The Brand Academy
Thanks to an anonymous donor gift of $2.5 million, the Wally Triplett Brand Academy Endowment has created a joint project between Invent Penn State and Intercollegiate Athletics, The Penn State Brand Academy.
The Brand Academy will support student-athletes and others with brand-driven businesses to manage and monetize their personal brand and support their entrepreneurial interests.
Academy Leadership
Omar X. Easy, a former Penn State football player and Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders running back, has been appointed as the Director of The Brand Academy.
“I am excited and extremely grateful to be leading this initiative and directing The Brand Academy. This is an amazing opportunity for our student-athletes and a privilege for me to serve in this leadership capacity in honor of our late great Wally Triplett, who I had the distinct pleasure of knowing before he passed. Establishing this academy is nothing shy of innovative and forward thinking as we navigate this ever-evolving NIL space.”
Dr. Omar X. Easy, Assistant Athletic Director, Intercollegiate Athletics and Director, The Brand Academy
Mission & Vision
The Brand Academy will work to enhance the brand and marketability of Penn State student-athletes while ensuring that they are equipped to utilize their monetary resources from name, image, and likeness (NIL). The Brand Academy will provide equitable opportunities, support, and access to quality educational programming to help student athletes navigate this new and complex NIL landscape.
The Brand Academy aims to offer educational programs in leadership, strategic direction, and entrepreneurship, focusing on online brand building, social media responsibility and presence, financial literacy, and media training. In doing so, we will prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion, fostering connections with alumni and businesses through this lens.
As Dr. Omar Easy, former Penn State running back and new Penn State Brand Academy Director, takes the helm, he follows in the legacy of trailblazing tailback Wally Triplett, connecting past and present in the pursuit of excellence.