Staff Page

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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!).

David is the Director of Undergraduate Career Initiatives serving undergraduate students and undergraduate alumni at Penn.  Prior to his current position, he spent over 13 years advising Wharton undergraduate students and alumni, 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!

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.

Debra Koita, a native New Orleanian, joined Career Services in 1991.  She came to Philadelphia in 1987 when asked by her former employer to join him in starting the Sickle Cell Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where she was Executive Assistant and Liaison to the Sickle Cell Parents’ Support Group.  Prior to her current role in the Career Services office, Debra was the assistant for the Graduate School Counseling unit as well as the Marketing Coordinator.  She is currently the Recruiting Manager where she manages and oversees employer relationship strategy and service delivery, marketing, and recruiting events across all industries.  She is also the marketing coordinator for the Career Services online support program.  Debra attended both Tulane University and the University of Pennsylvania in pursuit of her degree.   In addition to her current work, Debra is a calligrapher and wedding coordinator.  She is an avid and award-winning gardener, and enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, movies and relaxing in her urban garden oasis.

Employers looking to connect with Debra can schedule at time to speak by clicking Schedule an Appointment.

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Heather is the Employer Relations Coordinator for the On Campus Interviewing office. She is excited to connect students with their dream jobs through her work in this role. She received her B.M. in music performance from Susquehanna University and her M.M from SUNY Binghamton. Heather has worked in higher education since 2016, beginning as an admissions assistant for the music department at Susquehanna University. She taught classes in music pedagogy and vocal technique at SUNY Binghamton, in addition to her position as a department administrator. Most recently, she served as the Administrative Assistant for Career Services at Swarthmore College. Outside of work, Heather is an active performer of both Jazz and Opera music, and she loves spending time taking care of her small houseplant collection and two cats. 

Since 2015, Dianne has been a part of the Career Services team which advises graduate students and postdocs.  In addition to her advising responsibilities with students, Dianne coordinates the partnership between Career Services and Penn Carey Law’s Master in Law program.  Prior to joining the Career Services team, she worked in a variety of student advising roles as a part of the Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program at Bryn Mawr College, as well as in the Career Development Center at Saint Joseph’s University.  Dianne holds a graduate degree from Penn’s Graduate School of Education and an undergraduate degree from Lehigh University.  In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her family and cooking.

Marianne joined the Career Services team in fall 2015 providing career and internship guidance to undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences and now advises graduate students and postdocs.  She has worked at Penn since 2004, starting at the Wharton School where she was an academic advisor to undergraduate students and more recently, in their alumni relations office.  She graduated from Bowdoin College with a double major in Romance Languages and History, and earned her master’s degree in Higher Education Management from the Graduate School of Education at Penn.  She is an avid skier and enjoys traveling.

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Tithi Basu Mallik, PhD, previously served as the Assistant Director for Graduate/Professional Students & Postdoctoral Career Support at the University of Kentucky where she was jointly appointed by the Graduate School and the Career Center. While there, she led career development efforts for graduate students, professional students, and postdoctoral scholars across all disciplines at the institution, providing one-on-one advising and various career enhancement programs. She also worked closely with various internal and external stakeholders including faculty, employers, and alumni to improve career preparation of advanced degree candidates. Tithi received her PhD in Philosophy from the University of Connecticut where she was actively involved in advocating for graduate students and postdocs through her work in the Center for Career Development and in graduate student government.

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Lisa joined Career Services as an Administrative Coordinator in January 2022. She earned a B.A. in Geography & Urban Studies from Temple University and was a GIS Analyst before coming to Career Services, where she supports the graduate/postdoc team and nursing/education/social policy team. As an undergraduate, they had internships in a variety of nonprofits including education programs and refugee resettlement services. She hopes to use these experiences to help support Penn students in exploring their future professions. In their free time they enjoy reading, eating their way through Philly, and bothering their cat.

