How 62 Employees Took Charge of Their Careers through Duke’s Certificate Program

“I don’t care where you find yourself in your professional pursuit – learning never ends,” Lofton told the employees gathered for the ceremony. “There’s a promise that you should make to yourself to be a better person tomorrow than you are today.”

Boyd was among 19 individuals to receive a certificate of completion for the Society for Human Resource Management Certification Prep Course in 2025. The inaugural class offering, which included 30 hours of coursework, was added to the L&OD Certificate Program based on interest from employees on how to best grow in the field.

“It was a really great experience,” Boyd said, noting she will take the exam in two weeks. “We’re part of a Teams group now, and they’ve been a good support system.”

Certificates of Excellence presented to 43 other Duke employees in 2025 were for Communication, Management and Leadership, Self-Leadership, Supervisory, Technology, Training, HR Strategic Business Partner and the Star Achievement Series.

The certificate opportunities are open to all Duke employees and are obtained through a process that includes an application and coursework completed within three years.

Since the certificate program began in 2014, 759 certificates have been awarded by L&OD, a unit in Duke Human Resources.

"This symbolizes our unwavering commitment to growth and the profound investment we make in developing our people and nurturing the exceptional talent here at Duke," said Keisha Williams, Assistant Vice President for L&OD. "It's vital because it underscores our purposeful and passionate efforts to empower our team and cultivate their potential."

Learn more about how to get started on the path to completing a Certificate of Excellence here.

The full list of 2025 certificate recipients is below.

Send story ideas, shout-outs and photographs through our story idea form or write working@duke.edu.

Follow Working@Duke on X (Twitter), Facebook and Instagram and subscribe on YouTube.