8:30 - 9:00 a.m. Networking
9:00 - 10:15 a.m. Program
Presenter
Raquel M. Arrendondo
Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belongings,
University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education
Transform your aspirations into achievable outcomes through this dynamic session focused on strategic goal execution. Learn how to move past traditional resolution-setting to create a sustainable framework for success. This presentation introduces practical tools and methodologies for breaking down ambitious goals into actionable steps, establishing meaningful metrics, and building accountability systems that work.
You'll discover:
- How to translate broad objectives into specific, measurable actions
- Techniques for creating sustainable habits that drive goal achievement
- Methods for building an effective personal advisory network
- Strategies for overcoming common obstacles to goal execution
Whether you're aiming to advance your career, scale your business, or achieve personal milestones, you'll leave with the tools needed to turn your 2025 goals into reality. This isn't about making promises – it's about creating lasting change through strategic action.
Raquel M. Arredondo serves as the inaugural Assistant Dean for Organizational Development and Cultural Excellence at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. In this role, she leads School-wide initiatives to enhance workplace culture and professional growth, fostering an environment that maximizes employee engagement and organizational effectiveness. She develops and implements best practices in organizational policies and procedures, coordinates professional development programs, and advances global mindset training for students, faculty, and staff.
Raquel brings extensive experience in consulting, human resources, and higher education to her position. She has held positions at Penn State University, Rutgers University, and Drexel University, where she designed and delivered comprehensive professional development programs and organizational initiatives aimed at institutionalizing efforts to support inclusion and belonging. Her career includes corporate human resources roles as a training consultant and university relations recruitment leader, where she facilitated leadership development workshops and created successful strategies to build strong talent pipelines from regional colleges and universities.
Her contributions to professional development and organizational excellence have earned notable recognition, including the 2018 Brillante Award from the Association of Latino Professionals-Prospanica and AL DÍA News Media's Woman at the Top distinction in 2017. She serves on the boards of City Year Philadelphia and PHL Diversity, a division of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau. At Drexel University, she served on the Strategic Planning Task Force and collaborated on the University's Enterprise Learning Module, an initiative to standardize professional development training for faculty and staff. Additionally, she led the Drexel University LeBow College of Business Strategic Action Group, which assessed and provided recommendations to the dean regarding curriculum enhancement, talent management, professional development, organizational metrics, and workplace culture.
A first-generation Cuban-American, Raquel holds a B.A. in Psychology from George Mason University and an M.A. in Higher Education from Rowan University. Her professional credentials include a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) designation from The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and advanced certificates in organizational development from the University of Michigan and Cornell University.
