Penn Career Services is a centralized office on campus supporting the majority of students, postdocs, and alumni in their professional and career development. But we are not alone, and many staff and faculty play an indispensable role in helping these populations find career success. We are part of a growing “career everywhere” community, and want to take this opportunity to both celebrate and educate. Each year we offer a day of professional and career development programs that help to empower staff and faculty across campus to feel confident as you engage with the students, postdocs, and alumni you serve in any career-relevant conversations. We also hope that these programs give you resources, insights, and advice that support your own continued career development. Learn more about our broader Career Champions Initiative here.
The 2026 Conference
This year’s program is designed to be highly interactive and will be in-person only.
The theme of this year’s conference is “casing”, a term on the minds of students from freshmen to postdocs, but the meaning of which you may only have a vague understanding. This one-day, in-person Career Champions Case Competition is a professional development experience for Penn staff and faculty that uses a consulting style case format to strengthen how they support the career and professional development of students, postdocs, alumni, and staff. The goals are to:
- Build confidence and shared language for handling common career related challenges that show up in everyday interactions.
- Expose participants to basic consulting problem solving tools they can apply in their own work.
- Generate both practical, immediately usable ideas and longer term “blue sky” visions that Career Services and partners can draw on.
**REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, PLEASE REACH OUT**
These programs are for Penn staff/faculty. By participating in these sessions, you will gain insight into your own professional and career development, and will also be able to share these insights and resources with students, postdocs, and alumni at Penn as you engage with them over the next academic year.
Please note that space is limited. Please register soon to reserve your seat while they are still available.
Tuesday, June 2nd
3935 Walnut Street, 2nd Floor
9am-5pm: Photobooth is available for professional headshots
Available in the Career Services office on the 3rd floor of 3935 Walnut Street. All other events will be held on the second floor.
9am-9:15am: Breakfast and Informal Networking
Please join us for coffee, tea and pastries while you get to know your fellow participants and the Career Services staff.
9:15-10:15am: What Advising and Consulting Have in Common: Practical Problem‑Solving for Student Support (Keynote)
Moderated by:
– Natty Leach, Senior Associate Director, Wharton Undergrad, Penn Career Services
– J. Michael DeAngelis, Senior Associate Director, Communication & Technology, Penn Career Services
Confirmed panelists:
– A. Mylène Kerschner, Director of Consulting & Creative Services, Ideba
– Jingy Yen, Talent Acquisition Manager at Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
Higher education staff are often asked to do more with less, while navigating systems that were not designed for today’s students. This keynote acknowledges that reality and offers a realistic, human‑centered way forward. By connecting familiar advising work to simple, structured problem‑solving techniques, the session empowers staff to approach challenges with clarity, creativity, and confidence—without needing a background in consulting.
In this keynote, former Penn Career Services staff members—now working in consulting roles—share how the skills they developed as advisors continue to shape the way they approach problem‑solving today. Without assuming any prior knowledge of consulting, the presentation introduces a simple, practical way of thinking often called a “consulting mindset,” and shows how it closely mirrors the best practices many higher education staff already use.
10:15am-10:45am: The ABCs of Casing
Presented by:
– Laura Brasch, Associate Director, College of Arts & Sciences, Penn Career Services
– Brendan Kennedy, Associate Director, Wharton Undergrad, Penn Career Services
To prepare you for the afternoon’s casing activities, Career Services staff introduce a simple framework for structuring a case, breaking it into components, and pitching recommendations.
10:45am-11:00am Coffee Break
Stretch your legs, enjoy a second cup of coffee, and network with panelists, presenters, and guests as we prepare for the afternoon.
11:00am-12:30pm: Casing Activity
Participants will be broken into several groups, each tackling a randomly assigned case. All of the cases reflect actual challenges facing faculty and staff at Penn and in higher education at large. Using the tools from the keynote and morning presentations, each group will try to “crack the case” and prepare to present on their results after lunch.
A Career Services staff member will be assigned to each group to help facilitate the activity.
Case topics may include:
– Understanding and responding to changing opportunity landscapes
– Making sense of varied hiring cycles across fields and sectors
– Translating academic and life experiences into language employers value
– Integrating career exploration into already full lives
– Supporting people when their original plans no longer fit
– Navigating career development in a world shaped by AI tools
– Helping people build relationships and communities for their futures
– Recognizing and addressing obstacles that shape access to opportunities
– Staff professional and career development at Penn
12:30pm-1:30pm: Lunchworking
Mix and mingle with conference participants and advisors from Penn Career Services as you get to know the Career Champions community at Penn. Lunch will be provided, but registration is limited.
1:30pm-2:00pm: Final Presentation Prep
Each group will have thirty minutes to put any final touches on their case study and get ready for their presentation to the judges!
2:00pm-4:00pm: Case Competition and Q&A
Judges – learn more about our two judges here:
– Kelly Cleary, Director of the Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business, University of Pennsylvania
– David Ross, Director of Undergraduate Career Initiatives, Penn Career Services, University of Pennsylvania
The big moment has arrived! Each group will present their case to the room, including a panel of special guest judges. Both the judges and audience members will have the chance to ask questions after each presentation.
4:00pm-4:15: Winners Announced
Refresh yourself while the judges confer. At the conclusion of the break, the judges will present the winning team with a small prize! Career Services staff will be on hand to answer and questions or facilitate further discussion as we wrap-up the day.
Questions? Comments? Please contact Joseph Barber (Penn Career Services) at barberjo@upenn.edu or Michael DeAngelis at jmdeange@upenn.edu
Organizing Committee:
Joseph Barber & J. Michael DeAngelis
