Nominations for the January 2026 cohort are now open. Interested administrative professionals should receive their supervisor's approval before applying via CMU=You.
Administrative Professionals Program
The Office of Human Resources has partnered with the Community College of Allegheny County to develop a program for administrative professionals. Participants are required to attend 12 weekly virtual training sessions covering technical and professional skills.
The program also provides optional CMU-specific training sessions, reference materials and online resources covering topics like onboarding, staff development resources, and drafting and distributing broadcast communications. Participants can opt to attend these sessions based on their individual responsibilities.
On this page:
- Nomination Process
- Program Format
- 2025 Program Schedule
- Past Participants:
Nomination Process
- The Office of Human Resources solicits nominations from supervisors in November and December. Each cohort can accommodate up to 20 participants.
- If an administrative professional would like to self-nominate, they should speak with their supervisor for approval.
- Nominees should meet the following criteria:
- Ability and willingness to attend training and presentations as outlined in the program schedule
- Seeking to enhance their professional and technical skills to better fulfill their role responsibilities
- New or mid-level administrative professionals (note that executive professional assistants or those with longer tenures may not benefit from the curriculum)
- Consistently meets or exceeds expectations for performance at CMU
- Supervisory approval to participate in the program
- Nominations are submitted via CMU=You during the nomination window:
- In CMU=You, click on the Development Programs tile.
- Click on the Admin Program tile.
- Complete the brief form for the nominee:
- Enter the nominee's name.
- Enter direct supervisor and their email address.
- For Award Reason, enter development.
- Meets criteria means that you've shared the details of the program with your team member and that they will attend the required sessions to the best of their ability.
- OPTIONAL - You can enter additional information if you choose.
- Click NEXT and SEND PRIVATELY on the next page (the nominee will NOT be notified by the system despite the text on the page).
Program Format
Participants should plan to attend the twelve required training sessions. These virtual sessions are conducted each Wednesday from 9 a.m.–noon.
Additional CMU-specific sessions will be announced during the program. These sessions are optional, so participants should attend if relevant to their responsibilities.
2026 Program Schedule
All sessions are virtual and occur weekly on Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. starting on January 21, 2026.
The sessions below represent the required course work for participants. Optional sessions covering CMU-specific content will be scheduled and announced during the program.
- January 21 - Building Blocks for Effective Teams
- January 28 - Introduction to PowerPoint
- February 4 - Business Communications
- February 11 - Introduction to Microsoft Word
- February 18 - Time Management
- February 25 - Introduction to Excel (Part 1)
- March 4 - Customer Service Plus
- March 11 - Introduction to Excel (Part 2)
- March 18 - Taking Action to Solve Problems
- March 25 - Making Effective Decisions
- April 1 - Google Suite
- April 8 - Job Mentorship
2025 Cohort - July
- Tiffany Primrose, senior academic coordinator, Tepper School of Business
- Letty Macioce, assistant to the associate dean and admission directors, Office of the Vice Provost for Enrollment Management and Dean of Admission
- Kayla Molzer, academic coordinator, Heinz College MSIT Program
- Marlee Bandish, administrative assistant, Machine Learning Department
- Meghan Sullivan, administrative coordinator, Biomedical Engineering
- Joy Mann, senior administrative coordinator, Neuroscience Institute
- Quinn Guy, senior administrative coordinator, Tepper School of Business
- Shelby Kilpatrick, administrative coordinator, Materials Science and Engineering
- Alicia Powers, executive assistant, Computing Services
- Rachel Losego, executive assistant, Alumni and Constituent Engagement
- Christina Vesel-Kleinhampl, senior academic coordinator, Statistics and Data Science Dietrich College
- Ashlyn Lacovara, administrative assistant, Robotics Institute
- Loreal Wade, administrative assistant, The Mary Beth and Miles Reidy Career Center of Heinz College
- Milana Macklin, administrative coordinator, Student Affairs
- Michelle Leszczewski, executive assistant and office coordinator, Campus Design and Facility Development
2025 Cohort - January
- Grace Alexander, Administrative Associate, S3D Software and Societal Systems Department
- Joan Axelson, Office Manager, Language Technologies Institute
- Lindsey Breyak, Administrative Assistant, Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Sarai Burch, Administrative Assistant, Annual Giving
- Christl Caspar, Administrative Coordinator, Information Networking Institute
- Desiree Chronick, Administrative Assistant II, Student Academic Success Center
- Umi Davis, Administrative Assistant, Academic Coordinator, Chemistry UG Studies
- Jessica Derenburger, Senior Administrative Coordinator, Chemistry
- Erin Driskill, Assistant to the Department Head, Computational Biology Department
