Lisa Witzig

Dr. Lisa Witzig serves as a Professor of Practice for the School of International Affairs and the Director of the Center for Security Research and Education. She brings a unique blend of experience in national security, business consulting, marketing, and higher education to Penn State. Dr. Witzig has held leadership positions within the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and served as a management consultant to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the National Counterterrorism Center.

From 2013 to 2022, Dr. Witzig served on the business and marketing faculties for Colorado State University. She has run business units for boutique consulting firms and embraced the entrepreneurial spirit by launching her own company.

A serial learner, Dr. Witzig is working on her Ed.D. from Vanderbilt University, which she expects to finish in December 2023. She completed her Ph.D. at Capella University and master's degrees at the University of Missouri, the University of Maryland, and Georgetown University.

A post-COVID strategy for event planners, with Dr. Dave McMahon and Dr. Joe Spencer. Event Management, 2022.

Universities selling online programs via social media: Is agenda setting afoot? with Dr. Joe Spencer. Presented at the 2021 Marketing Management Conference. Full paper printed in proceedings.

Social Media: Online versus traditional universities and developing communities with Dr. Joe Spencer and Ms. Katlyn Myers. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 33(2), 153-159.

Traditional versus Online Universities: Who is using social media? with Dr. Joe Spencer and Ms. Katlyn Myers. Presented at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the Association of Marketing Theory and Practice, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Full paper printed in proceedings.

Online universities: Who is creating virtual communities? with Dr. Joe Spencer and Ms. Katlyn Myers. Presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Association of Marketing Theory and Practice, St. Simons Island, Georgia. Full paper printed in proceedings.

Sales Force Adoption and Usage of LinkedIn, with Dr. Joe Spencer, Dr. Dave McMahon, and Ms. Katlyn Myers. Presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Association of Marketing Theory and Practice, Savannah, Georgia. Full paper printed in proceedings.

Intensity of LinkedIn Usage by Firms to Promote Business-to-Professional Interactions, with Dr. Joe Spencer. Presented at the 2014 American Marketing Association Winter Marketing Educator’s Conference, Orlando, Florida. Full paper printed in proceedings.

Intensity of LinkedIn Usage by “Truly Small” Firms to Promote Business-to-Professional Interactions, with Dr. Joe Spencer. Presented at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Association of Marketing Theory and Practice, Hilton Head, South Carolina. Full paper printed in proceedings.

University Usage of LinkedIn Company Pages: Best Practices, with Dr. Lori Pool. Presented at the 25th International Conference on College Teaching and Learning, Jacksonville, Florida.

A Calculated Model of LinkedIn Feature Usage Across Organizational Types, with Dr. Joe Spencer and Ms. Marcella Gallegos. Presented at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the Association of Marketing Theory and Practice, Charleston, South Carolina. Received “Best in Track” award. Chaired panels on social media. Full paper printed in proceedings.

Organizations’ Use of LinkedIn: An Analysis of Nonprofits, Large Corporations, and Small Businesses, with Dr. Joe Spencer and Ms. Marin Galvin. The Marketing Management Journal, 22(1), 111-119.

Organizations’ Use of LinkedIn: Small Businesses Outpace Nonprofits and Large Organizations, with Dr. Joe Spencer and Ms. Marin Galvin. Presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Association of Marketing Theory and Practice, March 2012. Full paper printed in proceedings.

Projecting Integrity: Online Branding for Nonprofits, with Dr. Perry Haan. Presented at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the Association of Marketing Theory and Practice, March 2010. Full paper printed in proceedings.

Online Branding: Strategies for Nonprofit Organizations, with Dr. Perry Haan. Presented at the 2008 Annual Meeting of the Association of Marketing Theory and Practice, Savannah, GA, March 2008.

Projecting Integrity: Online Branding for Nonprofits, with Dr. Perry Haan. Presented at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the Association of Marketing Theory and Practice, March 2010. Full paper printed in proceedings.

Online Branding: Strategies for Nonprofit Organizations, with Dr. Perry Haan. Presented at the 2008 Annual Meeting of the Association of Marketing Theory and Practice, Savannah, GA, March 2008. Received “Best Doctoral Student Paper” award. Full paper printed in proceedings.

Measuring Performance, Measuring Security. Presented at the Fifth International Command and Control Research and Technology Symposium, Canberra, Australia, October 2000.

The Civilian-Military Interface in Complex Contingency Operations. (2000). With Pascale Segall and Richard Hayes, Washington DC: National Defense University.

Transitioning Out of OOTW: Implications for C2. Presented at the Fourth International Command and Control Research and Technology Symposium, Stockholm, Sweden, September 1998.



Doing Windows: Non-traditional Military Responses to Complex Emergencies. (1997). Contributing author with Richard Hayes and Jeffrey Sands. Newport: US Naval War College.


Humanitarian and Peace Operations: NGOs and the Military in the Interagency Process. (1996). With James Landon and Margaret Hayes. Washington, D.C.: National Defense University.

Witzig new director of Center for Security Research and Education