David C. Caffo, Ed.D.
Director of Experiential Learning
College of Online and Experiential Learning

To say Dr. Caffo is chock-full of energy when it comes to Work-Integrated Learning is an understatement. A member of Region 2 (Mid-Atlantic), Dr. Caffo currently serves on the Cooperative Education and Internship Association (CEIA) Board of Directors as the Associate for External Relations & Development. Before holding this position, David was nominated to organize the 2018 CEIA annual conference in Charleston, SC as the conference chair. Honored to accept the position, he set the theme, “Where History is a Foundation for Innovation” which ultimately became one of the most successful conferences in the recent history of the association. Additionally, he served on the 2021 CEIA Annual Conference Site Selection committee in addition to multiple supporting ad hoc committees.

Serving as Director of Experiential Learning at Wilmington University, Dr. Caffo has 12+ 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.

Dawn Koeltzow, Illinois Central College

Dawn Koeltzow began working at Illinois Central College in 2019. She leads a college consortium of 15 schools participating in the Workforce Equity Initiative grant. The purpose of the statewide initiative is to expand short-term workforce training opportunities in high-need communities in Illinois. Dawn has previous experience as the Director Springer Center for Internships at Bradley University. She provided overall direction to Bradley's centralized cooperative education and internship program, where she led a team to create outstanding programs to promote internships and prepare students for success.

Dawn believes in active participation in professional associations. She has been a member and conference attendee for the Cooperative Education and Internship Association (CEIA). She served as president of the Midwest Cooperative Education and Internship Association (MCEIA) and co-chaired the annual conference in Milwaukee, WI. She also served as president of the Illinois Cooperative Education and Internship Association (ILCEIA) and co-chaired the drive-in conference in Peoria, IL. She has prior experience working for several non-profit organizations, including the Chicago Architecture Foundation, Manchester Family YMCA, Franklin Pierce Law Center, and Manchester Choral Society.

Dawn currently serves as a board member for the Peoria Zoo. Dawn earned her Master’s Degree from Bradley University in Leadership in Human Service Administration. She is married to Tim and has two children (Audrey and Walker).

Ross Johnston
Executive Director
Co-operative Education
University of Waterloo

As the Executive Director, Co-operative Education, Ross is accountable for ensuring an effective and appropriate, quality work integrated learning journey for students at the University of Waterloo (23,500 co-op enrolled students). He also ensures Co-operative Education meets and exceeds co-op employment rates (97.6% in 2019), while maintaining and enhancing employer relationships with over 7,000 organizations across more than 65 countries. To achieve these objectives, Ross oversees the evolution of best practices and continuous improvement of the co-op experience for students and employers. To ensure academic integration and learning outcomes within the pedagogical model of co-operative education, Ross manages the ongoing faculty and campus partnerships.

Ross joined the University of Waterloo in 2009 as Director, Employment Relations before becoming the Executive Director in 2017. Previous roles include Director of Attraction & Retention with MTS Allstream, founder of a talent management and career advice consultancy and CIBC Senior Director of Recruitment Operations across all divisions globally.

Prior to living in Canada, Ross was Head of Training & Development for a UK financial institution. Ross has extensive experience in Recruitment, Strategic HR, Change Management, Sales and Business Development and has an Executive MBA from Bradford University’s School of Management in the UK.

Ross has been a regular participant and presenter at CEIA conferences and has been a board member since 2017, where he currently serves as the Vice President, Global Network. In June 2019, Ross was named President for Education at Work Ontario (EWO) and is a past board member of Co-operative Education and Work Integrated Learning (CEWIL) Canada, formerly the Canadian Association for Co-operative Education (CAFCE).

Cara Inagaki Doyle is the Assistant Director for Employer Relations in the Career Development Center at NC State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. She has over 15 years of experience in higher education, having spent time in admissions, student services and career services. Prior to joining the Employer Relations Team, Cara spent 8 years as a Co-op Coordinator in NC State’s Cooperative Education Program, working with students in the College of Engineering and the College of Management. In her current role, Cara works to cultivate and maintain existing relationships with employers that support experiential learning and employment opportunities for NC State students. In addition, she oversees a number of events to include Industry Networking Nights, Co-op Networking Night, Co-op Job Fair and Women in STEM Symposium.

