Barbara Hewitt
Executive Director
she/hers
Barbara joined Penn Career Services in 1998 and has served as the Executive Director since 2018. She currently leads the entire office as well as advises students and alumni interested in pursuing MBAs. Prior to becoming Executive Director, Barbara served as a Career Adviser to students in the College of Arts and Sciences and in Wharton. Barbara holds a Bachelor of Arts from Dickinson College with majors in Psychology and Spanish, a masters in Counseling from Shippensburg University, and an EdD in Higher Education Administration from Penn.
Barbara believes strongly in the power of education to change lives and indeed the world, and has enjoyed focusing her career on helping students and alumni to take what they have learned while in school to contribute to society in their own unique ways. Away from the office, Barbara spends time with her two college-aged daughters and husband, as well as a motley collection of furry friends including a shi zhu/ yorkie dog, a cat, and four occasionally noisy guinea pigs (at least when it’s their dinner time!).
Specialties and Interests
Pre-MBADavid Ross
Director, Undergraduate Career Initiatives
David is the Director of Undergraduate Career Initiatives serving students and alumni across undergraduate schools at Penn. Prior to his current position, he spent over 13 years advising Wharton undergraduate students and alumni in Career Services, including more than 3 years leading the Wharton undergraduate team in the office.
He holds a B.S.B.A. in Marketing, Management and Organization & Human Resources from Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, an M.S.Ed. in Higher Education Management from Penn’s Graduate School of Education, and an Ed.M. in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard Graduate School of Education.
David enjoys working with students and alumni looking to explore career options at all stages of their journey – from the first-year at Penn, through the college years and beyond! He relates well to students who are unsure what they want to be when they grow up and appreciates working with students on identifying their transferable skills. David has lived in several U.S. cities and enjoys traveling to discover new vacation spots. Outside of work, David spends time listening to music, visiting the beach, sampling desserts, watching DC area sports teams and streaming subscription services – open to new show recommendations!
Specialties and Interests
Undergraduate StudentsCollege of Arts and SciencesSchool of Engineering and Applied ScienceWharton UndergradPre-MBAJoseph Barber
Director, Graduate Career Initiatives
Dr. Joseph Barber is the Director of Graduate Career Initiatives serving graduate students and postdocs. He has a Ph.D. in animal behaviour from University of Oxford (UK), has previously worked as a Research Fellow at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and currently also teaches graduate students as an Adjunct Professor at Hunter College (CUNY). Joseph enjoys thinking creatively to help people find and explore different career paths, and is always interested in hearing students and postdocs talk enthusiastically about their research.
Specialties and Interests
Graduate StudentsPostdocsAnnenbergGraduate Arts & SciencesWharton PhDSchool of DesignPerelman School of MedicinePenn Carey LawMichael DeAngelis
Senior Associate Director, Communications & Technology
he/his
J. Michael DeAngelis began working in Career Services in 2004 and has served in his current position since 2023, focusing on technology, communication and innovation within Career Services. He received his B.A. in Theatre Arts from Muhlenberg College and studied performance and theater criticism at Goldsmith’s College, University of London. Outside of Career Services, Michael is a professional podcaster, actor, director and playwright. He is the managing director of The Porch Room film and theater company. His award winning plays are available from Samuel French, Inc. He puts those talents to use as the co-host of the weekly CS Radio Podcast and has wrangled more than one of his co-workers into playing ridiculous parts on his show Mission: Rejected.
Specialties and Interests
Performing ArtsPodcastingEmily Barrale
Associate Director for Data Visualization, Analysis & Reporting
Emily Barrale is an Associate Director in Career Services, serving students and alumni from the College of Arts & Sciences to help them succeed in their future career and internship plans. She also manages reporting, analysis, and data visualization for the Career Services department as a whole. Emily holds a Master of Science in Information Systems from Drexel University and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Temple University. In her free time she paints, plays piano, and takes care of her extensive collection of house plants.
Specialties and Interests
College of Arts & SciencesSusan Visoskas
Operations Manager
Susan Visoskas joined the Career Services team in 2022. She serves as the Operations Manager and handles budgetary, human resource, and other administrative tasks for the office.
Susan holds a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Economics and a master’s in Public Administration from the University of Delaware. Before coming to Penn, Susan held various roles in student housing, student services, and residence life at West Chester University, Delaware County Community College, and the University of Delaware. A lifelong resident of the greater Philadelphia region, Susan is a diehard Phillies phan. In her free time, she enjoys travel, music and theater, and sings with the Chester County Choral Society.
Gareth Bohn
Operations Coordinator
Gareth Bohn joined Career Services as the Operations Coordinator in February 2022. He Earned a B.S. in Psychology from Tufts University and worked at the Print Center before joining the team. When he’s not working at Career Services he has an internship as a Research Assistant with a psychology research group at Jefferson University under Dr. Kirby Wycoff, sketching, and squeezes in a few video games.