VIRGINIA ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND EMPLOYERS

THE INNERVIEW SUMMER 2014

In This Issue…

∘ Message from the President ∘ On the Move ∘ New Members

∘ VACE Exclusive ∘ Save the Date ∘ Congratulations

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear VACE Members:

Welcome, summer! I trust this letter finds you well and hope you are enjoying a fun and safe summer. Thank you for this

opportunity to serve as your VACE President for the coming year. VACE has been such an important part of my life

professionally and personally over the last 10+ years, and I am beyond excited for this opportunity to give back to our

fantastic organization. As we all know from the work we do, the people and culture of any organization are what make it

special, and this is especially the case with VACE. Please allow me to take a moment to extend a heartfelt thank you to

some of those special people for their efforts to further our organization over the past year.

Thank you to Michael Lawston of First Investors for his service, vision and leadership as your President. It has been a

pleasure to learn from Michael this past year in my role as President-Elect. Michael and our very capable 2013-2014 Board

are handing off an organization that is financially strong and one that is better leveraging technology to advance our

organization. Thanks to Mike and his team, VACE has renewed its commitment to provide networking opportunities

throughout the year (not just at our annual conference), and we also have a clear strategic vision through 2019. Michael

and his board have set the bar high. Thanks to each of you for your hard work and dedication.

The fantastic team of Katie Steuer, Virginia Tech, and Emily Culbertson, Berkeley Research Group, along with their amazing

conference committees delivered an unforgettable “Virginia is for Jobs” annual conference at the Mason Inn in Fairfax this

April. Wow, and thank you! Feedback collected from conference attendees was incredibly positive, and Emily, along with

our 2014-15 College Director Amy Foster of Roanoke College are already hard at work planning your next VACE

conference, to be held April 22-24, 2015 at the Marriott Newport News at City Center. Mark your calendars now to attend,

and please share your feedback and suggestions directly with Emily and Amy!

I am beyond impressed with your Director of Professional Development, Sarah Hobgood of Longwood College for her

efforts in making VACE more accessible to each of you. Her hard work over the last year materialized in the form of two

new opportunities for regional networking. The first was a regional networking event in Richmond in the spring and, most

recently, a Drive-In workshop at Virginia Tech last week. Around 40 participants attended one or both of these events

making both a huge success. Sarah has also been hard at work ensuring that HRCI credits will soon be available to our PHR

and SPRH members. Sarah has put her heart and soul into increasing opportunities for VACE members to network, at no

cost, with one another throughout the year, and the success of these events directly correlates to Sarah’s efforts, so thank

you!

I am pleased to announce that final voting for our 2014-15 Board will go live online at the vace.org this week. Your

Nominations committee, led by Becca Scott, Virginia Tech, has been hard at work over the last couple of months putting

together a strong and capable slate of 2014-2015 VACE leaders, including going the extra mile when our 2014-15 Director

of Operations position unexpectedly became available after our conference.

(Continued on next page…)

I am pleased to announce the addition of Krista Leighton, Director of Career Development at Randolph College as an

addition to our slate in this role. When you vote, you will have the chance to vote to approve this change as well as to vote

for the board. I am equally pleased to announce that the Strategic Planning committee, also led by Becca Scott, will be

ready soon to present the 2014-2019 Strategic Plan online for your final vote. Keep your eyes peeled, and please vote!

Your participation is critical!

On June 19th, the VACE Board held their transition meeting in beautiful Charlottesville – thank you to Laura Craig at UVA

for graciously arranging this meeting space for us. Thank you as well to our fantastic volunteer board for sharing their

time and expertise. This meeting provided an opportunity for purposeful transition, idea sharing and as a chance to

identify areas where volunteers and leaders are still needed for committees and appointed positions within VACE. You

can expect an announcement and volunteer request from us soon! A few reminders that I’ve been asked to pass along:

• COMMITTEES - VACE committees are currently being formed and any members who expressed interest in the

various organizational or conference committees are in the process of being contacted. Many of you may have already

been contacted. We are very excited to get our committees together and working for our organization. If you are

interested in working on a committee, it’s not too late to volunteer. Visit the VACE website at www.vace.org and click on

the link on the bottom right side of the page for “Committee Interest”.

