About

The three founding partners of Dog Ear Consultants met as editors at Penn State’s award-winning alumni magazine, The Penn Stater, in the mid-2000s. They’ve amassed a combined 30-plus years guiding the content and design of a variety of print and online magazines. And they’ve racked up a handful of awards along the way.

Maureen Harmon

Maureen spent seven years at The Penn Stater, during which time, the magazine brought home the Robert Sibley Magazine of the Year Award. In 2009, she made the trek to Granville, Ohio, to become the editor of Denison Magazine, where she’s worked with writers and designers to produce stories on the American food system, the effects of war, and the plight of the wrongly convicted. But it hasn’t been all so serious. When the design team asked if they could set up a photo shoot that included Jesus, a mule, and a couple of politicians for a story on Christianity’s role in politics, she got the chance to say, yes (after first consulting with her Catholic mother, of course).

Patrick Kirchner

Over the past decade, Patrick has honed his print design skills alongside his editorial expertise, and currently pulls double-duty as editor and graphic design director for an entertainment monthly in southeastern Pennsylvania. He was previously a member of The Penn Stater’s Sibley Award-winning editorial team in the mid 2000s. He currently resides in Lancaster, Pa., where he moonlights as a writer for higher ed magazines, primarily covering culture and science on topics as varied as the Gulf oil spill and education reform to fungus-brained zombie ants and the smell of death.

Dan Morrell

Dan’s magazine career started at The Penn Stater in 2004 and has since included stints at Boston College, Suffolk University, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and Boston magazine. He is currently associate director of alumni communications and content manager at Harvard Business School in Boston. Throughout his career, he has convinced editors at The Atlantic, The New York Times, Slate, Fast Company, and Monocle—as well as many alumni magazines—to publish his work. He has earned some nice CASE awards and has an Eddie or two to his name. And, of course, he was also part of The Penn Stater’s Sibley Award-winning editorial team.