Cara has served as President of the North Carolina Cooperative Education Association (NCCEA), as well as a variety of other roles within NCCEA. She has been a member of CEIA since 2009, having served on a number of committees and as the 2019 CEIA Conference Chair in Chicago.

Vice President, Finance and Development

Dan Cayse, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College

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

Tracey Lord, Florida State University

Tracey Lord serves as the Program Director of Experiential Learning at Florida State University's Career Center.

An experienced career coach, she delivered career advising and lead programming efforts with Emory University's Goizueta Business School, the University of Georgia, and The University of Virginia – Semester at Sea program. Currently a member of the NACE Leadership Advancement Program’s 2016 Class, she has completed career services trainings including the NSEE Experiential Education Academy, Career Services Institute - West, and the NACE Management Leadership Institute.

She is both a proud Blazer, earning a BBA in Marketing from Valdosta State University, and a proud Seminole, earning a MS in Higher Education from the Florida State University.

Sarah Burrows, Providence College

Sarah Burrows is the Director of Internship Programs and Associate Professor of Communication. Sarah recently earned her Ed.D. from Northeastern University; her Dissertation “Giving and Getting: the Changing Landscape of Unpaid Internships in the U.S.” has recently been published by scholars press. Prior to working at Lasell College, she served as the Internship Program Director and was on the Communications faculty at Simmons College for twelve years. Sarah also has extensive professional experience, including non-profit management, serving as program director and manager for local media outlets and running her own business. In addition to teaching the internship seminar, in both the undergraduate and graduate Communication programs, Sarah is the faculty liaison with the Washington Semester Program through American University. Sarah works closely with all academic departments at Lasell as well as Career Services on placement, programming, and assessment connected with academic internships.

Lynne Hickle joined the CEIA Board as the Region 2 Vice President in January of 2016. Lynne is the Executive Director of Co-operative Education in the Steinbright Career Development Center at Drexel University. In her role as the Executive Director, she manages the co-op team and provides leadership and direction to the co-op program. The Co-op program at Drexel is about 100 years old. It supports approximately 6,000 students annually secure co-op opportunities and manages relationships with nearly 2,000 employers.

Prior to her current role as Executive Director, she was the Associate Dean for Student Services in the College of Computing & Informatics at Drexel University where she led a team of staff that supported the recruiting, admissions, advising and registration services for the College. She has 20+ years of experience in higher education administration and is a recognized leader. Lynne’s background in academics and current role in cooperative education gives her a unique perspective on work integrated learning. She looks forward to contributing to the CEIA organization.

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.

Prior positions:
Formerly, Janis was the Managing Director of the Franklin Paterson Company, a provider of Resume Writing and Career Counseling Services, and its subsidiary FPSelectJobs.com a national Job Board. In addition, she was a founding Partner, Bond Technologies: Technology Consulting, large scale Technology Project Sales / Consultant/ and Technology Recruiter. Built a Technology Consulting practice with three partners from four consultants to four hundred Consultants with offices in NY, Chicago, and the UK.
She is fundamentally a teacher, techie, and career development specialist with an interest in using technology to enhance the speed and organization of the recruiting process. Janis Ransom is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Other facts:
Former Weight Lifter and “drop-out Retiree”. My period of retirement lasted just six weeks before I returned to workforce part-time as a recruiter at Cetera Investors. Started at one day a week, that one day has morphed into my current position as Recruiting Operations Manager. Born in Trinidad, W.I., and lived through the experience of International Student, to US Permanent Resident. Worked and lived all over the United States and Europe as part of my work experience. In the development of my own companies and as an employee of other firms have always hired between forty and sixty percent of new employees directly from the colleges. Former Board member of Roxbury Children’s Services, which at the time was the second largest provider of services to under-privileged children in the Massachusetts. The state Massachusetts was the largest.

