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Business Training Venture Helps Employers Expired, was active from 06/29/09 to 07/29/09

 

Institute to Market to Outside Companies and Agencies 

Saint Leo University announces the opening of the Institute for Professional Development on July 1, 2009. The institute will expand Saint Leo’s reach beyond students seeking academic degrees to offer training, professional development, and non-academic certification programs to employers, alumni, and professionals.

Susan Garrett
Susan Garrett, Ph.D.
The institute is led by Susan Garrett, Ph.D., associate vice president of professional development at SLU. Garrett holds a doctorate in adult education, a Master of Education degree in instructional technology, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in marketing and distributive education, all from the University of South Florida. Before joining Saint Leo in November 2005 as director of professional development, Garrett worked as a computer science faculty member at the college level locally and then as a Fortune 500 consultant. Garrett and the institute staff will have the benefit of guidance from an advisory council of internal faculty and administrators, industry leaders, and alumni.

The Institute for Professional Development will use a consulting approach to offer custom developed courseware to outside organizations to meet their training and learning needs. In addition, the institute and the Criminal Justice Department of Saint Leo’s School of Education and Social Services will collaborate to develop and market non-academic certifications to law enforcement and criminal justice organizations.

The institute will also be a licensed reseller of the MindLeaders Business and Technology Series, originally developed and marketed by MindLeaders Inc., an e-learning company in Dublin, Ohio.

Working with Dr. Garrett on the Institute of Professional Development are three new department members: Debra Kostyun, Mark Smith, and Allison DiPalo.

Debra Kostyun
Debra Kostyun
Assistant Director of Professional Development Debra Kostyun is an expert in instructional design and technical curriculum development and needs analysis. She previously worked for more than 20 years at Syniverse Technologies Inc., headquartered in Tampa, and most recently held the title of director of corporate learning and business support services there. She holds a Master of Education degree in instructional technology from the University of South Florida and a Master’s Certificate in Rhetoric and Composition from Northern Arizona University.
Mark Smith
Mark Smith
Instructional Developer Mark Smith develops e-learning content for professional development and facilitates instructor-lead training. He has nearly 10 years of experience as a corporate trainer for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. He has a Master of Music degree from the University of Arkansas.


Allison DiPalo
Allison DiPalo
Professional Development Coordinator Allison DiPalo provides user support for the institute’s learning management systems, including MindLeaders. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work degree from Saint Leo and is working toward a Master of Business Administration degree from SLU.



Danielle Oleson and Samantha Coen continue their work in the Professional Development Office, which serves Saint Leo employees’ training needs, and is also overseen by Garrett. Oleson and Coen will also support the new Institute of Professional Development.