NYC Gazette

St. John’s University held its inaugural Employee Professional Development Day on March 6, 2025, at the D’Angelo Center ballroom. This initiative, sponsored by the University's Office of Human Resources and Office of Employee Belonging, aimed to address emerging workplace issues through a series of 12 free lectures for employees. Topics included communication strategies, crisis management, leadership, and effective use of Microsoft 365.

Keaton Wong, J.D., Associate Vice President for Human Resources, highlighted the inclusive nature of the event: “We tried to design the programs for everybody.” More than 200 employees signed up for workshops throughout the day. A session on the ethical use of artificial intelligence, led by Roger S. So, Ed.D., and David Park, was particularly popular. Dr. So emphasized the need for the responsible use of AI: “We want you to carefully embrace AI.” Louis Saavedra, Assistant Director of Academic Service Learning, commented, “AI is the future, and the more you can learn about it initially, the more prepared you will be later.”

The workshops also covered topics like manager relationships, conflict resolution, and financial preparedness. Representatives from St. John’s employee benefit partners, such as Aetna and Fidelity Investments, addressed healthcare and retirement issues. This event was the result of a survey by the Office of Human Resources and the Office of Equity and Inclusion, noting employee desires for professional development opportunities. Ms. Wong mentioned, “We started to think about ways to engage St. John’s employees better.”

Nataly Toro and Amy Wolfinger, who attended sessions on building better work environments, spoke on the importance of such opportunities for personal growth and morale. Ms. Wolfinger noted, “It is an opportunity to learn about yourself and maybe better yourself.” Ms. Toro added, “Programs like this represent opportunities to learn more about yourself, how to build a better team.”