LER welcomes Mike Firmand, who will join the team on June 1 as our new Associate Director, Professional Development. This role replaces Dr. Brian Neighbors, who is moving to a specialized faculty role, focusing on LER’s new undergraduate HR certificate. Since 2024, Mike has been a training and development specialist on the Employee Learning and Organizational Effectiveness team for Illinois Human Resources.
Mike holds degrees from the University of Illinois (B.S.) and Illinois State University (M.S.), with over a decade of experience in higher education. Prior to his current role, he served as Associate Director for Career and Professional Development at the Graduate College for six years. In addition to his time serving graduate students, Mike is a certified trainer in Crucial Conversations® and Getting Things Done®. He is dedicated to helping students thrive during their time at Illinois on their path to meaningful careers.
Welcome to LER, Mike!