The Steamship Authority (SSA) announced Friday that it had hired its first workforce training and development manager: Simone Aguilera, a trilingual learning and training professional.
According to the press release, Aguilera, who officially entered her role on Monday, will be coordinating the SSA’s “twice-yearly Training and Development Expo,” a two-week event in which various training and development opportunities are offered to ferry line employees.
“At the heart of my work is a genuine passion for people. I’m grateful to be part of the Steamship Authority community and to have the privilege to build meaningful relationships and foster trust with its employees,” Aguilera said in the release. “Through training and development, my goal is to help create a workplace culture where everyone feels safe, connected, supported, and empowered to succeed.”
Aguilera made her first public appearance on Tuesday at the SSA board meeting, where she expressed her excitement about joining the ferry line.
In the release, SSA General Manager Alex Kryska said “the need for a single individual to oversee training and development efforts has been evident” since he began as general manager this year. Several ferries were recently sidelined because of lapses in federal paperwork, which the SSA then centralized into a single database for better management. The SSA will also be training staff next year as it prepares to launch a new reservation system.
“We’re fortunate to have a professional with Simone’s background and talents on board, and I’m thrilled to welcome her to the team,” Kryska said in the release.
Aguilera has experience designing, implementing, and facilitating scalable training, onboarding, and professional development programs, according to the release. Before joining the SSA, she started working at VHS Learning Inc. in 2021, and was most recently its curriculum and instruction coordinator in world languages. “There, she led organization-wide learning, training, onboarding, and professional development initiatives supporting more than 35 educators and subject matter experts,” the release states.
According to the release, Aguilera previously held roles at Barnstable High School and Tabor Academy. She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a master’s degree from Harvard University, and is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish.
