Aaron walz

I am currently the Senior Director of Research and Health Technology Services at Purdue University. I’ve been at Purdue since 2013, previously serving as the Senior Director and Department Head of Information Technology for the Colleges of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Technology Director for a large-scale enterprise systems project, and Director of the Business Intelligence Competency Center. Before joining Purdue, I spent over 12 years at the University of Illinois with the Decision Support team, most recently as the Assistant Vice President for Decision Support.

I’ve been managing people for more than 25 years, the last 15 of those at the director and senior director level. In terms of leadership and management, I’m especially interested in strategy and planning, organizational change management, motivation and engagement, personal effectiveness, workplace culture, and employee wellness. As one of the founders of the original MGRdev program and the Manager Development Institute, it’s been fantastic to be able to work with so many others who are passionate about honing our skills as managers. Like most managers, I’ve also been affected quite a bit by both positive and negative role models throughout my career. I’ve had to learn most of what I know the hard way, and I think this is a great opportunity for us to learn from each other and “pay it forward” for others on this journey.

I’m currently pursuing a master’s degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology to expand on the skills and experience I’ve developed over the years by adding expertise in psychology theories, scientific research, and evidence-based practices applied to the workplace.