Town Hall: Student Engagement: Are You Prepared for 2023?

Career Level: Basic-, intermediate-, and advanced-level career services, university relations and recruiting, and business affiliate professionals
Competency: Fostering global and diverse connections
Fee: FREE (member); $89 (nonmember);

Summary

What did we learn from fall 2022 that can help us meet our goals in 2023? And where are we headed in spring 2023? In this Town Hall, we’ll gather a group of experts who will help us dissect results from our most recent quick poll and share their own experiences. We’ll discuss the race to return to in-person recruitment, how virtual recruitment is being refined, and what worked well for engaging students and candidates. We’ll also share insights into hiring for diversity, intern hiring, and how strategies and approaches will evolve this winter and spring. This is sure to be a lively discussion filled with practical and timely topics.
Presenters

Tricia Zelaya-Leon, Assistant Dean for Career Success, The Ohio State University - ASC Center for Career and Professional Success
For more than 20 years, Tricia Zelaya-Leon has served students and the field of higher education in multiple capacities. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, she earned her B.S. in Spanish education and her M.A. in higher education, both from Ohio University. She began her professional career in housing at The Ohio State University, during which time she also completed her Ph.D. in higher education and student affairs. From there, Zelaya-Leon took her leadership to large and small institutions across the country, holding positions in graduate education, student development and assessment, and student success. Most noteworthy have been her contributions to the field of career services, where she has dedicated herself to implementing intentional initiatives that better prepare today's college graduates for meaningful and productive career success. She is an active contributor to the field through her scholarship and engagement within NACE and local and regional executive boards. She just recently rejoined the OSU community and currently serves the College of Arts and Sciences as assistant dean for career and professional success.

Elizabeth Diley, Campus Talent Acquisition Leader, General Mills Inc.
Elizabeth Diley leads campus recruiting at General Mills, one of the largest food manufacturers in the world. General Mills is home to iconic brands like Cheerios, Yoplait, and Betty Crocker. Over her 15 year tenure at General Mills, she has held various external recruiting and internal staffing roles. Diley has a strong commitment to attracting and retaining, as well as developing, top talent. She is dedicated to diversity and inclusion efforts inside the company and out. In her current role, she is responsible for all campus recruiting activity in the United States and Canada. She sets enterprise-wide hiring strategies and designs and implements their award-winning summer internship program. She considers herself a disrupter and is always looking for ways to innovate and shape the future of university recruiting. Diley has sat on multiple school and national conference boards, including University of Minnesota, Michigan State University, and the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management. She is an active member in the National Association for Colleges and Employers' Mentorship Program and in the BestPrep High School Mentorship Program. As a first-generation college student, Diley is always looking for ways to open doors to opportunities and help students that need access to resources and employers the most.

Hassan Akmal, Executive Director, Career & Professional Dev., University of California - San Diego - Career Services Center
Hassan Akmal is an American career and life mastery consultant, author, professor, thought leader, philanthropist, and former professional tennis player and athlete ambassador to the United States. After more than a decade as a senior leader in career services, he became the inaugural executive director of industry relations and career strategies at Columbia University in 2017 and founded the award-winning Career Design Lab. In 2018, he served on the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) “Future of We” — Advisory Committee and served as a senior adviser to Graduway, a prominent and top 10 global EdTech startup. In April 2019, he delivered the keynote address on the “Future of Career Services” at the Global Leaders Summit hosted by Graduway at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He also serves on several other prominent boards internationally. In December 2019, he was selected as a speaker for Columbia University’s TEDx RE-VISION, RE-FOCUS-themed event that took place on March 27, 2021. His TEDx Talk was released in May 2021 and has already received more than 1.3 million views. Prior to his current role, Akmal served as the executive director of the UCLA Career Center. There he led an ambitious re-imagination of career services. In September 2021, he became the executive director of career and professional development at UC San Diego.

Shawn VanDerziel, President & Chief Executive Officer, NACE
As president and chief executive officer of the National Association of Colleges and Employers, Shawn VanDerziel leads the association of 18,000 college career services professionals, university relations and recruiting professionals, and business solution providers that serve the community. As a leading voice on the employment of the college educated and advocate for equitable outcomes for all students, VanDerziel is featured regularly as an industry expert and is a sought-after speaker on a range of topics, including internships, hiring, career readiness, and trends in the workforce and college job market. Prior to joining the NACE staff, VanDerziel was with the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago for 23 years, where he most recently served as chief human resources officer and as chief of staff. His earlier roles included corporate recruiting with Norrell Corporation and a position in higher education as associate director of student enrollment at National Louis University.

Anita Stokes, Senior University Relations Program Manager, Dolby Laboratories Inc.
Anita Stokes has managed the Dolby U internship program as the senior manager for university relations for the past five years. She helps to bridge the gap between various departments and academia with internships and entry-level employee programs; she brings a wealth of experience to her role. Stokes has helped students launch their careers at companies like EA, Apple, Lucasfilm, and PlayStation. As a first-generation college graduate, she earned a bachelor’s degree from Colorado College in political science and a master's degree in communications management from the University of Southern California.