• MENTORSHIP - All VACE members have the opportunity to join a voluntary mentorship program that allows both

new and seasoned members to share knowledge and ideas, grow professionally, and continue to build their professional

network. This is a year-long, formal relationship where Mentors and Mentees are matched based on geographic location

and specified areas of interest. We hope that you will consider becoming a part of yet another way to make VACE great. For

more information, contact Kate Morgan of Longwood College and VACE Membership Orientation Chair at

morgankb@longwood.edu or 434-395-4931.

• MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL - Make the most of your 2014-15 VACE membership and renew today! Please log on to

www.vace.org to re-up your membership for the upcoming year which promises to be a great one.

I would love to connect with you about VACE and am excited to hear your feedback and ideas! Please reach out to me

anytime at (703) 654-1422 or clucas@verisconsulting.com. Have a great summer!

In service,

Cristie Lucas Cristie Lucas, Veris Consulting, Inc. VACE President, 2014-15

ON THE MOVE

JMU’s Career and Academic Planning office is moving to the new Student Success Center in July! The Student Success

Center was designed to be a collaborative and high-impact learning environment where students can come to get things

done. The newly renovated Success Center will be a hub of programs and services promoting student learning and

development through innovation, proximity, accessibility, and interaction with others. With a diverse group of

departments housed in the Student Success Center, the space and its functions provide an opportunity for students with

different learning styles and physical abilities to interact and learn from one another.

Highlights: 250,000 square foot center, 21 different university departments and functions, Learning Commons – open

areas for individual and group study, EPIC Center – Innovative and experiential classrooms/meeting rooms, the Only

Dunkin’ Donuts in Harrisonburg! See additional details at www.jmu.edu/successcenter.

WELCOME NEW VACE MEMBERS!

VACE would like to extend a warm welcome to the newest members:

College Members: o Alicia Shrestha, University of Virginia

o Anita Mundy, Thomas Nelson Community College

o Bethany Mickel, VMI

o Bonnie Graham, University of Richmond

o Dorothy Hayden, VMI

o Everette Fortner, University of Virginia

o Heather Palmer, University of Virginia

o Jennifer Allen, Hampden-Sydney College

o Jewel Williams- Jones, Thomas Nelson Community College

o John Gray Williams, Virginia Tech

o Katie Brankley, Longwood University

o Kelly McVicar, George Washington University

o Marie Hawley, Germanna Community College

o Melissa Hurst, University of Virginia

o Miya Miles, Thomas Nelson Community College

o Patrick Murray, South University

o Peggy Reed, University of Virginia

o Sarah Orem, James Madison University

o Sarah Rogis, Radford University

o Susan Lentini, South University

o Takeisha Brown, Virginia State University

o Teresa Dickens, Radford University

o Trasi Watson, Northern Virginia Community College

o Alison Crehore, Virginia Commonwealth University

o Jennifer Sawyer, Longwood University

o Michelle Skeen, University of Virginia

o Robin Hanway, Virginia Commonwealth University

Employer Members:

o Carolyn Heffner, FedBid

o Jason Silitsky, First Investors

o Karen Roberts, Clayton Homes

o Kelly Peter, HydroGeoLogic

o Shannon Johnston, Southern Teachers Agency

VACE EXCLUSIVE

You are invited to the 2nd Annual Employer Relations Best Practices Exchange on Thursday, July 31, 2014,

9:00AM-3:30PM. This event is open to anyone working in and around university/college career planning,

regardless of their specific role. As we all know, employer relations is a team effort! Location: Christopher Newport

University. Click here to RSVP. Please register by July 1, and individual members from each office should RSVP

separately.