Kelly Harper, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College

Kelly Harper is a co-op coordinator and 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 conference chair and Vice President of Marketing and Membership.  Prior to this, she has played an active role including 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 15 years working for both Northern Kentucky University and Cincinnati State.  Her work has focused on higher education and workforce development.  Her areas of specialty include career development, employer recruiting and hiring of talent for co-ops, internships, full-time and part-time employment.

Kelly Harper has also been actively engaged in quality assurance programs on campus including participation in Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) systems portfolio review and Continuous Quality Improvement Program (CQIN) focusing on organizational sustainability.

Kelly graduated with an undergraduate degree in International Studies and History and obtained a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Northern Kentucky University.  In her time away from work, you can find Kelly with her husband Derick and two children Sara (a junior in high school) and London (a 7^th grader.)  They reside in northern Kentucky.

Molly Thompson, University of Colorado Denver

Molly Thompson is currently the Associate Director of Business Relationships and Development for the University of Colorado Denver, where she has been since November of 2019. Prior to that, she spent nine years at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Ms. Thompson specializes in fundraising, building experiential educational programs, and in advising students and corporations in a broad range of engineering disciplines. Ms. Thompson sits on a variety of academic boards and committees and has expertise in program management, curriculum development, and management training.

Ms. Thompson has an additional six years of experience in higher education as an English professor and previously worked as a job developer for a dislocated workers’ program, where she helped refugees find work and ran trainings on job search techniques for welfare recipients. She holds two Master’s degrees in History and English, respectively, and has begun coursework for a PhD in Public Policy. Ms. Thompson is a published author, an avid gardener, and a news junkie. She has been an active member of CEIA since 2011.

As the Director, Employment Relations with the University of Waterloo, Domenica is accountable for the North American employment relations strategy. She leads a diverse team across Canada who are responsible for developing new employer relationships as well as retaining and growing existing ones. Her team also provides support to students on and between work terms. Prior to joining the University of Waterloo, Domenica worked for 30 years in the Government, Not for Profit and Private Sectors. She has experience leading a national team focused on vocational planning, building employer and community relationships and supporting individuals as they navigate the world of Academia and work. With a Bachelor of Social Work degree and a commitment to staff and student health and wellness, Domenica has been instrumental in developing the new Student Mental Health Advisor role and expanding the Advisor, Workplace Harassment role within Co-operative and Experiential Education at the University of Waterloo. She is also a member of The President’s Advisory Committee on Student Mental Health.

As a CEIA member, Domenica presented on Campus Partners and Employer Relations at the CEIA conference in 2019 and submitted proposals in 2020 and 2021. She is a member of Co-operative Education and Work Integrated Learning (CEWIL) Canada and a member of the Professional Development committee for Education at Work Ontario (EWO). She has spoken at various Academic and Employer Organizations across North America promoting co-op at the University of Waterloo.

Domenica strongly believes in the value of giving back to her community – spending much of her spare time volunteering with homeless shelters and local food banks in the Greater Toronto Area. She is fluent in four languages: English, Italian, Spanish and French and her passion for travelling the world has offered her opportunities to spend time living in Italy, Venezuela and England.

Kate Darcy Hohenthal, Ed.D. currently serves as the CEIA Region 1 Northeast Vice President. She is leading the Work-Integrated Learning Forum pilot in region 1 in order to establish an annual drive-in workshop, which will provide additional access to work-integrated learning opportunities for members. Kate recently served as an Associate Editor for the re-launch of CEIA’s Experience Magazine. As the Assistant Director of Experiential Education & Student Engagement at the University of Hartford, Kate is the architect of innovative experiential learning initiatives including Pre-1st Semester Internship Onboarding program (prepares students during the summer before they begin college); the i-team and Internship Satellite Office Outreach (student peer learning model at several campus locations); and Work-Integrated Learning Opportunities Resume Boot Camps (with 450% increase in employer participation over a three-year period).

