The 亚色视频 Career Summit is a drive-in conference that allows recruiters and 亚色视频 faculty and staff to interact, learn, connect, and engage. Now, more than ever, it is critical for higher education and the workforce to align as we prepare students for life after graduation through meaningful experiences both on campus and beyond. This conference addresses critical topics impacting college recruitment and career development and fosters engagement with the premier institution of the Hampton Roads area. The conference will feature various sessions to help our employers leverage 亚色视频 as a vital source for their talent pipeline and help our faculty/staff effectively support students' career aspirations.
Previous 亚色视频 Career Summit themes and keynote speakers included:
- 2023 鈥 鈥淧r亚色视频cing Tomorrow鈥檚 Talent鈥 featuring keynote speaker Jason Kies, CPA from KPMG
- 2024 鈥 鈥淭he Value of Partnerships鈥 featuring keynote speaker Sarah Jane Kirkland, Associate Vice President for Corporate Partnerships at 亚色视频
- 2025 鈥 鈥淏ridging the Skills Gap鈥 featuring Whitney Lester, Vice President of Talent Development, Hampton Roads Workforce Council
亚色视频 Career Summit: Reimagining Work. Redefining Readiness.
- Date: Wednesday, May 20, 2026
- Time: 9 a.m. 鈥 3:30 p.m.
- Location: North & Central Caf茅, Webb Student Center
Please contact employers@odu.edu with questions. Thank you!
Event Schedule
Location: North & Central Caf茅, Webb Student Center
Dr. Jenn Grimm
Executive Director, Center for Career and Leadership Development
Dr. Brandi Hephner LaBanc
Vice President for the Division of Student and Campus Life
Nina Rodriguez Gonser
Vice President for Digital Transformation and Technology
Location: North & Central Caf茅, Webb Student Center
Addressing the Skills Gap: A Student-Led Conversation
Target Audience: Faculty/Staff
Presenters:
- Myles Nixon, Assistant Director, Center for Career and Leadership Development
- Keri Sherman, Student Employment Program Manager, Center for Career and Leadership Development
As institutions redefine readiness, students are actively shaping what that means. Where do students see gaps between classroom learning and career expectations? What experiences make them feel truly prepared? This session invites stakeholders to listen, reflect, and collaborate on actionable ways to better equip students for what comes next. Our panel will include student employees from diverse backgrounds, campus work experiences, and career aspirations, including those involved in student hourly positions, Federal Work-Study (FWS), the Learn and Earn Advantage Program (LEAP), and the Federal Work-Study Internship Program (FWS IP), to share their experiences.
Thrive at Work: Building Systems that Support Well-Being, Retention, and Success
Target Audience: Faculty/Staff & Employers
Presenter:
- Gabriela Dickey, Director, Health Promotion
Participants will explore how well-being can be intentionally designed into workplaces and career pathways---not left to individual willpower---and how individuals can influence healthy systems whether they are students entering the workforce or professionals shaping campus culture.
Readiness is a System: Reimagining collaboration in Internships
Target Audience: Faculty/Staff & Employers
Presenters:
- Alison Lietzenmayer, Master Lecturer, Department of Communication & Theatre Arts, College of Arts & Letters; and Director of Faculty Development, Monarch Humanities Internship Academy
- Dr. Megan Mize, Director, ePortfolio & Digital Initiatives, High Impact Academic Partnerships
- Riley Cunningham, Graduate Assistant for Monarch Humanities Internship Academy
This session reimagines career readiness as a collaborative process shaped by communication, systems management, and shared responsibility. Using NACE Career Readiness Competencies, NACE internship best practices, and the VTOP Employer Toolkit, participants explore strategies for improving collaboration across four key relationships: faculty and interns, employers and interns, universities and employers, and internship providers and coordinators. The session offers practical tools for designing internships as co-educational learning environments.
Beyond Benefits: Education as a Strategic Advantage in the Future of Work
Target Audience: Employers
Presenters:
- Dean Claud, Director of Employer Partnerships, 亚色视频Global
- Kimberly Williams, Manager of Employer Partnerships, 亚色视频Global
As work transforms, so must our approach to employee development. This session highlights how 亚色视频 and 亚色视频Global collaborate with employers to deliver flexible, career-focused education solutions that redefine workforce readiness. Discover how strategic education partnerships can future-proof your organization and engage today鈥檚 evolving workforce.
Location: North & Central Caf茅, Webb Student Center
From Classroom to Crisis: Preparing Students to Communicate When It Matters Most
Target Audience: Faculty/Staff
Presenter:
- Brittany Mitchell, Community Faculty Relationship Specialist, VHS Experiential Learning Office
Modern workplaces demand clear, confident communication---especially under pressure. This session helps faculty and staff prepare students for high-stakes communication moments they will face early in their careers. Drawing on broadcast journalism and crisis communication experience, participants will learn practical strategies to build student composure, clarity, and professionalism, redefining career readiness for today's fast-paced, high-visibility work environments.
Equity and Inclusion as Readiness: Embedding Equitable, Inclusive, Anti-Oppressive Practices into Career Preparation
Target Audience: Faculty/Staff & Employers
Presenters:
- Shanda Jenkins, Director of Faculty Recruitment and Retention, Office of Faculty Recruitment and Retention
- Alison Lietzenmayer, Master Lecturer, Department of Communication & Theatre Arts, College of Arts & Letters; and Director of Faculty Development, Monarch Humanities Internship Academy
Equity and inclusion are no longer optional workplace values; they are essential career readiness skills. This session explores how the NACE Equity and Inclusion competency can be intentionally embedded into high-impact practices that prepare students for today鈥檚 diverse and evolving workforce. Faculty, staff, and employer partners will gain practical strategies for designing career preparation experiences that promote equitable engagement, challenge systemic inequities, and foster inclusive professional cultures.
