St. John’s University holds second annual Employee Professional Development Day on March 5
St. John’s University held its second annual Employee Professional Development Day on March 5, bringing together several hundred faculty, administration, and staff at the Queens campus for a series of lectures and workshops focused on workplace issues and skill development.
The event aimed to help employees enhance their job performance by addressing topics such as workplace psychology, artificial intelligence (AI), financial habits, and the university’s mission. The day was organized by the Office of Human Resources and the Office of Employee Belonging, coinciding with National Employee Appreciation Day later that week.
Keaton Wong, J.D., Associate Vice President for Human Resources, said the idea for this initiative came from a survey conducted in summer 2024 by Human Resources and the Office of Equity and Inclusion. The first event in March 2025 drew over 200 participants; attendance increased in 2026. Representatives from employee benefits partners like Aetna, Cigna, New York Life, Fidelity Investments, Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA), and NY 529 spoke about health care and retirement planning.
A new addition this year was a networking hour where employees could meet representatives from 20 university offices. “We wanted employees to have the opportunity to find out more about what other offices and departments do,” Wong said. “So, they can, for example, come to the Employee Belonging table and find out more about what programming is coming from Employee Belonging, or learn more about, say, Human Resources.”
The most attended session focused on best practices in AI use. Roger S. So, Ed.D., Director of Emerging Technologies at the Office of Information Technology and Adjunct Professor at The Peter J. Tobin College of Business said: “AI behaves as it has been taught. As a result, there are limitations and biases. AI will make mistakes, so you must be careful.” Lauren Drakakis advised employees to proofread AI-generated reports: “Once you sign it, you own it,” she said.
Workshops were divided into Skills Building, Technology, and Well-Being categories. Sessions included psychological safety in the office as well as connecting with St. John’s Vincentian mission through respect for colleagues and shared purpose. Leticia Romero stated: “Engaging and learning together is a part of belonging, and belonging is Vincentian… In connecting we demonstrate what it means to be a community which is part of our mission.”
St. John’s University supports initiatives through its centers focused on multicultural efforts locally and globally according to its official website. The university operates campuses in Queens and Manhattan as well as international sites in Rome, Paris, and Limerick according to its official website. It is affiliated with the Vincentian Community according to its official website.
The institution offers more than 100 undergraduate majors across six schools according to its official website, operating as a Catholic Vincentian institution dedicated to liberal arts education according to its official website. Rev. Brian J. Shanley serves as president according to its official website.
