Meet Our Staff

Janet Ehl is Executive Director of Career Services leading a talented team of professionals in Undergraduate Career Services, Graduate and Alumni Career Services and the Recruiting/Employer Relations team. Janet and the nationally ranked career services team (#1 in Princeton Review 2019 and in top 5 since 2014) work with 4,000 undergraduate students, 1,200 graduate students, faculty, staff, alumni and hundreds of corporate partners  

Janet is an innovative and dedicated career services professional with an extensive background in higher education career services encompassing advising, teaching, and developing strategic relationships with both internal and external stakeholders.  Key areas of proven success include: corporate partnerships; alumni engagement; effective leadership; and organization development. Janet is actively involved with consortiums and industry leaders to ensure knowledge of best practices regarding technology, scalability and the future of work.

Janet joined Bentley University in 2008 having had prior career services experience at Northeastern University and Babson College after making a career change from financial services. Janet has an MBA from Babson College.

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

A graduate of Syracuse University and New England School of Law and a bar certified attorney, Alyssa has worked as a career coach and higher education administrator for more than 20 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 StrengthsFinder coach and conducts one on one and team coaching, large scale Strengths development programming for companies such as Verizon, Kronos and Martignetti Enterprises, and has incorporated and implemented Strengths into the CDI 101 and 201 courses for first and second year students at Bentley.

Alyssa 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”.

Additionally, Alyssa 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 and currently co-hosts Bentley’s new career advice podcast, Counter Offer, which was recently named a Top 10 Higher Education Podcast by eCity.

Alyssa is known on campus to be an expert in “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” and loves to play it with her CDI 101 and 201 students when discussing the importance of contact theory and networking in their job search. She loves to be challenged anytime, anywhere, so if you see her in the halls, shout out an actor or actress and she’ll surely figure out how they are connected to Kevin B.! Her favorite things about her office are working with Bentley’s “Falcon” awesome students, her team, and their culture wall –  the “Love Mondays” tile is her personal fav because she definitely does and wants her students to, too!

Colleen Murphy is a Senior Associate Director, Undergraduate Career Services and Dedicated Career Coach for Management and Professional Sales majors and senior students. Murphy has worked in higher education for more than 15 years.  Colleen 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 Network of Executive Women, Chicago Women in Publishing and the West End Civic Association.

Dedicated Career Coach for the following students:

• Management

• Professional Sales

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

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

Wednesday: 10:30 a.m.- 11:30 a.m.

Thursday: 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.

Friday: 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.

MaryEllen Ryan is a Senior Associate Director of Undergraduate Career Services at Bentley University and the career coach 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.

Career Coach for the following majors:

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

Fun fact: I love to travel!  I’ve visited 24 states and 15 countries and look forward to adding to the list.

My favorite part about the office: When students come in to share great news about internship/full-time offers!

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

Monday: 11:00am – 12:00pm

Tuesday: 11:00am – 12:00pm

Wednesday: 3:00pm – 4:00pm

Thursday: 2:30pm – 3:30pm

Melissa Sawyer is Senior Associate Director / Operations Manager, Undergraduate Career Services, and Dedicated Career Coach for the Accounting, Corporate Finance and Accounting (Accounting Focus), Information Systems Audit and Control, Mathematics, and Actuarial Sciences majors. Sawyer has more than 20 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 was 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 Coach for the following majors:

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

Fun fact:  I’ve traveled to 18 countries in the past 18 years (and more prior to that)!  Traveling with my husband and son is one of my passions.  Our most recent adventure was to go to the Galapagos Islands.  I look forward to many more stamps in my passport in the future!

My favorite part about the office: Working with the amazing students!  I truly enjoy watching them grow, develop and achieve their goals.  Seeing the smiles on their faces when they receive their internship / full time offer is the best!

Junior & Senior Drop-In Hours (during Spring 2019):

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

Tuesday: 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Thursday: 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.

Friday:11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Kristine Vidic is a Senior Associate Director for Career Education & Innovation.  She has more than 25 years of experience as a trusted career coach who has built close relationships with many students and alumni helping them launch successful careers.

She is responsible for the career coaching and 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 strengths coach through Gallup as well as a certified coach for 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 Higher Education from Bowling Green State University and a Bachelor of Science from Southern New Hampshire University.

Fun Fact:  My passion is to travel and see the world! – I have been to 9 countries.                                                                                                              Favorite part about the office?  Working with the career colleague program

Sophomore Drop In Hours (during Academic Year):

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

Brian Moccio is an Associate Director of Undergraduate Career Services at Bentley University and the dedicated career coach 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 Coach for the following majors:

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

Fun fact: I have played soccer on 3 continents (North America, Europe and Australia)!

Favorite part about the office: The relationships that we are able to build with students through coaching, teaching and encouraging them!  

