At New College of Florida, “Careers in Weeks” is a three-day micro-series that builds career readiness through immersive industry exposure and transferable skill development. Each short-format series focuses on a career field such as pre-health, finance and technology, education, or the arts, while pairing practical skill-building activities with reflective exercises that connect students’ academic pathways to professional opportunities. Developed collaboratively by career services staff, faculty, alumni, and local employers, these modules foster career confidence, expand access for underrepresented and international students, and reinforce the relevance of liberal arts education. By embedding career programming into existing campus rhythms, “Careers in Weeks” encourages participation from students who may not self-select into traditional career events. Attendees of this session will learn how to design and implement similar high-impact, equity-minded micro-series at their own institutions, leveraging limited resources while advancing student engagement, retention, and recruitment.
As an educator with a background in customer service, recruitment, and student success, it is my goal to support and expand a network of experiential learning available to all people. I joined the New College CEO team in January 2023 as the Office and Recruitment Services Coordinator... Read More →
Assistant Director & Career Coach, New College of Florida
Ellie joined the New College CEO team in January 2023. Ellie is passionate about helping students realize and reach their full potential. She’s been working with people of all ages since she could remember. Ellie is excited to work alongside students as they navigate their ever-changing... Read More →
Assistant Director & Career Coach, New College of Florida
Ryan joined the New College CEO team in August 2023. He is a Florida native and lifelong learner dedicated to helping students reach their full potential. Ryan began his academic career at the University of South Florida where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance, a Master of... Read More →
Tuesday June 16, 2026 9:45am - 10:45am EDT Madiera
Hackathons/Buildathons are often perceived as resource-intensive, yet they can be quickly implemented as high-impact, career-focused experiences. This session introduces a scalable model for launching campus hackathons/buildathons in as little as three hours to two days using Base44. Designed for FloridaACE professionals, this presentation highlights how hackathons can drive student engagement, build AI and digital skills, and connect experiential learning to career readiness outcomes. Attendees will learn best practices for planning and facilitating hackathons across disciplines, engaging non-technical students, and aligning events with employer needs. Real examples of student-built tools—such as healthcare management systems and small business solutions—will be shared to demonstrate impact. Participants will leave with a clear framework, actionable resources, and strategies to implement hackathons on their campuses, enhancing student outcomes, employer engagement, and innovative programming across career services and higher education.
Elery Rojas is the Director of University Programs and Outreach at Base44, where she empowers educators and innovators to lead in AI and digital presence. With over a decade of experience in higher education, Elery has dedicated her career to advancing student success through career... Read More →
Tuesday June 16, 2026 9:45am - 10:45am EDT Indian Shores
What if your most powerful career center resource is not more staff but stronger partnerships? Career centers are often expected to deliver high-impact programming with small teams. This session explores how collaboration with campus and community partners helps small teams expand capacity and create engaging student experiences. Using examples from collaborative events, presenters will share how campus and community partners help bring programming to life through interactive tables and activities that support career exploration, transfer planning, job readiness, and career-ready competencies. By sharing expertise and working together, small teams can create dynamic experiences that would be difficult to deliver alone. Interactive formats such as games and themed tables create a welcoming environment where students naturally connect with partners and conversations happen organically. This approach encourages participation, reduces the pressure often associated with networking, and helps students engage more comfortably with career development topics. Participants will engage in collaborative brainstorming activities to generate ideas for partnership-driven programming and interactive engagement and leave with practical strategies for building partnerships and designing engaging career programming that can be adapted at their own institutions.
