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IDOT Blog – Tuesday, February 6, 2024
Meneghetti reaches the GOAL during new leadership program
It was a long 2023 for Dominic Meneghetti, personnel services manager for District 2 in Dixon. In addition to his day job, he also juggled being a member of the first 30-person cohort in the Governor’s Office Academy of Leadership program (G.O.A.L). He completed the 10-month program in December.
“By the end, after presenting our group project and solo presentations, I was excited to graduate. When it was all over, I felt great about everything the program offered and taught me,” Meneghetti said of completing the program, which was developed by Gov. JB Pritzker and the Department of Central Management Services to cultivate the state’s next generation of leaders.
The G.O.A.L. program helps participants increase their leadership skillsets, facilitate social and emotional learning, broaden their perspectives on decision making, and build long-term networks across agencies. Meneghetti and others in the cohort met twice monthly through virtual and in-person sessions, alternating between Chicago and Springfield to listen to guest speakers and work on a group project that had them problem-solve for a state agency.
Meneghetti was encouraged by his District 2 colleagues and other fellow state employees to apply, and he never thought he would be selected from the pool of about 300 applicants. He was surprised that he made the program and was the only IDOT employee in the inaugural cohort.
He was impressed by everyone’s backgrounds of the cohort and their practical and positive outlook on life and work. Along with coming from various state agencies, Meneghetti said everyone persevered through something either in their lives or in their work. He was inspired by their life stories, their resilience and how it led them to a career in public service.
“It confirmed to me that I’m not alone,” he said. “It was refreshing to see these types of people all over state government.”
In addition to the educational and networking opportunities offered by the program, Meneghetti learned more about himself as a person and a leader through the assessments of his strengths and weaknesses. He’s also a believer in G.O.A.L.
“I’m going to help with the program as much as I can going forward because we need well-trained and well-rounded leaders in state government,” he said.
To read more about G.O.A.L., including the full list of participants, visit www.illinois.gov/goal.