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

Tuesday: 11:00am – 12:00pm

Wednesday: 10:30am – 11:30am

Thursday: 2:30pm – 3:30pm

Friday: 11:00am – 12:00pm

Paul Stanish is a Senior Assistant Director for Undergraduate Career Services at Bentley University and the dedicated career coach for Marketing, Information Design and Corporate Communications, Creative Industry, Media and Culture, LSM in Media Arts and Society majors.  In addition to working with those constituents, he teaches all levels of students in the award winning CDI 101, 201 and 301 courses.   Paul spends time cultivating relationships with corporate partners and has visited over a dozen companies such as Liberty Mutual, HBO, MullenLowe, Epsilon, TJX and more in the past year.  As a certified Gallup strength coach, Paul has coached multiple staff and students on how to best utilize their strengths in the personal and professional lives.  He currently serves on the department strengths task force.  Paul has over 15 years of prior experience at Bentley working in Student Affairs and the Center for Alumni, Parents and Friends.  Since 2006 Paul has worked as an event planner, merchandise manager and consultant for various sports memorabilia companies in New England.  Prior to Bentley, Paul worked for CVS corp. in their management and operation training programs.  Paul graduated from Bentley with a Bachelor of Science in Management.

Dedicated Career Coach for the following majors:

• Marketing
• Information Design and Corporate Communications
• Creative Industries
• Media and Culture
• LSM in Media, Arts and Society

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

Monday: 11 a.m. – Noon

Tuesday:  11 a.m. – Noon

Wednesday:  10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Friday: 11 a.m. – Noon

Jen joined Bentley in April 2016 to build and maintain our relationships with corporate partners as the Assistant Director of Employer Relations.  She worked 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 transitioned into her role as Assistant Director of Undergraduate Career Services in January 2018 and is the dedicated career coach for CIS, Data Analytics, Liberal Studies (except Media, Arts, & Society), and Bachelor of Arts students.

Prior to Bentley, Jen worked at MIT Sloan in the MBA employer relations space, collaborating with hiring firms to maximize their visibility on campus. Jen graduated from Suffolk University in 2011 with a degree in International Affairs and is currently enrolled in the Bentley University Part time MBA program studying Business Analytics.

One quick fun fact: Jen has a strong interest in sustainable business and social impact- interning at local non profits as an undergrad and being a member of Net Impact’s Boston chapter. Her interest in sustainable business stemmed from her college job working for Ben& Jerry’s- a corporate brand that turned their thoughtful practices into success. Her favorite flavor of Ben&Jerry’s ice cream? Cherry Garcia.

Jen’s favorite part about working within Bentley’s Career Services office is her colleagues. Her top 5 strengths exhibit a lot of relationship building characteristics so it’s no wonder she enjoys working with such a collaborative (& fun!) team.

Dedicated Career Coach for the following students:

• Computer Information Systems
• Data Analytics
• Liberal Studies (except Media, Arts, & Society)
• Bachelor of Arts Candidates

Junior & Senior Drop In Hours (during Spring 2019 Semester):

Mondays: 11am-12pm

Tuesdays: 10am-11am

Wednesdays: 10:30am-11:30am

Fridays: 11am-12pm

Jeanne DiBona has been employed at Bentley University for 20 years, beginning in the Department of Accountancy where she worked for six years prior to working with the Graduate and Alumni Career Services team as Executive Administrative Coordinator for 14 years. Jeanne transitioned to the Recruiting Department as Assistant Director, Employer Relations in March 2018 to build and maintain our relationships with corporate partners. 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 manages the Board of Hire Education, the undergraduate career services advisory board. In addition, Jeanne assists Bentley students with the BentleyLINK system while also providing support to the Recruiting team.

Jeanne is the proud mother of a Bentley ’07 alum, a rabid Boston sports fan, and loves the camaraderie of the Bentley Career Services staff.

Jen Thibodeau is the Employer Relations Manager at Bentley and has more than 20 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 1200+ students at each fair. She manages the recruiting piece of the BentleyLINK recruiting system and is responsible for the data reporting for all recruiting related rankings surveys.

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.

My favorite part of the office is how supportive this entire team is to each other.  Fun fact:  I love the beach!

Janet Kenney has been employed at Bentley University for more than 24 years, beginning in the Undergraduate Admissions office where she worked for two years before joining the Career Services team as Internship Coordinator. Janet 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. She 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, Ms. 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.

I truly love my job and the staff in career services.  Interfacing with students and employers alike is very rewarding to see Bentley students secure both internship and full-time opportunities.

I also enjoy yoga, vacations and spending time with family… especially my grandchildren!

Ann Cohn is the Recruiting Coordinator and has almost 30 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 work study students and the general recruiting_info@bentley.edu mailbox.

Ann’s favorite thing about the office is her dedicated, hardworking colleagues!

Fun fact:  Ann loves to bake and make candy–yum!