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Career Ventures

Career Ventures is a hub for customized industry connections and employer engagement. This team of savyy and connected educators brings years of collective experience in industry and higher education to engage employers in the Stanford community. Employers, start your recruiting journey at Stanford here. 

Jennifer Rutt
Associate Dean of Career Education &

Director of Career Ventures - Social Impact

Jennifer Rutt has more than 15 years experience in the corporate and university recruiting field. Prior to joining Stanford, she was at AfterCollege where she led employer consulting, engagement and education around University Recruiting. She also spent a decade with NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) as NACElink Director and Director of Strategic Alliances. In her positions she has had extensive interactions with recruiting professionals as well as leaders in business, government, and education specific to university recruiting with a concentration in technology. She is often looked to for input on decision making processes affecting the future of university recruiting practices and frequently speaks publicly as an expert on the topic. Jennifer spent most of her adult life in the Pacific Northwest, is an avid reader and has a propensity towards adopting slightly "unadoptable" animals.

 

Career Ventures Internships & Employment

Brett S. Alpert, PhD
Assistant Dean of Career Education &

Associate Director of Career Ventures - Internships & Employment

Dr. Brett Alpert, has served for 15+ years in an array of private and public sector roles. Brett earned a BA in Sociology and a Minor in Sports Management from UC Santa Barbara, an MA in Education Policy and Leadership from the University of Maryland, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of Michigan. Prior to pursuing his graduate studies, Brett spent 4+ years in various management capacities within the financial services industry, served as Community Liaison with the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office and became involved with a variety of civic and philanthropic activities. Brett previously served undergraduate students as an Academic Advisor at the University of Maryland, recruited/advised graduate students and internship supervisors as Coordinator for Graduate Programs and Activities with the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University of Michigan, and served both students and employers as Director of External Opportunities and Engagement at Loyola Marymount University. Originally from Southern California, Brett is excited to join Stanford as the newest addition to the Career Ventures team.

 

Carmen Zahiralis
Manager of Career Ventures - Career Events

Carmen is part of the Career Events team, linking students and alumni with employers through career fairs and other career related events. Prior to Stanford, Carmen worked in the advertising and publishing industry, which included career event planning.

 

 

 

 

Shavon Borjas
Manager of Career Ventures - Career Events

Shavon is a member of the Career Events team, and hopes to bring new opportunities for students to connect to employers and plan their future. She comes to Stanford with a diverse professional background, including running day camps for military children, advising students in Graphic and Web Design, and managing a busy student activities department. Shavon believes that every experience is an opportunity to grow, and to have some fun doing it. She loves the SF Giants, brunch and brewing the perfect cup of tea.

 

 

 

Linda Lydon:
Manager of Career Ventures - Recruiting

Linda has 12+ years experience managing the on-campus interview program. She is responsible for coordinating and executing all recruiting programs including project management, evaluations, and event marketing. She works to build and sustain strong employer relations with all companies recruiting at Stanford by providing proactive examination of resume submissions, schedules and deadlines. Linda provides guidance, advice, assistance, and follow up to students and employers regarding the Cardinal Recruiting policies and procedures.   

 

 

 

Monique Frizzell
Coordinator of Career Ventures

Monique supports the Career Ventures team with student accounts, employer engagement, recruiting and career fairs.  Prior to Stanford University, she worked for Jockey International in their merchandising division. Her territory ranged from San Francisco to Monterey Bay.  Monique's interests include gardening, cooking, family and Boy Scouts of America, having encouraged three of her four sons to earn the rank of Eagle Scout.  A fourth son is well on his way to obtaining Life Scout status. Monique has one daughter currently attending the University of Alabama, Huntsville.  She feels a strong connection to working with Stanford students, which has grown from her own experiences encouraging her children to pursue their career passions

 

 

Career Ventures Employer Engagement

Open Position 
Assistant Dean of Career Education &

Associate Director of Career Ventures - Arts, Media & Entertainment

 

 

 

Morris Graves
Assistant Director of Career Ventures - Business, Consulting, Finance & Government

Morris' higher education career spans 40+ years; 20 years here at Stanford. His educational experience includes a B.A. in Political Philosophy from Pitzer College and an M.A. in Comparative Politics with a minor in Higher Education Administration from Claremont Graduate University where he also completed 2 years of doctoral studies. Morris is focuses on identifying and cultivating relationships with employers. Having completed degree programs in the social sciences, Morris recognizes the skill set that Humanities and Social Science majors bring to the corporate community. Specifically, if today’s corporate leadership wants to maintain a competitive edge in a global marketplace, they are aware of the need to seek young talented individuals with a well-exercised mind, a passion for change, and leadership experience. Morris is an avid student of the golf game and his motto is “have clubs will travel.”

 

Jeffrey D'Andria
Assistant Director of Career Ventures - Science, Technology & Engineering 

Jeff connects Stanford students to opportunities by creating inroads for Science, Technology, and Engineering employers on campus. Before his time on the farm, he was a technical recruiter at Microsoft for universities across Canada and the Pacific Northwest and other positions where he focused on talent acquisition. Jeff's first job out of college was at UC Berkeley, where one of the many hats he wore was one as an undergraduate admissions reader. Over the years, Jeff developed a passion for helping students "get in" to opportunities and worked hard to learn the mechanics of how to make this happen. He is glad to bring what he's learned to the Career Ventures team and Stanford. He earned his B.A. at UC Davis and M.S. in Student Affairs Counseling at Syracuse University. Jeff is a big fan of the 49ers, SF Giants, pho and Mexican food.

 

 

Wahab Owolabi
Assistant Director of Career Ventures - Start-ups & Entrepreneurship

Wahab brings a unique blend of higher education and entrepreneurial experience to the Career Ventures team where he will focus on Startups and Entrepreneurship. Prior to joining Stanford, he was the Founder & CEO of CollegeZen, a Startup exploring the college admissions space with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Before starting his company, Wahab was at Carnegie Mellon University. First as an undergraduate admissions counselor and subsequently as a career counselor and the employer development lead for Carnegie Mellon's engineering and science colleges. Wahab also created a first of its kind recruiting event geared towards supporting Startups. In addition, he was a volunteer basketball coach on the Carnegie Mellon varsity mens basketball team for 3 seasons. Passionate about inspiring and creating opportunities for underserved youth, Wahab has been a motivational speaker at both the high school and college level. He enjoys video chatting with his family back in New York, frustratingly teaching himself how to code, playing and watching sports, as well as exploring new cities.

 

Contact Career Ventures at 563 Salvatierra Walk, Stanford, CA 94305-8530 | p. 650-723-9014