With 14 years of employer experience, Kate brings a business focus to her higher education partnerships; she utilizes a Return on Investment approach for CEIA program proposals. Kate taps into her employer partnerships through her Vice President of College Relations and Internships Board role with Staffing Management Association and collaborations with Eastern Association of Colleges and Employers (EACE).

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 16 in a central unit and serving as liaison between career development within colleges and schools. Previous to this role, Kristen spent seven years working with the cooperative education program at Drexel University, with five of those 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 about 5 years. During that time, she has presented two sessions at the national CEIA conference in 2019, led a webinar on the future of work, and submitted to Experience Magazine. Kristen has also presented sessions and pre-conference workshops at several other conferences, with a focus on cooperative education best practices and assessment. Now she hopes to grow involvement with CEIA as Vice President of Region 2, bringing her knowledge of cooperative education and career services together.

Kristen is currently in the research phase of her Ed.D in Educational Leadership and Management from Drexel University. Her research focus is the impact of cooperative education on students studying entrepreneurship, and she looks forward to the contribution her dissertation will make to the field. 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.

MaKesha Hillery, Georgia State University

Makesha H. Dockery is committed to helping individuals in transition develop the skills needed to move forward in their life and career. As an educator, she uses her expertise in advising students to empower individuals in the various levels of their career pursuits. In her current role as a Coordinator, Cooperative Education and Internships at Georgia State University she works with college students to prepare them to take on experiences and discover or uncover their purpose. Within this role, she has assisted with brainstorming the ideas needed to develop HACK GSU and partnered with Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce to host a small business and start-up job fair for Georgia State University students and alumni to expand the awareness of internship and co-op experiences at this level.

Additionally when Makesha is not working her day job; she is still seeking ways to be a positive difference maker by inspiring, motivating and encouraging individuals, youth and professionals. Some community projects include partnerships to speak and teach for Society of Human Resource Managers (SHRM)-youth job readiness programs, City of Atlanta- Office of the Mayor (Summer Youth Program), Georgia State University- Trio Programs, Junior Achievement and various other community organization’s youth, career and workforce development initiatives. Makesha is a United Way V.I.P (volunteer investment program) graduate, a selective leadership development program for community members aspiring to serve as a member for a non-profit boards. Recently, her involvement in Women In Technology, also known as WIT Campus helped to expand internship and career development opportunities for female students who have an interest in STEM related careers especially technology. As a result of her ground work, WIT Campus has been able to formalize a campus organization specifically for Georgia State University students.

Makesha has been actively involved in CEIA since 2013 and served as the Region 3-State Representative, Georgia. She currently serves as Region 3 Vice President, where she desires to expand opportunities and create a broader awareness for students to recognize the importance of experiential learning in career development and for advancement potential in the marketplace.

Dr. Richard Robles is currently an Associate Professor and Director of Manufacturing and Construction Co-op Programs at the University of Cincinnati’s Division of Experience-Based Learning and Career Education. In addition to teaching professional development courses for engineering students, Rich is responsible for mentoring and placing mechanical engineering students in full-time work-integrated learning experiences. With over 20 years of experience in higher education, Rich has research interests in experiential learning, electronic portfolios (eportfolios), assessment, leadership development, and college student development.

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

Recently, Rich completed a three-year term as president of the Ohio Cooperative Education Association, and Cooperative and Experiential Education Division Program Chair for the ASEE Conference for Industry and Education Collaboration. Within CEIA, Rich served on the committee to relaunch Experience Magazine.

Andrew Harper, Texas WORKS Internship Program at Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

Andrew Harper is a recent past president of the Texas Cooperative Education & Internship Association and currently serves as the Local Arrangements Chair for the Southern Association of Colleges & Employers Annual Conference.  He has also completed the Management Leadership Institute and Leadership Advancement Program through the National Association of Colleges & Employers.

