Professional Development Week

Renata Ruiz

Renata Ruiz is a Sr. AI Business Solutions Specialist at Microsoft, focused on helping organizations unlock productivity and innovation through AI-powered solutions like Copilot Chat, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and Agents. With years of experience in education and a strong background in professional learning, this work is driven by a passion for making technology approachable and impactful. In this role, Renata partners with institutions to simplify work, drive collaboration, and create meaningful outcomes through Microsoft’s modern solutions. She is excited to support higher education in leveraging AI to enhance teaching, learning, and student success.

Juan-Carlos Piñeiro

Juan-Carlos is an offbeat higher ed pro, inspiring educator, dynamic speaker, yoga teacher, and mindfulness/personal development coach with nearly two decades of experience designing and facilitating transformative experiences. Known for his authentic, empathetic style, he guides individuals and groups through vulnerable storytelling, mindfulness practices, and creative exploration to cultivate self-awareness, purpose, and psychosocial growth. His most requested talks focus on transcending imposterism, stress management, purpose development, and fully engaging in the college experience. Each of these is aimed at helping audiences unlock their potential and thrive.

In his role at SUNY Westchester, Juan-Carlos oversees leadership, multicultural, and radio based programs that foster inclusive, empowering environments for student growth. He also teaches in Sofia University’s Master of Arts in Transpersonal Psychology program, where he shares his integrative, heart-centered approach that bridges academic rigor with spiritual and personal development. His academic background includes an A.A. in Human Social Sciences (SUNY Orange), a B.A. in Psychology with Black Studies and Women’s/Caribbean Studies focuses (SUNY New Paltz), and an M.A. in Transpersonal Psychology with concentrations in Spiritual and Eco-Psychology (Sofia University).

Carolyn Mattiske

Carolyn Mattiske serves as the Director of the State University of New York’s Academic & Innovative Leadership (SAIL) Institute for SUNY System Administration/Center for Professional Development. The SAIL Institute supports higher education professionals at SUNY and beyond, including both experienced and aspiring leaders, through a broad portfolio of programming and services. Carolyn holds a master’s degree in Curriculum Development and Instructional Technologies, is an organizational learning strategist recognized for award-winning leadership programs and is a certified trainer for DiSC, Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue, Crucial Accountability, and Getting Things Done. With over 20 years of experience designing, delivering and managing adult learning and leadership programs, Carolyn leads operations for the SAIL Institute. She joined SUNY in 2017 and quickly expanded program offerings and services to include a Mindful Leadership series, CIO Leadership Academy, Business Officers’ Leadership Academy, Department Chair Academies, Inclusive Citizen Leader series, a Winter Leadership Academy, free online webinars, student leadership programming, and much more. Carolyn plays a lead role in administering SAIL’s signature programs, including the Summer Leadership Program, and consults with campuses to create custom leadership development solutions. She also led projects to improve the 360-leadership skills inventory online system and secure an organization-wide learning management system to meet compliance and professional development needs across the 64-campus system. Much of her work focuses on ensuring leaders build resiliency skills to sustain themselves and their teams over the long haul of their career in higher education. She helps leaders see their role in creating diverse, equitable and inclusive environments where all people can bring their full selves to work and perform at their best.

Kris Lynch

Kris Lynch has been an integral part of the SUNY Center for Professional Development since 2017, currently serving as the Technical Program Manager. In this role, she excels in organizing technical training programs and professional development events. Kris brings a wealth of experience from her previous roles as a software engineer at Lockheed Martin Syracuse and a technical and sales trainer at Sutherland Global Services, where she specialized in the Microsoft stack. This diverse background uniquely positions her to support SUNY’s technical community on a large scale. Kris also moderates SUNY’s Project Management Professionals Community of Practice, fostering the growth of project management skills across the organization. This community provides valuable professional development activities, including monthly webinars, training opportunities, and technical forums focused on project management topics. Kris holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from SUNY Plattsburgh. She resides in Mannsville, NY, with her husband and two children.

Chris Price

Chris Price is the Director of Educational Development at the State University of New York (SUNY) Center for Professional Development (CPD). At the CPD, Chris designs and implements professional development programs for faculty and staff both in and outside SUNY. He also coordinates the SUNY Faculty Development Community of Practice. Chris is an active member of the Professional and Organization Development (POD) Network having served as a member of the Core Committee, Chair of the Professional Development Committee, and Chair of the Institute for New Faculty Developers. Prior to his position at the CPD, Chris was Director of the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) at SUNY Brockport. He started working at Brockport after receiving his PhD in Political Science from the University at Albany. Chris continues to teach online for Brockport as an instructor in the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies program. 

Madelaine Kaplan

Madelaine Kaplan has joined the SUNY Center for Professional Development as the Manager of Communications, overseeing outreach, marketing, and digital engagement initiatives. Prior to stepping into this role, Madelaine served as a Marketing Intern with CPD, where she worked on projects including email marketing, brochure design, Canva-based badge creation, and website accessibility updates. She recently earned her bachelor’s degree in Communication and Nonprofit Leadership from the University at Buffalo.