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Virtual Summit: Behind the Scenes (BTS): Career Center Ops in Action

Tuesday, May 12, 2026, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM EDT

Category: Webinars

Behind the Scenes (BTS): Career Center Ops in Action

Tuesday, May 12, 2026

10:00 AM - 1:00 PM ET

Virtual on Zoom

Calling all Data, Tech, Operations, and Marketing Career Center folks!

From assessment and reporting to marketing, systems, and staffing, this Summit shines a spotlight on the operational backbone of the career center. Join peers to explore best practices, uncover efficiencies, and gain tools to strengthen the infrastructure that supports student, employer, and program success.

Schedule

Time	Session	Description
10:00 AM - 10:10 AM	Welcome and Introductions
10:10 AM - 11:10 AM	Opening Session	Scaling Integration of the Career Center Across Campus Speaker: LaQuan Norman
11:20 AM - 12:05 PM	Breakout Group 1	Option 1: Data to Decision Making Speakers: Melissa Sawyer, Jennifer Thibodeau, and Paul Stanish Option 2: Creating More Visibility and Impact on the Same Budget Speaker: Abbey Pober Option 3: Managing Micro-Credentials Engagement and Integration Across Campus Speakers: Amy Hudock and Ryan Smolko
12:10 PM - 12:50 PM	Breakout Session 2	Option 1: Creating a Data and Tech Management Strategy Speaker: Andrew Mazar Option 2: Using the Student Worker Program as a Marketing Strategy Speaker: Dustin Miller
12:50 PM - 1:00 PM	Closing

Speakers

LaQuan Norman is the Director of the Cahill Career Development Center at Ramapo College, where she leads the award-winning Pathways program. Under her leadership, Pathways became a core graduation requirement for all five schools within the college, earning the 2020 NACE Career Services Excellence Award. A recognized contributor to the field, she has presented at several national conferences and currently co-leads the Chief Career Services Officers Affinity Group for EACE. LaQuan’s strategic approach is informed by a 20-year career in the medical device industry, designing and marketing implantable orthopaedic and orthobiologic devices. She holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from the University of Memphis.

Melissa J. Sawyer is Senior Associate Director/Operations Manager of Undergraduate Career Development in the Pulsifer Career Development Center and the dedicated Career Coach for the Accounting, Corporate Finance and Accounting (Accounting Focus), Data Analytics, Information Technology in Accounting, Mathematical Sciences, and Actuarial Science majors for Undergraduate Career Development in the Pulsifer Career Development Center. Melissa has more than 30 years of experience working in higher education in various functions encompassing career services, admission, financial aid, fellowship programs, and registrar’s office. She has developed strong relationships with staff and faculty throughout Bentley’s campus while collaborating on various programs for her majors. Melissa has established solid partnerships with employers who actively recruit the students in her area of focus. Additionally, she oversees data and operations for the Pulsifer Career Development Center as well as relationships with Handshake and Big Interview.

Jen Thibodeau is a Senior Associate Director of Employer Relations & Recruiting in the Pulsifer Career Development Center and has more than 30 years of experience in campus recruiting for higher education. She manages the on- and off-campus recruiting programs for all internship and full-time employers. Jen oversees the entire operation of the Employer Relations & Recruiting Office and manages Bentley University’s two annual career fairs which host 130+ employers and 1200+ students at each fair. She manages the recruiting piece of the Handshake recruiting system and is responsible for the data reporting for all recruiting related rankings surveys. Jen and her team strive to maintain Bentley’s well-known reputation for maintaining a “top notch” recruiting program and providing exceptional customer service to all employers.