Andrew has worked with career, employer relations and experiential education programs for more than 10 years in the positions of Internship Coordinator and Manager of Employer Relations at St. Edward’s University and as Career Services Advisor at the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts campus in Austin.  In addition, he has taught U.S. History courses for St. Edward’s University and Austin Community College.

Dr. Meghan Stidd is the Assistant Dean of External Relations for the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) College of Business where she oversees employer relations, career development, internships, alumni relations, and marketing initiatives. Meghan is the main point of contact for any individuals or organizations wanting to engage with the College. Meghan is currently leading the development of a required career development curriculum for all undergraduate College of Business students, which will include a mandatory experiential learning component.

In her former role, Meghan served as the Program Director for the College of Business Career Development Center where she managed the College of Business Internship Program and assisted organizations interested in recruiting students for internships and full-time positions. During her two-year term, Meghan increased student participation in the College of Business internship program by nearly 30%, established new partnerships with over 100 employers, and identified the need for, created, and implemented a 2000 level internship course enabling students to earn academic credit for internship experiences earlier in their degree programs.
Prior to her positions at UCCS, Meghan served as a program director, associate regional director, and regional director of the Mountain Pacific Troops to Teachers program, spanning over 14 years. In her last position as regional director, Meghan led a twelve state region devoted to assisting military veterans during their transition to civilian careers as public school teachers. Through strategic partnerships and improved operating procedures, Meghan increased the number of Troops to Teachers students hired within the region by 48%, resulting in the most successful year of regional operations in program history.

Meghan has been involved with CEIA since 2016. For the past year, Meghan served as the Colorado State Representative and as a member of the Research Committee. Meghan has also contributed to the CEIA Blog and has presented at the past two CEIA annual conferences. In addition to CEIA activities, Meghan has conducted multiple conference presentations and published articles focused on best practices regarding internships, interviewing, and professional development programming. Meghan also collaborates with the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative at UCCS to lead workshops and facilitate trainings on integrating ethics into internship and career development programs.

Rebecca Pettitt currently serves as a Senior Career Advisor for Early Career Engagement at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. She received her M.S. Ed. in Adult and Higher Education from Northern Illinois University and BA in Finance from Washington State University. She carries experience at large state universities such as UCLA, smaller state institutions such as University of Washington Tacoma, and currently serves at a small private liberal arts college. Along with her work in career development, Rebecca brings over 10 years’ experience across higher education from residence life, academic advising, student activities, and admissions. She is passionate about helping each student reach their highest potential.

Rebecca brings enthusiasm for connecting practitioners and employers within Region 7 and providing a space to share best practices in cooperative education, internship development, employer relations, recruiting practices, experiential learning initiatives, and bringing equity and inclusion to the forefront of our practice.

Patricia Bazrod, Georgia Institute of Technology (retired)

Patricia Bazrod has over thirty years of experience in career services and cooperative education and internships. In 2015 she was honored to be elected as a Fellow to the American Society for Engineering Education. 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 made numerous presentations and conducted workshops on the state, regional, national and international level. Since 1990, Ms. Bazrod, has been a member of the Cooperative Education and Internship Association (CEIA) and has served as President, Vice-President of the Cooperative Education Network, and is currently serving as the Past President of 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.

Ms. Bazrod has also served as President and Conference Chair for state cooperative education organizations. She is also a member of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Employers (SoACE), and the World Association for Cooperative Education (WACE). 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).

Penelope (Penny) Grob is the Director of the Business Scholars Co-op Program and the School of Business liaison to the Career Center at La Salle University. Penny has been in her role as co-op director for 14 years and prior to joining La Salle University’s School of Business as an Administrator, she held a variety of Human Resources roles in the private sector.

Penny has grown the Business Scholars Program into a signature program within La Salle's School of Business. Penny's position includes advising students both academically and on career related issues. Her role in the Career Center allows Penny the opportunity share her expertise with a broader audience outside of the co-op program. Her work has brought new opportunities and enhanced existing employer partnerships to the Career Center. In addition, Penny works with the Office of University Admissions at La Salle speaking with prospective students and their families highlighting all the benefits La Salle has to offer. Penny also serves on several University Committees.

