August 11, 2011
Aradhna M. Dhanda, president and CEO of Leadership Pittsburgh Inc., will be the guest speaker at Penn State Greater Allegheny's annual academic convocation on Aug. 19. Members of the faculty and staff at Penn State Greater Allegheny will welcome first-year students and their families to campus during the annual academic convocation, beginning at 11 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 19. The convocation celebrates the campus? long and committed partnership with the Pittsburgh region. Since its beginning at the current location in 1957, the Greater Allegheny campus continues to play a dynamic role in the greater Pittsburgh area, bringing the resources of a nationally prominent university to students of all ages.
Chancellor Curtiss E. Porter will serve as master of ceremonies along with Margaret Signorella, interim director of academic affairs. This year?s guest speaker will be Aradhna M. Dhanda. Dhanda serves as president and CEO of Leadership Pittsburgh Inc. (LPI), the premier resource for leadership development in Southwestern Pennsylvania. LPI seeks to strengthen regional leadership by connecting current and emerging leaders with the people and issues shaping our community?s future.
Prior to joining LPI in December 2004, Dhanda served as the program officer of the Forbes Funds, and executive director of the Children?s Festival Chorus of Pittsburgh. Before moving to Pittsburgh in 1999, Dhanda led an arts organization in Princeton, N.J., and taught as an adjunct professor of management and psychology at both Rider University and the College of New Jersey.
Dhanda serves on the board of VisitPittsburgh; the advisory board of The Forbes Funds; the community advisory board of Fifth Third Bank; and the Winchester Thurston School Advisory Board.
Dhanda is a proud graduate of Leadership Pittsburgh XVIII and the vice president of the Pittsburgh chapter of the International Women?s Forum. She was recognized as one of our region?s top ?40 Under 40? in 2002, honored as a ?Fast Tracker? by the Pittsburgh Business Times in 2005 and received the Top 25 Women in Business Award from the Pittsburgh Business Times in 2009. She has been featured in various publications and her writing for the Pittsburgh Quarterly won the regional Golden Quill in 2009.
Born and raised in India, Dhandaa holds a master of business administration degree from Rutgers University and master's degree in psychology from Bhopal University.