Career Symposium 2024

Friday, March 22, 2024

The Alumni Board of Directors is excited to announce the 2024 Career Symposium. Saint Michael’s graduates from around the country who have successfully navigated the professional world will share their personal stories and offer career advice on a variety of topics. Students are encouraged to attend, listen, ask questions, and hone their networking skills. This year’s 16th Annual Career Symposium will take place in various buildings across campus on Friday, March 22nd from 3:30 pm – 7:30 pm.

All Saint Michael’s College current students, recent graduates, and alumni are invited to attend this annual career exploratory event. RSVP for the Career Symposium today!

Panel names and locations are below!

Schedule of Events

The Alumni Board of Directors is proud to offer the following programming at the 16th Annual Career Symposium on Friday, March 22nd beginning at 3:30 pm.

  • 3:30-4:20 p.m.: Fireside Chat with Keynote Speaker Dan Sullivan ’87, Director of Sales for Rome Snowboards, McCarthy Arts Center
  • 4:30-5:15 p.m.: Career & Industry Panels Round 1: St. Ed’s First Floor
  • 5:25-6:10 p.m.: Career & Industry Panels Round 2: St. Ed’s First Floor
  • 6:20-7:30 p.m.: Networking Reception: Dion Student Center, Archway Lounge, Third Floor

The first round of panels will begin at 4:30 pm and will repeat at 5:25 pm, staying in their same St. Ed’s classrooms. Following the panels, there will be a networking reception at 6:20 pm in the Archway Lounge on the third floor of the Dion Student Center. The board strives to offer the most diverse panels possible to give our attendees broad perspectives on the panelists’ respective industries:

  • Doing Good, Doing Well (St. Ed’s 103)
  • Alternative, Entrepreneurial, & Freelance (St. Ed’s 109)
  • Getting Your First Job (St. Ed’s 107)
  • Exploring the Liberal Arts (St. Ed’s 102)
  • Graduate School (St. Ed’s 105)
  • Technology Horizons (St. Ed’s 104)
  • Going Green (St. Ed’s 101)

Alumni Panelists

Location: McCarthy Recital Hall

Daniel Sullivan ’87
Waitsfield, VT
Director of Sales, Rome Snowboards
Business Administration major

Jillian Charest ’04 (moderator)
Burlington, VT
Instructional Designer II, Cox Automotive Inc.
Economics major
Connect with me on LinkedIn!

Location: St. Ed’s 101

From law to marketing, to hands-on opportunities, explore environmentally-focused career opportunities with this panel of alumni.

Maeve Power ’17
New York, NY
Digital Media Manager, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy
International Relations major
Connect with me on LinkedIn!

Sarah Main ’13
Senior Associate, Foley Hoag LLP
Environmental Studies & Political Science majors
New York, NY
smain@foleyhoag.com
Connect with me on LinkedIn!

Andie Gemme ’16
Consultant, ILLUME Advising
Environmental Studies major
Boston, MA
agemme2@gmail.com
Connect with me on LinkedIn!

Location: St. Ed’s 102

Kevin Harutunian ‘06
Town Administrator, Town of Topsfield
Topsfield, MA
Political Science major | Business & Fine Arts minors
kevin_harutunian@yahoo.com 
Connect with me on LinkedIn!

Mickey O’Neill ‘14
Communications Director, Massachusetts Health Policy Commission
Boston, MA
English major
mconeill104@gmail.com 
Connect with me on LinkedIn!

Drew Russo ‘03
Personnel Director, City of Lynn
Lynn, MA
English & Political Science majors
drew.russo@gmail.com
Connect with me on LinkedIn!

Location: St. Ed’s 103

How do you find a job that gives personal and professional purpose? Meet with alumni who have forged meaningful career paths.


Meghan Feenan ‘19, M’20
Special Educator, CP Smith Elementary School
Burlington, VT
Elementary Education & Environment Science majors|
feenan96@gmail.com
Connect with me on LinkedIn!

Juana Lopez ‘22
Job Center Specialist and Agriculture Outreach Worker, State of Vermont
Vermont
Environmental Studies & International Relations majors
juana.lopez@vermont.gov

Benjamin Mitchell ‘12
Detective Sergeant, City of Concord
Concord, NH
Sociology & Anthropology majors
Connect with me on LinkedIn!