The Proven Power of a Paid Internship: The story of the Monarch Humanities Academy
Target Audience: Employers
Presenters:
- Kathy Mosier, Assistant Director, Monarch Humanities Internship Academy, Monarch Internship and Co-Op Office
- Dr. Michael Thompson, Assistant Director, Monarch Humanities Internship Academy, Monarch Internship and Co-Op Office
Through the Monarch Humanities Internship Academy, 亚色视频 is creating work-based learning experiences specifically designed for the humanities major. Learn about the progress of this grant-funded initiative as presenters offer an overview entering the third year of a five-year grant. Gain perspective from the student experience on the value of an 亚色视频 Humanities education for career readiness. Discover how your organization might benefit by leveraging this 亚色视频 resource.
Productive Downtime
Target Audience: Employers
Presenter:
- Katie Earnest, PJM-E Support Services Engineering Manager, American Electric Power
This session reframes downtime as a strategic resource by showing how to convert short (5-90 min) and long (half-day to multi-day) windows into measurable value.
Location: North & Central Caf茅, Webb Student Center
Reimagining Career Preparedness for Skills-First, AI-Enabled Workforce
Target Audience: Faculty/Staff & Employers
Presenter:
- Dr. Adel El-Shahat, Assistant Professor & Director of Electric Machinery and Power Systems Lab, Department of Engineering Technology
An interactive workshop for faculty, staff, and employers to work on building a skills-first and AI-supported university workforce. Drawing from the NACE career readiness competencies, participants will explore emerging trends in the workforce and innovative ways to incorporate career readiness into programs, advising, and recruitment. Attendees will gain concrete insights into more closely aligning student preparation with the evolving dynamics of work.
Employer Engagement in Learning Communities to Build Career Readiness
Target Audience: Employers
Presenters:
- LaShay McQueen, Director of Academic Initiatives, Office of High Impact Academic Partnerships
- Tara Hillman, Coordinator for Academic Enrichment Programs, Office of High Impact Academic Partnerships
- Kayla Brown, Assistant Director for Living-Learning Communities, Center for Career and Leadership Development
- Jenn Grimm, Executive Director, Center for Career and Leadership Development
Learning communities help students transition to college during the first year and beyond. Students connect with peers in similar majors, build relationships with faculty, and participate in enrichment activities. This session will explore how learning communities could offer opportunities for employers to engage with students early in their college careers. Through class visits, mentorship, or other projects, employers could partner with learning communities to help shape career development for first-year students and increase preparedness for future careers.
InternshipsVA and Campus757: Strengthening Local Talent and Continued Partnerships
Target Audience: Employers
Presenters:
- Joshua Sheffield, Director, Emerging Workforce, The Hampton Roads Workforce Council
- Zail Singh, Campus 757 Internship Manager, The Hampton Roads Workforce Council
This session explores how InternshipsVA and Campus757 strengthen regional talent pipelines through collaboration between higher education and employers. Those attending the summit will learn how internship efforts support workforce readiness, experiential learning, and help retain talent in the region by aligning academic programs with regional workforce needs.
You're Hired---Now What? Navigating Your First Real Job
Target Audience: Faculty/Staff & Employers
Presenters:
- Teresa Escalante, VP of People & Culture, YMCA of South Hampton Roads
- Breanne Presson, Sr Director of People Operations, YMCA of South Hampton Roads
Many YMCA employees are entering the workforce for the first time. This session shares real-world lessons from supporting early-career talent, including common readiness gaps, training strategies, and ongoing challenges. Attendees will explore how employers develop professionalism, communication, and adaptability in practice and how faculty, staff, and employers can better prepare students for their first careers.
Location: North & Central Caf茅, Webb Student Center
Woman standing at podium on stage speaking to audience
Man standing at podium on stage speaking to audience
Four people standing on stage. 3 people sitting at table for panel and one person standing at podium addressing the panel
Three employers sitting at table on stage for panel.
Three people standing on the stage. 2 people awarding the certificate and award to one person.
2 people standing on stage. One at a podium and one standing behind a table with gifts.
Woman at the podium presenting to audience.
People sitting in the audience. One woman raising her hand.
Audience paying attention to the speaker. Speaker out of frame.
A man presenting to audience.
One audience member is speaking into a microphone and other audience members are paying attention.
Session on supporting student success through collaboration and meaningful connections.
Session on best practices for supervisors of student employees.
A man presenting to the audience.
A woman at the podium with two screens behind her, one with the slides another where her colleague is explaining the content on the slide.
A woman presenting to audience.
Attendees of the 2025 亚色视频 Career Summit listening to the session sitting in chairs.
Woman standing at podium on stage speaking to audience
Man standing at podium on stage speaking to audience
Four people standing on stage. 3 people sitting at table for panel and one person standing at podium addressing the panel
Three employers sitting at table on stage for panel.
Three people standing on the stage. 2 people awarding the certificate and award to one person.
2 people standing on stage. One at a podium and one standing behind a table with gifts.
Woman at the podium presenting to audience.
People sitting in the audience. One woman raising her hand.
Audience paying attention to the speaker. Speaker out of frame.
A man presenting to audience.
One audience member is speaking into a microphone and other audience members are paying attention.
Session on supporting student success through collaboration and meaningful connections.
Session on best practices for supervisors of student employees.
A man presenting to the audience.
A woman at the podium with two screens behind her, one with the slides another where her colleague is explaining the content on the slide.
A woman presenting to audience.
Attendees of the 2025 亚色视频 Career Summit listening to the session sitting in chairs.