Dr. Kristen Gallo is the Executive Director for Career Services for the university Career Center at Temple University, providing strategic vision and planning for a staff of 14 in a central unit and serving as liaison between career development within colleges and schools. Before this role, Kristen spent seven years working with the cooperative education program at Drexel University, with five years as Assistant Director managing a staff of seven co-op advisors across five different colleges and schools. Collectively this team facilitated connections between approximately 2,000 students and 500 unique employers each year.

Kristen has been a member of CEIA for over 10 years, serving as Region 2 Vice President since 2021. During that time, she has coordinated webinars on behalf of the association, led her regional committee, and participated in CEIA initiatives to grow the organization. Additionally, Kristen has presented sessions at national CEIA conferences, hosted a webinar on the future of work, and contributed to Experience Magazine. Kristen has also presented sessions and pre-conference workshops at several other conferences, with a focus on cooperative education and experiential learning best practices and assessment.

Kristen completed her Ed.D in Educational Leadership and Management from Drexel University with a research focus on the impact of cooperative education on students studying entrepreneurship. Kristen also holds an M.S. in College Student Development and Counseling from Northeastern University and a B.A. in Psychology from Stony Brook University.

Dr. Tracey Dowling serves as the Program Director of Experiential Learning with Florida State University’s Career Center. An experienced career services professional, she previously implemented services and programs at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School MBA Career Management Center for Working Professionals, The University of Georgia Career Center, and The University of Virginia – Semester at Sea program. Both a proud Seminole she earned an EdD in Educational Leadership & Policy and a MS in Higher Education from The Florida State University and a proud Blazer, earning a BBA in Marketing from Valdosta State University. In 2019, she co-authored the text Making Your Internship Count available through Kendall Hunt and has edited case studies for the National Association of Colleges & Employers through the Principles of Professional Practice committee since 2021.

Dowling has served on the Board of Directors for the Cooperative Education & Internship Association (CEIA) since 2016, first as the Vice President of the Cooperative Education Network, and currently as the Vice President of Professional Development. She is slated to Chair the 2024 Annual Conference in Tampa and coordinating presentations for the 2023 Annual Conference in San Diego. Additionally, she has engaged her colleagues in active participation and contributions to CEIA, delivered conference presentations and webinars, served on multiple conference committees, and promoted CEIA membership to work-integrated learning colleagues and employers of students engaged in experiential learning around the world. She believes that professional development is key to keeping abreast of trends, best practices and changing technologies.

Locally, she serves as President-Elect of the Capital Women’s Network, a Judge for the annual Chamber of Commerce’s Best & Brightest Awards and a Board Member for the Florida State Heritage Museum. She is also a proud member of the Capitol Bells handbell choir (bass clef ringer!) and hosts a weekly Heroscape game.

Andrew Harper has built and managed programs that have connected talent from colleges and universities with employers for more than 15 years. Most recently at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), Andrew designed and launched a paid, statewide internship program that provides employers with resources to recruit and hire Texas college students that qualify for financial aid. Previously, Andrew was the Manager of Employer Relations and Internship Coordinator at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. During his tenure at St. Edward’s University, he co-advised the campus LGBTQIA+ PRIDE student organization, chaired the Student Success Center Professional Development Committee, and taught career development, history, research, and writing courses.

In 2022, he joined Grace Hill to provide business intelligence solutions for real estate operators and investors through KingsleySurveys as a project manager.

Through his involvement in several professional development associations, Andrew has advocated for expanding and enhancing work-integrated learning. Since 2016, he has served on the CEIA Board of Directors as the Diversity & Inclusion Task Committee Chair, 2022 Conference Chair, and Region V Vice President. In addition, he has been a member of several CEIA committees including Best Practices Award, Conference Programs (chair), Board Nominations and Elections, and Marketing and Communications. Andrew is also a past president, vice president, and conference chair of the Texas Cooperative Education & Internship Association (TxCEIA) and the 2017 recipient of the Southern Association of Colleges and Employers (SoACE) Champion of Diversity Award.

Andrew earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from St. Edward’s University. He continues his involvement at the university by serving on the Alumni Board of Directors.

Dan Cayse retired as Vice President of Strategic Initiatives & Entrepreneurial Development at Cincinnati State Technical & Community College. Since joining Cincinnati State in 1974, he provided leadership in cooperative education for 36 years. He twice served as Dean of Business Technologies. During his combined 20 years of service as Dean, he made major contributions to his division and the college enhancing and expanding the cooperative education program. As Dean, he was responsible for the academic affairs and co-op program for 24 Associate Degree Programs and 14 Certificates for the Business Technologies Division. Under his leadership, the Business Technologies Division developed a nationally recognized academic and cooperative model that has lead to strategic partnerships with companies such as Walt Disney World, Procter & Gamble and The Kroger Company.

