Meet Our Staff

Susan Brennan, Associate Vice President of University Career Services, has over 20 years of experience managing career development and employer outreach programs in business higher education. In her leadership role she provides strategic direction to university-wide career services functions including: undergraduate, graduate, alumni, recruiting, employer relations, marketing and career education. She is recognized for her ability to build and maintain strong relationships with corporate partners, alumni, parents, faculty, and staff to improve outcomes and expand Bentley’s reputation in the global marketplace.

Brennan is a featured career expert in major media outlets including the New York Times, Boston Globe, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Radio, Chronicle of Higher Education, U.S. News and World Report, Washington Post and Boston Business Journal. She often serves as keynote speaker for major internal and external events ranging from campus Open House events for accepted students and families, to career-oriented webinars, and conferences addressing the corporate community. She also serves as a key resource to faculty and administration on major curriculum initiatives to ensure market relevance and consideration of career implications.

Under her leadership, Bentley’s undergraduate placement surveys have yielded 98% employment or graduate school plans within six months of graduation. These results impact key rankings including Bloomberg/BusinessWeek and Princeton Review.

Prior to joining Bentley in 2003, Brennan combined her passions for business and education in diverse roles at the Arthur D. Little School of Management (now Hult International Business School), the Hay Group, Columbia University and the Children’s Museum. She has a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania, master of education from Harvard University and master of business administration from Babson College.

Alyssa Hammond is Director of Undergraduate Career Education and Outcomes at Bentley University and leads the Undergraduate Career Services team and and it’s efforts for advancing its career education curriculum and credit internship program (CDI courses), dedicated career advising and outcomes for all undergraduate students, technology innovation, student collaboration, social innovation, and marketing initiatives.

Hammond is a graduate of Syracuse University and New England School of Law and a bar certified attorney, and has worked as a career advisor and higher education administrator for more than 16 years. She has provided career advising and presented career-related classes, workshops and presentations to thousands of students through her work at Suffolk University, New England Law and Bentley University, and to professional organizations such as the National Association of Law Placement, the Massachusetts Bar Association and the Public Relations Global Network.   She is also a certified Strengths coach and conducts one on one and team coaching, large scale Strengths development programming, and has incorporated and implemented Strengths into the CDI 101 and 201 courses for first and second year students at Bentley.

Hammond has served as Vice President of Student Membership for Publicity Club of New England’s Board of Directors and has been a member of the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the Ad Club, the Publicity Club of New England, and the Network of Executive Women. And last but not least, in her “spare time”, she is an adjunct professor for the Information Design and Corporate Communications Department here at Bentley, teaching IDCC 390 “The Business of Social Media”.

Hammond has been featured in U.S. News & World Report, the Chronicle of Higher Education, the Chicago Tribune, the Boston Herald, Boston Business Journal, Boston.com, BostonInno, and Business Insider for her career services and social media work.

Colleen Murphy is a Senior Associate Director, Undergraduate Career Services and Dedicated Career Advisor for the Sustainability, Management, Health and Industry majors and Bachelor of Arts students. Murphy has worked in higher education for more than 14 years. As the Freshmen Career Advisor and Advisor to First Time Visitors, she introduces students to the Bentley University Hire Education Career Action Plan (a four-stage career plan) and also presents career-related programs, conducts outreach to a variety of industries and is a facilitator for the First Year Seminar and Career Development Courses.

In June of 2012, Murphy was appointed as the Ferrera Fellowship Coordinator for the Gerald R. Ferrera Public Service Fellowship (established in June of 2012) that was created to offer Bentley students an opportunity to work for an international NGO, non-profit or government agency.

Before coming to work at Bentley University, Murphy worked as an Assistant Director of the Suffolk University Law School’s Career Development Office and Admissions Office. After completing her education, she worked for several years in the international shipping industry including the Ocean Brokerage Department of a large Japanese company and later an American company where she imported goods for a national account.

Murphy holds a Master’s in Education, with a concentration in Administration of Higher Education and an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Suffolk University. She is a member of the Chicago Women in Publishing and the West End Civic Association.

Dedicated Career Adviser for:

• Management
• Liberal Studies Majors (except Media, Arts & Society)
• Global Studies
• History
• Liberal Arts
• Philosophy
• Pre-Law (Minor)
• Professional Sales
• Public Policy
• Spanish Studies
• Sustainability Science
• Non-Profit Organizations (Minor)

Junior & Senior Drop In Hours (during Academic Year):

Monday & Wednesday: 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Tuesday: 9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.

