Meet Our Staff

Janet Ehl is the Assistant Vice President of the Pulsifer Career Development Center and leads a talented team of professionals in Undergraduate Career Development, Graduate Career Development and Alumni Career Development and the Recruiting/Employer Relations teams. Janet and the nationally ranked career services team (Top 5 in the Princeton Review since 2014) work with 4,000 undergraduate students, 1,000 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 the Director of Undergraduate Career Development in the Pulsifer Career Development Center at Bentley University and leads the undergraduate team and its efforts for advancing its career education curriculum (CDI courses which won the National Association of Colleges and Employers Career Services Excellence Award), dedicated career coaching and outcomes for all undergraduate students, technology innovation, student collaboration, social innovation, and marketing initiatives.

A graduate of Syracuse University and New England Law Boston 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 coaching 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 CliftonStrengths and Strong Interest Inventory coach and conducts one on one and team coaching, large scale CliftonStrengths 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, Career Leadership Collective, the Ad Club, the Publicity Club of New England, and the Network of Executive Women.  She has also been 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 co-hosted Bentley’s career advice podcast, Counter Offer, which was named a Top 10 Higher Education Podcast by eCity.  Her #AskAlyssa videos are featured on CareerEdge and Bentley Career Services’ Instagram account and she is featured in a Bentley University Master Class video on networking.

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!

MaryEllen Ryan is a Senior Associate Director of Undergraduate Career Development in the Pulsifer Career Development Center and the dedicated 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 Development 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: MaryEllen loves to travel and has visited 24 states and 15 countries and look forward to adding to the list.

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

Junior & Senior Appointments:

Please schedule an appointment via Handshake (Career Center > Appointments > Schedule a New Appointment > follow remaining prompts).

Melissa Sawyer is Senior Associate Director/Operations Manager and dedicated Career Coach for the Accountancy, Corporate Finance and Accounting (Accounting Focus), Data Analytics, Information Systems Audit and Control, Mathematics, and Actuarial Sciences majors for Undergraduate Career Development in the Pulsifer Career Development Center. 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. Sawyer has established solid partnerships with employers who actively recruit the students in her area of focus. Additionally, she oversees the relationship between the Pulsifer Career Center and Handshake and Big Interview. 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
• Actuarial Sciences
• Corporate Finance and Accounting (Accounting Focus)
• Data Analytics
• Information Systems Audit and Control
• Information Technology in Accounting
• Mathematics

Fun fact:  Melissa has traveled to 18 countries in the past 18 years (and more prior to that)!  Traveling with her husband and son is one of her passions and their most recent adventure was to go to the Galapagos Islands.  Melissa looks forward to many more stamps in her passport in the future!

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

Junior & Senior Appointments:

Please schedule an appointment via Handshake (Career Center > Appointments > Schedule a New Appointment > follow remaining prompts).

Kristine Vidic is a Senior Associate Director and Career Equity and Access Specialist in Undergraduate Career Development in the Pulsifer Career Development Center.  She has more than 27 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 first year students and sophomores at Bentley.  She works in collaboration with the entire Undergraduate Career Development team to build strategies that support the office’s integrated and holistic approach, and takes a leadership role in advising the Bentley University Career Colleague 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.

Additionally, as Career Equity and Access Specialist, Kristine focuses on creating equity and access systems related to career development to ensure the success of all Bentley students, with particular emphasis on first-generation students and students of diversity.

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.

Dedicated Career Coach for:

• First-Year Students
• Sophomores

Fun Fact:  Her passion is to travel and see the world – Kristine has been to 9 countries.

Her favorite part about the office?  Working with the career colleague program!

First Year & Sophomore Drop In Hours (during Academic Year):

Monday –Thursday: 1:00-3:00 p.m. in LAC 225

To schedule an appointment during the summer, contact Kristine at kvidic@bentley.edu.

Paul Stanish is a Senior Associate Director of Undergraduate Career Development in the Pulsifer Career Development Center at Bentley University and the dedicated Career Coach for Creative Industry, Experience Design, Film & Media Studies, Marketing, Professional Sales and Public Relations majors.  In addition to working with those constituents, he teaches all levels of students in the award winning CDI 101, 201 and 301 courses and manages the CareerEdge Career Colleague team.   Paul spends time cultivating relationships with corporate partners and companies in advertising, beauty, fashion, market research, television and many more.  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 is certified as a Strong Interest Inventory coach and has recently completed a course in Stanford’s Life Design workshop.  Paul has over 21 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:

• Creative Industries
• Experience Design
• Film and Media Studies
• Marketing
• Professional Sales
• Public Relations

Lisa Dinsmore is the Associate Director of Undergraduate Career Development in the Pulsifer Career Development Center and the dedicated Career Coach for the Economics-Finance, Business Economics, Quantitative Economics, and LSM/BA Majors and students interested in Consulting, Sustainability, Healthcare and Non-Profits.

Lisa comes to the Pulsifer Center with over 18 years of experience in a variety of organizations including start-ups, large corporations, and higher education institutions. While at Bentley, Lisa has worked extensively with employer organizations to understand the skills and competencies that they need in their workforce, and forged partnerships with those organization to address those needs. Additionally, Lisa has collaborated with faculty and staff across the University to design and deliver impactful educational programs, providing students with the information and tools they need to succeed. Lisa looks forward to working with her students to develop and hone the critical skills they will need to acquire the positions they want to begin their careers.

