GIANT Employees Complete Customized Management Program at Central Penn College

“We are gathered here to celebrate the inaugural class of the GIANT University Department Manager Business Academy at Central Penn College,” said Dr. Linda Fedrizzi-Williams, president of the Summerdale-based institution.

“These 27 GIANT employees completed an accelerated, customized, 18-credit program in organization management over the course of nine months,” said Fedrizzi-Williams, who became president of the college in 2018. “Congratulations, graduates!”

Representatives from Central Penn and GIANT worked in partnership to design the curriculum for the certificate program. More than 75 people attended the ceremony held in the college’s Conference Center this morning.

“Developing a learning culture is critical to organizational success, and I’m excited to see our Department Managers Business Academy at Central Penn College come to fruition,” said Brian Wanner, Director, Talent & Culture, The GIANT Company.

“We have our first class graduating in December and have received great feedback on the entire program,” he continued. “For 2022, we will be launching two additional academies to continue enhancing our learning culture and providing development opportunities to our team members,” said Wanner, who holds degrees from Central Penn College, Elizabethtown College and Messiah University.

More about the Customized Program

The journey for the GIANT employees––and Central Penn students––began in March with the Principles of Management class and continued through November with the sixth and final course, Intro to Organizational Change Management. All the courses were offered in an online format.

Nate Jones, meat manager for GIANT, was one of the inaugural graduates. He said this about the program: “The Department Manager Business Academy certificate program is an engaging growth experience that helped me develop and refine valuable skills for daily workplace management, while also providing an amazing opportunity to broaden my educational experience in a career-friendly format.”

The second cohort for the GIANT University Department Manager Business Academy will begin in January.

To learn more about Central Penn’s customized educational offerings, go to: www.centralpenn.edu/corporate-education.