Toni Paoletta, Manager of The Professional Development Center within the Monte Ahuja College of Business at Cleveland State University has been named President of the Ohio Continuing Higher Education Association (OCHEA) for the 2016-2017 Academic Year.

OCHEA seeks to address issues of importance to delivery of continuing higher education and workforce development in the State of Ohio, as well as to provide opportunities for professional growth and development for higher education professionals.

OCHEA is a not-for-profit organization of accredited, non-profit institutions of higher education in Ohio dedicated to continuing education, workforce development and lifelong learning through continuing education.

“Toni being elected President of OCHEA is a point of pride for the College,” said Richard Reed, Ph.D., Dean of the Monte Ahuja College of Business at CSU. “We congratulate her for being recognized as a leader in the continuing education space. In many ways, this demonstrates how our Professional Development Center is leading continuing education for business professionals and continuing to be innovative in their approach and course offerings.”

"I am honored to serve as President of OCHEA," added Paoletta. "This industry recognition validates by continuing education/higher education career and reflects the hard work that the Center staff performs for the professional community on a daily basis."

Earlier this year, The Professional Development Center received OCHEA's Program Excellence Award, which recognized the Center for is redesigned curriculum and course offerings centered around competency-based education.

"We apply the same Engaged Learning principles that CSU is known for to all of our continuing education courses,” explains Paoletta. "Much of the Professional Development Center’s success is due to our competency-based education approach. This insures that students and their employers get the most out of their educational investment. When students successfully complete our courses, they can immediately demonstrate the skills they learned and apply them in the workplace.”

The Professional Development Center offers courses in Accounting & Finance, Business Management, Human Resources and Organizational Development, Information Technology, Leadership, Sales and Marketing. Courses are delivered in a classroom setting or online depending upon the course.

The Center also provides custom learning solutions for organizations wishing to invest in upgrading the skills of their workforce. To register for courses or to learn more about corporate training, visit www.csuohio.edu/ProDev