Prior to joining Bentley University, Lisa worked in a variety of roles encompassing marketing, operations and financial planning in organizations including: The Gillette Company, Capital One Financial, Putnam Investments, and Raytheon Company. Lisa earned a Bachelor of Science in Business from Babson College where she majored in Finance and Economics and an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

Dedicated Career Coach for the following majors and students interested in:

• Economics-Finance
• Business Economics
• Quantitative Economics
• BA/LSM
• Consulting
• Healthcare
• Sustainability

Fun Fact: Lisa grew up taking Irish dance lessons and for years would perform in various venues around Boston – a skill she has been known to revisit on March 17^th.

Favorite part of working in the office: Working with students to hone their “personal brand”

Melissa Giunta is a Senior Assistant Director of Undergraduate Career Development in the Pulsifer Career Development center at Bentley University and the dedicated Career Coach for Management, Computer Information Systems, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Artificial Intelligence. Melissa is the point person for students interested in Non-Profit work, managing the Pulsifer & Maguire Non-Profit Internship Programs. In addition, Melissa teaches CDI 101 to first year and transfers students and CDI 301 to second and third year students.

As a higher education professional with more than 11 years experience, Melissa has had the privilege of working in various sectors of higher education, such as Student Financial Services, Financial Assistance and most recently in Undergraduate Career Development. In Melissa’s current and past roles, she has worked closely with students, and takes pride in being able to apply her skills and expertise to help them achieve success. As a first-generation college student, Melissa has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Framingham State University and a Masters degree in Higher Education Administration from Northeastern University. At Bentley, Melissa is a member of the First- Generation Student Support Committee and an active member of the Falcons Forward 2030 Strategic Plan for the First-Generation Student Success Action Implementation Group (AIG). Melissa’s work in higher education has helped shape her belief that all students should have the same opportunity to access a great education which in turn will lead them to finding the career path that best suits them.

When Melissa isn’t working, she enjoys spending time traveling. You will probably see her at Logan Airport ready to board her next flight to her next destination!

Jennifer is the UCD’s permanent, part-time CDI instructor. She has a bachelor of arts from Colby College and a master’s degree in education from Boston College and is pursuing a doctoral degree in intellectual history at Drew University.  With over 20 years of extensive teaching experience, Jennifer has worked at the collegiate level at The College of New Jersey and Massasoit Community College as well as in secondary schools and adult education programs in Massachusetts and New Jersey. Jennifer’s research interests include informal learning communities and how people facilitate educational opportunities for others.

In addition to teaching multiple sections of CDI 101 in the spring, Jennifer teaches multiple sections of CDI 201 in the fall and provides support to CDI 301 courses during the academic year.

Fun Fact: With a background in Latin and Classical Humanities, she enjoys the challenge of connecting any topic to the ancient Greeks and Romans.

Jen Thibodeau is Associate Director of Employer Relations & Recruiting in the Pulsifer Career Development Center 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 Employer Relations & 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 Handshake 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 Handshake 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.

Fun fact:  Jen loves the beach.

Favorite part of the office: How supportive this entire team is of each other!

Jessica Smith
Assistant Director, Employer Relations & Recruiting

Jessica Smith is the Assistant Director of Employer Relations & Recruiting in the Pulsifer Career Development Center and has more than 10 years of experience in higher education in  Career Services, and Residence Life. She helps manage all aspects of companies hiring Bentley students for jobs and internships and provides exceptional customer service by managing employer events for Bentley’s key corporate partners who are seeking to hire Bentley students. Jessica acts as the first point of contact for a large number of corporate and recruiting partners. She also assists on-campus recruiting efforts and the management of Bentley University’s two annual career fairs which host 140+ employers and 1200+ students at each fair.  Jessica handles the logistics and promotions for events of key corporate partners held both on and off campus.

Prior to working at Bentley, Jessica has worked at Brandeis University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), and as a Graduate Assistant at Becker College and College of the Holy Cross. She has a Bachelor of Arts from Framingham State University and a Master of Education from Springfield College.

Through her career, Jessica has found her strengths lie in project development, program planning, and facilitation. She is very passionate about the combination of career development, employer relations, event facilitation, and oversight of management systems like Handshake and Brazen.

Kara Buonopane is the Senior Assistant Director of Employer Relations and Recruiting in the Pulsifer Career Development Center at Bentley University. Her background in both higher education and corporate recruiting allows for a dynamic understanding of employer engagement. She works with the rest of the ERR team on both on- and off-campus recruiting programs, the two annual career fairs, and other employer events. In this role, she also works directly with the Handshake platform. Her primary focus lies within corporate outreach and new employer strategy.

Throughout Kara’s career, she has strived to create an inclusive and equitable environment for everyone that she works with. She prioritizes teamwork and encourages everyone to bring their strengths and ideas to the table.

When Kara is not working, you can find her exploring the great outdoors with her husband and her dog, Dot, or snuggling up with a good book and her cat, Blue.

Email: kbuonopane@bentley.edu