Staff
We are the staff of the Center for Career and Professional Development, here to help with your career-related needs!
Joan enjoys fostering connections between students and professionals, building strong programs, and collaborating strategically with others in the College community to advance mutual goals. Before coming to Kalamazoo College in November 2007 to direct the new Guilds initiative, Joan put her degrees (a Bachelor of Arts from Virginia Tech and Master of Arts from Yale University, both in International Relations) to work in Argentina with the human rights group founded by Nobel laureate Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, and on Capitol Hill with the Washington Office on Latin America. She founded a national organization for interfaith families and coordinated Kalamazoo’s community reading program. When the Guilds became part of the Center for Career and Professional Development in February 2009, she was appointed director of the CCPD. Her responsibilities include:
- Leadership of the CCPD, including staff and budget management, strategic planning, program development, institutional and departmental representation
- Oversight and coordination of the Guilds of Kalamazoo College
- Recruitment for nonprofit and public service organizations
- Campus student employment oversight (together with Human Resources and Financial Aid)
- Nonprofit & Public Service Guild staff liaison
- Law Guild staff liaison
Ciji loves to help students recognize the unique skill sets and abilities they possess as well as help them communicate these strengths to prospective employers and/or graduate schools. She accomplishes this by assisting students and alumni with their career and professional development needs including: résumé and cover letter critiques, mock interviews, graduate school applications, and general career exploration. She serves as the staff liaison to the Business Guild and the Science & Technology Guild. Additionally, she is a therapist at Child and Family Psychological Services. Prior to working at “K,” Ciji obtained her B.S. in Applied Engineering from MSU and an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from WMU. She has also had the opportunity to work in corporate America and has firsthand knowledge of technical rotational programs.
Her responsibilities include:
- Individual career counseling
- Résumé and cover letter critiques
- Interview preparation
- Workshop presentations on career development topics
- Professional Development Institute coordination
- MBTI® assessment interpretation
- Business Guild staff liaison
- Science & Technology Guild staff liaison
Rachel enjoys helping students and alumni make connections between their interests, skills, and personalities to find meaningful career paths for their lives "after 'K'". She especially enjoys teaching, résumé and cover letter writing, mock interviews, and helping students utilize technology to develop their professional networks. She also serves as staff liaison to the Arts & Media and Education Guilds. Rachel earned both an undergraduate teaching degree and a Master of Arts in Counseling Education/Counseling Psychology at Western Michigan University. Her responsibilities include:
- Individual career counseling
- Résumé and cover letter critiques
- Interview preparation
- Workshop presentations on career development topics
- MBTI® and Strong Interest Inventory assessment interpretation
- Arts & Media Guild staff liaison
- Education Guild staff liaison
- Departmental web editing, social media presence, and promotion coordination
Jackie enjoys working with Kalamazoo College students and alumni at the Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD). She serves as the staff liaison to the Health Guild. Through programs at the CCPD, she has worked to bring alumni and current students together for thoughtful career-related discussions. Jackie received her Master of Arts from Western Michigan University in Counselor Education/Counseling Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts from Grand Valley State University. Her responsibilities include:
- Individual career counseling
- Résumé and cover letter critiques
- Interview preparation
- Workshop presentations on career development topics
- Strong Interest Inventory and MBTI® assessment interpretation
- First generation college student outreach
- Career Associate student paraprofessional supervision
- Health Guild staff liaison
Terri has served the Center for Career and Professional Development with support since 2003. Prior to her arrival at “K” in 2000, Terri was a desktop publisher doing graphic layout and design for 25 years after receiving an Applied Science degree in Printing Technology from Ferris State University. She enjoys working with students and watching their professional growth through the internship program. Her responsibilities in the CCPD include:
- K-Connect (the CCPD’s job/internship database) user account maintenance, oversight, and data entry
- Field Experience Program internship management
- Campus student employment management
- Clerical support and office communications
- Desktop publishing and departmental promotion
Pam has been at Kalamazoo College since 1985 and the Center for Career and Professional Development since 2002. She enjoys connecting students and alumni, especially through the Discovery Externship Program. She likes helping students explore potential career paths and helping alumni reconnect to Kalamazoo College. Pam earned a Bachelors of Science in Mathematics and teacher certification in secondary education from Colorado State University. Her responsibilities include:
- Relationship development for jobs and summer opportunities
- Management of the Discovery Externship Program, which funds and supports student summer externships with “K” alumni
- Oversight of all aspects of K-Connect, the CCPD's on-line job/internship database, including data management, reporting, and sharing
- Coordination of employer recruiting and on-campus interviewing
- Student assistant supervision
NaShera serves as the resource room coordinator and receptionist for both the Center for Career and Professional Development and the Center for International Programs. She holds a BA from Western Michigan University and an Associate’s Degree from Kalamazoo Valley Community College. Prior to her appointment at the CIP/CCPD, she lived in Nashville, TN where she worked as an insurance claims processor. Her CCPD responsibilities include:
- Welcoming visitors to the CCPD/CIP
- Fielding general questions about CCPD staff, resources, services and programs
- Scheduling appointments with Career Counselors
- Managing departmental credit card accounting
