ELENA DEPALMA
Elena is the Senior Organizational Development Consultant at the Organizational Development and Learning Center.  She joined Yale in the Fall of 2006 after 20 years of organizational development experience with Fortune 400 organizations. Her current responsibilities include design, development and implementation of university-wide organizational development initiatives, as well as customized departmental interventions.

Prior to joining Yale, Elena was President of DePalma Consulting LLC, a human resources firm, specializing in organizational and leadership coaching and consulting.   Previous to this, she had several organizational development positions at Pitney Bowes and was VP of Human Resources when Merrill Lynch Credit Corporation won the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 1997. 

She has extensive experience designing, developing and implementing adult learning programs and organizational solutions.  Elena has led the functions of human resources, training and organizational development, has built departments from start-up and has coached numerous professionals.  She has consulted with senior management on issues such as strategic planning, performance management, succession planning, change management and team building and has organized numerous corporate-wide strategic initiatives. 

Elena is committed to establishing collaborative and trusting relationships with clients and in her organizational effectiveness work she has:

  • Designed, developed and delivered leadership development curriculums for front-line, middle and senior managers
  • Designed, developed and implemented performance management systems
  • Designed, developed and implemented mentoring and succession planning systems
  • Designed, coordinated and facilitated executive offsite programs
  • Developed leadership/key position competency models
  • Developed competency identification and assessment processes
  • Designed, developed and delivered 360 degree feedback
  • Conducted executive, team and career coaching
  • Designed, developed and facilitated team building initiatives
Elena earned her Master's Degree in Clinical Social Work from Florida State University and a Bachelor's Degree in Business from Western Connecticut State University. She is qualified in the use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Hogan Instruments, the Clark-Wilson 360 and holds a number of other certifications.