Dr. Sharon Fleshman has been with Career Services since 2000 and serves students and alumni of the School of Nursing, Graduate School of Education, and the School of Social Policy and Practice.  As she advises those seeking social impact careers, she enjoys empowering them to find their career fit by discovering and articulating their skills, strengths and work values as they reflect on their experiences. Sharon graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. She has also earned master’s degrees from New York University’s Stern School of Business and Westminster Theological Seminary as well as a Doctor of Ministry degree from Northern Seminary. Before coming to Career Services, Sharon had advisory roles in consulting firms and a faith-based non-profit.  As an ordained minister, she enjoys reading, writing and speaking on spirituality, vocation, and social justice. She has quite a sweet tooth and is known throughout Career Services as a lover of chocolate.

Dr. Esther Ra is an advisor for students and alums in the schools of Nursing, Education, and Social Policy and Practice. She has worked in the field of education in a myriad of roles, including administration, research, supervision, professional development, and teaching. In addition to advising at Penn, Dr. Ra is a Lecturer at The Wharton School, teaching MBAs in the Communications Department. She also serves as Visiting Professor at Korea University in Seoul, South Korea. She earned a Doctorate of Education in Language & Literacy from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Arts in Curriculum & Teaching from Columbia University, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in English with a Sociology minor, from Barnard College, Columbia University. She also holds a Certificate in TESOL from Biola University and is a Certified Career Management Coach through the Academies. She enjoys guiding and mentoring students towards a steered interest or passion.

Patty Greenfield is an advisor for students and alums in the schools of Nursing, Education, and Social Policy and Practice. Prior to joining the Career Services team at Penn, Patty served as the Assistant Director, Career Counseling at Bryn Mawr College. She obtained her MA, Counseling Psychology from Arcadia University and is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and National Certified Counselor (NCC). Patty is a passionate disability rights advocate and is an active member of the Lucky Fin Project. She enjoys spending time with her wife and young daughter and working on her maternal mental health counseling practice.

Dr. Carol Hagan has advised pre-health students and alumni at the University of Pennsylvania since 2008.  She also advises Quakers pursuing graduate degrees in humanities, social science and business.  She earned a Ph.D. from Penn in art history and has engaged with students as a lecturer and writing instructor.  Prior to settling in Philadelphia, she earned a B.A. in English and art history from Wesleyan University.  Carol enjoys helping students become professionals and hearing about their wide range of intellectual interests and service commitments.

Dr. Ariana Alexander joined Career Services in 2019 as an Associate Director with the Graduate & Professional School Advising Team.  She advises Penn undergraduates and alumni pursuing law school and medical school.  Her professional experiences include program development, student success coaching, and pre-health advising.  Prior to joining the team, she served as a TRIO Student Success Coach advocating for first-generation college students. During her time at New York University, she worked as a pre-professional advisor to students in the area of pre-health. She earned her BA from Dartmouth College, majoring in English and ethnic studies, and a Ph.D. from New York University in history. She enjoys empowering students to navigate the next steps in their graduate and professional careers.  Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, she is an advocate for local libraries and loves traveling abroad to explore new places.

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Amy joined Career Services in September of 2022 and serves as an Associate Director on the Graduate & Professional School Advising team. Prior to this role, she was a recruiter on the enrollment management team at Penn’s College of Liberal and Professional Studies. Before coming to Penn, Amy worked in international education at Arcadia University and retirement education at Vanguard. She earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Villanova University and an M.S.Ed. in Higher Education from Penn’s Graduate School of Education. She enjoys working with Penn students and appreciates the energy and enthusiasm they bring to campus and to the pursuit of their personal and professional goals. A native of the Philadelphia suburbs, Amy now lives in Center City and enjoys traveling abroad, reading, exploring new interests, and spending time with family and friends.

Dr. Doris Tabassum joined as an Associate Director with the Graduate & Professional School Advising Team in October 2022.  She advises Penn undergraduates and alumni pursuing graduate and medical school. Prior to joining UPenn, Doris volunteered with the New York Academy of Sciences and America Needs You to support the academic and professional development of international and first-generation students. Doris earned her BA from Mount Holyoke College with a major in Biochemistry and a Ph.D. in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, focusing on Cancer Biology, from Harvard University. In her free time, Doris loves exploring new places, watching movies, reading and crocheting.