Dan has also played a significant role on state, region and national levels. He served as the Cooperative Education and Internship Association President in 1989-1990, as well as two terms as the Vice President of Finance. He rejoined the Cooperative Education and Internship Association Board and served as the 2010-2011 President. Dan is currently the Vice President of Finance.  In 2005, CEIA honored Dan as the recipient of the Dean Herman Schneider Educator of the Year Award. On the regional level, Cayse developed the financial reporting system for the Midwest Cooperative Education Association and as a Certified Public Accountant, provided financial audits and non-profit consultation services. He was recognized as MCEIA’s Educator of the Year is 2004. The Ohio Cooperative Education Association elected Dan Cayse to the position of President in 1986 where he expanded state membership and fostered the expansion of an endowment for scholarships and research to maintain itself as one of the largest state co-op associations in the country. OCEA honored Dan Cayse as its Educator of the Year in 1990.

In other professional contributions to cooperative education, Dan has been a consultant for numerous colleges and corporations as well as having made over 200 presentations throughout the United States. Other involvement includes representing the United States in Canadian co-op initiatives, testifying before Congress during the Title VIII funding era and being instrumental with the efforts to bring about the co-op national ad campaign.

Perhaps more significant than anything else have been Dan Cayse’s effect on the people in the field of cooperative education. He consistently supported his faculty’s involvement in professional activities and provided inspiration to countless co-op practitioners across the United States. A quiet, humble, unpretentious leader, Dan not only has been willing to share his knowledge with others, but has fostered the professional development of those who have been fortunate enough the work with him. He can effectively articulate the academic role of co-op in students’ educational programs, while maneuvering through the politics of academic institutions

Dr. Richard Robles is currently a tenured Professor of Engineering and Applied Science Co-op Programs at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Cooperative Education and Professional Studies. With over 20 years of experience in higher education, Richard's research areas include experiential learning, electronic portfolios (eportfolios), assessment, leadership development, and college student development.

Richard received a BA in Liberal Studies from Northern Arizona University, a MS in Counseling and Student Personnel from Minnesota State University, Mankato, an MBA from the University of Cincinnati, and an EdD in Leadership Studies from Xavier University. Richard’s doctoral research explored engineering identity development through cooperative education.

In addition to serving on the CEIA Board of Directors, Richard is an At-Large Board Member and former president for the Ohio Cooperative Education Association and a member of the Professional Development Committee for the Society for Experiential Education. Locally, Richard is a YMCA and USA Swim certified stoke-and-turn official and an official for the Ohio High School Athletic Association.

Kelly Harper is the Director of the Career Center and a tenured faculty member at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. She has been a member of the CEIA Board since 2011, serving in the roles of President, Conference Chair, and Vice President of Marketing and Membership. Before this, she has played an active role, including the President of both the Ohio Cooperative Education Association (OCEA) and the Midwest Cooperative Education and Internship Association (MCEIA).

Kelly has been in the field of Cooperative Education for over 20 years, working for both Cincinnati State College and Northern Kentucky University. Her work has focused on higher education and workforce development. Her specialty areas include career development, employer recruiting and hiring of talent for co-ops, internships, full-time and part-time employment.

Scott Maynard is the Vice President of Economic Development for the St. Johns County FL Chamber of Commerce. He is the former Program Director for Employer Relations at Florida State University and has over 32 years of experience in Career Services, Experiential Learning, and Economic Development.

Prior to his role at Florida State University, Maynard was the CEO/President of the Greater Starkville Development Partnership in Starkville, Mississippi. The Partnership is an umbrella organization that houses the Chamber of Commerce, Oktibbeha County Economic Development Authority, Starkville Visitors and Convention Council and the Starkville Main Street Association.

Maynard was named Director Emeritus of the Career Center and Cooperative Education Program at Mississippi State University (MSU) where he retired after 29 years. While at MSU he was actively involved in local government and economic development and served on the City Council of Starkville, Mississippi.

He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and a Master of Business Administration degree from Mississippi State University. Maynard taught a wide variety of classes in the College of Business at MSU and served as an instructor at the CEIA Academy in Vail, Colorado.

