Welcome to Develop U, a professional development program for employees of the Purdue for Life Foundation! At Develop U, we strive to meet the needs of our employees by offering a variety of opportunities, at multiple levels, for development and professional growth. From the moment you join us, you will be provided with resources and training to get up to speed quickly, allowing you to excel in your career.
Our streamlined process of onboarding will give you resources and support—not only in your department but across campus as well. You will be provided with frequent opportunities to engage with other new colleagues, seasoned mentors in our organization, senior team members, and other individuals in similar roles.
Professional development opportunities don’t stop with onboarding; our offerings are multidimensional, from functional area and supervisory training to leadership development and self-care. Our goal is to provide you with support and programming from every angle, whether you are brand new in the community or just learning for the first time about careers in development.
For a look at the amazing work done by our staff over the last year, check out our annual impact report.
Learn more about Purdue for Life
Meet our senior team
View career opportunities
Check out our training archive (content for employees only)
Patsy earned a bachelor’s degree in food and nutrition in business from Purdue in 1969, in addition to an MBA in food marketing from Michigan State University in 1970. She retired from Kraft Foods in 2006 after 36 years in corporate food marketing and marketing communications management.
A community volunteer, Patsy serves on the Women’s Fund of Central Indiana Advisory Board and the Purdue College of Health and Human Sciences Dean’s Leadership Council, in addition to the President’s Council Advisory Board. She is a former member of the Health and Human Sciences Alumni Board. Patsy held several offices from 2006 through 2013, including president and treasurer. She serves her community’s Discover Indianapolis Club in Fishers, holding several leadership roles for over 10 years.
Patsy has received several honors, including the Purdue University Nutrition Science Department Hall of Fame recipient in 2009 and the Purdue University College of Health and Human Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award in 2016. She also received the college’s Gold and Black Award in 2016, an honor reserved for donors who have moved the college forward by committing exceptional financial resources.
In addition to endowing two scholarships, the Patsy J. Mellott Scholarship and Patsy J. Mellott HHS Scholarship, she established the Patsy J. Mellott Teaching Innovation Award in the College of Health and Human Sciences in 2013. In 2015, she endowed the Patsy J. Mellott Women’s Tennis Coach Performance Award. She is a lead donor in the Christine M. Ladisch Faculty Leadership Award and the Purdue Women’s Network Virginia C. Meredith Scholarship for the College of Health and Human Sciences.