Becky Tamayo is the Administrative Coordinator for the Graduate and Professional School Advising team, assisting students and alumni pursing admission to graduate, medical, and law schools. A Penn alum with her BA in Psychology and Hispanic Studies from the College of Arts and Sciences, Becky is thrilled to return to campus in this new role and looks forward to working with Penn students and fellow alumni!

Jamie Grant (C’98, GEd’99) is the Senior Associate Director at Career Services supporting undergraduates, Master’s candidates and alumni in the School of Engineering and Applied Science.  Jamie has been a career advisor for more than 20 years, and joined Penn Career Services in 2009.  She has worked with students from just about every academic path, and has provided special programming for students around technical and engineering careers, connecting with alumni, and addressing international student and first-gen/low income student concerns.   Jamie is a native of the greater Philadelphia area and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Science in Education in Psychological Services, both from the University of Pennsylvania (Go Quakers!).  Outside of the office, Jamie spends a great deal of time with her two young sons exploring the world and enjoys sports, baking, reading fiction and trivia of all kinds.

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Jackie Moriniere is an Associate Director working with students and alumni from the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Prior to this role, Jackie oversaw employer relations at Swarthmore College. Jackie received her B.A. in Russian from Swarthmore College and M.S.Ed. in Higher Education from Drexel University. Jackie is interested in exploring the intersection of social justice and career services and is an advocate for equitable access to career development resources. Outside of work, Jackie is a therapeutic riding volunteer and an avid gamer.

Archana is a 2nd-year student at Wharton and is a Graduate advisor for Penn SEAS. She was born in Dubai, raised in Bahrain, and moved to India for her under-grad in Finance. Archana started her ~6-year career thus far at Bain & Company in the private equity practice. After spending ~4 years at Bain, working across TMT, CPG, and retail in India, the US, and East Africa, She moved to Ethiopia to set up a Gates-funded incubator hub to support early-stage ag-tech startups. More recently, in 2020, she became an impact investor focusing on ed-tech and consumer-tech investments across Southeast Asia and East Africa. As an investor, she led multiple ‘gender-smart’ investments for fund managers – Sagana, and responsAbility. At Wharton, she has been dabbling her hands at learning core tech operational skills and has interned at Amazon as a product manager for the summer of ’22. She is excited to talk about her journey of navigating different career paths across different geographies! She also enjoys scuba diving, reading psychology (Daniel Kahneman), fiction, and running.

Natty joined the Career Services team in February 2017, meeting with students from the College of Arts & Sciences about their future career and internship plans, and now leads the team working with Wharton undergraduates. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Natty’s high school mascot was also the Quaker.  His interest in higher education started when he was an RA at New York University where he majored in Media, Culture and Communication.  Loving the ability to explore multiple disciplines and subjects, Natty also minored in both English and Web Design.  Prior to coming to the University of Pennsylvania, Natty worked at Temple University as a Pre-Health advisor for four years.  While at Temple, he earned his M.Ed. in Educational Leadership.  He is now thrilled to be helping students at Penn plan for the future.  Beginning in October 2021, Natty also began co-hosting the CS Radio podcast.

Megan’s love for experiential learning has always driven the work she does. She is passionate about helping students connect to meaningful experiences, and believes that hands-on learning is an extremely important part of one’s career journey.

In 2014, Megan received her Masters of Education from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. In 2018, she relocated back to the east coast, and prior to joining Penn was an advisor at Drexel University.

Outside of work, she loves to spend time exploring her new home of South Jersey with her husband and son.  While she loved her time out in Seattle, she is happy to be back east where she originally grew up!

Maddie Donoghue is a 2nd year MBA Candidate at the Wharton School majoring in Finance and Management. She earned a B.S. in Finance from the University of Southern California. She subsequently worked in banking at Morgan Stanley and J.P. Morgan and within Direct Lending at First Eagle Alternative Credit. Her career interests lie within the debt capital markets space.

In her free time, she enjoys snow skiing, traveling and running half marathons!

