The rockefeller university

The university’s HR department launches a new feature on its centralized platform, which brings together digital tools, leadership training, and in-person learning.

What began last fall as a centralized hub for professional development is already expanding. 

Beginning March 2, Rockefeller’s Learning & Development website will introduce a new area dedicated to personal growth — from emotional self-management to financial wellness — broadening the support available to staff. 

This new section, called MyDevelopment, will focus on topics that support long-term career success, including self-awareness, interpersonal effectiveness, and work-life balance, while balancing depth of learning with time commitment to help employees fit education into busy schedules. 

“This next step reflects Rockefeller’s continued evolution in how we think about employee development,” said Virginia Huffman, vice president for human resources. “Professional growth doesn’t happen in isolation. By integrating personalized learning with professional growth, we’re taking a more holistic approach — one that supports both immediate workplace needs and long-term career success.” 

Flexible and inclusive by design

The larger initiative to increase personalized learning opportunities for staff began to take shape during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many employees were working remotely. 

“We invested in LinkedIn Learning and saw strong engagement across the community,” Huffman said. “It became clear that people were eager to build new capabilities in a flexible way, on their own time and at their own pace.” 

The goal was to support staff in pursuing curated learning pathways aligned with their roles and career aspirations, delivered in ways that are structured, accessible, and responsive to workplace needs. 

Tania Granados, HR’s director of employment, said the early momentum clarified the need for a more inclusive approach to staff learning. What began as a focus on management training expanded as broader needs across campus came into view. 

“Very quickly, it became clear that we also needed parallel learning for team members so everyone could share the same language and tools,” Granados said. “The goal is to ensure that concepts like emotional intelligence or leadership styles mean the same thing on both sides of the conversation.” 

Building on the four original pillars 

The Learning & Development website — which debuted in October — is structured around core areas designed to support learning across roles and career stages. 

The first iteration of the site focused on four pillars. MyCareer focuses on broadly applicable workplace capabilities, including communication and managing up. Manager Boot Camp offers foundational learning paths for current and aspiring managers. L&D Insights curates LinkedIn Learning recommendations previously shared through HR communications. Leadership Workshops serves as a hub for the Cornell-Rockefeller workshops, including information on past and future offerings.  

The addition of MyDevelopment expands that framework, allowing the site to more clearly distinguish between professional skill-building and personal development while broadening access to both. 

Samara Brown, manager of scientific talent, said the structure reflects feedback from staff who wanted focused learning grounded in real-world situations. She said that perspective was informed by her earlier experience working in Rockefeller laboratories before transitioning into human resources.  

“When I was in the lab, pointing people to LinkedIn Learning felt overwhelming because there was just so much content,” Brown said. “Curation was the key — taking what already exists and shaping it into learning paths that are realistic, relevant, and easy to engage with.”  

The curated model incorporates Rockefeller-specific context and emerging technologies, including AI, helping ensure that learning remains both timely and forward-looking. 

Lunch & Learn sessions 

The platform also supports in-person learning. Human resources is developing a new Lunch & Learn series designed to complement digital offerings with discussion and shared perspectives. The 45- to 60-minute sessions will focus on Rockefeller-specific topics such as performance management, recruitment, and related workplace practices, with dates to be announced this summer. 

“These sessions build on online learning, but the social aspect matters too,” Huffman said. “People can feel siloed within their departments. When they come together, they realize their challenges aren’t unique and can learn from one another.” 

Turning those ideas into practice has required coordination across human resources. Katherine Castillo, a human resources coordinator who helps curate content for the site and produce The Human Element newsletter, said the L&D website helps extend development opportunities to more people across campus in a more targeted way. “It’s rewarding to help curate content that reflects what our community is actually asking for,” Castillo said. 

Wanda Chen, a talent acquisition associate who works closely with early-career staff and hiring managers, said the platform reflects recurring questions she hears about career direction and advancement. “This initiative supports early-career staff who are thinking about where they want to go next,” Chen said. 

Leaders emphasized that the platform is designed to grow over time, shaped by continued input from the community. 

“This platform will continue to evolve,” Granados said. “We want feedback from the community so it grows with their needs.” 

Staff are encouraged to share questions or ideas for future offerings by emailing learning@rockefeller.edu.