Sandra Long is the best-selling author of LinkedIn for Personal Branding; The Ultimate Guide and is internationally known for her 2019 TED Talk, “LinkedIn Community: A Super Power Hiding in Plain Sight.” Her company, Post Road Consulting, serves corporate C-Level executives, HR teams, job seekers and recruiters.
Shamis Pitts, owner of Pitts Leadership Consulting LLC, was recently selected by The New York Business Journal as one of New York’s top businesswomen and invited to mentor for the 2020 Bizwomen #MentoringMonday.
Melissa Iglio, the principal of Melissa Iglio Consulting, has held senior leadership roles in academic and student engagement at Columbia Business School and New York University’s Stern School of Business, and, as an adjunct professor, designed and taught experiential learning curricula in leadership development and social impact.
TC alumnus Zachary Van Rossum is a coach, consultant, educator, and researcher who has worked with leaders around the world to help improve performance and overcome complex performance problems. He teaches courses on leadership, organizational behavior and adult development at Columbia University and also is a consultant for Springpoint Partners, LLC.
STRONG BENCH Alumni now have discounted access to 12 career advisors. Top row, from left: Christine Alvarez, Ethan L. Chazin, Amy Geffen. Second row, from left: Erin Hilgart, Melissa Iglio, Lindsay Kruse. Third row, from left: Sandra Long, Meg Myers Morgan, Shamis Pitts. Bottom row, from left: Eileen Springer, Bernardo Tirado, Zach Van Rossum. (Photos: TC Archives)
If you’re a Teachers College alumnus looking for help with your career or your business, you can now choose (at discounted rates) Long, Pitt, Iglio, Van Rossum or any of the eight other experts who have signed on with the Teachers College Alumni Career Coaches Group.
Alumni have always been implicit in our approach to career development, but we’re making that explicit now through a variety of services offered by TC’s Alumni Relations Office in conjunction with TC NEXT. Over their career lifespans, alumni might serve as recruiters, hiring managers, mentors to our students — and of course, we want them to take advantage of our resources in their own careers.
— Stephanie Rowley, TC Provost and Dean
“Alumni have always been implicit in our approach to career development, but we’re making that explicit now through a variety of services offered by TC’s Alumni Relations Office in conjunction with TC NEXT,” says TC Provost Stephanie Rowley. “Over their career lifespans, alumni might serve as recruiters, hiring managers, mentor to our students — and of course, we want them to take advantage of our resources in their own careers.”
[Click here to read a story about TC NEXT, the College’s revamped career development office.]
“I’m so pleased that TC has the capability to help connect alumni with these wonderful coaches — and with each other — to help them rebrand themselves in the midst of this period of economic adversity,” says Rosella Garcia, Senior Director of Alumni Relations.
The coaches are only one piece of a stepped-up effort by Alumni Relations since the COVID pandemic hit in March. The Office is drawing larger audiences to its career development webinar series. Recent sessions have included “Networking for Introverts,” led by Ruth Gotian (Ed.D. ’17), Assistant Dean of Mentoring and Chief Learning Officer for Weill Cornell Medicine; “Knockout Presentations,” led by Diane DiResta (M.S. ’77); and “Personal Branding,” led by Linda Evans (M.A. ’16) who works in career development at Brigham Young University and also has her own career counseling firm. Next up, on August 20th: “Women Rising: Advancement in the Workplace,” led by alumna Kelly Ceynowa, Senior Director of Learning and Development for Advancing Women Executives.
I’m so pleased that TC has the capability to help connect alumni with these wonderful coaches — and with each other — to help them rebrand themselves in the midst of this period of economic adversity.
— Rosella Garcia, Senior Director, Alumni Relations
“Participation in these events has doubled since COVID,” says Alyssa Yuen, Assistant Director of Alumni Relations. “We used to do them once a month, but now we’re doing them weekly. Many people working from home feel a sense of helplessness, and others are more open to helping out. For example, in April, Alumni Relations held a session in which 10 members of the College’s Alumni Council taught participants to develop elevator pitches. The attendees were able to practice their pitches on two different Council members and each other.
“We’re planning another session with alumni who are non-Council members,” Yuen says. “That lets us broaden our reach to other regions.”