The Office of Leadership and Professional Development will be led by a proven leader with extensive experience in organizational psychology, leadership development and program management.
Rochelle Stojnic will be joining Elon University as the next director of the Office of Leadership and Professional Development. Stojnic will begin her new role on Sept. 22.
Most recently, she served as the Senior Leadership Development Program Manager at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she facilitated professional development sessions for over 3,000 UNC supervisors and leaders. In this role, she also developed enterprise-wide leadership programs, delivered coaching and training rooted in adult learning theory and fostered collaborative partnerships across higher education.
“We are excited to welcome Rochelle to Elon and look forward to her leadership in advancing opportunities for staff and faculty growth across campus,” said Melissa Clodfelter, associate vice president for human resources and chief human resources officer.
OLPD is entering a critical leap forward that Stojnic is uniquely qualified for. As part of the Boldly Elon plan, the office will be designing frameworks and learning pathways for Elon employees as part of the next phase of Navigate Your Career.
“Universities are ecosystems rooted in discovery and growth,” said Stojnic. “Investing in professional development not only builds the capacity and capabilities of the institution but also affirms its purpose as a learning organization.”
Clodfelter added, “Rochelle has done phenomenal work in her career to advance learning opportunities for employees, and we are excited for her to leverage her experience and skills as we usher in the next phase of Navigate Your Career and other initiatives.”
As Stojnic weighed this next chapter of her career, she said she was struck by Elon’s intentionality, clear goals and strategy and the investment employees and students make towards the culture.
“It’s the kind of environment where people are encouraged to be ambitious and curious, but to also enjoy the work along the way,” she said. “I look forward to finding opportunities to help faculty and staff in any role feel ready to lead and to grow in ways that feel both practical and meaningful.”
The search committee for this role included:
- Dhvani Toprani (Chair), assistant director of learning and design support
- Chris Leupold, professor of psychology
- Jonathan McElderry, dean of student inclusive excellence
- Jennifer Platania, associate provost for academic affairs
- Jackie Riffle, academic affairs chief of staff
- Mary DeFriest, assistant athletics director of marketing and fan engagement
- TJ Bowie, director of employee relations and culture
Chris Leupold has served as the interim director for OLPD during the committee search, and Shannon Stucker, training and development assistant, has played a monumental role in continuing OLPD programming during this process.