As the visionary Founder of The Pierce Group, Debra Pierce has a distinguished track record of connecting creatives with extraordinary opportunities. Her career began in higher education, where she facilitated connections between students, alumni, and the creative industry. Building on this foundation, Debra launched The Pierce Group, where her natural coaching abilities shine through in her unique approach. By combining niche recruitment, personalized coaching, and curating immersive trips to major creative conferences like Miami Art Week (Basel) and Annecy Animation, Debra has established a cornerstone of connecting people to opportunities in an organic yet professional manner. Her approach blends strategic guidance with immersive experiences, ensuring that creatives gain exclusive access to build meaningful relationships with potential employers.

Responsible for developing, solidifying and maintaining partnerships with prominent employer within the creative industries. Coach students and alumni on interviewing, job search strategies and career development skills through individual and group meetings. Provide university-wide leadership to develop partnerships with organizations that build the pipeline of opportunities for Academic Affairs, Career Services, Admissions and Human Resources.

My current role includes overseeing the Industry and Alumni Engagement (IEA) team. There are IEA's located in Miami, NY, Denver, Chicago, D.C., Seattle and Atlanta. Our goal is to develop relationships with companies hiring creatives. We are the connectors that work with industry, alumni, and our campuses to increase opportunities. Our true strength is opening doors while educating employers and applicants on how to connect. In addition, we coach students and alumni on how to successful navigate the job search process and increase their salaries and/or benefits.

Responsible for developing a comprehensive program that involves three primary objectives; recruit and train volunteers, develop and teach career workshops and connect participants to employers. The over arching goal is to reduce unemployment and underemployment in the city of Hollywood.

Responsible for all aspects of delivering and growing the MIA Animation conference including, development of strong corporate relationships; community outreach, university partnerships and all international, national, regional and local presentations. Identify organizations and establish community partnerships to provide community-based educational experiences for students and industry professionals. Market conference and events to prospective participants, and sponsors.

Responsible for managing all aspects of the Office of Career Services, including the development of strong corporate relationships; marketing the school’s graduates to international, national, regional and local firms; meeting graduate outcome plans; and overseeing all programs and services offered to students, alumni, and corporate contacts. Identify organizations and establish community partnerships to provide community-based educational experiences for our students. Provide university-wide leadership to develop partnerships with the community organizations created to feed into Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Admissions and Human Resources. Represent the President of MIU by serving on various committees and participating at various community events including the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, the Beacon Council, the Community Redevelop Agency and many more.

Responsible for the development of corporate, international and educational opportunities that promote affiliations, joint projects and strategic partnerships with various entities. Key initiatives include: developing student exchange programs with various international universities and collaborating with corporations to offer resources for mutually beneficial relationships.Implemented cohesive partnership with City of Fort Lauderdale, Mayor Jim Naugle and Sister Cities, President Bernard Schutte. AiFL students developed an international web site linking Sister Cities.Identified potential employers to serve on program Advisory Committees designed to evaluate curriculum content.Developed international relationships with Celia Escuela Integral Gastronomica, a university in Argentina, which led to student exchange programs for culinary program.Worked closely with a broad range of firms, including management consulting, consumer marketing and design firms.

Responsible for building relationships with organizations in multiple industries to strengthen school's market position and attract job opportunities. Developed and presented student workshops on job skills and strategy. Managed broad range of programs, projects and student leadership groups. Successful in placing 96 to 98 percent of students for four consecutive years. Secured significant number of new recruiting relationships through corporate marketing visits, direct mail and cross-departmental cooperative programs.Initiated and managed extensive marketing plan to increase recruiting. Created interactive art exhibits developed by students from multiple disciplines that attracted over 100 students and 150 employers. Initiated and directed quality improvement programs over a two-year period; incorporated recruiter survey analysis and follow-up interviews.Interviewed and assessed portfolio of students and graduates to determine level of expertise correctly matching with the appropriate employers.Implemented internship programs with high profile companies such as: Disney, MTV, Paramount, and Motorola locally and nationally. Counseled students and graduates on interviewing techniques, employment trends and salary negotiating.

Develop partnership with domestic and international organizations. My primary focus was setting up student and faculty exchange programs with international academic institutions. I also developed complex partnerships with organizations that included internships, student projects and sponsorships.

Responsible for development of corporate partnerships resulting in 30% growth in revenue. Develop training delivery program to increase marketability of clients. Leveraged technology to improve services to constituents and analyze placement trends to support strategic plan. Place applicants with corporations throughout the Tri-County area.Created personnel policy manuals, correspondence and wrote job descriptions for numerous clients.Screened, interviewed and tested all applicants to assure compatibility of placement for specific employment opportunities with fortune 500 companies.Provided training and career counseling to improve marketability of less qualified applicants.Established salary ranges, benefits and other compensations that are mutually beneficial to both applicant and employer.Negotiated contract terms, including billing rates and duration of placements, in order to achieve desired profit margins.Conducted regular performance evaluations and counseling, to circumvent obstacles.