Smeal College Names Cataldo To Head Penn State Executive Programs

Smeal College Names Cataldo To Head Penn State Executive Programs

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA (February 18, 2004) – Patrick A. Cataldo, Jr. has been named associate dean for Penn State Executive Programs at the Smeal College of Business, which designs and delivers open-enrollment, custom, and non-degree education programs on critical and emerging business knowledge and skill needs to a range of executive clients. Beginning in early March, Cataldo will oversee all facets of Penn State Executive Programs including strategy, marketing, sales, and operations.

During a career that spans more than three decades, Cataldo has led employee and customer learning and development in a variety of companies including Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), The Home Depot, Bellcore, Digital Equipment Corporation, and Honeywell Information Services. Immediately prior to joining the Smeal College, Cataldo was chief learning officer for SAIC and group vice president for its largest, wholly owned subsidiary, Telcordia Technologies, and drove the launch of a comprehensive university learning program.

“Pat has been an innovative leader in foreseeing the learning needs of senior people in organizations, and in delivering the programs and development opportunities that meet these needs. Throughout his executive career he established learning programs for the senior-talent pipeline in the organizations with which he worked,” said Judy Olian, dean of the Smeal College. “His expertise in transforming executive education in the corporate marketplace will be a tremendous asset to our clients as Penn State Executive Programs continues to be a leader in this segment of the business education marketplace.”

After spending the first five years of his career at Honeywell in an educational services capacity, Cataldo moved to Digital Equipment Corporation where he stayed for the next two decades in executive roles such as international education manager, vice president of consulting and learning services, and managing director of the company’s Digital Ireland subsidiary. He held subsequent positions at Bellcore as vice president of learning services and The Home Depot as vice president of training.

“This position presents an exciting opportunity to bring my years of experience on the client side of executive education to Penn State and the Smeal College, drawing on the college's legacy in leading business executive education around the globe,” Cataldo said. “Penn State Executive Programs has tremendous strengths in rapidly developing knowledge areas where businesses seek solutions. It has been a leader in executive education for nearly 50 years, and I look forward to being a part of its continuing growth.”

Cataldo holds a bachelor of arts from Saint Francis College, a M.B.A. from Boston College, and an honorary Ph.D. from Grand Valley State University. A former member of the board of directors for the American Society for Training and Development, Sales and Marketing Training, New England Science Center, and the Children’s Discovery and Science Museums, he has been an adjunct professor at Brookdale Community College in New Jersey and is also the author of numerous articles on employee, customer, and executive education.

About Penn State Executive Programs
Through its open-enrollment solutions for middle- and senior-level managers and executives, customized programs for entire organizations, and one-of-a-kind custom programs for focused executive development, Penn State Executive Programs works with partners in industry and across the Penn State University community to assess the needs of its clients, and deliver a wide range of learning and development solutions for general management, supply chain and operational efficiency, finance and accounting, marketing, and industry specific areas such as natural resources, transportation, and information technology. For more, visit http://www.smeal.psu.edu/psep/index.html.