Cynthia Vallina, a 1982 political science graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, has gifted $100,000 to support students interested in studying abroad, students in the Political Science program, and IUP’s women’s rugby club.
This gift is part of Impact 150, the university’s $150-million comprehensive campaign. The campaign, the largest in the university’s history, launched on August 23 in conjunction with the university’s 150th celebration carnival, part of the university’s sesquicentennial events.
The Impact 150 Campaign centers around raising funds for healthy students, including supporting students academically and personally; a healthy university, including maintaining IUP’s commitment to excellence and innovation; and healthy communities, including IUP’s work to establish a college of osteopathic medicine. She hopes that giving back to her alma mater will encourage others to do the same and will help IUP continue to serve, educate, and support Pennsylvania’s local communities and our future, citing Diogenes: “The foundation of every state is the education of its youth.”
Vallina, originally of Langeloth, retired after 32 years of federal service in the Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget, where she worked as a senior program analyst for budget, management, and procurement. In this role, she provided budget and procurement expertise on the Department of Energy headquarters offices of the CFO, CIO, Human Capital, Acquisition, Capital Asset and Facility Management, and Federal Energy Management Program.
She also supported the Office of Federal Procurement Policy by leading government-wide acquisition initiatives, such as performance contracting, past performance, energy efficiency, and sustainable purchasing.
Vallina authored more than 20 executive orders on energy, environment, and sustainability. She led government-wide efforts to reduce energy, petroleum, water consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions and to improve accountability and increase federal compliance with laws and regulations related to sustainability. She also worked at the Department of Defense US Air Force Energy Office and the House Government Reform Committee during her government tenure and served on several federal advisory committees related to energy and green buildings.
Prior to her federal government career, Vallina was a government consultant at Price Waterhouse Coopers and the Government Affairs Manager at the Professional Services Council. She started her career at the US Chamber of Commerce, supporting the Business Alliance on Government Competition.
She is currently a self-employed consultant and principal of the Vallina Group. The Vallina Group LLC is a small, woman-owned professional services firm providing strategic advice and assistance to businesses, organizations, and institutional clients. The firm’s advisory services include research, analysis, and the development of policy involving federal government programs and regulations pertaining to energy and environmental stewardships, budget, and acquisition.
After her graduation, she remained active with the university, including serving on the Washington, DC Regional Advancement Council.
“Alumna like Cynthia Vallina continue to remind us how IUP provides an incredible foundation for talented, motivated students to have meaningful and impactful careers and lives,” Vice President for University Advancement Jennifer DeAngelo said. “IUP is very proud to have played a role in the successes of our alumni and very grateful for their ongoing commitment to the university and their willingness to support the university and the next generation of IUP graduates,” she said.
“The people I met at IUP are still an important part of my life,” Vallina said. “IUP helped me to launch a lifetime career in government and still helps me realize the importance of giving back.”
“My experiences in Valladolid, Spain, on the IUP study abroad program were the most memorable and influential in my life,” she said. “I want to help and encourage all students who are willing and able, but may not have the resources needed, to be able to dream and to fulfill those dreams of travel and study abroad. Learning to live abroad at a young age provides a perspective like no other, one beyond what can be learned in the classroom,” she said.
“My political science internship helped me to learn, network, and establish myself in Washington, DC, which led to career success over the next 40 years,” she said.
In 2023, she was inducted into the IUP Rugby Hall of Fame in recognition of her efforts to help start the very first women’s rugby club team at IUP in 1979. “I was glad to learn that the women’s rugby team still endures, and hope to ensure its success for the next 50 years.”
Since its founding in 1875, IUP has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. As IUP celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2025 and through the Impact 150 comprehensive campaign, the university honors a legacy of educational excellence while looking to its next 150 years of student success, innovation, leadership in healthcare education, and public service.