Joseph Blancas Email and Phone Number

In this role, I develop alumni-oriented career programming, collaborate with regional and diversity networks, and work closely with campus departments and faculty. I am responsible for recruiting UCLA alumni and employers to participate as speakers and facilitators for courses, programs, and events throughout the academic year. I manage signature alumni programs like the Career Coaches Network and webinar series. I also lead the alumni engagement initiatives with the Careers in Life Sciences course and Economics labs as well as various programs for the Economics department such as Virtual Economics In Action and Excellence in Economics. Additionally, I oversee the event coordination and promotion of signature UCLA programs, such as the UCLA Social Enterprise Academy.

In this role I assisted with the development and implementation of large and small scale career programs for alumni and students. I also led the UCLA Alumni Mentor Program with duties ranging from building the program timeline and curriculum to being the point of contact for alumni and students, and leading growth and participation across campus and alumni. I managed a variety of initiatives including the career coaches webinar series and served as the network liaison for our Bruin Professionals organization. Lastly, I managed and developed career development programs that engaged alumni across multiple industries, and developed innovative programming with faculty, alumni and industry professionals.

• Oversaw multiple marketing communications promoting our career and professional development webinars and events, including our monthly career programs newsletter, the UCLA Alumni Mentor Program newsletter and the Bruin Professionals Events Digest• Managed event form submissions and participant data collection of all alumni career programs, Bruin Professionals, UCLA Alumni Mentor Program and UC Alumni Career Network events, webinars and meetings• Collaborated with the Alumni Affairs Social Media team to launch Alumni Career Engagement Instagram and Facebook stories to further our digital presence on a weekly basis and increase webinar registrations, listeners of our Bruin Success Podcast and users on UCLA ONE• Assisted in the launch of our Career Coaches Network and supported the development of a series of career and professional development workshops from this network• Served as staff liaison of Bruin Professionals and assisted in the development, strategy and follow through of their organizational goals as well as provided staff and logistical support for their special events as needed•Supervised and trained student employees to support team event preparation, administrative duties and data collection and analysis

• Assisted in the planning and execution of Alumni Affairs signature events, including social, career-oriented and school-unifying events• Partnered with staff in the Offices of Advancement Services, Alumni Relations, Communications and Special Events and Protocol • Coordinated event logistics including calendaring, venues, vendors, and onsite management• Provided staff support for the Student Alumni Association at UCLA (SAA) as well as the UCLA Spirit Squad and coaching staff • Collaborated with the internal marketing team to generate print and digital marketing pieces while maintaining the quality brand of UCLA•Managed program and event expenses, maintaining multiple budgets and acted as the liaison with the centralized finance team

Competitively selected to be a part of the 2023-24 Lead LA 6 cohort, a leadership development program for professionals from across the Greater Los Angeles region. The Lead LA Fellowship program provides regional professionals with enhanced leadership and management skills, creates spaces to practice professional growth, and develops meaningful networks to expand the participants’ capacity for impact. Across nine-months, I learned from 1) peer coaching, 2) experienced leadership, mindfulness, and DEI facilitators, and 3) the broader Coro, Lead LA, and regional community through Coro’s unique blend of experiential programming. The curriculum included a wide range of professional skills-building, such as Adaptive Leadership, DEIB and Anti-Racism frameworks, Effective Communication and Advocacy, Effective Inquiry and Critical Thinking, Giving and Receiving Feedback, Interpersonal Leadership Styles™, Managing Diverse Teams, Mindfulness and Gratitude Practices, Project Management tools, Public Narrative frameworks, Self-Awareness and Self-Management tools, and Stakeholder Analysis and Coalition Building, among others. I am now a part of the broader Coro alumni community that includes over 15,000 alumni nationwide, spanning sectors, industries, experiences, and backgrounds, all eager to make an impact in our communities, teams, organizations, and in each other.

• Provided executive, administrative and operational support for the department director, program directors and program managers• Scheduled short and long-term activities and projects and ensuring smooth work flow across units within the department• Coordinated special projects and events that benefit the department as a whole, provided day-to-day operational support for the department, and served as a fully functioning team member of the department’s administrative team• Provided supervision for all departmental administrative support personnel including student workers and pathway intern• Coordinated proctor assignments, training and compensation for degree credit courses

• Performed administrative, creative and advisement responsibilities for the Applied Sciences Unit including the Sustainability Certificate & Environmental Studies Certificate Programs • Advised over a hundred certificate candidates, including international and workforce investment board students on curriculum required to successfully complete program • Evaluated previous enrollment counts, instructor evaluations, and net revenue in order to determine future quarterly course offerings• Maintained marketing collaterals, such as websites, social media, course flyers and brochures, with up to date information and new course offerings • Communicated with departmental chairs, academic senate, faculty, and external institutions to properly process instructor approvals and course logistics

• Assisted over 2,000 active students with inquiries in person, over the phone and via e-mail regarding certificate policies and procedures, requirements for individual certificate programs, policies on transfers from other accredited institutions and general inquires • Assembled enrollment data, trends and inquiries of student interest in course offerings to present to Continuing Educators for into future course development• Managed the concurrent enrollment program for a high volume of graduate and undergraduate students quarterly, working closely with various campus departments