Paul Stanish is a Senior Associate Director of Undergraduate Career Development in the Pulsifer Career Development Center at Bentley University and the dedicated Career Coach for Creative Industry, Experience Design, Film & Media Studies, Marketing, Professional Sales and Public Relations majors. In addition to working with those constituents, he teaches all levels of students in the award winning CDI 101, 201 and 301 courses. Paul spends time cultivating relationships with corporate partners and companies in advertising, beauty, fashion, market research, television and many more. As a certified Gallup strength coach, Paul has coached multiple staff and students on how to best utilize their strengths in their personal and professional lives. He is certified as a Strong Interest Inventory coach and has recently completed a course in Stanford’s Life Design workshop. Paul also oversees the operation of the department's website and the team of students managing the department's social media accounts.

Abbey Pober is Director of Operations for Wentworth Institute of Technology's Center for Cooperative Education & Career Development. She joined Wentworth’s Co-op & Careers team in June of 2016 with a background in corporate marketing & operations management. She holds a Bachelors of Business Administration in Marketing from the Isenberg School of Management at UMass, Amherst and a Masters of Science in Project Management from Wentworth Institute of Technology. Abbey is passionate about helping colleagues and students identify and utilize tools and processes that help them reach their goals. Abbey oversees data & reporting, employer relations, marketing & events, and systems administration for Co-ops & Careers

Amy Hudock, MS, NCC, is the Associate Director for Career Success & Special Projects at Moravian University in Bethlehem, PA. In her role, she provides individualized career development support to first and second-year students, supervises graduate interns and undergraduate Career Ambassadors, and manages Moravian’s award-winning Career Readiness Digital Badging program. Amy specializes in designing and refining this scalable career-readiness micro-credentialing program which connects co-curricular engagement to the NACE Career Readiness Competencies. Her work leverages assessment and data-driven insights to increase engagement, spark collaboration, and empower students to engage in and connect undergraduate experiences to professional skills. Amy holds almost a decade of experience in higher education across Career Development, Residence Life & Housing, and Student Life.

Ryan Smolko is the Director for Career Success at Moravian University, where he leads strategic initiatives that connect students and alumni to meaningful career opportunities. With extensive experience in higher education career services, Ryan focuses on building scalable employer and alumni partnerships, enhancing career readiness, and embedding professional development across the student experience. He is passionate about empowering students to explore career paths early, develop marketable skills, and successfully transition from the liberal arts to the workforce. Ryan is known for driving innovative programming, strengthening engagement through data-informed strategies, and fostering collaborative partnerships across campus and industry.

Andrew Mazar is Director, Operations & Assessment of the Villanova University Career Center. Andrew has worked at Villanova for almost twelve years: the first half of his career was spent in enrollment management/admissions space where he administered tools like Technolutions Slate, designed operational processes for graduate admissions teams, and handled data integrity and reporting. In November 2020, he joined the Career Center and now manages an Operations Team of five, who together cover all office operations, vendor/system management, marketing and communications, event planning, and data and analytics. Individually he specializes in managing the Career Outcomes survey, all professional development related tools/systems such as Handshake, uConnect, etc., data and analytics, and operational strategy for the Career Center.

Dustin Miller, M.Ed. joined Penn Career Services in 2023 as an Associate Director. Prior to Penn, he worked at Immaculata University as the Assistant Director of Career Counseling before transitioning into the Director of Student Life role, as well as teaching a First Year Seminar course, Your Habits and You.

He has a passion for empowering students to navigate the interview process in full along with helping to build up personal confidence! Dustin resides in the Greater Philadelphia area with his wife, Patricia, and their cat, Benny. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from McDaniel College as well as a Master of Education in Student Affairs in Higher Education Administration from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. Outside of the office, Dustin is a big Philly sports fan and an avid cheesesteak lover!

What is a Virtual Summit?

Each Summit brings together EACE members across roles and functions for half-day, topic-focused learning and networking, with multiple sessions, peer engagement, and actionable takeaways you can use immediately. These Summits are intentionally segmented by focus area, allowing you to tailor your experience to your role, career state, and professional goals.

Why Attend an EACE Virtual Summit?

EACE Virtual Summits are designed to give you the feel of a conference in a compact, focused format: curated content, peer sharing, and meaningful engagement without the travel.

Registration & Pricing

Stand-Alone Pricing