Developing Project Manager Competency

9:15 – 10:00 a.m., May 15, 2015

What skills are employees looking for when hiring new PMs? How do universities and companies combine to develop such skillsets in their employees? We will describe what research reveals about PM skills through experience with our classes, interviews with working professionals, surveys of the state of Project Management, and employment advertisements. We will focus on the needs for Project Management competency and skillsets that have arisen in the city of Boston as a case study. We will also describe what universities are attempting to accomplish and how companies can adapt and develop the students’ skills to meet their own particular needs. The conference sessions will separately address technical and soft skills. Technical skills include costs, schedules, risks and quality, while soft skills include strategic and business management, communication, leadership, collaboration, and teamwork.

Speakers

Dr. Vijay Kanabar

Dr. Vijay KanabarDr. Kanabar has unique expertise spanning both business practices and computer science. A certified Project Management Professional, he has advised numerous organizations on training and technology needs, including Blue Cross Blue Shield, Staples, United Way, and Fidelity Investments. Kanabar is an internationally published scholar and is recognized by local and national media as an authority on IT project management, electronic commerce, and information security.

Alice Santiago

2015 Speaker Alice SantiagoMs. Santiago is the City of Boston’s first Program Management Office (PMO) Director. She was asked to join the City’s Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT) from her prior position as PMO Director at the Boston Public Schools to expand project management methodologies across City Departments. In this position, she has developed and implemented project management processes for City use. She is responsible for developing and implementing a common project management methodology that establishes a consistent, repeatable approach to managing projects and provides a common language for project participants across the City of Boston.

Mike DePrisco

Speaker Mike DePriscoMichael DePrisco is PMI’s Vice President, Academic and Educational Programs. In this role, he provides executive oversight to the Academic Programs and Academic Resources departments and serves as the COO for the PMI Educational Foundation. He has more than 15 years of senior leadership experience in educational and operations management and provides overall leadership, planning and supervision of PMI’s academic markets, as well as educational programs and services. Prior to joining PMI, Mr. DePrisco worked in higher education administration for 20 years, serving as president of several art and design colleges in the north and southeastern part of the United States.