Meet the Team

The Harmonizer

I was always shy and the ultimate introvert, and I spent the better part of my undergraduate years figuring out “where I fit” career-wise. Everyone in my life pushed me to be a lawyer or work in politics, but after some soul searching and a visit to the career development office on campus, I enrolled in my first communication studies course, and the rest was history.

I have two degrees in Communication Studies coupled with incredible internship experiences that propelled me into public relations and development. I’ve had the privilege of working for several notable non-profits in Buffalo and Washington, D.C.

After being in the industry for a few years, I realized that I was ready to use my communication skills differently, so I once again sought guidance at my alma mater’s career services office and transitioned into higher education. Now, I work in the Career Design Center as the Employer Partner for Internships.

When I’m not providing resources for students to figure out the next step on their career journey, you can find me spending time with family and friends, exploring new places and foods, talking back at my favorite podcasts, or singing (in harmony). Ask me about my favorite vocalists to harmonize with.

Career Communities:
🎨 ⚙️ ⚖️ 💙 📈 🤲

English was my best subject in school, so it felt natural to major in English in college. At the time, it felt like this gave me lots of options: I could teach, pursue journalism or law, write a novel, and the list went on! Closer to college graduation, the options suddenly overwhelmed me. With so many options, how could I decide?

This decision weighed heavily on me, so I went to see my academic advisor. He helped me evaluate all the factors that went into my decision of what to do after college, like career trajectory, proximity to family, earning potential, etc. I asked him how I was supposed to make such a difficult decision which, at the time, felt irrevocable. He said, “You know, I love my job as a professor, but when I go home at the end of the day to see my family I think ‘This is my real life.’” He encouraged me to think of my career as part of a whole life—what he called “real life”—instead of as defining my life.

I ultimately chose to pursue a PhD in English and was relieved that I finally made the Big Decision! But, that decision didn’t turn out at all how I planned. After struggling in that program for a few years, I realized it was time to make a new choice. The choice to leave my PhD was equally as hard as my choice to pursue one. But this time, I had my advisor’s advice in the back of my mind. It helped to remember that my career choices were part of my life, but they didn’t define my life.

Since then, I worked in supply chain logistics for a little while and now I work here, at the Career Design Center where I connect employers with students looking for opportunities to design their lives. When I’m not at work, I continue to build out my whole life, including picking up lots of new hobbies which add color and joy to it. In the past few years, I learned to knit mittens, to sew my own clothes, to bake sourdough bread, to garden and to tap dance. Ask me about which hobby I’m going to try next.

The Laughing LinkedIn Guy

I LOVE MY JOB! Why? Because I get to use my talents every day to help students and alumni ultimately find a major, internship, job, or career they will love too. I know what it’s like not to be sure about your future. I started out at UB as a Physical Therapy major because I wanted to help people, and it had to do with science. Well, after my first Chemistry exam, I was no longer a Physical Therapy major. So I thought, “Maybe I could help people without taking classes like Chemistry,” so I switched my major to Psychology and Communication.

I went on for a Master’s degree in Communication at UB and did an internship at a bank in the training and development department. That taught me that I would instead work at a university than a bank and that I could train and coach students instead of bankers. This has brought me to the Career Design Center for over 16+ years, doing what I love, and I’ve become a LinkedIn super user!

When I’m not helping people design their life, I like making people laugh–so much that I even took a course in standup comedy and have done Standup in a few comedy clubs. I love humor and helping students use LinkedIn. Ask me why laughter is so important.

Career Communities:
🎨

The Kick Boxer

My career journey was one of twists and turns, setbacks, and leaps of faith. As a daughter of a school administrator and preschool teacher, education was at the center of my life. You might think that my career path to a profession in higher education was set out right then and there, but where’s the fun in that?!

After enrolling in college-level biology class my junior year in high school to spend more time with my high school crush, I realized I really enjoyed the class. So when it was time to explore college majors, I wanted to find a career that involved helping those in need with a science-based curriculum.

I decided to major in physical therapy for a 6-year Doctorate program. Two months later, it was all too clear that physical therapy wasn’t for me. I quickly changed my major to psychology, still seeing the potential for a career in the helping professions without having to step foot into a cadaver lab.

After graduation, I got a job at a university as an Admissions Counselor. Two years later, I took that leap of faith and decided to leave my full-time job, offering health insurance and a 401k, during the largest recession the US had seen since the Great Depression to pursue a Masters in Higher Education. Lucky for me, the risk paid off, and I have been working at UB ever since, proudly carrying on the values my parent’s instilled so long ago.