Supervisor, Career Development Services, Valencia College
Christine Moran is the Supervisor of the Career Center at Valencia College’s West Campus and has spent her career supporting students through education and career development. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Goucher College and is a Certified Career Services... Read More →
Tamara Eicher is a Career Advisor at Valencia College with over 10 years of experience in career services. She has a Master of Education with a focus in Higher Education from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of North... Read More →
Tuesday June 16, 2026 9:45am - 10:45am EDT Siesta Key
For many students, on-campus employment is viewed merely as a paycheck rather than a professional stepping stone. However, when intentionally structured, these roles serve as a primary laboratory for career readiness. This session explores Work+, an innovative, university-driven initiative at the University of Central Florida designed to bridge the gap between academic learning and hands-on work experience. Participants will go behind the scenes of a program that shifts the focus from task-based supervision to competency-based mentorship. By equipping supervisors with curated tools and pedagogical resources, Work+ empowers them to facilitate career-enriching environments that prioritize NACE Career Readiness Competencies. We will discuss the framework used to train supervisors within the Division of Student Success and Well-Being, where 90% of participants reported feeling better equipped to incorporate professional development into daily operations. Attendees will walk away with actionable strategies to scale supervisor training, enhance student self-efficacy, and turn every campus job into a high-impact experiential learning opportunity.
Academic Program Manager, University of Central Florida
As the Academic Program Manager of Work+ at the University of Central Florida, Lashay is dedicated to transforming student employment into a cornerstone of career readiness. With a background spanning career counseling and experiential learning faculty roles since 2019, they bring... Read More →
Tuesday June 16, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT Madiera
Career services teams and early talent recruiters are sitting on a goldmine of data, from student engagement and event attendance to application funnels and hiring outcomes. However, often these insights don’t translate into action, nor are they leveraged to achieve influence for securing resources, demonstrating impact, or building stronger partnerships. During this fast-paced, highly interactive workshop, participants will learn how to transform data reports and charts into clear, persuasive stories that influence decisions, strengthen campus–employer partnerships, and improve outcomes for students and hiring teams alike. Rather than focusing on complex analytics, this session zeroes in on what matters most: clarity, relevance, and impact. As part of the session, participants will learn a creative approach and practice turning messy or simple metrics into a focused narrative that answers the key question every stakeholder is asking: “So what?" and "What should we do next?”
Jeff Beavers is a nationally recognized expert on the college labor market and a global early-career talent acquisition strategist with more than 25 years of leadership experience across career services, campus recruiting, recruiting technology, and talent strategy. His work sits... Read More →
Tuesday June 16, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT Siesta Key
In Fall 2025, Florida Gulf Coast University launched its first-ever Internship Week—an innovative, campus-wide initiative designed to strengthen internship culture and connect students with meaningful experiential learning. Led by the Office of Internships & Cooperative Programs, the week brought together students, faculty, staff, and employers through targeted events that highlighted pathways to career readiness. The initiative significantly increased student awareness of internship support and became a signature engagement effort on campus. Notably, this work also positioned FGCU ahead of the curve as the university later selected internships as its SUS Metric 10 priority, reinforcing the long-term value of intentional experiential learning programming. This session will share the strategies, partnerships, and lessons learned from building Internship Week from the ground up.
Internship Coordinator II, Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU)
Trudi-Ann Dyer, MS, serves as the Internship Coordinator II in the Office of Internships & Cooperative Programs (ICP) at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU). In her role, she guides students in STEM-related majors as they pursue high-impact internships. She played a key role in spearheading... Read More →
Tuesday June 16, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT Longboat Key
Large-scale career fairs can be exciting—but also overwhelming—for students navigating high expectations, crowded environments, and performance pressure. This 30-minute roundtable will explore an innovative Standard Operating Procedure: the Care Spotter Team model implemented at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University during the Spring Career Fair and Fall Career EXPO. Participants will learn how cross-campus collaboration between the Center for Career and Professional Development, the ERAU Counseling Center, and trained Eagle-2-Eagle peer supporters creates a proactive response system for students experiencing mental health events or physical distress.
The discussion will outline identification protocols, peer-to-peer de-escalation strategies, escort procedures, and the implementation of a “Rest & Re-Set Room” equipped with calming resources and on-site professional staff. Attendees will engage in dialogue about staffing models, training considerations, risk management, and scalable implementation strategies. This session is ideal for institutions seeking to intentionally integrate well-being, belonging, and student-centered care into high-impact recruiting events.