Serving as Director of Experiential Learning at Wilmington University, Dr. Caffo has 14+ years of experience in higher education. In 2010, he was charged with the task of developing a new cooperative education (co-op) department for the university. While building this new program, he took pride in advising students, working with employers to develop opportunities, and worked diligently to incorporate real world experiences into the academic curriculum utilizing co-op as a course modality. In 2016, the Cooperative Education Department he developed was reformed into the Office of Work-Integrated Learning and is now the university’s one-stop shop for internships, cooperative education, and service-learning experiences. In 2018, the Office of Work-Integrated Learning was again reformed becoming the Office of Experiential Learning, wherein his responsibilities evolved to include Credit for Prior Learning as well as Work-Integrated Learning. The Office of Experiential Learning adopted Dr. Caffo’s vision wherein it takes a 360-degree approach to experiential learning. Whether a student goes to Wilmington University with a vast amount of professional experience and is awarded Credit for Prior Learning (CPL), or they participate in a Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) opportunity (Internships or Cooperative Education) embedded in their curriculum for credit, they create an experiential pathway to graduation.

Prior to his tenure at Wilmington University, Dr. Caffo served as a Regional Vice President with Pacific Life where his major responsibilities were establishing relationships with financial advisors, cultivating business development programs, and providing extensive marketing support to producing financial brokers, including: seminars, client appreciation events, case development support, and the implementation of various sales ideas.

Dr. Caffo’s education history consists of earning a Bachelor’s degree in Consumer Economics from University of Delaware, a Master’s degree in Marketing Management from Wilmington University, and completion of a Doctoral degree at Wilmington University in Organizational Leadership and Innovation.

Patricia Bazrod retired in May 2018 from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She has over thirty-four years of experience in career services and cooperative education and internships. In 2019 she was honored to be the recipient of the American Society for Engineering Educations’ Clement J. Freund Award for profound influence and accomplishments that furthered the field of cooperative education programs in engineering or engineering technology programs. She was also nominated and chosen as Fellow to the American Society for Engineering Education in 2015. She began her co-op career as an engineering co-op coordinator in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Arizona State University.

In Cooperative Education, Patricia has a long history of presentations and workshops at the state, regional, national, and international levels. Since 1990, Ms. Bazrod, has been a member of the Cooperative Education and Internship Association (CEIA) and has served as President, President-Elect, Vice-President of the Cooperative Education Network, Past President and is currently serving as the Associate for Member Development and Retention for the organization.

Since 1984, Ms. Bazrod has been a member of the Cooperative Experiential Education Division (CEED) of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), where she has served as Chairman, Program Chair, Secretary-Treasurer, Chair-Elect, and on the Executive Board as that national professional organization’s Archivist. She has served on the ASEE Board of Directors as the PIC V Chair and has had various leadership roles for the annual Conference for Industry and Education Collaboration (CIEC) including General Conference Chair.

She is the recipient of the CED 2005 Borman Award for outstanding service to the field of cooperative education and has served as a trainer and program reviewer for the Accreditation council for Cooperative education. (ACCE).

In 2022, Patty was the recipient of the Herman J. Schneider award from CEIA for significant contributions in the advancement of the philosophy and practice of cooperative education and internships over a sustained period.

Patty lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband Larry and though he still works, she has taken up golf, leisure travel, Formula 1 racing (huge fan) and both she and her husband enjoy wine tasting and have become avid collectors of several types of wine.

Cherie Lynch is an Assistant Professor of Experiential Learning in the School of Social Sciences, Communication & Humanities at Endicott College. Her interests include curriculum development and standards-based practice for experiential learning, and equity-building programming. Cherie has an Ed.M. in Higher Education/Policy, Planning, & Administration from Boston University and certifications through the Institute for Experiential Learning- founded and led by Kay Peterson and David Kolb, the Experiential Education Academy/SEE, and NCDA. Cherie has led and served on numerous professional and academic committees and has been a presenter and leader with regional, national, and international conferences and associations including CEIA, SEE, NEACEFE, and WACE.

Cherie teaches undergraduate courses related to professional development and academic internship. At Endicott Cherie served as the first Director of Internship, where she led the launch and integration of a required pre-internship curriculum in the first and sophomore year, innovative technological systems to manage internship data and opportunities, as well as outcomes and assessment tools for the courses and program.

Previously, Cherie was a founding employee and HR director for Virtual Access Networks, (sold to Symantec) and manager of academic technology at Boston University.

Cherie lives with her husband, daughter, and Jack Russell Terrier in the seaside community of Beverly, located on the North Shore of Massachusetts.