Friday: 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

MaryEllen Ryan is a Senior Associate Director of Undergraduate Career Services at Bentley University and the dedicated career advisor for Finance and Corporate Finance & Accounting (Finance-Focus) Majors.

Ryan has over 14 years of experience in the financial services industry. Prior to joining the Undergraduate Career Services team, she was a Private Client Relationship Advisor with Brown Advisory, an independent investment management firm.  She has extensive experience working with multi-generational families to address a wide variety of wealth management needs.

Ryan has a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College and MBA from Boston College. She enjoys combining her financial services experience with her commitment to education to help students evaluate their skills sets and interests and find a rewarding career path.

Dedicated Career Advisor for the following majors:

• Finance
• Corporate Finance and Accounting (Finance-Focus)

Junior & Senior Drop In Hours (during Academic Year):

Monday & Wednesday: 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Tuesday: 9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.

Thursday: 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.

Friday: 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

Melissa Sawyer is Senior Associate Director, Undergraduate Career Services, and Dedicated Career Adviser for the Accounting, Corporate Finance and Accounting (Accounting Focus), Information Systems Audit and Control, Mathematics, and Actuarial Sciences majors. Sawyer has more than 18 years of experience working in higher education in various functions encompassing career services, admission, financial aid, fellowship programs, and registrar’s office. She has developed strong relationships with staff and faculty throughout Bentley’s campus while collaborating on various programs for her majors and the “Excel” portion of the Hire Education Career Action Plan. Sawyer has established solid partnerships with employers who actively recruit the students in her area of focus. Additionally, she oversees the relationship between Career Services and BentleyLink and InterviewStream and is the program manager for the course, Career Development Internship (CDI 102) which will be launched in spring 2013. Sawyer looks forward to meeting with students to help them evaluate their interests regarding major and career path and in developing the skills necessary to acquire the positions they desire.

Prior to working at Bentley, Sawyer worked in career services with law students at Western New England School of Law and held various positions at Cornell University prior to and during graduate school. She has a Bachelor of Arts from John Carroll University and a MEd from Kent State University.

Dedicated Career Adviser for the following majors:

• Accounting
• Corporate Finance and Accounting (Accounting Focus)
• Information Systems Audit and Control
• Mathematics
• Actuarial Sciences

Junior & Senior Drop In Hours (during Academic Year):

Monday & Wednesday: 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Tuesday: 9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.

Thursday: 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.

Friday: 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

Kristine Vidic is a Senior Associate Director for Career Education & Innovation.  She has more than 20 years of experience as a trusted career advisor who has built close relationships with many students and alumni helping them launch successful careers.

She is responsible for the advising and career education for freshman and sophomores at Bentley.  She works in collaboration with the entire Undergraduate Career Services team to build strategies that support the office’s integrated and holistic approach, and takes a leadership role in advising the Bentley University Career Colleagues program, in addition to being a key instructor for several career development courses. Vidic is a certified trainer in StrengthsFinder Coaching, MBTI and the Strong Interest Inventory.

Prior to working at Bentley, Vidic worked with undergraduate students and alumni at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. She holds a Master of Arts degree in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University and a Bachelor of Science from Southern New Hampshire University.

Sophomore Drop In Hours (during Academic Year):

Monday-Friday: 1:00-2:30 p.m.

Amanda Helfand is a Senior Assistant Director of Undergraduate Career Services at Bentley University and the dedicated career advisor for Marketing, Information Design and Corporate Communications, Creative Industries, Media and Culture, and Liberal Studies in Media Arts and Society majors.

Prior to joining the career services team, Helfand worked in marketing communications, account management, business development, and marketing analytics. Companies and clients who she has worked with include Amazon, AT&T, Capital One, Disney, Pottery Barn, Sperry Topsider, and Toyota as well as several smaller startups.

Helfand is a double falcon. She graduated from Bentley University with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and a Liberal Studies Major in Ethics and Social Responsibility. She later obtained her Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Management. As a member of the career services team, Helfand enjoys helping students determine career paths that they can excel in and enjoy.

Dedicated Career Adviser for the following majors:
• Marketing
• Information Design and Corporate Communications
• Media and Culture
• Creative Industries
• Liberal Studies – Media, Arts & Society

Junior & Senior Drop In Hours (during Academic Year):

Monday & Wednesday: 11:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.

Tuesday: 9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.

Thursday: 2:30 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

Friday: 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

Brian Moccio is a Senior Assistant Director of Undergraduate Career Services at Bentley University and the dedicated career advisor for Economics-Finance and Managerial Economics Majors.

