See the full programs of events here
9:15-10:15am: Opening Keynote Panel
The Persistent Value of Professional & Leadership Development in Your Career
Panelists:
Laurie Hall, EdD
Assistant Vice Provost for Strategic Planning and Operations, Penn University Life
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriehall1/
Laurie A. Hall, EdD currently serves as Assistant Vice Provost for Strategic Planning and Operations for the Division of University Life, the central student affairs unit at the University of Pennsylvania. She has oversight of the creation of strategies focused on the continual improvement of the organization including professional development, staff engagement, cultivating an ethos of dignity, cultural humility, inclusion, and understanding of common divisional goals and institutional values.
Dr. Hall joined the Penn community in 2017 after seventeen years of progressive experience at Princeton University, most recently as Assistant Director for Administrative Planning in the Office of the Executive Vice President where she participated in enterprise level planning, financial stewardship, emergency planning, and organizational development. Preceding her roles with Princeton, she served as director of the Center for Volunteerism and Service Learning at Saint Elizabeth University. Dr. Hall spent her early career in the private, non-profit sector providing community reintegration and family programming for formerly incarcerated adults and managing undergraduate internships and field placements with the organization.
Dr. Hall holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ where her graduate work focused on the perceived value of formalized K-16 education across cultures and the history of compulsory education in the US. She completed her Doctor of Education degree in higher education management from the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania with a focus on institutional leadership, governance, and leadership of change.
A recent book relevant to that I have used and enjoyed is The Prepared Leader by Eric D. Jame s and Lynn Perry Wooten. While not a traditional leadership development piece, its themes are decision making, building teams, life-long learning – framed before during and after crisis. The latter part of the book focuses on optimizing the learning opportunities found during a crisis so those experiences, event though negative, are not lost for the next one. And there will be a next one
One piece of advice that has followed me for years is to take every opportunity to define yourself – yourself. Oftentimes our individual reputations and abilities are attached to those we work with or for. This can be limiting when you have skills, abilities, and interests outside of your current job title. The advice was to set regular meetings to build relationships with folks you can learn from and who could be potential champions. The idea of scheduled connection with a small number of people was especially important to me, as an introvert who is terrible at traditional “networking”.
Slowing down to affirm that expectations are received not just spoken.
Barbara Hewitt, EdD
Executive Director, Penn Career Services
www.linkedin.com/in/barbarahewitt/
Barbara joined Penn Career Services in 1998 and has served as the Executive Director since 2018. She currently leads the entire office as well as advises students and alumni interested in pursuing MBAs. Prior to becoming Executive Director, Barbara served as a Career Adviser to students in the College of Arts and Sciences and in Wharton.
Barbara holds a Bachelor of Arts from Dickinson College with majors in Psychology and Spanish, a masters in Counseling from Shippensburg University, and an EdD in Higher Education Administration from Penn.
Barbara believes strongly in the power of education to change lives and indeed the world, and has enjoyed focusing her career on helping students and alumni to take what they have learned while in school to contribute to society in their own unique ways.
Work Life with Adam Grant, Ted Talks Daily (just because one never knows what comes up in our line of work and this is very broad!)
- Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and try things – if you wait until you are comfortable with something you will lose a lot of opportunities for growth
- Your job is to make your supervisor’s job easier (may be unpopular but I think it is generally a fruitful way to think about things…)
I try to connect with people as individuals and not just employees – this can help to nurture a much more productive and trusting working relationship
Joshua Darfler, MPA
Administrative Director, Penn Biomedical Postdoctoral Programs
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdarfler/
Originally from the Finger Lakes region of New York, Joshua attended Binghamton University where he received my B.S. in cellular and molecular biology and a minor in environmental studies. Upon graduation, Joshua moved to Philadelphia to pursue a one year internship and ended up never leaving. He has since devoted his career to nonprofit and higher-ed management. Joshua holds a Master’s Degree in Public Horticulture from the Longwood Graduate Program at the University of Delaware, and a Master of Public Administration degree from the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania. Joshua currently serves as the Administrative Director for the Biomedical Postdoctoral Programs office, and previously has served as the Executive Director for the Friends of Rittenhouse Square, Department Manager for the Department of Biology in the School of Arts and Sciences, and Greenhouse and Garden Manager for Kaskey Park at Penn (aka the BioPond).