Jody Vaillancourt ‘89
Curriculum Director for Literacy, South Burlington School District
South Burlington, VT
Music major
jgv72967@gmail.com
Connect with me on LinkedIn!

Emma Woodruff ‘18
6th Grade Teacher, Hartford Memorial Middle School
White River Junction, VT
English & Secondary Education majors
emmawoodruff02@gmail.com

Location: St. Ed’s 104

Curious about the evolving landscape of technology? Come meet with professionals in various roles within the technology sector to discuss navigating career strategies and advice on the future.

John Costigan ‘91
Chief Data Officer, FactSet
Ridgefield, CT
Economics major
jcostigan@factset.com 
Connect with me on LinkedIn!

Julie Ho ‘15
Senior Business Insights Analyst, Dealer.com at Cox Automotive
Hinesburg, VT
Economics Major
julie.ho@coxautoinc.com 
Connect with me on LinkedIn!

Rob Mealey ‘05
Director of Data Science, Resilience Insurance
Baltimore, MD
Political Science major
robertemealey@gmail.com 

Tony Rock ‘15
Account Manager of Northern New England, Premium Parking
Burlington, VT
Business Administration major
arock@premiumparking.com 
Connect with me on LinkedIn!

Location: St. Ed’s 105

Need more schooling to pursue your dream career? Come learn about your options after obtaining a Bachelor’s, from Master’s to law to medical to doctorate degrees!

Richie Bernache ‘16
Associate Attorney, WilmerHale LLP
Washington D.C.
Theater major | Music minor
richard.bernache@wilmerhale.com
Connect with me on LinkedIn!

Brian Donahue ‘88
Chief Operating Officer, Essex Westford School District
Essex, VT
Political Science major
vtdonahues@gmail.com
Connect with me on LinkedIn!

Joshua Sumner ‘19
Chief Financial Officer, TrailNorth Federal Credit Union
South Burlington, VT
Business Administration major
jasumnerjr@gmail.com
Connect with me on LinkedIn!

David Weiss ‘15
Critical Care Flight Nurse, UVM HealthNet Transport
Burlington, VT
Biochemistry major
david.m.l.weiss@gmail.com

Location: St. Ed’s 107

How do you navigate finding interesting job postings? Interviewing? Taking advantage of alumni connections and ultimately succeeding at the job you pick? Come learn from alums who have all been there before and learn tips on how to navigate post-grad life.

Michael Ewan, Boucher Career Education Center
Career Education Coach, Saint Michael’s College
Colchester, VT
mewan@smcvt.edu 
Connect with me on LinkedIn!

Colleen Conway-Nobert ‘95
Career Coach & Director, Career Branch, Strengths Performance Center
Maine
Fine/Studio Arts major
cfnobert@yahoo.com 
Connect with me on LinkedIn!

Bridget McElroy ‘17
Manager of Recruitment, OnLogic
South Burlington, VT
Economics major
mcelroyba@gmail.com
Connect with me on LinkedIn!

Emma Salvatore ‘23
Data Research Analyst, Bridgewater State University
Bridgewater, MA
Economics major
emmasalvatore@verizon.net
Connect with me on LinkedIn!

Location: St. Ed’s 109

Not all career paths are “typical” or linear. Come learn about being your own boss and alternative paths to success.

Brenda Kelley Kim ‘86
Writer/Author/Journalist
Marblehead, MA
English major
irrishgal@gmail.com 
Connect with me on LinkedIn!

Bill Langlands ‘74
Founder, Darkside Snowboards
Killington, VT
Political Science major
Connect with me on LinkedIn!

Matt Rogers ‘07
Director of Programming, Flynn Theater
Burlington, VT
Business Administration major
mrogers@flynnvt.org 
Connect with me on LinkedIn!

Maggie Whittemore ‘17
Director of Communications, The American Institute of Architects North Carolina Chapter
Raleigh, NC
Media Studies & Digital Arts major
magg.whitt@gmail.com
Connect with me on LinkedIn!