Anne Dickinson is a Senior Associate Director at Career Services and has served College of Arts and Sciences undergraduates and alumni since 2012. She earned her M.S.Ed. in Higher Education from Penn’s Graduate School of Education in 2014 and very much enjoys being around the vibrancy of Penn’s student life. Prior to Penn, Anne worked in various fields, including media/entertainment, government/nonprofits, and marketing/advertising. As a result, she can offer firsthand advice about many industries and job functions, and she loves helping students discover all of the valuable resources Penn has to offer to navigate successful career paths. Anne also earned her B.A. in English and communication from the University of Delaware, and very much believes in the value of a liberal arts education. In her free time, Anne enjoys lots of travel (especially road trips), concerts and theater, home improvement projects and spending time at the Jersey shore. She lives with her husband and puppy in the Philly suburbs.

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.

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Tina joined Career Services as an administrative coordinator in September 2021. She earned her BS/BA in Psychology and Criminal Justice/ Criminology from The Florida State University in 2015, where she was involved with the NAACP and eventually became a RA. She then continued her studies at Rutgers University. She obtained a MA in Criminal Justice in 2017. She finds entertainment in traveling to new places, listening to music, and spending time with friends and family.

Laura joined the Career Services team in November of 2022 as the Associate Director of Career Services within the College of Arts & Sciences. She is excited to continue practicing her passions- helping to guide students both professionally and personally throughout their college career and beyond. Laura’s interest in higher education stems from her time as a student-athlete on Gonzaga University’s Women’s Rowing Team. Armed with a strong interest in athletics, Laura went on to graduate with her MS in Sport Business from Temple University in 2019. During that time, she pursued her interests in professional development services as a graduate assistant and was later hired to serve in admissions with the College of Public Health at Temple University. Outside of the office, you will find Laura participating in forced family runs, reading, and of course, anxiously waiting for her favorite tv shows to return.

Julieanne Akwari is a 2nd year MBA Candidate at the Wharton School majoring in Marketing & Operations. She earned a BBA in Finance from The University of Texas at Austin and worked at Deloitte within the Advisory practice and Business Valuation group after undergrad. In her free time, Julieanne enjoys traveling, volunteering with K-12 students, and guided painting sessions (six paint & sip pieces and counting).

Kourtney is a 2nd-year Wharton MBA student and a Graduate Advisor for Penn‘s College of Arts & Sciences. At Wharton, Kourtney has been involved in the Dean’s MBA Advisory Council working on special projects for Dean James, and she is the President of Wharton’s Consulting Club. She spent the last summer in consulting at McKinsey working for a private equity client and will be joining McKinsey New York post-MBA. Prior to Wharton, Kourtney spent 5 years working in sales and strategy as Area Vice President for a global health insurance brokerage firm in Chicago. Prior to her time there, Kourtney earned a Bachelor of Science degree, graduating summa cum laude and studying Finance. Kourtney enjoys running half marathons, is a taco enthusiast, and when not on campus can often be found at the Schuylkill River Dog Park with her 3-year old maltipoo, Jefe.

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Ella is a graduate of Lehigh University, where she played lacrosse and majored in Journalism. After graduation, Ella began her career in education living abroad in London and working as a PE instructor for an independent all-girls school. Most recently she worked for the Council on International Educational Exchange as a project manager contributing to recruitment, communication, operations, events, and alumni engagement. Ella currently lives in the Philly suburbs with her husband and two energetic boys. In her free time, she enjoys summer days at the beach, live music, and spending time with her family!

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Sydney grew up in Cherry Hill, NJ and attended Rowan University. There, she received a bachelor’s degree in Communications and graduated May of 2022. In her free time she enjoys binging the latest tv shows, spending time with family and friends, and hanging out with her 3 dogs.  She has been working for Penn since my Junior year of college, previously working in the Human Resources department of Provost Administrative Affairs doing many tasks.  She truly enjoys the work, the people, and the culture of Penn, and is so excited to take on a new role in Career Services!

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Michael began working in Career Services in 2004 and has served in his current position since 2011, 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.

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 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.