Adjunct Mentoring at Manhattan University: A Twenty-first-Century Application of De La Salle’s Seventeenth-Century Teacher Principles

About the Authors

Barbara M. Boccaccio-Vallera, D.M., is an expert in organizational leadership, performance management, and best-practice change strategies. Her expertise extends to supervisory assessment, leadership development, mentorship, succession planning programs, culture change interventions, human resources employee relations initiatives, and employee training and development program design and implementation. Barbara has a unique, blended background in professional education, curriculum and research, business/management, and organizational leadership. Her professional career includes management positions at Barclays Bank, United Technologies Corporation, Eastern Connecticut Healthcare Network (ECHN), and Kaman Aerospace Corporation. In these organizations, Dr. Vallera’s leadership role in the human resources function focused on the design and implementation of best practice employee/organizational goals, which included online learning platforms, lean training, process improvement workshops, new supervisor leadership assessment centers, mentoring implementation, and succession planning strategies. She has also served as a senior management consultant for domestic and international corporate clients with the Learning Dynamics consultant firm based in Wallingford, CT. Barbara (“Dr. Barb”) enjoys her academic teaching career in higher education. Her professional role as an Adjunct Assistant Professor with Manhattan University, which is in Riverdale, NY, is very fulfilling. She joined the MU former School of Continuing and Professional Studies for Adult Learners in January 2018. In 2024, the Organizational Leadership degree(s) course curriculum was incorporated under the Kakos School of Arts and Sciences. Her expertise in corporate leadership development and human resources management introduces undergraduate and graduate students to the practical application of supervisory and management skills in their professional careers.

Kimberly Gargiulo, M.A., is a higher education administrator with expertise in institutional research, assessment and accreditation, and served as Quality Assurance Manager at Manhattan University (MU) through December 31, 2024. Ms. Gargiulo continues as an adjunct instructor in Manhattan University’s Organizational Leadership program. She is a graduate of SUNY Oneonta (B.A.) and CUNY Queens College (M.A.).

William J. Merriman, Ph.D., is a retired professor and dean emeritus in the former School of Education and Health at Manhattan University (MU) in Bronx, NY. He has been at the College since 1987 and served as a professor, dean, and acting provost. He received an honorary Doctor of Pedagogy degree from Manhattan University in 2016. Dr. Merriman is a graduate of Manhattan University (B.S.), Pennsylvania State University (M.S.), and New York University (Ph.D.). He received the Distinguished Lasallian Educator Award from Manhattan University in 2001 and has taught a course on Lasallian educational practices and spirituality. Dr. Merriman has been a consultant to several school districts, the New York State Education Department, and the U.S. Department of Education. He has received numerous grants to develop programs in teacher education and special education. In addition, he has published and made many domestic and international presentations on various topics in teacher training, special education, and adapted physical education.