Institute for Pastoral Initiatives News
Liliana Montoya completes leadership training, eyes growth in role at Institute for Pastoral Initiatives
The journey to become an effective leader is a continuous process of growth and self-improvement. Liliana Montoya, the Associate Director for Hispanic Initiatives at the University of Dayton's Institute for Pastoral Initiatives (IPI), recently completed an Emerging Leaders Master's Certificate program focused on honing leadership abilities.
Reflecting on her training, Liliana emphasized the program's influence on her professional journey.
“This year-long program has enabled me to take an introspective look at my strengths and areas for improvement as a leader," she said. "It helped me to take an X-ray of my achievements and have a vision of the future with current elements of change."
Active listening and clear communication were two skills Liliana said she's now applying more intentionally in her role at IPI.
"I am interested in creating an environment where my team feels confident in the intent of my contributions and feedback," she explained.
The program also impressed upon Liliana the importance of recognizing failures and challenging oneself to grow, rather than remaining satisfied with past successes.
"When we are satisfied with what we have achieved, what we know, and what we can do, we cannot take that step of growth that the training itself emphasizes,” she said.
Liliana completed the training alongside leaders in business, medicine and engineering. She said the diversity of perspectives enriched her experience and allowed her to connect authentically with her cohort.
Moving forward, Liliana plans to implement the leadership lessons she learned to advance IPI's mission of providing online faith formation courses.
"This certification has helped me engage in such vital components as self-awareness, self-regulation, social awareness, social regulation and motivation," she said. "These traits help with decision-making, goal setting and stress management - crucial elements for a leader to manage diverse staff and clientele."
Liliana has guided IPI’s Hispanic initiatives for over 10 years. We are proud of Liliana’s achievements and feel blessed to have her on our IPI team.