Lecturer, Department of Integrated Business
With a heart for service, a passion for storytelling, and a drive to inspire the next generation of business leaders, David Penn has spent the past seven years making a lasting impact on the Knight community. From coaching a student team to a national championship victory and capturing personal graduation moments for hundreds of students, to earning an Emmy and accolades from the White House, their journey is anything but ordinary. Whether researching personal branding or mentoring students to dream bigger, this dedicated educator blends academic insight with real-world experience … and a little Hollywood flair from their home movie studio.
How long have you been a Knight? This is my 7th academic year
What is your favorite UCF memory? Winning the 1st Place National Championship at the Battle of the Brains and $50,000 for UCF after spending over 200 hours on recruiting and preparing a team of 8 students from the College of Business and the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Another favorite memory is attending every graduation since 2019, taking close-up photos of students as they walk across the stage and sending it to them.
What is your area of research at UCF? Personal branding on LinkedIn, impressions of human resources recruiters, presentations in competitions, the soft skills and objectives of the Integrated Business program.
What professional awards or honors have you earned during your career? Emmy award for producing an educational film for television, Higher Education Community Service Leadership award for six years from a joint program of The White House, Corporation for National and Community Service, and U.S. Department of Education; Harvard University Derek Bok Public Service prize for long-standing community service; Florida’s Child Advocate of the Year from Florida’s Children First.
What do you love about what you do? Inspiring students every day to reach beyond their imagination to plan for careers and projects that align with their mission.
What do you find most exciting or rewarding about your field of study? Collaborating with our incredible faculty team to share our years of professional experience in integrated business roles and best practices with students, so they experience the soft skills and leadership acumen necessary to achieve success in business.
When you’re not in the classroom, what can we find you doing? I am a movie buff who enjoys films of various genres and has a movie studio in my home. I volunteer to help others and travel as often as I can.
What are some little known facts about you? I am a first-generation student in my family and still the only one of six siblings to graduate from college. As a college student, I worked for United States Senator Claiborne Pell in Washington, D.C. I attended a Papal Mass at the Vatican City, officiated by Pope John Paul, and a speech given by Queen Elizabeth at the opening of British Parliament while studying abroad. My family worked for several famous Boston Red Sox players, and I spent three summers volunteering at the training camp of the New England Patriots.
What is your advice for Business Knights? Always believe in your capacity to achieve and exceed your expectations and those of others. Ask for mentoring support whenever you want to learn something new or model the success of others. There is always someone kind enough to help, many valuable lessons in written works and conversations to be learned from others, and be sure to express your gratitude to those with whom you collaborated along the way.