Today, I’m an Employer + Alumni Partner Consultant where I help connect students with employers in different industries. When I’m not doing that, you might find me hiking with my family, arts and crafts with my son or at the gym doing a kickboxing workout. Ask me what my favorite kickboxing move is.

Career Communities:
⚙️ 🤲

The Culture Connoisseur

On my journey to becoming the next Oprah, I discovered an influencing side hustle and love for helping students design their lives. Who knew the little girl with a Barbie camcorder and obsession with talk shows and asking too many questions would become a Career Design Consultant? Finding Higher Education by accident opened my eyes to a career that allows me to learn new stories, experience diverse cultures, and use my influence to make sure no voice is left behind.

Combining my love for entertainment, crafting, communication, and social justice, I can transform lives by day and influence by night. Whether it’s conversing about current events, suggesting a clutch life hack, or DIY-ing a project, I’m your guide to life! I still ask too many questions. I will never stop keeping up with the latest trends. But most importantly, I will never stop exploring and will always encourage others to do the same. Ask me about what I recently pinned on Pinterest.

Career Communities:
🎨 ⚙️ ⚖️ 💙 📈 🤲

The Vertical Farmpreneur

My Dad told me to go into public relations. ✅ My advisor told me to get a minor. ✅ The little girl who loved making prototypes out of recyclables ♻️ and painting ❄️ the snow with watered-down food coloring would get degrees in public communication, creativity and innovation ➕ be the first in her family to get a master’s degree.

I’ve done a lot throughout my career to get where I am today.

✅ I’ve created and pitched my own internships.
✅ Founded two businesses.
✅ Traveled to China to train 70 teachers to infuse creativity into curriculum.
✅ Worked full-time in higher education fundraising, alumni relations, enrollment, marketing, data, career development and brand strategy for 13+ years.

A couple of years ago, I read the book Designing Your Life because I’m obsessed with Design Thinking and technology, which led me to vertical farming and a serious annoyance with our broken food system.

I’ve spent the last couple years developing my own small batch indoor vertical farm called Growcery, where I grow over 90 lettuce and herb plants with no soil or pesticides in my home.🌱 My career has been messy, but I believe in taking risks, and getting scrappy and creative, while trusting my ability to learn something new. Ask me about my favorite meals I make using my home-grown vegetables and plants.

Career Communities:
🎨 ⚙️ ⚖️ 💙 📈 🤲

The Singer/Class Clown

You’re fired! Hard to believe, but hearing that phrase was a real turning point for me, in a good way!

During my first two years after college, I felt extremely lost. I hadn’t spent any time really thinking about what I wanted to do, what I was good at, and how I wanted to make a difference. So instead, I tried different things. I was a social worker, a teacher, an editor, and a headhunter. These jobs kind of fit, but not really.

Working as a headhunter felt like sales, which wasn’t me at all, but while I was there, I realized my energy was ignited by listening to the dreams of others and supporting them as they define and achieve their goals. I’ll never forget my boss saying to me, “we don’t do that here!” It took getting fired that lead me to a lightbulb moment regarding how I wanted to work with people. So, I went back to school to get a Master of Education in Counseling.

I wish I could say it was smooth sailing from there, but managing life and career often take unexpected turns. The necessity to embrace uncertainty and the need to take risks without being 100% sure of the outcome is all part of the journey.

Things don’t always go as planned, but staying open-minded and trying new things can be a good strategy for finding your way even when you doubt yourself.

I’m now the Associate Director for Career Education and Academic Initiatives for the Career Design Center, helping students design their careers and lives after college. In my spare time, I love to make people laugh… through my singing! Just kidding, that’s a joke! Ask me about how my stand-up comedy routine in front of 600 people turned into one of my most embarrassing, and most rewarding, moments.

Career Community:
💙

In college I had a conversation that expanded my thinking; I saw that I could make a career out of my interests and even capitalize on my own anxieties. Super intrigued, I scheduled career conversations with four professionals in the field to learn more.  With new confidence, I pursued becoming a Career Coach. As a successful Coach I love my work and am constantly learning. I believe in cultivating experiences outside of work to re-energize and for me that means horseback riding, backpacking in national parks and running.

The Reader

While I am still a young professional, I have had my fair share of changes during my career journey so far.

Heading into college, the only thing I knew was that I wanted to be far away from home, landing me at The University of Alabama. (Roll Tide!) While I fell in love with football and the southern charm, I didn’t quite fit in with the biology program that I had enrolled in. After a sob-fest in my advisor’s office and a run-in with the College of Communications and Information Sciences department, I ended up as a public relations graduate.

When I wasn’t studying for exams or celebrating National Championships, you could almost always find me in the student union, where I worked as an events manager. Through years of last-minute reservations, I gained a strong network of connections within the university and an appreciation for Higher Education’s atmosphere.

