I advocated for the strategic reorganization of Career Services under Advancement to closely align with industry best practices and also to more intentionally align the college's external partnership efforts. I returned to managing one direct report and an operational budget of $19K, with the expectation that I would take on additional responsibilities in prospect management and development.Soon after this reorganization took place, the COVID pandemic required the college to shift all services to remote offerings. During this time of uncertainty, I provided stable leadership and guided the department through the virtualization of services, resulting in zero downtime and a consistent level of services to pre-pandemic times.Again, I continued to innovate, to look for areas of efficiencies, and to save the college money. I implemented Handshake at NECC under an accelerated 4-week timeline and worked to promote college and community-wide product adoption. I also stepped in to help secure statewide funding from The Boston Foundation and SkillWorks so that Handshake could be a sector-wide solution for 13 of the 15 MA community colleges. Because of my work at the state level and because of my in-depth knowledge of community college, I was also asked to serve on Handshake’s National Community College Advisory Board. This Board was charged with informing best practices, providing product feedback, and helping Handshake navigate the community college market.In addition, I collaborated with the Advancement team to migrate Career Services' partner information onto a common CRM, RaisersEdge. I participated in prospect management for fundraising and development efforts. This greatly improved communication and collaboration with other external-facing departments. It also resulted in better services for students and alumni, along with more cohesive offerings for external partners.

I was promoted to lead three distinct departments, with supervisory responsibility for 4 full-time direct reports, 19 part-time direct reports, and 12 part-time indirect reports, under two different unions. I also managed an operational budget of $30K. During this time, I developed and implemented activities to generate yearly revenue for the department, resulting in creative budgetary supplements and solutions for the college’s administration. I also successfully launched industry-specific programming and hosted large career-related events for students, collaborating closely with area businesses and chambers of commerce. My departments faced large-scale office moves and organizational and operational changes during my leadership and I ensured smooth transitions, with little disruption to services. I also creatively found ways to save the college money. For example, I oversaw the implementation of a new online tutoring platform, resulting in savings of $13.5/hour of usage. I was also instrumental in the seamless transition to a new Student Lifecycle Management Platform in each of my departments, which resulted in new appointment scheduling, tracking and reporting on student appointments, and increased data analysis.

This was a transitional role that enabled me to more permanently establish Career Services at the college, creating a physical Center and hiring an Internship Coordinator role. This was truly a college-wide effort. In order to create buy in for the work ahead, I hosted and co-facilitated a Career Prep Summit with 90+ people (staff and faculty) in attendance to discuss the future of career preparation at the college. During this time of establishing the Career Center, I also continued to innovate, launching new programs, including a Pop-Up Thrift Store for professional clothing and a collaborative Career Night with Suffolk University and Cambridge College.

Due the impact I was able to make on Career Services at NECC during my fellowship, the college hired me full-time upon graduation. In my role as Manager of the Office of Career Connections my key contributions and accomplishments included:• The implementation of NACElink/Symplicity Career Services Management Software. I coordinated the system branding, marketing, communication, and training for faculty, staff, students, and employers. Once implemented, I expanded system usage to include 600+ employer contacts and a consistent level of 100-140 local job postings in just 1.5 years. This drastically improved employer relations for on-campus recruitment efforts.• The organization and enhancement of career programming which established a menu of 40-50 college and career readiness workshop offerings, with dynamic and diverse facilitators and online registration.• The development, implementation, and administration, in conjunction with faculty, of a revitalized internship program in alignment with the Massachusetts Community Colleges Experiential Handbook on Internships & Cooperative Education. To accomplish this, I collaborated with faculty on curriculum development and program design. I developed strategies to expand internship program offerings to additional academic areas. I also increased internship program recruitment and enrollment from 11 to 29 students in the second semester Fall 2014 pilot and strengthened new and existing employer partnerships.• The development and facilitation of workshops designed to enhance students’ level of professionalism and knowledge of job search strategies.Additionally, I served as a college representative or speaker at chamber events, advisory and alumni board meetings, high school outreach efforts, and recruitment events. I was designated as an Ex-Officio member of NECC’s Occupational Advisory Board and served as a key member of our Strategic Goal Team charged with improving student career preparation.

While pursuing my Masters in Higher Education Administration, I was hired as a graduate fellow at NECC. My role allowed me to work with a strategic planning team focused on improving the career preparation of students. As a graduate fellow, I conducted original research on career preparation service provisions and surveyed local employers to assess their hiring needs. I took several leadership roles on this team, including leading a strategic sub-committee charged with designing and implementing a revamped career services website. Additionally, I coordinated the strategic design and enhancement of offerings for our career readiness workshop series by developing cross-departmental partnerships. By doing this, we were able to streamline service offerings and organize them in a way that made sense for students and faculty.As part of my graduate program, I focused my capstone project on helping NECC students explore career pathways in business. To accomplish this, I partnered with New Balance to develop a Career Bridge Outreach Program. This program brought 17 NECC students to New Balance for the day. While there, the students received a tour and met various individuals who shared their roles at New Balance, along with their career pathway that led them to their current career. Lastly, the students met with Human Resources, who conducted a hiring perspectives workshop for the students. After the program was complete, I conducted individual interviews and focus groups with participants to learn how this program impacted their career decision making ability.

My role at MFA allowed me to work collaboratively with managers and partners to deliver individual and team responsibilities for multi-state and consolidated corporate income tax returns. I successfully managed new and existing client relationships for strategic tax planning and scheduled preparation services. I also provided the utmost in client service when it came to negotiating with various federal and state authorities for positive resolutions to client tax related issues.In addition to my job responsibilities, I also facilitated the on-boarding and training of new tax associates, I was designated for special assignments and client meetings with partners and senior managers, and I initiated and planned a Toys for Tots Drive at the annual holiday party.