Career Center Outreach and Expo Manager, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Lizz Giordano is a career services professional with more than eight years of experience in employer relations, career advising, and large-scale recruiting initiatives. She currently serves as Career Center Outreach & Expo Manager at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where she... Read More →
Today's career decision making process is influenced by rapidly changing labor markets, competitive academic environments, and societal pressure to achieve. These factors may intensify student stress, burnout, and self doubt which directly shape how students select majors, engage in career exploration, and build professional identities. This roundtable will examine the deeply interconnected relationship between student well-being and career development in higher education. Career development professionals play a significant role in creating environments that support not only student career success but also student career wellbeing. By focusing more on building a supportive career development, higher education institutions can help this next generation navigate their paths with confidence, clarity, and resilience.The session invites participants to collectively rethink advising practices, program design, and collaboration strategies that contribute to a supportive career development ecosystem. Through shared dialogue, participants will explore approaches that emphasize balance, purpose, and student well-being related to the career decision-making process.
Assistant Director, Career Planning, University of Central Florida
Alexandra Minnick is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who currently works with traditional and nontraditional college students in the Central Florida community. She currently works as the Assistant Director of Career Planning at UCF Career Services for the last 3 years. She has 6... Read More →
OBBBA is now law, and career centers across Florida are racing to figure out what "demonstrated experiential learning" and "measurable career outcomes" actually require in practice. Most directors are still building the answer in real time. This roundtable convenes career services leaders for a tactical exchange: what counts as experiential learning under the new requirements, how are you tracking it, what audit trail are you building, and where are your current systems most exposed? Facilitated by Rahul Jindal, the conversation draws on lessons from 200+ career center director interviews to surface concrete approaches institutions are already piloting. Participants leave with a working checklist of what to track, what to document, and what to fix before the next academic year. Bring one question, one example, and one challenge from your campus.
We help students across 80+ universities get hired with scalable career readiness tools: professional attire (CareerCloset), formulaic prep for career fairs, and international student visa support. Designed for tight budgets, our solutions are employer-funded and impact-driven.
This roundtable explores best practices for the ethical, responsible, and effective use of artificial intelligence in career coaching. As AI-powered tools increasingly shape resume development, career exploration, skills assessment, and job search strategies, career professionals must balance innovation with student-centered, values-driven practice. Participants will discuss opportunities for AI tools that enhance human coaching, while addressing concerns related to bias, data privacy, accessibility, transparency, and overreliance on automation. The session will emphasize equity-minded decision-making, institutional guidelines, and coaching frameworks that preserve empathy, agency, and critical thinking. Through discussion and shared experiences, attendees will leave with initial ideas to start designing, or bettering their processes for strategies, guiding principles, and reflective questions to support responsible AI integration in career services. This roundtable is designed for career educators seeking to thoughtfully adopt emerging technologies while maintaining professional ethics and meaningful student engagement.
This interactive roundtable will explore how intentional connections not just contact creates ripple effects across campus and industry. When partnerships are built with strategy, shared purpose, and sustained engagement, they shape student readiness, employer trust, and institutional growth in ways that endure. Participants will engage in facilitated discussion around practical strategies focused on shifting from one-time interactions to integrated partnership models. Aligning employer engagement with academic priorities and workforce trends while creating multi-touch engagement pathways that build brand presence and hiring pipelines. These changes will then focus on impact beyond placement numbers. Designed for employer liaisons, partnership professionals, and career services leaders, this session will provide space to exchange ideas, share challenges, and leave with actionable approaches to strengthen and sustain employer relationships.
