Mentoring Matters: Supporting Interns and Early Career Professionals

Dawn Carter, Director, Global Talent Acquisition Programs, Retired Emeritus

Dawn Carter is a strategic global talent acquisition leader with 30+ years of experience driving performance through inclusive, scalable early career hiring strategies. She brings deep knowledge of global markets and a curiosity for the cultural and operational nuances that fuel talent success. She challenges the status quo by centering human connection, empathy, and the power of storytelling. Most recently, Dawn served as Uber’s Global Director of Talent Acquisition, leading early-career, university, and apprenticeship strategies worldwide. Appointed in 2019 as Uber’s first Global Head of University Recruiting & Programs, she built and scaled a unified global early-talent strategy, bringing consistency, innovation, and long-term workforce planning to teams across the organization. Her expertise spans industries and organizational complexity, with leadership roles at Amazon, Intuit, NetApp, Northrop Grumman, Teradyne, and Walt Disney Imagineering. Dawn is an active leader in her field and has held executive volunteer roles in both MPACE and NACE, serving as President and Past President for each. She remains active in NACE and contributes to the Advocacy & Employer Task Force Committees. She has also been a committed leader within the MESA community for over 20 years in California and Washington. For the last 12 years, she has served on Boards of Directors in both states and currently Co-Chairs the CA MESA Board, shaping statewide initiatives that advance access and equity in STEM. Dawn is currently focused on volunteer, consulting, and gig engagements that drive inclusive, scalable, and globally impactful university recruiting strategies.

Megan Herman, Engineering Intern Recruiting Team Lead, Medtronic

Megan Herman is a dynamic talent acquisition leader, currently serving as the Engineering Intern Recruiting Team Lead on Medtronic’s Emerging Talent & Careers Team. Since joining Medtronic in August 2025, she has led strategic initiatives that strengthened partnerships with top universities and expanded the engineering intern talent pipeline. Her team of three recruiters consistently brings in 300+ top-tier interns annually, fueling Medtronic’s innovation and growth. Megan brings 14 years of recruiting expertise from General Mills, where she managed full-cycle talent acquisition for iconic brands like Cheerios and Betty Crocker. Her experience spans wage, campus, and experienced hiring, with a focus on process optimization and talent engagement. A passionate advocate for digital transformation and inclusive leadership, Megan is committed to cultivating emerging talent and driving impactful change within her team. Megan earned her bachelor's degree in Management and Marketing from Evangel University. She lives in Minneapolis, MN with her husband and two children.

Francesca Jones, US Early Careers Leader, EY

Francesca Jones graduated from the University of Charleston in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting.  She started with Ernst & Young, LLP that following fall as a Staff member of the Assurance practice in Charleston, WV.  Within a few years, Francesca joined the EY recruiting team of Cleveland and Columbus, OH.  Over the past seventeen years she spent time in various roles such as: leading the recruiting efforts for several key schools and markets; supporting the campus recruiting integration of the financial services organization into various markets across the country; and building a campus strategy to support an alternative workforce. Francesca currently lives in Atlanta, GA and leads EY’s US Early Careers recruiting efforts.

Kristin Austin, VP, Culture & Social Impact, Rewriting the Code

Dr. Kristin Austin (she/her) is a lover of learning and unlearning. Dr. Austin's goal is to catalyze individuals and structures to question, "Who is at the table? Who is missing from the table? For whom was the table built? And who is unaware the table exists?" Dr. Austin has pursued answers to these questions via 23+ years of administrative and faculty higher education roles domestically and internationally, as well as by leading organizations and teams through equity, inclusion, and belonging-oriented education. Currently, Dr. Austin serves as Vice President of Culture & Community Impact at Rewriting the Code, Inc., a national not-for-profit organization that empowers students and early career women in technology to belong in all spaces where the future is shaped. Along with her professional work, Dr. Austin engages in speaking, teaching, and pushing visibility for many inclusion topics, especially those related to neurodiversity. Holding identities of ADHD and learning disabled, Dr. Austin loves to create and hold space for neuro-spicy brains, like hers, and maybe yours. Dr. Austin holds a Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership & Administration, a Professional Certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, a master’s degree in counseling, and a bachelor’s degree in Social Work. She is also blessed to learn from 3 medium-sized, and forgiving professors, ages 16, 14, and 11, and is married to a fellow education professional.

Bless Vaidian, Finance, Corporate & Technology Tracks, SEO

Bless Vaidian currently oversees the Finance, Corporate, & Technology Tracks for SEO Career (USA), a premier program for recruiting and training college students. She manages a team of 25 that prepares and matches undergraduates to open roles, and then supports the success of interns selected for summer internships across Wall Street and corporate America. Bless worked in higher education for more than a decade and was previously the Director of Career Services at Pace University in New York. Bless Vaidian is a former NACE Board member and has held various leadership roles over the years within NACE. Bless has won national recognition for her innovative ideas in the field of early talent and career services, including being listed as one of NACE Members’ Choice finalists. She has been a NACE co-lead for three different NACE Affinity Groups, two national committees, and a NACE blogger. As an undergraduate, Vaidian double majored in Psychology and Communications at the University of Albany and went on to get her master’s degree from Columbia University. Bless currently resides in New York with her husband, and has three GenZ kids that have flown the nest. She enjoys exploring the food scene while traveling or on weekends. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blessvaidian