Aileen Galazin

Training and Talent Development Specialist, Human Resources Department
Start Date: January 4, 2024

When meeting Aileen Galazin, you are instantly won over by her warm demeanor and outgoing personality. And that’s important, when your job is to train new and existing employees with the skills they need to improve their careers. 

Aileen works in the Human Resources department as a Training and Talent Development Specialist. Many of her days are spent standing before scores of Stony Brook employees, sharing with them ways to improve their skills, providing more information about their employee benefits, even holding classes on how to navigate different communication styles. Her love of teaching stems from her previous work experience.

Prior to coming to Stony Brook, Aileen worked in hospitality for a Fortune 500 company. It was there that she started building her own skills. Through training others on the proper procedures at her previous company, Aileen steadily gained greater appreciation for the art of training. 

The more she did this – and did it well – the more these types of projects came her way. She was so fulfilled by these experiences  that she decided to pursue a Masters degree in Adult Learning and Leadership from Kansas State University. It was this experience that led her to look into positions in higher education, as she was energized by the camaraderie of learning from other people.

Since joining Stony Brook, Aileen has enjoyed being a part of a university with our prestigious flagship status. Coming from a more urban area, she has happily acclimated to a bucolic campus life and shared that she takes pleasure in walking the campus. 

In her day-to-day work, Aileen can be found leading groups in training exercises held in classrooms around campus. Her favorite types of training involve teaching employees “human skills,” as she calls them. Those that transcend traditional training exercises, bringing staff in touch with their communications styles or leadership capabilities. 

“It’s more lively to help people with those human skills. It makes for a great time together in the class,” says Aileen.

When she’s not actually training, Aileen can be found brushing up on her knowledge and preparing herself to reach learners where they are at by honing in on training styles that will set them up for success. This skill, she says, has been greatly enhanced since being at Stony Brook, as her team has given her the opportunity to build great training courses.

Aileen was born and raised in Queens and recently moved to Holbrook, NY with her goldendoodle, Hazel. She finds delight in photographing landscapes and taking pictures of water. She also likes to travel. 

Most recently, Aileen went on a vacation to Iceland where she saw an erupting volcano - the second volcano eruption she was witness to, with the first being in Sicily, Italy. Each time, Aileen says, she was moved by the sight. 

“I had questions regarding how the eruption affected the people in the area and their natural resources, among others. And I experienced the same awe each time I saw a volcano erupt,” says Aileen. “All these years later, curiosity has stayed with me and helped me become a better and I think more empathetic facilitator. I approach training challenging myself to think about how I can help the learners build on their own curiosity as we dive into the area we’re discussing.”