The Map of Meaning: A Guide to Sustaining our Humanity in the World of Work by Marjolein Lips-Wiersma (Author), Lani Morris (Author)
If you don’t ask, then the answer is always no” also “slow down”
“Going to the balcony”. The practice of looking at not only what was accomplished but also how it was accomplished. Sometimes the means are as important as the results.
Katrina Struloeff, PhD
Director of Growth & Impact, Catalyst @ PennGSE
https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrina-struloeff/
Katrina Struloeff, PhD, is Director of Growth and Impact at Catalyst @ Penn GSE, where she leads strategic initiatives that bring research into practice through program development and cross-sector partnerships. Her career spans K–12 leadership, nonprofit operations, and applied research, including roles in New Orleans public schools, the School District of Philadelphia, and Perkins Eastman. She has facilitated national trainings, designed youth-focused programming, and advanced equity-centered strategies that serve vulnerable populations.
Dr. Struloeff holds a PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy from Drexel University and a Master’s in Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon. Her research explores leadership, equity, civic education, and the intersection of schools and communities. A queer, White woman committed to social impact, Katrina views professional and leadership development as key to empowering educators, supporting communities, and transforming systems.
As a social scholar and self-proclaimed nerd, I can’t even begin to list books, websites, or podcast that have provided reflection for growth – but the last three I have been diving into are:
- “This Week In White Supremacy” is a podcast by 1Hood Media that discusses the cultural effects and weekly injustices surrounding white supremacy based out of Pittsburgh
- The New Saints: From Broken Hearts to Spiritual Warriors by Lama Rod Owens – “offers a guidebook for becoming agents of justice, peace, and change, drawing from Tibetan Buddhist tradition and the Black liberation movement”
- Love in a F*cked-Up World: How to Build Relationships, Hook Up, and Raise Hell Together Paperback by Dean Spade – “Love in a F*cked-Up World is a resounding call to action and a practical manifesto for how to combat cultural scripts and take our relationships into our own hands, preparing us for the work of changing the world.”
Two quotes that I hold dear and as a point of reference as I move professionally and in my own leadership journey particularly as a woman.
- “Do not be nice. Be kind because kindness is a measure of our humanity. Do not be nice because nice means always wanting to be liked. This is a particular affliction of female socialization. Nice means silencing inconvenient truths. Nice means letting go of courage . Nice means talking about peace but not about justice” ~ Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- “You don’t want modesty, you want humility. Humility comes from inside out. It says someone was here before me and I’m here because I’ve been paid for. I have something to do and I will do that because I’m paying for someone else who has yet to come.” Dr. Maya Angelou
Aim first to understand, then determine if you are able/intended to solve.
Moderator:
Heather Knox (Moderator)
Coordinator, Employer Relations
https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-knox-4084b6240/
Heather is the Employer Relations Coordinator for the On Campus Interviewing office. She is excited to connect students with their dream jobs through her work in this role. She received her B.M. in music performance from Susquehanna University and her M.M from SUNY Binghamton. Heather has worked in higher education since 2016, beginning as an admissions assistant for the music department at Susquehanna University. She taught classes in music pedagogy and vocal technique at SUNY Binghamton, in addition to her position as a department administrator. Most recently, she served as the Administrative Assistant for Career Services at Swarthmore College.
I love the book “Herding Tigers: Be the Leader that Creative People Need.” It presents some unique perspectives on leading teams through a growth mindset, along with exercises and checkpoints (and a free workbook!)
At my first leadership camp in middle school, there was a chronic issue with people not cleaning up after themselves at lunch. The camp director addressed it halfway through the week, and he said something I’ll never forget: “Leaders take care of other people’s lunch trays too.” The idea that leaders care for others, stay until the work is done, and give 150% effort to their work is still central to how I approach my work.
Asking questions! It leads to curiosity and interpersonal connection, and encourages me to stay flexible.
Return to the main Penn Career Champions Conference page here