Vanecia Harrison-Sanders is the Director of Graduate Co-op in the College of Science at Northeastern University where she manages the Co-op Process for Graduate Programs and serves as the Faculty Experience Coordinator for PhD students. She has a diverse career background with over 15 years of experience in Cooperative Education and Career Development along with 10 years of experience in the private sector, state, and local government.

Prior to working at Northeastern, Vanecia worked at Merrimack College in North Andover, MA as the Associate Director of the Career Development Office and Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, MA where she held positions in the Career Development Office as a Co-op Coordinator, Career Planning Coordinator and as the Assistant Director. She has worked with Engineering, Science, Technology, Design/Build and Liberal Arts students.

Vanecia has a master’s degree in human resource management from Emmanuel College and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Framingham State University. Vanecia understands the importance of “work experience” as she has held various positions that ranged from manufacturing to customer service, which she believes served as the building blocks, leading her to where she currently stands in her career.

Vanecia greatly enjoys creating pathways for students and industry professionals. Vanecia has served on various committees with CEIA, the Professional Development Committee, the Internship Award Committee and she has presented at CEIA’s Annual Conferences and Academy on the Road for Mid-Level Professionals.

Carissa Forde is a dedicated higher education professional with over a decade of experience in student success, career development, and experiential learning. She currently serves as the Associate Director of Student Professional Development at Temple University in Philadelphia, where she integrates hands-on learning opportunities to prepare students for the evolving workforce.

Carissa holds a bachelor’s degree in human resources management from Baruch College, a master’s degree in public health from Temple University, and a Doctorate in Higher Education. Her dissertation, Beyond the Classroom: Unveiling Liberal Arts Students’ Perceptions of Internships, explores how experiential learning enhances student career readiness.

Throughout her career, Carissa has developed and led numerous workshops and initiatives focused on career exploration, leadership development, and student engagement. She is passionate about embedding real-world learning experiences into higher education, ensuring students gain practical skills that bridge the gap between academics and industry. In her role, she has successfully expanded student engagement, strengthened employer partnerships, and designed programming that equips students with the tools to navigate their careers with confidence.

In addition to her institutional role, Carissa serves as the Vice President of Region 2, where she collaborates with higher education professionals in the Mod-Atlantic to advance best practices in experiential learning. She is a sought-after collaborator and facilitator, regularly presenting at local professional development events.
Driven by her commitment to student success, Carissa continues to advocate for innovative, accessible learning experiences that empower students to thrive beyond the classroom.

Maddie Tympanick is a nationally recognized educator with experience at multiple higher education institutions and non-profit organizations with focus areas including career education, employer relations, internships and work-based learning, community engagement and service-learning, and more. She joined New College of Florida in September 2018 as an Assistant Director of Internship Programs and Career Coach and was promoted to Associate Director of Employer Relations and Work-Based Learning in June 2022. She serves as the campus point of contact and a consultant to community partners and employers developing internship programs/positions and recruiting from New College’s campus. A skilled career coach, Maddie has a passion for helping students become active agents in their own career planning. She specializes in partnering with faculty to integrate work-based learning and internships into academic programs.

In addition to CEIA, Maddie is an active member of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) and Florida Association of Colleges and Employers (FloridaACE). She has presented her innovative internship and career education models at multiple state, regional, and national conferences including NACE, SoACE, FloridaACE, and CEIA, so that others can implement these models on their own college campuses. Maddie’s work on the NCF Community-Driven Internship Program (previously known as the Sarasota-Manatee Arts & Humanities Internship Program) was recognized and awarded the CEIA Best Practices Education Award in 2022. She has also served on several committees over the years, most recently on the CEIA Internship Network Committee and as Chair for the FloridaACE Internships & Employer Engagement Affinity Group. Maddie is passionate about building community and creating opportunities for professionals to connect and share best practices.

Maddie holds a B.A. in Communication with minors in Theater and Gender Studies from Florida Gulf Coast University, and an M.Ed. in Higher Education Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in College Student Affairs from the University of South Florida. Additionally, Maddie holds professional credentials as a Board-Certified Coach (BCC) and Certified Career Services Provider (CCSP).

David Schwartz is the Director of the Springer Center for Internships at Bradley University’s Smith Career Center, where he has served since 2014. In this role, he leads a team responsible for administering 16 internship courses annually, impacting approximately 400 students. He also cultivates and maintains relationships with organizations across the country, building and sustaining valuable internship programs. David’s past leadership at Bradley extended to coordinating the university’s large job fairs, managing diverse teams and complex logistics.