Director, Partnerships and External Communications, University of Central Florida - College of Business, DeVos Sport Business
As the Director of Partnerships and External Affairs for the DeVos Sport Business Management Program at UCF, I lead initiatives that strengthen industry relationships, enhance student experiences, and expand the reach of one of the nation’s top sport business graduate programs... Read More →
This engaging roundtable discussion invites participants into a high-impact conversation on how partnerships with businesses, organizations, and nonprofits are transforming student mentoring beyond traditional advising models. Together, we will explore how employer-led and student-focused mentoring creates powerful hands-on learning experiences, expands professional networks, builds student confidence, and accelerates career readiness. Attendees will actively exchange ideas, challenges, and proven strategies for designing, sustaining, and scaling mentoring partnerships that meaningfully connect students to real-world opportunities. This session is ideal for professionals seeking innovative, practical approaches to employer engagement that guide students from the classroom to the community. Expect actionable insights, shared successes, and collaborative problem-solving in an idea-rich discussion designed to spark new connections and amplify student success.
Internship & Career Experiences Coordinator, Career Coach, University of South Florida St. Petersburg
Dr. Harris Ambush is an experienced educator, program creator, and community impact leader whose work spans local and international contexts in education, community building, and human development. He has taught and led programs in diverse settings around the world, serving learners... Read More →
In an era where “doing more with less” has become an expectation rather than an exception, burnout in higher education is no longer a risk, it’s often inevitable. For career services professionals, expanding responsibilities, constant urgency, and growing student needs can quietly erode capacity, creativity, and purpose. This roundtable reframes the conversation from managing overload to intentionally doing less with clarity and impact. Participants will engage in candid discussion about how unchecked work demands affect effectiveness and how strategic decision making, prioritization, and boundary setting can protect both staff well-being and institutional outcomes. Rather than focusing on balance as a destination, this session invites participants to reflect on how work can better support life and how leaders and teams can reclaim control over their time and energy.
Career Education Coordinator, University of West Florida
Communication professional with experience in higher education, research, student services, marketing, and public speaking. Passionate about education with a desire to see students succeed and gain more confidence in their careers.
Career Education Coordinator, University of West Florida
Jessica Prather is a Career Education Coordinator at the University of West Florida, where she develops and delivers innovative programs that support student career readiness, experiential learning, and professional growth. Since joining the Office of Career Development and Community... Read More →
As higher education continues to evolve, career services professionals are being asked to do more than deliver programming and manage student engagement. They are increasingly expected to show how career support connects to opportunity access, employer relationships, and student outcomes. This roundtable invites participants to explore how institutions are defining career impact today, where they see gaps in their current approach, and how campuses can create a more connected model that supports both staff effectiveness and student success.
Nick Ryan works with higher education institutions to strengthen the connection between career services, employer engagement, and student outcomes. His work focuses on how colleges and universities can build on existing career services infrastructure to better support opportunity... Read More →
MyCareerCloset in partnership with USF present: Professional attire is more than appearance. It affects confidence, access, and employer perception. This roundtable will explore how institutions can move beyond traditional donation closets to build scalable, sustainable, and equitable professional attire strategies. Participants will discuss implementation models, funding pathways, employer partnerships, and ways to position attire access as a core part of career readiness. Attendees will leave with practical ideas for piloting or strengthening a campus approach that supports students while improving recruiting outcomes and institutional visibility.
Director of Operations & Marketing, University of South Florida, Tampa campus
Amanda Marshall serves as the Director of Operations & Marketing in the Center for Career & Professional Development at the University of South Florida, Tampa campus. With a deep passion for fostering a supportive and collaborative environment, Amanda leads the Operations & Marketing... Read More →
We help students across 80+ universities get hired with scalable career readiness tools: professional attire (CareerCloset), formulaic prep for career fairs, and international student visa support. Designed for tight budgets, our solutions are employer-funded and impact-driven.
CEO, Rose Fuller Consulting, Rose Fuller Consulting
Rose Fuller Consulting Founder, Fuller Career Consulting (formerly Director of Career Development Services, Florida Gulf Coast University) Rose brings deep practitioner credibility from her years building and running FGCU's career services operation. She now consults with Florida... Read More →
This roundtable will focus on how faculty can partner with career centers to support career development classes and large-scale career programming, such as Careers in Weeks. Participants will share strategies for engaging faculty in promotion, classroom integration, and student participation.
