14 COCC leaders earned a graduate certificate in business leadership.
SOUTHINGTON, CT – In 2019, COCC introduced its first ever Corporate Leadership Development (CLD) program, a continuing education program designed specifically for COCC employees and provided through a partnership with Central Connecticut State University (CCSU). Fourteen COCC employees embraced this unique opportunity to enroll in CCSU’s Official Certificate Program in Business Leadership, taking courses directly applicable to their COCC career with all tuition expenses fully funded by COCC. This dedicated team of leaders celebrated their successful completion of the program this January, earning 12 graduate-level credits that can be applied toward the MBA program at the University.
“The Official Certificate Program in Business Leadership is a graduate-level certificate that develops the skills and insights necessary for today’s business professionals to progress to the next level of competent business leadership,” said Lisa Frank, Dean of the CCSU School of Business. “We are very pleased to have the opportunity to offer this program to COCC employees and to contribute to the development of future COCC leaders.”
This cohort of participants took classes in financial accounting, management and leadership, and ethics and law. To cap off the program, participants completed a special topics course in which three teams were tasked with creating a new product or service within the fintech industry, allowing participants to combine all the previously learned skills and knowledge to develop an innovative business offering. The capstone concluded with the teams presenting their business or service ideas to members of the COCC Executive team. Their project topics included a financial literacy mobile app, cybersecurity dashboard, and cardless ATMs.
“Our goal is that this capstone program becomes an incubator for new and innovative ideas at COCC,” said Richard A. Leone, Chairman & CEO at COCC. “Each team took a unique approach to their projects, and it was a great demonstration of the valuable knowledge and skills they learned that will be so beneficial to not only their careers, but to COCC overall as well.”
The program earned high marks from participants, who enjoyed opportunities to not only grow their knowledge of business leadership, but also the numerous chances to collaborate closely with coworkers from other departments within the company.
“Continuing education is a major commitment for employees as well as their families and loved ones,” said Steve Guglietta, Director of Talent Development and facilitator of the program. “It has been quite a journey, and their resilience and perseverance has been so impressive. I congratulate each employee on this milestone!”
Based on participant feedback, COCC will be working on how to further enhance and grow the CLD program in years to come.
About COCC
COCC is one of the fastest-growing core financial technology companies in the United States and is recognized as a leader in delivering innovation. COCC provides the most comprehensive technology partnership in the industry, combining a collaborative approach with the most highly adopted, feature-rich, modern standards-based core banking solution available. Its integrated digital banking solution ensures that clients provide a valuable and intuitive user experience, coupled with personalization driven by advanced machine learning models. Through extensive in-house development and using APIs to streamline innovative fintech integrations, COCC clients leverage a complete suite of modern financial technology solutions. COCC has been client-owned for over 50 years, acting as a partner to clients with an unmatched focus on service to help community banks and credit unions meet their unique and ever-changing needs. To learn more, visit cocc.com.