- Kimberly Falce, Administrative Coordinator, Parking and Transportation Services
- Maureen Feeney, Administrative Assistant, University Events and Engagement
- Erica Lee, Executive Assistant to the Director, Information Networking Institute
- Chelsea Lee, Events and Academic Coordinator, Chemical Engineering
- Maddy Marrow, Administrative Assistant, Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics
- Christine Martik, Administrative Assistant, Machine Learning Department
- Lynnetta Miller, Assistant to the Director, Robotics Institute - Campus
- Becky Shock, Research and Administrative Coordinator, Heinz College
- Nikole Singer, Administrative Coordinator, Information Communication Technology Institute
- Emily Watts, Academic Coordinator, Public Policy and Management Programs
- Yvonne Yates, Senior Business Administrator, Center for Shared Prosperity
2024 Cohort
- Megan Arnold, Senior Course Administrator, Software Engineering Institute
- Alicia Bartman, Administrative Coordinator, Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Mia Belgie, Administrative Coordinator, Office for Institutional Equity and Title IX, DEI
- Stephanie Boyer, Administrative Coordinator, Undergraduate Admissions/Enrollment Services
- Cara Clouser, Senior Administrative Coordinator, Heinz General & Administrative
- Cassie Conrad, Administrative Coordinator, Dietrich/Heinz - Undergraduate
- Sarah Friedlander, Administrative Assistant, Office of the Dean of Students
- Renny Hartono, Administrative Assistant, Information Networking Institute
- Audrey Jin, Campus Administrative Coordinator, Silicon Valley
- Krystalyn Kovacs, Undergraduate Programs Coordinator, Biological Sciences, Mellon College of Science
- Adrienne McCorkle, Research and Administrative Coordinator, Heinz College
- Sara Nazemian, Senior Administrative Assistant, Vice Provost for Faculty
- Natalia Pascal, Research and Administrative Coordinator, Heinz General & Administrative
- Jill Ramsey, Testing Center Proctor, Student Academic Success Center
- Jennifer Recklein, Senior Administrative Assistant, Software Engineering Institute
- Cameil Ruffing, Administrative Assistant II, Human Computer Interaction Institute
- Samar Saab, Administrative Coordinator, Undergraduate Admissions/Enrollment Services
- Rebekah Sedwick, Multi-media Designer, Software Engineering Institute
- Emily Toal, Development Associate I, Mellon College of Science Dean's Office
2023 Cohort
- Nia Bowman, Kenner Room Administrative Coordinator, Dietrich Dean's Office
- Tonya Campbell, Executive Assistant III, Facilities, Infrastructure, & Risk Management
- Hannah Carroll, Administrative Coordinator, Chemical Engineering
- Hannah Deering, DSSC Program Coordinator, Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Teresa Dunn, Senior Administrative Coordinator, Dietrich Dean's Office
- Kiley Eberhard, Administrative Coordinator, Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Sandra Gartland, Administrative Assistant II, University Police
- Maggie Grzandziel, Senior Administrative Assistant, Finance
- Anja Hojka, Financial & Administrative Coordinator, Heinz College
- Evie Jean, Program Coordinator, Tepper School of Business
- Anne Kramer, Executive Assistant, University Libraries
- Diana Leathers, Administrative Coordinator, Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Tracy Linza, Senior Administrative Coordinator, Robotics Finance & Administration
- Stefanie McGowan, Academic Coordinator, College of Fine Arts Dean's Office
- Samuel Naumick, Administrative and Communications Coordinator, Neuroscience Institute
- Shawna Pace, Administrative Coordinator, Heinz Information Systems
- France Rogoff, Administrative Assistant II, Environmental Health & Safety
- Evan Schmitt, Financial Associate, College of Fine Arts Dean's Office
- Nicole Shughart, Executive Assistant I, Enterprise Risk Management
- Karen Spells, Program Coordinator and Administrative Assistant to AVP, Campus Design and Facility Development
2022 Pilot Program Cohort
- Samantha Bridge, Administrative Coordinator, Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Brian Brown, Jr., Administrative Assistant I, Information Networking Institute
- Kari Carbone, Executive Assistant, Center for Business Engagement
- Gretchen Colbert , Executive Assistant, Office of the General Counsel
- Brian Czarniecki, Administrative Assistant, University Events and Engagement
- Krista Dichiera, Senior Administrative Coordinator, SCS Dean's Office
- E. Forney, Marketing and Communications Assistant, CIT Marketing and Communications
- Jeanine Headley, Senior Administrative Coordinator, University Communications & Marketing
- Mi Kim, Senior Administrative Coordinator, Mechanical Engineering
- Stephanie Longmire, Benefits Coordinator, HR Benefits
- Janelle Miles, Administrative Associate, Alumni and Constituent Engagement
- Shelley Phelps, Senior Finance & Business Associate, Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Angela Racko, Senior Finance & Business Associate, Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Elizabeth Roberts, Executive Assistant I, Computing Services
- Kelly Rockenstein, Office Manager/Administrative Assistant, Materials Science & Engineering
- Diane Robinson, Senior Administrative Assistant, CIT Dean's Office
- Randi Senchur, Project Coordinator, Civil & Environmental Engineering
- Laura Shaheen, Administrative Coordinator, Chemical Engineering
- Dawn Sienko, Senior Administrative Coordinator, Electrical & Computer Engineering