Putting Psychology to Work

Kevin Kuzia ‘19 STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

“

” Every organization has a culture—the

question is whether you work to make it

have the one you want or just let it

happen to you.

Kevin Kuzia ‘19 is a student in the MAPP Online Program who currently works in East Hartford, Connecticut as Associate Director—Business Development at Pratt & Whitney, a leading Aerospace manufacturer with global service operations.

Find out more: appliedpsychology.usc.edu | facebook.com/applied.psychology

Twitter: @appliedpsychusc | linkedin.com/company/usc-ms-applied-psychology/ ”

What drew me to MAPP was really my time as the company ethics officer. That was the role within which I really came to appreciate the power for an organization to be proactive and intentional about the kind of culture it wanted to have. Every organization has a culture – the question is whether you work to make it have the one you want or just let it happen to you. In this role, I really focused on promoting a culture where employees felt comfortable coming forward to talk about issues, so we could discover problems sooner and take action to fix them instead of finding out about them too late or, even worse, not at all.

What is your professional background?

I attended Fairfield University where I majored in politics with minors in philosophy and English. I attended the University of Connecticut School of Law right after college, passed the CT and NY Bar exams, and then quickly realized the formal practice of law was definitely not for me. Interestingly enough, my career with my current employer, Pratt & Whitney, has spanned 16 years and much of that was working in the Legal department. I’ve worked in commercial contracts, business development, HR and spent several years as the company’s lead ethics officer.

How do you think MAPP has helped you

reach your goals?

What are your future career goals?

I am currently hoping to transition into a role focused on employee experience and culture at Pratt & Whitney. My future career goals are to develop a career working on what makes individuals and organizations perform their best.

MAPP is the perfect springboard for me as I seek to find or

create a role devoted to developing an

employee-focused, high performing

culture.

“

What drew you to MAPP?

MAPP is the perfect springboard for me as I seek to find or create a role devoted to developing an employee-focused, high performing culture. MAPP has been an incredible means to further my knowledge in the topic, network with great class-mates, and broaden my exposure to diverse ways of thinking about organizational effectiveness and culture.