Tracey Rizzuto Named Interim Director of the LSU School of Leadership & Human Resource Development

June 30, 2021

BATON ROUGE, LA - LSU College of Human Sciences & Education has appointed Tracey Rizzuto as interim director of the School of Leadership & Human Resource Development. Her appointment is effective July 1, and this decision comes after the retirement of current director, Reid Bates.

Rizzuto, associate director of the School of Leadership & Human Resource Development, has been at LSU since 2004. She holds the Mary Ethel Baxter Lipscomb Memorial Endowed Professor of Human Resource, Leadership, and Organizational Development. Rizzuto received her PhD from Pennsylvania State University in industrial and organizational psychology, with a minor concentration in information systems and technology. The overarching focus of her research program is on developing human capital and organizational capacity through technology-mediated processes, with the goal of increasing access to the knowledge, expertise, and resources needed to manage change in the modern workplace. Her secondary research interests include workforce aging issues and understanding change reactions to workplace disasters.

“I am looking forward to working with Dr. Rizzuto in her new role as interim director,” said Dean Roland Mitchell. “Her high recommendation from colleagues coupled with her administrative experiences in multiple capacities at LSU ensure the school’s continued success. The School of Leadership & Human Resource Development is critical in achieving the college mission to improve quality of life across the lifespan, and I am confident that our students, programs, and faculty research will thrive under her leadership during this time of transition.”

Rizzuto has taken an active role in research that benefits local and state interests, such as workplace disaster recovery through the Katrina Aid and Relief Effort (KARE), the Baton Rouge Choice Initiative, and smart policing and prosecution initiatives like the Baton Rouge Area Violence Elimination (BRAVE) program and Crime Strategies Unit (CSU).

She is also associated with over $9M in grant from state and federal sources including NSF, the U.S. Department of Interior, Department of Education and Department of Justice. Her research is published in journals across disciplines including psychology, management, information systems, sociology, and education, and has been featured in popular media outlets such as The New York Times, National Public Radio’s Market Place and American Public Radio Works. She was also a 2015 TEDxLSU speaker.

“It is my honor to have the opportunity to further serve and collaborate with the faculty, staff, students, and alumni of the School of Leadership & Human Resource Development,” said Rizzuto. “The world of work is changing. Organizations of all types are increasingly challenged to respond to changes in social values and adapt to change in social, ecological, economic, and technical systems. I am committed to providing an incomparable education environment where students may thrive, acquiring the knowledge and skills to lead in local, state, and national organizations. Graduates from our programs will continue to be at the forefront in sculpting how individuals, teams, and organizations of all kinds respond to the everchanging workforce needs.”

In 2016, Rizzuto received the LSU Distinguished Faculty Award, and in 2018 she received the Jacobs Professor of Excellence Award.

Rizzuto holds an MS in industrial/organizational psychology from Pennsylvania State University and a BS in psychology from Louisiana State University.

 

Contact Ernie Ballard
LSU Media Relations
225-978-8277
eballa1@lsu.edu    

or

Mary P. Woods
LSU College of Human Sciences & Education
225-578-6796
mpwoods@lsu.edu