SAVE THE DATE

SoACE Annual Conference: “Unmasking Potential”

December 7-10, 2014: Astor Crown Plaza, New Orleans, LA

VACE Annual Conference

April 22-24, 2015: Marriott Newport News at City Center

Submit news for

future VACE

newsletters to

Kimberly Phillips at

kphillips@wlu.edu

CONGRATULATIONS!

Several VACE members were recognized for special achievements and membership milestones at this year’s

annual VACE Conference on April 23, 2014, in Fairfax, VA. Congratulations to these individuals!

o Membership Awards

5 Years: Emily Culbertson, Peggy Ehrenberg, Anita Hazel Taylor, Mary Riner, Johanna Smith

10 Years: Misty Brown, Barbara Hampton, John Liptak

15 Years: Brandy Ewell, Christine Harriger, Andre Luck, Nash Montgomery

30 Years: Sam Ratcliffe, Andy Ferguson

35 Years: Patricia Carretta

40 Years: Nikki Fallis, Jim Malone

o Honorary Lifetime Membership Awards

Patricia Carretta, Renee Herrell, Beverly Lorig, Mary Schilling

o Leadership Awards, The Leadership Award is presented annually to board members as they complete their term on

the board of VACE. It is with great appreciation that we thank them for their dedication, service and leadership to VACE.

Becca Scott: Immediate Past President

Shannon Dintini: Director of Finance

Catherine Copeland: Director of Technology

Katie Steuer: College Director/ Conference Chair

Chandra Lane: Director of Operations

o Emerging Leaders Award, This award is presented to a member who has made a significant contribution through

service, on a committee, a task force, or in some other capacity.

Raphaela Kamholtz, Enterprise

Monica Hill, Christopher Newport University

o Patricia J. Carretta Special Achievement Award, The Patricia J. Carretta award may be given to a member who

has made a significant contribution to VACE during the past year. This award recognizes outstanding performance in

carrying out special assignments or appointments. They have distinguished themselves as role models in their dedication

to and advocacy for career services and HR professionals. The recipient should possess leadership qualities, a positive

attitude and willingness to go the extra mile for the organization.

Ellen Masters, Hampden-Sydney College

o John L. Chase Award, Eligibility is based on active VACE membership and includes those who have made

exceptionally valuable contributions to cooperative education, career services or college recruiting, who have been

continuous and ardent workers in the ranks over a long period of time and whose services deserve recognition.

Becca Scott, Virginia Tech

o A. Isabel Gordon Distinguished Service Award, Eligibility is based on VACE membership which includes those

who have rendered a continuing and superior level of service and leadership to the Association, and may be awarded to

persons who are currently members of the Association, the regional Association(s), or the National Association of

Colleges and Employers.

Sarah Hobgood, Longwood University

Earlier this year the Cassell Interpretation Lab was

dedicated at the University of Maryland Department of

Communication in the College of Arts and Humanities. The

lab will support the new graduate program in interpreting

and translation and is named in honor of Donna Cassell

Ratcliffe and her mother Carolyn Harrison, both of whom

are University of Maryland alumnae. Donna is the Director

of Career Services at Virginia Tech and a former VACE and

EACE president. Congratulations, Donna!

Congratulations to Sara Greene from Washington and

Lee University on her promotion from Career Advisor to

Assistant Director of Career Development! In addition to

her work with students, Sara also coordinates

assessment, outreach, and marketing for the Career

Development office, including social media outlets such

as Facebook and Twitter. Her promotion is official on

July 1, 2014.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE VACE ANNUAL CONFERENCE

APRIL 23-25, 2014

Minute to Win It

Teambuilding

Exercise

Michael Lawston,

New Immediate

Past- President

Employer Panel

and Break-out

Sessions

Nicolette Pizzitola,

Speaker

Door Prizes!

Student Panel

Thank you to the Conference Planning Committee and Co-chairs, Emily

Culbertson and Katie Steuer, for making the conference a huge success!