Prior to working at Bentley, Moccio spent over a decade at two Fortune 100 companies, most recently as a senior manager in Financial Planning & Analysis for Liberty Mutual.  He started his career with United Technologies Corporation as an associate in their Financial Leadership Program.  Moccio has spent time in a variety of diverse roles across UTC and Liberty Mutual including time in Finance, M&A/Strategic Planning, Underwriting, Product Management, and Claims.     

Moccio graduated from Bryant University with a Bachelor of Science in Finance and received his MBA from Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business. 

Dedicated Career Advisor for the following majors:

• Economics-Finance 
• Managerial Economics
• Students interested in Consulting

Junior & Senior Drop In Hours (during Academic Year):

Monday & Wednesday: 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Tuesday: 9:30 a.m.- 10:30 a.m.

Thursday: 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.

Friday: 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

Janet Ehl is Director, Recruiting and Employer Relations and oversees Bentley’s Recruiting Department’s functions and staff, and helps manage the university’s relationships with key corporate recruiting partners, and works on corporate engagement initiatives.

Ehl is the relationship manager for Bentley’s Undergraduate Career Services’ ‘Board of Hire Education’ to build and strengthen these important and ongoing alliances which provide a “win-win” for both students and companies. She assists new corporate partners with branding efforts to connect with Bentley students. Ehl also has 15 years of experience in the higher education Career Services’ arena where she has helped students and alumni develop successful job search skills and strategies.

Ehl joined Bentley University in 2008 and still keeps her hand in career services, working primarily with undergraduate students in the Computer Information Systems major. Ehl’s work with diverse companies across many industries and her work with students allow her to deliver excellent knowledge and service to all her clients. Prior to working at Bentley, Ehl worked with MBA students and alumni at Northeastern University and Babson College after making a career change from financial services. She holds an MBA from Babson College.

Dedicated Career Adviser for the following majors:
• Computer Information Systems

Jen joined Bentley in April 2016 to manage all on-campus employer relations events. She works with our corporate partners to connect with our students through events such as job shadows, site visits, information tables, employer drop in hours, and case competitions. She also tracks all recruiting and employer relations data and helps with company outreach.

Prior to Bentley, Jen worked in the MBA employer relations space, collaborating with hiring firms to maximize their visibility on campus through effective recruiting strategies and connecting them to targeted student populations. She is also very passionate about sustainability, professionally and personally, and has effectively networked with companies to identify and promote job opportunities in sustainability-related industries.

Jen has a BA in International Affairs from Suffolk University and is eager to help companies hire top talent from Bentley.

Jennifer Thibodeau is the Employee Relations Manager at Bentley and has more than 15 years of experience in campus recruiting for higher education. She manages the on- and off-campus recruiting programs for all internship and full-time employers. Thibodeau oversees the entire operation of the Recruiting Office and manages Bentley University’s two annual career fairs which host 130+ employers and 1000+ students at each fair. She also manages the recruiting piece of the BentleyLINK recruiting system.

Thibodeau has developed strong relationships with employers and is able to share key facts and trends regarding campus recruiting to augment their networking and recruiting efforts. Her work with diverse companies across many industries, and extensive knowledge of the BentleyLINK system, allow her to deliver excellent knowledge and service to all employers. Thibodeau and her team strive to maintain Bentley’s well known reputation for maintaining a “top notch” recruiting program and providing exceptional customer service to all employers.

Janet Kenney has been employed at Bentley University for more than 19 years, beginning in the Undergraduate Admissions office where she worked for two years before joining the Career Services team as Internship Coordinator. Kenney currently manages the employer on- and off-campus recruiting program. Her main function consists of interfacing with many employers on a daily basis providing guidance and direction on the process of hiring Bentley students for both full-time and internship opportunities. Kenney is responsible for scheduling on-campus interview dates and for planning and coordinating the actual interviews with students when employers come to the Bentley campus. In addition, Kenney assists Bentley students with the BentleyLINK system while providing support when applying to the various job opportunities and produces weekly email updates to Bentley students directing them to jobs and internship currently available to them.

Ann Cohn is the Recruiting Assistant and has more than 20 years of customer service experience. She maintains front office operations and happily provides customer service to all who enter the Bentley Recruiting Office. Cohn assists with campus recruiting schedules, posts internship and full-time positions on the BentleyLINK recruiting system and oversees the recruiter lunch process. Ann also manages the Recruiting Office’s workstudy students and the general recruiting_info@bentley.edu mailbox.