My career started in college admissions, which was a nice transition from college life. I was in a familiar environment where I was confident I could be successful. I attended graduate school part time, received a master’s degree and continued to work in higher education for a few years before heading into the ‘real world’ of corporate life.

The experience of Fortune 500 company life was an education in finance, corporate strategy, marketing and sales. I worked with clients in the financial services sector and managed line organizations delivering direct consumer services. But I knew the place where I belonged was with college students on a university campus.

I found my work ‘place’ leading career centers at both Columbia University in the City of New York and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

The transition allowed me to stay connected to the world outside of academia, interacting with employers as well as students and alumni.

At USC I moved on to lead the continuing education organization and create strategies for the growing online degree portfolio.

During my time at USC I started writing blogs, first about issues in the workplace, ‘SC@Work’ and next about lifelong learning, ‘refresh@USC’. I had the opportunity to co-found the USC Writers Conference and realized that it was time to find a new work ‘place’.

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