computer Science Fellow and captain, leading innovative work in AI, cybersecurity, and hologram development in partnership with the City of Reading and university leadership.
A four-year fellow and team captain, Logan plays a key leadership role on the Venture Investments team, most notably leading work with Snapo
Throughout her internship with the O’Pake Institute for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship, our high school intern made meaningful contributions to several marketing initiatives while supporting our internal communications efforts. Her creativity and attention to detail helped keep students, faculty, staff, and visitors informed through regularly updated display screens that highlighted organizational activities and events We are excited to share that she will be joining Alvernia University this fall, and we look forward to seeing all she accomplishes in this next chapter
Paige Zerbe HS Intern Pine Grove High School
2026 O’Pake Fellow Farewell
O’PAKE TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
This year’s commencement featured our very own O’Pake Fellows as speakers Logan Minford, O’Pake Fellow of Management & Finance, led the ceremony as the invocation speaker. The honor of serving as this year's student commencement speaker went to Hector Malave, Fellow of Arts & Entertainment. Lastly, Bernude Heaps, PhD recipient, provided the benediction.
Invocation
“We celebrate finishing a chapter in our own history that we may continue from this day in this place to create outstanding stories that surround us every day and in all places we may find ourselves.”
Benediction
“As you go forth, put into practice the accumulated knowledge you have received and strive toward excellence in all you do Go forth with your head in the clouds of ambition toward making life better for all, as well as yourself”
Student Speaker
“Success is not just your achievements. It is your impact. It is how we treat people when we hold power. It is about creating a space where others feel seen. It is whether we use our voices not just to be heard, but to listen”
Jameel Burton
(GA of Communications)
During his time with The Three Marketeers, Jameel has led the communications side of marketing by creating O’Pake’s newsletter and strengthening connections across all of O’Pake’s audiences through clear, engaging, and strategic content
Jamel Fleming
(GA of Digital Media Marketing)
As a Marketeer, Jamel has played a key role in O’Pake’s internal marketing initiatives while also leading photography services for future clients through creative visual storytelling and brand-focused content creation.
Jordan Hall
(GA of Client Marketing & Media Services)
In his role with the Three Marketeers, Jordan has led numerous external client projects and successfully launched and managed the 401 Podcast, helping expand audience engagement and strengthen O’Pake’s digital presence
Meet the Three Marketeers
In this episode of The 401 Podcast, we introduce the Three Marketeers and break down what we do as part of O’Pake Creative Services. We talk about TSVA, which stands for Tone, Style, Voice, and Audience, and explain why understanding these elements is important when helping businesses build stronger marketing strategies
O’PAKE CLIENT HIGHLIGHTS
Our team has continued to support JPII through a variety of social media marketing initiatives focused on strengthening community engagement and expanding the organization’s digital presence. Efforts have included the development of social media strategies, content creation, and ongoing promotional support Following our involvement in last year’s JPII Annual Gala Celebration, our team was invited back to assist with this year’s event coverage and social media efforts, further strengthening our partnership and collaborative impact
Our team is currently developing and implementing social media marketing strategies for the Special Blends Café to help increase brand awareness and audience engagement. In addition to digital marketing support, we continue to collaborate with JPII’s working and steering committees to complete key project deliverables and support ongoing initiatives. Through our O’Make Space, the team has also been producing custom merchandise and promotional swag items, including shirts, mugs, stickers, patches, and keychains, helping elevate the brand’s visibility and community presence.
AU Collaborations
JCWK
Jessica WarchalKing, Adjunct Faculty, Fine & Performing Arts
Baby Basics
Kelsey Swope, Professional Specialst Faculty and AFWC, College of Professional Programs
Our team is currently supporting Snapo through the development of strategic social media marketing initiatives designed to strengthen brand awareness and digital engagement. In collaboration with JPII’s working and steering committees, we are continuing to work through project deliverables and provide ongoing marketing and communications support to help advance organizational goals.
All Hands In
Robin Zappin, Assistant Professor, DPT, Allied Health & Human Services
The O’Pake Institute for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship continues to expand its creative capabilities through the growth of the O’Make Space and Creative Suite. These spaces have been designed with our students and clients in mind.
Equipped with a heat press, sublimation machine, Cricut machine, and embroidery machine, the O’Make space allows us to produce small-batch swag and branded materials for organizations, clients, faculty, staff, and community partners. The mission of the O’Make Space is to provide organizations with an affordable opportunity to see how their branding and logos translate onto merchandise before committing to larger production orders.
For organizations interested in larger quantities, we proudly connect them with trusted production partners for volume manufacturing To date, the team has completed more than 10 production orders and collaborated with partners including the Media Center and Student Activities. We are also excited to currently be producing merchandise for Special Blends, the new café opening soon on campus.
