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Dr. Matt Bakker
Dr. Matthew Bakker has spent many years working for the Federal Government. Beginning with a term Research Associate position (equivalent to a post-doc at a university), he subsequently competed successfully for a principal-investigator-level staff scientist position with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. After 6 years with USDA, he has just transitioned back to academia and he is now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Manitoba, Canada. His background is in Plant Pathology (University of Minnesota). Dr. Bakker’s research addresses questions in microbial ecology, microbiomes, and connections between microbiology and the productivity and sustainability of crop production.
Find Matthew on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/
Matthew’s Consulting Philosophy:
None of us have the breadth of experience to be able to intuitively know what our ideal career would look like; it is important to remain open to new possibilities and to be willing to reimagine ourselves in unexpected roles. As a graduate student, surrounded by people who had chosen the academic track, some of the damaging propensities and baggage associated with this career path became obvious over time. I began to wonder whether alternative career destinations existed that might offer a structure that was more conducive to a balanced whole-life experience. I was surprised to discover options for scientific research within the federal government that offered intellectual challenge, scientific freedom, and also reasonable and clear performance expectations. I will help you explore whether options in government could provide a good fit, and work with you to successfully navigate ‘the system’.
Dr. Karen Cardozo
Karen Cardozo started in career counseling at Harvard in the 1990’s and returned to the field two decades later. In between, she completed a Masters in Higher Education Administration at Harvard (1993) and PhD in English/American Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (2005). Before, during and after the PhD she worked as a dean at Mount Holyoke and taught a wide range of courses in the Five College Consortium of Western Massachusetts. When a tenure track position didn’t materialize, Karen made a Real-Ac turn back to career development at Williams College, only to then land a tenure-track position in Interdisciplinary Studies at MCLA in the Berkshires, where she introduced a new course on the changing world of work and ultimately gained tenure). Karen was recruited thereafter for the role of Executive Director of Career Development at Hollins University in Roanoke, VA. That experience launched her into her current position as AVP of Career Design at Northeastern University in Boston. Karen identifies primarily as a developer of whole human beings, and tries to be one herself by meditating, spending time with her husband and sons, hiking with her dog Sadie, and making music with her band, Show of Cards (showofcards.com). You can email her at cardozok1@gmail.com or find her on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-cardozo-5a7b497a/
Karen’s Consulting Philosophy:
With a Masters in Higher Education Administration and a variety of work experiences on 8 different campuses (R1 and SLACs, public and private, single-sex and coed), I have significant institutional knowledge and expertise on Alt-Ac careers as well as related diversity issues. As a generalist MBTI-certified former career counselor, I’m also well-suited to offer a robust diagnostic approach to broader career change possibilities. And because I’m an interdisciplinary scholar currently located in the tenure system, I am well-placed to help you consider the comparative merits of academic versus nonacademic jobs, as well as the transferable potential of your scholarly background. Finally, as an aspiring yogi, singer-songwriter, and parent, I can empathize with and support your larger efforts to compose a satisfying and meaningful life.
Dr. Alexis Charles
Alexis Charles is a Learning Program Manager at Meta. After receiving her PhD in Modern Thought and Literature from Stanford University, Alexis successfully transitioned out of academia by marketing her degree and transferable skills to secure positions in nonprofits and tech. At Meta, Alexis leads program strategy and curriculum development for Meta’s tech onboarding programs. Prior to joining Meta, Alexis worked at the Obama Foundation, where she started as an Instructional Designer and received several promotions to become the Blended Learning Manager. As the Blended Learning Manager, Alexis led a team of instructional designers and managed a national leadership development program for young adults. Before the Obama Foundation, Alexis was the Education Lead at LeanIn.Org where she designed educational materials to help people challenge gender bias. Several professional consulting and program manager positions during her PhD prepared Alexis for making each of her career moves. She is passionate about sharing her knowledge and experience to help others achieve their post-Ac professional and personal goals.
Alexis also holds an MA in American Studies from Columbia University, and a BA in English from the University of Southern California. When she isn’t working, you can find her meditating, practicing yoga, reading for pleasure, and exploring the music and arts scene in Brooklyn, NY.
Alexis’ Consulting Philosophy:
By taking a strategic approach to career decisions, I’ve managed to create a professional path that I’m proud of. As a coach, I’ll equip you with the tools, skills, and concrete strategies to navigate your own successful post-Ac professional journey. With my experience in non-profits and the tech industry, I’m able to prepare people for a variety of professional settings. I love working with humanities and social science scholars given my background in cultural, gender, and race studies. Additionally, as a queer Black woman, I’m passionate about working with women, bipoc, and LGBTQ individuals. I know that navigating academia and transitioning out of it can be a particularly challenging experience for many of us. As a coach, I can help you translate your academic and lived experience into marketable skills. We’ll build a polished, powerful resume, prepare for professional job interviews, practice salary negotiations, and develop your confidence to embark on your own post-Ac journey.