After graduating as a First-Generation college student, I still wasn’t sure what I wanted as a career. I took on part-time roles while shadowing industry professionals to learn more about the field of public relations, but always came back to the joy I felt at the student union.

I took a leap back into Higher Education, which landed me in the Career Design Center as the Student Operations Coordinator. Here, I help run the student employment program and can feel the impact I make each day. Outside of the office, I love to read, embroider, and be dragged onto hikes by my friends. Ask me what book I’m reading right now!

The Competitor

Basketball, tennis, baseball, football, softball, golf- you name the sport, I’ll watch it. I graduated with a degree in sport administration from the University of Louisville (Go Cards!) in 2018 but unfortunately struggled finding a sport-related job out of college. Therefore, I began exploring full-time opportunities with my employer at the time, UPS. Fast forward 8+ years with UPS and nearly two years calling Buffalo home and I finally came to the realization that I needed a career change.

Higher education has always been of interest to me, and I think the Career Design Center’s mission thoroughly aligns with my personality, skillset, and career goals.  I am eager to positively impact and continuously improve the event experience for all UB students.

In my free time, I love to play tennis, volleyball, and anything remotely competitive. My roots are southern, and the beach is my favorite escape. I have a weird obsession with caesar salads and am always seeking out the newest restaurant in the city. Ask me about my favorite wing, pizza, or Italian joint in Buffalo.

The Baseball Pro

As a former Division 1 student-athlete, I developed skills in goal setting, focus and teamwork. Teamwork is such an important life skill, especially in a team sport. We’re always working with players to help them improve, mature and get stronger.

Now, I reflect on my life, and I see myself applying these skills in my role as a Career Design Consultant.  As a member of the Career Design Center team, I help educate, coach, and build confidence within our UB students.

I absolutely love to coach people. For the past 20 years, I’ve coached baseball for players between the ages of 6-20, and I enjoy teaching and making an impact on people’s lives. And as a former D-1 baseball player, I’m very competitive. How competitive? Ask me how often I let my kids win.

Career Communities:
💙 🤲

The Closer

“Go to the places that you’re uncomfortable with.” It’s something that was taught to me by Drill Sergeant Douglass during basic training in the U.S. Army. It was a scary sentiment to me at first, but as I looked back at my life, I considered this what led me to some of my most pivotal and defining moments.

My career journey has been directed by moments where I have come to a cross-road of indecision. They’ve typically appeared when I feel that I’m just “not meant to be doing” what I was doing or I wanted to try something different. This feeling has led me to work as a behavior specialist, serving in the military and working with at-risk youth and individuals struggling with addictions. Now, I’ve found my next adventure at Career Design Center being a Career Design Consultant, where I coach students on how to explore their interests to find new majors and careers.

When I’m not coaching students, I enjoy painting miniatures and designing systems for tabletop games, learning new ways to polish my YouTube skills, training in various martial arts, exercise and fitness, and dressing up as Spider-Man to bring a smile to my son. Ask me about my latest Warhammer 2 campaign!

Career Communities:
⚖️

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to work in education. And I am truly fortunate, as I absolutely love my job! The journey to be in the career I love certainly wasn’t without its share of barriers. As I graduated with my master’s degree during the Great Recession, I had to pivot quite a bit into other areas of employment and take a detour for part of my career journey. This altered course would prove to be beneficial as it helped to hone and cultivate many other skills, but most importantly forged significant resilience within me.

The journey and the people we meet along the way shape us into who we are. Luckily, I have had inspiring and influential teachers and mentors along the way, however no two people are as impactful as my parents. My experiences and career have allowed me to embrace the unexpected, foster adaptability, and to lead and mentor in a variety roles. I wake up every day blessed that I am able to help students discover and design their career paths, and maybe even pass on a few pieces of wisdom that were bestowed upon me.

Beyond my career, I love spending time with my kids and family more than anything. We love to get out, explore new places, revisit the old favorites, create traditions, laugh, and just do as much as we can with one another. In the less hectic moments, being forever curious and a lifelong learner, I am always reading and/or writing. And although I do love all sports, basketball is at the top for me. I love everything basketball; the history of the game, watching it, playing it, and discussing all topics surrounding it. Ask me who my favorite player is AND ask me who I think the GOAT is.

I don’t think I’ve ever actually known what I wanted to do with my life. I enjoyed being a student, and the challenges of always learning something new. But when it came to choosing a career, I just assumed that one day the choice would appear out of thin air, and I would be happy with it.