Prior to his work at Bradley, David spent over a decade in the nonprofit sector in development and then as a communications director.

His research focus is on leadership development, organizational improvement, and time management/productivity. These topics are carried over as he annually teaches a course for first-year students focused on life design and effective engagement in the college setting.

A member of CEIA since 2014, he has contributed significantly, serving on the annual conference committee in various roles, including marketing and 2020 Conference Programs Chair. He also served as the 2021 Conference Chair, leading the development of a fully virtual, synchronous conference. Currently, he coordinates the ad hoc task force developing “ASCEND,” CEIA’s forthcoming leadership program for work-integrated learning practitioners.

David holds both a bachelor’s degree in public relations and a master’s degree in nonprofit leadership from Bradley University. 

Celeste Lindell began her career in marketing and sales at Sea World of Florida and continued working in the hospitality industry for over 20 years at companies like Universal Orlando Resort, General Electric, and Interval International until she moved to Texas in 2008. In her first career services role, she served as the Career Services Director at Northwood University – Texas Campus.

She joined the career center team at Texas Christian University in June of 2014, where she focuses on employer development as an assistant director. She has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Central Florida with a minor in Computer Science, a Master of Business Administration from Northwood University, and a Master Of Liberal Arts from Texas Christian University.

Celeste is past president, vice president, and conference chair of the Texas Cooperative Education and Internship Association (TxCEIA) and currently serves as the historian for the association. Celeste has also been a member of CEIA for the past 7 years. And she served on the board of the HR Southwest Conference as the college relations director and student engagement committee member.

She and her husband live in Grand Prairie, Texas and have twin daughters, one teaches 3rd grade and the other recently entered the PhD program in chemistry at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Joseph Banks has over 12 years of experience working with career counseling and coaching, especially in internships. Joseph first started in a law school in southern California where he helped future law students find externships and positions in the courts and in the community. After that, he moved up to Logan, UT for the first time as the Internship Coordinator for the Huntsman School of Business, managing their internship class and helping them gain experience with companies both domestic and international. In addition, he worked with the University of California Riverside with international students looking to find internships and experience while they were studying in the United States.

Currently, he is the Assistant Director at Utah State University’s Career Design Center, focusing on helping all of their colleges and departments measure internship success as well as experiential learning opportunities such as field work, practicums, volunteerism, etc. He is also the chair of the university’s Experiential Learning Committee and leads the coordination of their Internship Coordinator Council meetings, where they conduct bi-annual training for all 80 of the internship coordinators across their institution.

Dr. Brigham serves as the Global Director of Campus Relations for the Southwestern Advantage company. It’s a position he’s held for the past 19 years. He is responsible for training corporate recruiters as well as cultivating and maintaining positive relationships with career offices at approximately 250 universities in 20 countries across North America, Europe and into Asia.

Prior to his years with Southwestern Advantage, Ralph was the Director of Career Services at Montana State University. In that position he was very active on campus concerning strategic planning initiatives within Student Affairs and the university as a whole and he also taught doctoral courses in leadership. He was also quite involved in the community by serving as president of the Chamber of Commerce.

Career highlights include: President, National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE); Employer Director, National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE); President, Rocky Mountain Association of Colleges and Employers (RMACE); Academy of Fellows, National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE); Charles F. Kettering Award, Cooperative Education and Internship Association (CEIA); Professional Vice President, National Council, Pi Sigma Epsilon (PSE), the collegiate sales fraternity.

Ralph is a certified Life Coach and mentors students and young professionals on such topics as finances, career, wellness, and relationships. He is also a frequent speaker across the globe on such topics as success habits, first impressions, dreams as related to career, etc.

Ross Johnston is a Certified Executive Coach and the Founder of Beinn Leadership Inc., where he specializes in C-suite and senior-level executive coaching. With over 25 years of progressive leadership experience across diverse sectors, he has a proven track record of driving organizational success through innovative strategies, exceptional communication, and strong relationship-building skills.

Throughout his career, Ross has led large-scale change initiatives, including his role as Executive Director of Co-operative Education at the University of Waterloo, where he managed the world’s largest co-op program, supporting over 26,000 students and 8,000 employers globally. His leadership has consistently focused on improving student employment outcomes, fostering employer relationships, and enhancing program quality.

In addition to his work in coaching and education, Ross has held senior leadership roles in talent management and human resources, with a focus on employee engagement, recruitment strategies, and organizational development. He has been an active contributor to shaping the future of work-integrated learning through board memberships with leading associations in Ontario (EWO Past-President), Canada, and the USA (CEIA Past-President).

