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2009 - 2012
Leon Singletary Recognized
The Philadelphia Business Journal and Sponsors celebrated the 2009 Minority Business Leader Awards. One of the recipients of the distinguished award was Leon Singletary, SPHR, who graduated from Villanova with his M.S. degree in Human Resource Development (HRD) in 2005. He earned his B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University.
In 2012 Leon also was recognized for his business leadership by the Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce.
Leon is the principal and founder of First Contact HR which specializes in employment background screening. Leon is a past President of the Greater Valley Forge Chapter of SHRM.
Prior to launching his own company, Leon held HR leadership positions – from small emerging companies – BTG International, to fortune 50 companies - including Director of Human Resources at Bristol Myer Squibb.
2010
Emily Malinowski Presented with Scholarship Award
Graduate HRD student Emily Malinowski was awarded the 2009-2010 Greater Valley Forge Human Resources Association’s Student Michael R. Losey Scholarship Award of $3,500 for her commitment to pursuing a career in human resources. This merit-based scholarship has helped her to continue her studies at the University of Notre Dame.
Ellen Johnston, PHR -Delaware Valley HR Person of the Year Winner 2009
(Siemens Medical Solutions)
Delaware Valley HR Person of the Year Nominees
The Delaware Valley HR Person of the Year Award was developed in 2001 to celebrate the Human Resources Industry and to recognize those in the HR profession who exemplify outstanding achievement within our local human resources community.
Sarah Andzulis, SPHR, AIS, ACS (Nationwide Insurance) * Nominee 2009
Heather Dromgoole, SPHR (Access Group, Inc.) * Nominee 2009
Leon Singletary, SPHR (First Contact HR) * Nominee 2009
Vince Stango, SPHR - 2008
Vince is Vice President of Human Resources & Administration at the National Constitution Center and a 2007 graduate of the Master of Science Degree Program in Human Resource Development (HRD). Vince also graduated with a M.S. degree in Public Administration form Villanova.
SPOTLIGHT ON FACULTY AND STUDENTS
Professor, Students attend Annual SIOP Conference
Villanova’s Graduate Programs in Human Resource Development sent 1 faculty member and 5 students to the 25th Annual Conference for the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP). HRD students Erica Bruno, Phillip Gibson, Lisa Panik and Jim Wallace were awarded Villanova Graduate Studies Travel Grants to attend the conference. The following is a list of HRD’s involvement in the conference:
- HRD Assistant Professor Dr. Ginamarie Ligon chaired a symposium on HR Interventions for Innovation.
- HRD students Erica Bruno and Lisa Panik presented a poster on Assessing and developing innovative performance (based on the research of Osburn, H.K., Ligon, G.S., Bedford, A., Bruno, E., Panik, L., Doran, M. & Scherer, K.).
- HRD students Zandra Leahy and Phillip Gibson presented a poster on Structure differences between violent and non-violent ideological organizations (based on the research of Ligon, G.S., Leahy, Z., Versella, M., Troyan, C., Gibson, P., Nguyen, A., Hunter, S.T., & Boatman, J.E.
- HRD Assistant Professor Dr. Ginamarie Ligon presented a poster on Leading employees with autism (based on the research of Fairchild, J., Hunter, M., Ligon, G.S., & Hunter, S.T.).
2009
Dr. Ginamarie Ligon Honored with Best Paper Award
Ginamarie Ligon, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology and human resource development, was honored with The Leadership Quarterly Best Paper Award. Dr. Ligon was awarded for her 2008 paper, The Development of Outstanding Leadership: A Life Narrative Approach.
The Leadership Quarterly received 250 manuscript submissions for 2008, of which only thirty-five were chosen for publication. “The other four finalists were very senior in the field,” Dr. Ligon shared. “Their papers were just outstanding. I was very humbled to even be included in their list.” But Dr. Ligon was not simply included on the list, she was voted as the top submission.Li
Dr. Ligon has taught with the HRD Program from 2006-2012.Her research interests include leadership, innovation, work-life balance, and violent and non-violent ideological organizations. She received her Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the University of Oklahoma in 2004.
Scholarship Awarded
Alana Ferreira da Silva, a student in the Graduate Programs in Human Resource Development (HRD), received the annual Michael R. Losey Graduate Merit Scholarship Award from the Greater Valley Forge HR Association.
The scholarships are named for Michael R. Losey, past president and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management and a 30-year veteran of the profession. To be eligible, a graduate student must be enrolled in an MBA or MS program with a concentration in human resources, organizational management or industrial relations. The scholarship process is competitive and granted to the applicant who is best able to demonstrate a working knowledge in HR.
The recipient of the scholarship, Ms. Ferreira da Silva, was very involved in the Villanova community. She is an active member of the Graduate Student Council and serves as the Villanova SHRM Chapter Secretary and Director of Campus and Community Service. Professionally, her international background and command of foreign languages (English, Portuguese, Spanish, German, and French) has assisted her at Siemens AG, where she is currently working as an intern in the Strategic Leadership & Development department.
Students in the 5-Year Program Hold Internships
In 2008, the HRD program initiated its 5-year B.A. in Psychology/M.S. in HRD program. Four senior Psychology majors from Villanova signed on as the first 5-year students – Erica Bruno, Melissa Doran, Osayi Osunde and Lisa Panik. They were chosen to receive the opportunity to enroll in 3 graduate HRD courses that would count both toward their undergraduate and graduate degrees.
The four students graduated from Villanova in May 2009 with B.A. degrees in Psychology. They began their fifth and final year this semester, and to graduate with their M.S. degrees in May 2010.
Erica, Melissa and Lisa have also spent time conducting research with Ginamarie Ligon, Ph.D., an assistant professor for the HRD program. Their research focused on Work/Life Balance, particularly for working mothers. In May 2009, they travelled to the Association for Psychological Science’s Conference in San Francisco to present their work.
Osayi Osunde interned at the Radian insurance company in Philadelphia. His primary focus was on creating and implementing an alternative work arrangement policy for employees. He also was the Captain of the Villanova football team.
Erica Bruno interned at Bentley Systems, a global infrastructure software company. Melissa Doran interned at Shire Pharmaceuticals, and Lisa Panik interned at Siemens Healthcare.