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Dr. Maggie Gover
Maggie Gover’s career is dedicated to helping students successfully complete their graduate degrees and then transition into successful professional lives. As such, she has quite a bit of experience helping students identify industries in which they may be successful and describing their graduate careers in ways that might be attractive to those industries. While she is most knowledgeable in alternative academic jobs, she has helped students transition into private industry, government, and non-profit jobs as well. Maggie’s service to students began when she was an undergraduate at the University of Southern California where she served as an intern in the Office of Admissions. While she was completing her Master’s degree at the University of Oxford she served as a Junior Dean at St. Hilda’s College. When she was a PhD candidate at UC Riverside she was the Coordinator for Academic Preparation and Outreach and then the Graduate Student Mentorship Program Coordinator, and later the Director of Graduate Student Professional and Academic Development. While she is now primarily an administrator, she is still researching and publishing in theories of new media and 19th C visual sciences.
Randi Howell
Randi Howell, a North Carolina native, is the lead Technology Trainer at a large urban community college. Randi also serves as the Vice President of Safe’N’Clear, Inc. In her training role, Howell works with more than 1500 faculty and staff to support and enhance educational technology. Randi works to transition professionals from tech-terrified to tech savvy. In her role at Safe’N’Clear, Inc., Randi works closely with the CEO and marketing team to publish digital content across social media platforms, including LinkedIn.
Randi’s work with LinkedIn publishing and coaching began with her role at Safe’N’Clear, Inc. and expanded with presentations for various professional and academic groups. With an academic background rooted in mathematics and history, Randi brings both a quantitative and qualitative mindset to her coaching and consulting. She holds two bachelor’s degrees, a master’s, and two graduate certificates. Additionally, she is a Google Certified Educator, Level 2. Randi lives with her spouse and two fur babies.
Randi’s Consulting Philosophy:
Although still in the world of academia, I straddle both the academic and corporate worlds, including extensive work with a medical startup. I believe in developing and leveraging both skill and knowledge that transcend academia. I love cultivating creative, analytical, and contextualized publications for public consumption through professional networks. My goal is always to meet folks where they are; provide insight and guidance; and, ensure folks are comfortable navigating and applying what they learn. Career searches are multifaceted these days and figuring out how to differentiate your skillset from your counterparts is key. I provide coaching related to technical skill enhancement, from email and MS Word to coding languages, such as HTML and Python. I provide consulting for LinkedIn profiles, LinkedIn publishing, digital portfolios, and graphic design assets for job applications.
Adrienne Posner
Adrienne Posner is a Program Manager at Google and works on various internal and external educational initiatives focused on creating a more diverse workforce. Adrienne received her BA in Art History from UC Santa Cruz, completed a fellowship in Critical Theory at the Whitney Museum, and then took a detour into the non-profit sector, working for a time for a political action committee. Returning to school, she received an MA in Art History from UCLA and then applied to the Comparative Literature program at UCLA where she received a second MA, advanced to candidacy, and began work on a dissertation before deciding to leave the academy altogether.
Adrienne’s experience consulting with grad students began as a teaching assistant trainer and continued in her work at UCLA’s Graduate Writing Center, where she coached grad students through organizing, writing, editing, and filing their dissertations. Though no longer an academic, she is still actively engaged in working in higher education, both via her work at Google and via her consulting work helping graduate students and academics at all levels navigate both academia and the non-academic job market.
Adrienne’s Coaching Philosophy:
As someone who has worked in the non profit sector and the museum world and then transitioned back into academia and then moved between academic programs and then back out of academia and into the tech sector, I have significant institutional knowledge and a wide range of experiences in a variety non-academic settings. I love working with social scientists and humanities folks in particular, and I have extensive experience with tenured faculty as well as early career scholars. If you’re on the fence about how or if to proceed with your degree, if you already have your degree but are considering a change, if you aren’t sure what skills or experiences make you marketable outside the academy, if you’re simply curious about what kinds of alt-ac jobs are out there, or if you want to better understand the tech landscape and how to apply for and get work that feels sustainable and personally meaningful, I can help.
Dr. Jason Tebbe
Jason Tebbe is a former academic who has been teaching for three years at an independent high school in New York City. He received his PhD in German History from the University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign in 2006, and went on to be a visiting professor for two years and an assistant professor for three years after that before seeing the light. He is the author of the blog Notes from the Ironbound (KK: where he has excellent post-ac content) and still maintains active research projects on the history of memory and travel. Find him on Twitter at @wernerherzbear.
Jason’s Consulting Philosophy:
I am a former academic with experience on both the contingent and tenure tracks who has made the transition to teaching at an independent high school in Manhattan. Having recently made this change, I have a lot of expertise in applying for jobs at private schools, and plenty of advice on how to navigate the culture of private schools, which differs quite a bit from the academic application process. I can provide tips for finding jobs, fashioning application materials, interviewing, and adjusting to life in a new profession.