Ross holds an Executive MBA from Bradford University, UK, with a dissertation in change management, and certifications in executive coaching from the Centre for Executive Coaching and the International Coaching Federation.

At Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, Peggy Harrier is a former Dean of Business where she supervised a mandatory co-op component for 20 majors. In addition, she had management responsibilities for 50 fulltime faculty and 200 adjunct instructors. Peggy was also a Chair in the Business Technologies Division, where she had management responsibilities for the Management, Marketing and Real Estate programs and coordinated a mandatory co-op component for students. Cincinnati State College maintained the largest co-op program among two-year schools in the US and remained in the top ten of all co-op programs in the country for over 25 years. Having worked as a co-op coordinator early in her career at the college, she was a tenured faculty member teaching Business Law, Ethics, Co-op Seminar and Professional Practices. As a licensed Real Estate Broker, Peggy had experience in both industry and education.

Peggy Harrier earned a BA degree from St. Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana, as well as a Master of Education degree from Xavier University. She retired from Cincinnati State College in 2013 and was associated with the college for over 30 years.

Peggy joined the CEIA Board in 2000 where she has served the Association as a board member for the past 25 years. Accomplishments to note include, preparing and distributing national state of the profession surveys, leading the reorganization efforts for the Journal of Cooperative Education and Internships, serving as President 2004-05 and chairing two conferences, including co-chairing the 2006 centennial celebration. She was instrumental in securing a collaborative agreement for the production of the Journal of Cooperative Education and Internships with WACE, NCCE and CAFCE. She also initiated strategic partnerships with WACE and NCCE for projects being conducted in the field and has assisted CEIA with the development of an interactive website. She is also a CEIA Academy trainer, specializing in quality improvement processes. CEIA honored Peggy with the Dean Herman Schneider Award in 2009.

Peggy Harrier is currently the Executive Director of the Cooperative Education and Internship Association, Inc. (CEIA)

Patrick is a proud Purdue University Boilermaker—both an alumnus and a dedicated professional committed to serving the Purdue community. In his role, he manages campus-wide initiatives that enhance student outcomes through robust industry partnerships and the elevation of unique, experiential learning programs. As an instructor, connector, community builder, and changemaker, he provides Purdue with the tools and leadership needed to deliver transformational experiences for students and partners.

Patrick serves as the Director of Career Relations for Purdue University’s Indianapolis campus. In this role, he leads efforts to embed career-related services into the campus culture from day one on campus, educates industry partners on effective engagement strategies, and oversees a campus-wide experiential learning tracking system to support the Guaranteed Internship Program.

Patrick’s diverse professional background—spanning secondary education, international cultural exchange, business operations, university recruitment, and event management—equips him with a dynamic skill set. One of his favorite parts of working at Purdue is the vibrant network of students, faculty, and staff that makes every day rewarding and inspiring.

Patrick has been a member of CEIA since 2023 and presented at the 2024 CEIA Conference in partnership with Rolls-Royce. He was also honored with the inaugural CEIA Rising Star Award for his outstanding contributions to Purdue University and his early-career achievements in work-integrated learning and industry partnerships. Ironically, as a former Journalism student turned Communications student; his dream of working at a magazine has come true as the new Editor for CEIA Experience Magazine.

Tiffany Johnson is the Associate Director of Professional Alumni Engagement at the University of Central Florida. She works closely with UCF Advancement and campus colleagues to strategically increase alumni engagement and giving through professional development and career support.

Tiffany specializes in cultivating strategic partnerships with key constituents, growing talent through holistic career education and planning, and building a pipeline for industry leaders. She has 15+ years of working in higher education, focusing on Career Services, Minority Affairs, and Leadership Studies. Tiffany gained her previous experience at Arkansas State University and the University of Central Arkansas. She also received her master’s and bachelor’s degrees from UCA.

Tiffany holds leadership experience in state, regional, and national associations. She is the Associate, Accessible and Effective WIL, for the Cooperative Education and Internship Association and Assistant Conference Committee Chair for the Southern Association of Colleges and Employers. She has served as Region 5 Vice President for CEIA, Breakout Sessions and Roundtables Conference Chair and Administration Knowledge Group Chair for SoACE, and the 2020 and 2021 President of the Arkansas Association for Colleges and Employers. Tiffany also completed the following programs: SoACE Lead Fellow, 2013 NACE Management Leadership Institute, and 2012 NACE Career Coaching Program.