Penny has been an active member of CEIA since 2006 and immediately volunteered her time when she joined the organization. Penny presented at the San Antonio conference (2011), is a key member of the Registration Committee for the annual conference (2008-2021). Outside of registration she been a judge for the Student Co-op of the Year Award four times, and has been a Reviewer for Conference Proposal’s twice. She has served as a member of the Audit Committee of CEIA for the past three years. Penny served as the Region 2 Mid-Atlantic Vice President from 2012 – 2016.

Penny holds a Bachelors degree from Rosemont College and is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Human Capital Development at La Salle University.

Penny welcomes the opportunity to again serve Region 2 – Mid Atlantic.

Michael J. Sharp is the Director of the Center for Service Learning and Civic Engagement at the University of Cincinnati, which is housed in the Division of Professional Practice and Experiential Learning (ProPEL). He is an assistant professor of Experiential Learning, is coordinating a Service Learning and Civic Engagement Certificate and accompanying Service Learning courses at the university. He created and is helping to lead a novel approach to service learning called the Service learning Collaboratory where in students learn how not-for-profit organizations can use for-profit approaches to raise resources and awareness.

His research interests revolve around servant leadership in higher education, social enterprise approaches to service pedagogies, spiritual dimensions to teaching and learning, experiential pedagogy, service learning, and the scholarship of engagement, specifically looking for ways that community, students, and universities can build mutually nourishing and sustainable relationships.

Michael is currently pursuing a doctorate in Urban Educational Leadership at the University of Cincinnati and is working on a dissertation focused on the importance of "critical pedagogy" created through campus-community partnerships. As a professional hobby, Michael is co-hosting the Tapioca Radio Show, an internet radio program and podcast that spotlights unique work in the world of experiential learning. You can review a list of Michael's publications, presentations, and teaching experiences by visiting his ePortfolio.

CEIA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Peggy Harrier

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. She also had management responsibilities for 50 fulltime faculty and 200 adjunct instructors. Peggy was also a Chair of 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. She 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 20 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 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)

Dan Cayse, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College

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

Scott Maynard recently retired as the Program Director for Employer Relations at Florida State University. He has over 33 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. During that time he served on the board of directors for the Southern Association of Colleges and Employers (Director of Technology), Cooperative Education and Internship Association (President), and the Accreditation Council for Cooperative Education (President). He has also served on a variety of NACE committees. In 2017 Maynard was awarded honorary lifetime membership to SOACE and CEIA as well as receiving the Mississippi Association of Colleges and Employers (MACE) Distinguished Service Award.

Maynard has been actively involved in local government and economic development for many years. He served on the City Council of Starkville, Mississippi, Board of Directors of the Visitor and Convention Council and as Chairman of the Park Commission. He worked with regional and state-wide economic development officials to attract and retain new business and industry to the State of Mississippi. Maynard has served as an advocate for the development of entrepreneurs at the local level. He facilitated the installation of incubator space for new start-ups and pushed successfully for the addition of maker space in the downtown Starkville corridor.
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.

Rebecca Pettitt,

Rebecca Pettitt currently serves as a Senior Career Advisor for Early Career Engagement at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. She received her M.S. Ed. in Adult and Higher Education from Northern Illinois University and BA in Finance from Washington State University. She carries experience at large state universities such as UCLA, smaller state institutions such as University of Washington Tacoma, and currently serves at a small private liberal arts college. Along with her work in career development, Rebecca brings over 10 years’ experience across higher education from residence life, academic advising, student activities, and admissions. She is passionate about helping each student reach their highest potential.

Rebecca brings enthusiasm for connecting practitioners and employers within Region 7 and providing a space to share best practices in cooperative education, internship development, employer relations, recruiting practices, experiential learning initiatives, and bringing equity and inclusion to the forefront of our practice.