Personal: Manzolillo, 38, has lived in Berks County her entire life. She currently lives in Bernville with her husband, Tom, stepson Calvin, 14, and dog, Jack.
Education: Manzolillo graduated from Gov. Mifflin and then got her degree in sports management and communications at Alvernia. She later took a graduate assistantship with the marketing and communications department and got her master's in business administration.
Career background: To say Manzolillo has worn a variety of hats would be an understatement. When she was younger, she worked in her family's tropical fish store in Reading. Her family now has a Christmas tree farm, where she helps out some weekends during the holidays. After high school, she worked in auto sales for a Chrysler dealership, which is where she met her husband. During that time she also served as a volunteer firefighter in Pottstown and Virginville as part of the rescue squad.
Better late than never: When she was laid off from the car dealership, Manzolillo began to coach field hockey full time at Alvernia, thanks to her husband's encouragement. The team's goalie was sick one day, so Manzolillo, who had played in high school, stepped into the goal for practice, wowing her players with her skills. Knowing she still had four years of eligibility, her team kept begging her to go back to school and play. She finally made a deal with one player that if the girl scored in an upcoming game, she'd go back to school. "Three months later I was in college and playing instead of coaching," Manzolillo said. During her time on the team, Manzolillo broke every record in Alvernia's book, despite being 10 years older than the average athlete. As a student, Manzolillo also discovered she had a knack for writing after her professors encouraged her to pursue it. "I was very blue collar until I went to college," she said. "Now I have a career and take a lot of pride in what I do."
Favorite part of her job: Manzolillo said she loves how her job lets her continue to learn. "Communications is all about making connections between people," she said. "If you're going to try and get someone else interested in something going on, you have to understand what you're talking about to make those connections. It's like sitting in a classroom every day."
Challenges of her job: "Understanding the direction things are going and trying to be proactive about them," she said. "Trying to fill a need before people realize it's a need."
Hobbies/Interests: Manzolillo enjoys camping and played field hockey for 25 years before hanging up her stick last year. "I can also drive anything from a motorcycle to a firetruck," she said.
Something you might not know: Manzolillo is writing a book that chronicles the everyday craziness of her family. The idea began when her stepson was 7 years old and talking about possibly receiving clothes for Christmas. "He looked at me completely straight-faced and said, 'I'd rather run around naked with toys,' " she said. She currently has about 150 pages and continues to add snippets as they happen. "It's just my perspective on the crazy things I married into," she said.
Why she loves Alvernia: Manzolillo said Alvernia does a great job of being a step ahead. "They're always looking at what's happening in the world and with our students and what people need," she said. She added that it's important to her to find a place that she can stand behind because it is doing things that are important to her. "The things they are doing here and the people they have, are just tops," she said. "Everything I liked about Alvernia as a student was just compounded working in public relations."
- By Stephanie Weaver
Source: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=445381
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