Amanda Wintersteen returned to her alma mater in January 2012 bringing federal advocacy experience and an in-depth understanding of higher education issues. At Penn State, Amanda handles federal relations efforts from campus and enjoys traveling to Washington, DC, to share with Members of Congress and Congressional staff the University’s policy and funding priorities related to Penn State’s robust research portfolio and student aid programs that create access for students of Pennsylvania.

Amanda has served in leadership roles within the higher education community in Washington, including: chair of the Council on Federal Relations Steering Committee at the Association of American Universities (AAU) and chair of the Higher Education Task Force at the AAU; co-chair of the Higher Education Team at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU); and chair of the Big Ten Federal Relations group. Amanda also engages with the undergraduate internship in the Office of Government and Community Relations.

Prior to joining Penn State’s Government and Community Relations, Amanda served as Assistant Director for Government Relations at the National Association for College Admission Counseling. In this role, Amanda monitored and analyzed federal legislation and regulations affecting high school counselors and college admission officers. She also represented the Association’s college access and student protection policy priorities to Congressional offices, Federal agencies, the White House Domestic Policy Council, and coalition partners.

Before moving to Washington, DC, to pursue work in college access policy, Amanda began her career in college admission. First, as an admission counselor at Penn State Greater Allegheny, then in various roles in the Undergraduate Admissions Office at Penn State University Park where she traveled the country representing the University.

She is a native of rural Glen Campbell, PA, and resides in Bellefonte with her husband Kyle, also a Penn State public relations alum, their two sons and a pair of english springer spaniels.