Janet Rizzuto Joins LeBow as Executive Director of the Krall Center for Corporate and Executive Education
Janet Rizzuto has been appointed as the executive director of the Krall Center for Corporate and Executive Education. Rizzuto brings diverse experience in strategic planning, leadership development and coaching, and building high performing teams. She is a seasoned professional with a rich background in developing talent and driving business performance through innovative learning investments. Prior to joining Drexel LeBow, Rizzuto worked at Warner Music Group as head of Americas for DEI, at Cornell University as executive director of Executive Education and at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, where she held positions as senior director, group leader of U.S. learning and development, director of organizational effectiveness and consulting.
As Rizzuto joins Drexel LeBow, we had the opportunity to sit down and discuss her vision, strategic priorities and insights into the future of executive education.
Tell us a little about yourself and why this role interested you?
Learning has been central to all my roles working with internal and external clients. It has continuously brought new insights and perspectives on the challenges and opportunities facing businesses and the significant impact that learning has in building organizational capability. When interviewing for the executive director role I was extremely impressed with LeBow’s progressive and innovative approach to Executive Education. The faculty thought leadership in cutting edge topics, broad range of industry partnerships, focus on experiential learning and flawless execution speaks highly to the exceptional work that Executive Education is doing to build organizational capabilities. Drexel LeBow’s track record and commitment to excellence are the reasons I was so keen to join the team and be part of the innovative breakthroughs that define our learning advantage for clients.
What strategic priorities will you focus on in your first year? Given your experience in identifying strategic growth opportunities, what emerging trends in executive education do you think Drexel LeBow should capitalize on to stay ahead in the market?
In Year One I will be assessing opportunities to grow our business across a range of industries and disciplines. Given the continuous disruption in business today the “sweet spot” of emerging trends is clearly in AI, technological innovation and data sciences. And knowing how to lead in an AI environment with an agile mindset is critical in the current landscape as disruption continues to accelerate across all industries. This intersection of technical and leadership learning needs is an exciting and opportunistic path forward for Drexel LeBow to continuously evolve innovative client learning solutions.
What is your approach to building and maintaining strong partnerships with industry leaders and corporate partners? Why is executive education of value to corporations?
To work successfully with corporations, it is essential to understand their industry, business and strategies. We must be prepared to engage our clients with a strong knowledge of today’s challenges and what lies ahead as businesses continue to transform. Drexel LeBow has a long-standing history of industry partnerships that have enabled companies to access faculty expertise, engage in applied research collaborations and sponsor industry events, enabling us to understand opportunities and challenges companies face and must address to attain results. We will continue to invest in these partnerships, building trust and credibility with industry leaders and corporate partners, to fully understanding their needs and translate those needs into actionable and practical learning investments that drive outcomes.
How will you position the Drexel advantage to achieve competitive advantage?
We will demonstrate a client-centric approach by defining four areas of excellence:
- Thought Leadership: Our faculty experts provide research-based insights into complex problems, positioning us as leaders in business education.
- Industry Partnerships: We create and share collective value through our ecosystem of partnerships between academia and industry.
- Customized Learning Solutions: Our customized programs deliver practical, relevant and actionable learning experiences.
- Operational Excellence: We ensure flawless execution of our learning programs, maintaining the highest standards throughout our partnership.
How do you envision working with other colleges and departments within the University to enhance the reach and impact of our executive education programs?
The corporate world is global, complex and multi-disciplined. Tapping into the thought leadership and research from other colleges and departments to leverage opportunities in areas such as computing and informatics, data sciences, entrepreneurship, healthcare and engineering will offer our corporate client’s greater collaboration and innovation that mirrors the real world of opportunities and challenges.
Given your extensive background in DEI, how will you incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion into our executive education programs and team culture?
Having spent over three years in a corporate DEI role I know firsthand how critical and challenging implementation of DEI values and practices can be. It is extraordinarily complex and impacts everyone across a range of personal, team, organizational and external partner relationships. In the short time that I have been at Drexel LeBow I can readily see the commitment to DEI through daily interactions with the University, my team and clients. An outstanding example of commitment was the recently held, Inclusive Impact Day, empowering neurodiversity, which touches a broad range of populations, faculty, students, team members and clients. By raising awareness, we can overcome biases and stigma associated with neurodiversity, gender and ethnicity to foster acceptance and create a supportive environment to foster growth and amplify everyone’s talent and unique perspective. In Executive Education it is essential that we lead by example and ensure our engagement and learning experiences have been created to address participant differences, in the classroom, online or in individual study to provide each student with the opportunity to learn and grow in an inclusive environment. Our client-centric approach will be further defined and recognized as the Drexel LeBow advantage that reinforces our values and further builds our credibility and trust with our corporate clients.
What excites you about Philadelphia?
My home is New York City and while there are some similarities it is great to explore the many diverse and interesting neighborhoods that are filled with fascinating architecture, food and activities.
Can you share a fun fact about yourself that most people might not know?
I am an avid SoulCycle rider and during the pandemic rode outside in temperatures that ranged from 32 to 95 degrees in all types of inclement weather to log my weekly miles.
What is your favorite book or movie, and why does it resonate with you?
The Alchemist is a beautiful story about learning life lessons through many unexpected experiences.
What is the most interesting place you have traveled to, and what did you enjoy most about it?
Bangkok is a city that I quickly became comfortable with when traveling there for the first time. It has a rich cultural heritage, majestic temples, bustling markets, delectable cuisine and amazing people who are beautifully artistic, kind and gentle.
Who has been a major influence or inspiration in your life and career, and why?
Early in my career at Pfizer I worked with a leader that demonstrated values of humility, integrity and fairness with everyone he engaged with from the most senior leaders to junior team members to individuals he just met. His interest and curiosity were present in all his discussions. He was always willing to talk about his mistakes so others could learn, listen to feedback to increase his self-awareness and treat everyone with respect and acknowledge their value. As I assumed leadership positions those values influenced the development of my leadership style and continue to do so today as I strive to build an inclusive and equitable environment with everyone I work with.
