Kelly (Zahniser) ’97 and Jasen Diley ’97

Kelly (Zahniser) ’97 and Jasen Diley ’97 were the featured speakers at the February 14 Ruth A. Miller Senior Business Seminar. Kelly is the Owner/Therapist at Pathways NWPA in Edinboro, Pa., and Jasen is the President of Medical Associates of Erie (a subsidiary of LECOM Health).

“Our class was delighted to have Jasen and Kelly Diley, Thiel College sweethearts, as our speakers for the evening. On Valentine's Day, they spent the afternoon sharing their stories and advice with us.” Emma Hatfield ’25

“Kelly is from right here in Greenville, and her grandfather was the person who started the sociology department here at Thiel in 1949. Because she was from this area, Kelly wanted nothing to do with Thiel, but due to an overnight stay that went wrong, she decided to spend her undergrad at Thiel. Kelly majored in psychology and minored in gerontology.” Taya Sykes ’24

“Mr. Diley grew up in Saegertown, and Thiel recruited him to play football as a wide receiver. Two weeks into practice, he thought his football career was over since his wide receiver coach told him to go on the defensive side of the ball. Instead, Mr. Diley learned a new position, defensive end, and had a record number of sacks.” Abraham Hochstetler ’24

“He shared how he came to Thiel, having been recruited for football. Unsure of his career path, he was advised by Dr. Hunchuk to explore different classes to find what fit him best. Eventually, he decided to pursue business administration and sociology as his majors.” Hailey McClain ’24

“Jasen’s father wanted him to be a nurse but after two weeks of classes, he knew it wasn’t for him. He liked business and sociology, so he wanted to dual major.” Nick DiLullo ’24

“Kelly spoke first, with a theme of flexibility present in her talk. Starting off as an accounting major she would eventually switch to the much more interesting major of psychology (I’m not biased).” Geroge Tice ’24

“She connected with a college friend from Thiel to get a job at Sharon Hospital. This was a learning experience for her career to work with patients and see how medicine and treatments work for them.” Abigail Sefton ’25

“Later, she chose to return to school, this time at the University of Pittsburgh, to pursue a master’s in social work. Utilizing her clinical experience and education, Kelly obtained her clinical license, which enabled her to open her own practice. She is now the owner and therapist at Pathways NWPA, where she continues to help others on their journeys.” Emma Hatfield ’25

“From there she would go on to start her own practice and build up a network of clients. With her own practice we learned a lot about how she handles insurance and how they are her biggest headache but how they also get clients in touch with her” Aidan Rispoli ’25

“She also talked about the accounting and business side of things, saying that at first she managed everything herself, but over time, she sought professional help.” Yeryoung Kim ’24

“Jasen has worked in multiple different positions such as a Sales Representative, Contractor, Human Resource Manager, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Executive Officer. Jasen shows us you don’t have to figure out what you want to do, but whatever you do in life do it with 100% effort.” Austin Siko ’24

“His boss gave him many opportunities such as being in roles like COO and CFO so he ended up seeing the lifecycle of the company.” Zach Bergstresser ’25

“His main objective in this role was to turn the company around, or else the owners were going to sell the business. Thankfully, he was able to complete his goal for the company. However, he was then told that he would have to go back to school to get his master’s degree. He explained how hard it was to balance his life as a student and a CEO of a business.” Jacob Traupman ’24

“Jasen went back to school and received his MBA. This was a difficult two years, as he was a parent, a CEO, and a full-time student. Jasen says his ability to be flexible and a collaborator has played a significant role in his advancement throughout his career.“ Damion Grinnell ’25

“While at Thiel, Jasen respected how his professors were engaging, especially Prof. David Miller.” Abraham Hochstetler ’24

“Jasen and Kelly Diley spoke to us about their individual journeys throughout their time at Thiel and their careers afterwards. They were humorous and shared stories about how their chickens multiplied from 6 to 70 very quickly. They were wonderful speakers, and I thought they both brought great insight to the table.” Hailey McClain ’24

“They both presented in a very similar way. They went about telling their life stories including some experiences they had in work and in home life. I enjoyed that because it helped me relate to them.” Jacob Traupman ’24

“Finding a balance between work and life, no one is going to feel sorry for you because everyone is going through something, so you must get up and keep going. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices and be flexible.” Abigail Sefton ’25

“Jasen was able to apply his wisdom of the value of flexibility when converted from a wide receiver to a defensive end to put himself in a better situation.” Jackson Pletcher ’24

“After listening to Kelly and Jasen, they showed that hard work truly pays off, and just because things are difficult does not mean you should give up. You never know when your next big move in your career will be, so it's important that you stay flexible and ready to go at all times.” Taya Sykes ’24

“Overall, I believe both speakers provided immense value and wisdom that can be applied to all our lives.” Connor Lovic ’24

Jasen and Kelly are two very impressive individuals whose goals align with one another and have built a strong bond to lead them to the great success they have found together.” Aidan Rispoli ’25

Lessons Learned

“Stay in touch with your classmates from Thiel.” Madi Yurich ’24
“Flexibility can lead to more opportunities.” George Tice ’24
“Find value at every job you work at, even if it is not the job you want to pursue long term.” Julianne Slagle ’24
"Even if it's a job you don't like, draw something from that experience." Jacara Green ’25
“Short-term sacrifices for long-term gains are worth it.” Nick DiLullo ’24
“Set goals for yourself and after you achieve those goals, set new ones.” Madi Yurich ’24
“Set goals at every stage in life and work hard to reach them.” Julianne Slagle ’24
“Your name is your brand." Jacara Green ’25
“Be a team player.” Isaac Sasala ’24
“Aspire to be better.” Damion Grinnell ’25
“Have patience.” Austin Siko ’24
“Be flexible.” Isaac Sasala ’24
“The greatest compliment is trust.” Hailey McClain ’24
“Professional integrity is important because your name is your brand.” Abigail Sefton ’25
“Those you’ve known forever can eventually surprise you down the line.” Jackson Pletcher ’24
“Always aspire to better yourself both professionally and personally.” Connor Lovic ’24
“Farms can be a good opportunity to impact your local community.” Abraham Hochstetler ’24
“Learn the art of managing up.” Damion Grinnell ’25
“Find what work-life balance works best for you.” Zach Bergstresser ’25
“Follow your family and your own wishes.” Yeryoung Kim ’24

Dinner “Dishing”

“This week, I was fortunate to take part in another pleasant meal, including eggplant!” Abraham Hochstetler ’24

“Dinner was great! I had the pleasure of eating with not only Kelly but also Professor Witosky as well. We had great conversations about building our career and how you can have a career and love what you are doing. The dinner was absolutely fantastic as well! I was skeptical of it being vegetarian, but it was very good!” Taya Sykes ’24
“In terms of the food, I had never had eggplant before, but I actually really enjoyed it! I think that the breading and the stuffing helped me get over the vegetable taste. I also really enjoyed the risotto as well, which was my favorite part of the meal.” Madi Yurich ’24

“Phenomenal! When I first heard we were having eggplant I thought I was in trouble. I had never had eggplant and assumed I would not care for it. I was pleased that was not true. It was great and I love the fact that I tried something new and enjoyed it so well. The strawberry pastry and salad, with chickpeas, were also tantalizing to my tastebuds.” Damion Grinnell ’25