Many ideas came and went throughout the years. A veterinarian, an agent for professional athletes, a lawyer, and even a librarian. And while I did spend some time in law school after receiving my bachelor’s degree, that wasn’t where I ended up.

When I became a school librarian, I thought I had officially found ‘that thing’. This was it, right? For the rest of my working life, I would assist students with achieving their research goals. Until I realized that you don’t have to do the same thing forever. You can learn and grow out of one area and into the next.

Which led me here. As an Instructional Support Technician, I can hone my skills and interests with technology. Every day I am challenged into further growing as a person while still helping others along the way.

Outside of work, I try to be outside as much as possible. I was always the kid that enjoyed running through the woods and exploring. I love to camp, hike, run, fish, swim, and pretty much any hobby you can think of while outside. When the rain or snow is too much for me though, I enjoy playing board games with my family or reading a new book.

Ask me about my latest outdoor adventure!

I am the operations assistant at the Career Design Center. I enjoy working in this role. Every day there is an opportunity to improve myself and the services we provide in this department.

I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and was educated in the region’s public schools. I went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in English, graduating in 1998 and entering a workforce during an era when, like now, technology seemed to dominate all aspects of our economy and culture. In that environment I held a variety of writing and editorial positions, along the way honing my skills to meet the needs of our brave new employment market.

The economic shift of the new millennium, combined with my changing interests, motivated me to pursue a degree in law. The work that followed carried me to government positions in Vermont, the Republic of Palau, and Washington, D.C. From there, I moved to Buffalo with my wife, Jaime, and our two children to be closer to my family of origin. In Buffalo I again evolved professionally, this time managing the business affairs of an automotive shop that specialized in restoring and maintaining a wide range of classic vehicles.

During the COVID-19 pandemic I focused on full-time parenting while Jaime continued her career. During that time, I found caring for our family was just as meaningful to me as anything I did in any office, government building, or service shop. Then, as the pandemic response waned and economic demands again shifted, I was hired at the Career Design Center, which has worked out well. Here, I can work with the care and attentiveness that make my efforts worthwhile and my colleagues are some of the best I could ever have imagined.

I am a storyteller, so ask me about some of the challenges I’ve faced in the life I’ve laid out here. Or tell me something about yourself. Or ask me what my current favorite car is. I’ll try to give you a well-reasoned opinion.

The Cycling Swiftie

As a planner and well-organized person, I don’t do much on impulse. In fact, you might even say I’m a “Mastermind” with the level of which I plan things out in my life – or at least used to. When faced with the realization that I no longer wanted to become a clinical psychologist, I felt lost and was left thinking “how can a person know everything at 18 but nothing at 22?” as Taylor Swift so eloquently put.

It took time and support from my friends and family but, I eventually realized to get “Out Of The Woods” I had to “Begin Again.” I did a lot of prototyping and failing forward to discover I really enjoyed training and development of people, something I first gained experience in while working at my summer job during college. Never did I think a job at a theme park (that I took to pay for college and felt so unrelated to my career aspirations at the time) would be so fundamental to my personal and professional growth.

“Long story short,” you never know where opportunities might lead you. Now I use my “Mastermind” skills to plan out cycling routes, adventures, and parties to celebrate my loved ones. Changing your mind isn’t “End Game.”

Career Communities:
🤲

Specialties and Interests

Nonprofit, Education, Social Impact | 🚲Cycling | 🎤Music| 🧭 Traveling & Exploring

Doing an internship my last semester of college led me to completely abandon my plans to become a therapist.  The internship showed me that I was not a good fit for that type of work.  I immediately began applying to Master of Education programs so that I could pursue a career in teaching, something that had always interested me.

After graduate school, I spent several years as a teacher.  One day, while watching one of my colleagues, I became keenly aware of how much she loved her work and how she was completely in her element while teaching.  It struck me that, although I enjoyed certain aspects of my job, I too could have a career that would truly light me up and energize me.  I had just become eligible for tenure, which would have given me job security, but I decided to take the risk and leave teaching.

That leap led me on a path to many different jobs and also back to graduate school for a PhD.  When I reflect on my career history, I realize that the thread running through it all is a passion for education.  In addition to pre-K – 12 education, I have worked in educational publishing, health and nutrition education, and educational research, but the areas that have drawn me in multiple times are higher education and career education.  Now, as a Graduate Career Design Consultant, I am excited to work at the intersection of these two fields by helping graduate students design and pursue their career paths.

In my free time, I enjoy nurturing another passion: growing vegetables and herbs. I love to be outside watering them and checking on their progress.  Equally fun for me is researching recipes that contain the foods I’ve grown and preparing them for people.  Each year I like to experiment with new plants and meals.  Ask me what I plan to grow next!