Assistant Director & Career Coach, New College of Florida
Ellie joined the New College CEO team in January 2023. Ellie is passionate about helping students realize and reach their full potential. She’s been working with people of all ages since she could remember. Ellie is excited to work alongside students as they navigate their ever-changing... Read More →
Assistant Director & Career Coach, New College of Florida
Ryan joined the New College CEO team in August 2023. He is a Florida native and lifelong learner dedicated to helping students reach their full potential. Ryan began his academic career at the University of South Florida where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance, a Master of... Read More →
Employers consistently emphasize that while resumes may open doors, it is human skills that secure opportunities and sustain success. Yet many students struggle to clearly demonstrate these skills in meaningful, authentic ways. This session equips educators, advisors, and career development professionals with practical strategies to intentionally develop and articulate essential workplace skills such as communication, adaptability, teamwork, and leadership. Participants will explore how to move beyond surface-level resume building and instead embed skill development into everyday student interactions, programming, and advising. Through real-world examples and actionable tools, attendees will learn how to help students recognize their strengths, translate experiences into marketable skills, and confidently communicate their value to employers. Participants will leave with immediately applicable strategies to better prepare students for successful transitions into the workforce.
Principal of Clay High School, Driven Leadership Success
Dr. Jen Halter is an award-winning high school principal, leadership coach, and founder of Driven Leadership Success. With a Doctorate in Educational Leadership, she leads a high-performing high school recognized for student achievement, innovative career and technical education programs... Read More →
Tuesday June 16, 2026 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT Indian Shores
Transfer students often begin their higher education journey by facing a variety of competing demands. Universities encourage their students to engage in career readiness activities early to ensure their competitiveness while preparing to meet their career goals. Transfer students have a more compressed timeline which makes timely engagement even more critical. In this interactive workshop, you’ll learn how two offices at USF— the Center for Career and Professional Development and the Office of Transfer Student Success—have elevated their partnership to increase transfer student engagement with career resources during their first semester. Participants will explore strategic partnership strategies to support the transfer student population and identify ways to realize similar benefits in their home institutions without requiring additional funding.
Assistant Director of Career Development, University of South Florida (Tampa campus)
Adelia Douglas is an Assistant Director of Career Development at the University of South Florida’s Center for Career and Professional Development. She brings 9 years of higher education experience across student-facing roles, including career coaching, academic advising, and education... Read More →
Career offices at any-sized school are often challenged by limited staff and resources, many of which we know will not increase in the future. Instead of pushing for outside resources, have we considered looking within our offices and colleges? This session challenges the idea that student employees serve only as front desk support or event staff, and instead positions them as strategic contributors to the work of career services. At Eckerd College, through intensive training and established trust, our student employees are tasked and run programs such as peer advising, industry research, job procurement, marketing and content creation, blog writing, professional headshots, and mentorship program support. This drastically increases the work of 3 full-time staff members to include a team of 10. Reimagining student employment as work-based learning, allows career services staff to develop critical skills for the workforce for their students, as well as letting career centers to expand capacity while empowering students as active partners in career development. This model not only enhances office operations but also creates meaningful professional development opportunities for our student staff.
Assistant Director, Industry Development, Eckerd College
Maddy Nelson serves as the Assistant Director of Industry Development at Eckerd College. In this role, she is the primary point of contact for organizations looking to connect with Eckerd’s emerging talent pipeline. She develops and maintains strategic partnerships across industries... Read More →
Dwayne Peterson is a nationally recognized leader in career education, experiential learning, early career talent acquisition, and workforce development, with a passion for transforming futures. As a career strategist for nearly two decades, Dwayne has helped people from diverse industries... Read More →
Angelina Skimos is a career education and student engagement professional specializing in career exploration, personal branding, and life design. Currently serving as a Career Advisor at Eckerd College, Angelina is passionate about helping students connect their academic, leadership... Read More →
Assistant Director of Career Education, Eckerd College
Taylor Snipes is a higher education professional specializing in career education, employer relations, and student engagement. Currently serving as the Assistant Director of Career Education at Eckerd College, Taylor is passionate about helping students make meaning of their academic... Read More →
