Staff

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Employers

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Staff

Career Fellows

Persephone L. Hall

Executive Director

Leading the dedicated, dynamic team of career development professionals at Conn doesn’t feel like work at all. Every day is a new adventure! Each team member is committed to working diligently to ensure that all Conn students are ready to use their liberal arts education to change the world. I am grateful to work with a team that respects diversity and inclusion and is open to enhancing our work as the times dictate. I bring both career development and human resources expertise to my role as Executive Director of the Hale Center for Career Development. This lens helps me appreciate the “ground level” opportunities to support student (and alumni) success with an eye toward professional growth and development. Connecticut College recognizes the value of creating a rich landscape for career education from the moment a student arrives on campus which allows our work to have an impact on students’ lives.

phall3@conncoll.edu Phone: 860-439-2646 112 Fanning Hall

Dorothy (Dot) Wang

Associate Director | Career Advisor | Supervisor of Career Fellow Program

There is nothing better than helping students explore, dream about, and pursue what they want to do. As a career advisor, I support liberal arts students to develop interests and resilience, with attention to resources, to prepare them for what comes next. From career exploration to professional skills, to narrative storytelling, to targeted networking, I keep it fun and accessible for all diverse identities, celebrating students as individuals. As the leader of our Career Fellow Program, I supervise a team of junior and senior Career Fellows who are trained peer advisors. Teaching our Career Preparation course, I cultivate ownership to build self-management of career, for now, and into the future. No two paths are the same and I am wowed daily by students and their stories. Valuing growth mindset and grit, I am proud to collaborate within a team of career professionals who are dedicated to supporting Connecticut College students.

dwang1@conncoll.edu Phone: 860-439-2778 112 Fanning Hall

Lori Balantic

Director of Career & Professional Development Advising | Pre-Health Professions Advisor

As an educator, advisor, coach, and connector with a depth of experience in higher education, I am committed to empowering individuals in their career exploration and professional development. In college, I studied broadly and gained insight into the beauty and demands of the arts and sciences. For me, being a champion of the liberal arts first means helping students understand and gain confidence in how to translate their experience from any classroom or campus engagement to the world beyond. Staying open to happenstance and understanding how our mindset affects our career process is critical for our personal journey. I love to listen, value questions, and am grateful for the gift to learn every day in concert with our community.

lkbal@conncoll.edu Phone: 860-439-2772 112 Fanning Hall

Stanley Willard, Jr.

Career Advisor | Pre-Business Advisor

My journey from a former liberal arts college student to a senior administrator in college athletics has granted me a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective that I bring to the Hale Center for Career Development. My passion for working with students derives from time as a student-athlete at Wesleyan University, where injuries forced early retirement and left me seeking a new direction. This led me to multiple visits to the career office which broadened my horizons and shaped my idea of professionalism. My experiences in the career office and the opportunity to work with students from multiple institutions would influence my decision to become a career advisor. I aim to motivate and guide students towards clarity as they develop their career goals and aspirations.

swillardj@conncoll.edu

Cheryl A. Banker

Director of Employer Engagement

As a proud Connecticut College alumna, I take joy in supporting students through their individual career journeys. I’ve had wide-ranging roles throughout my years, from Career Advisor, Pre-Law and Pre-Business/Finance Advisor, to my current role as Director of Employer Engagement. I also collaborate with the Academic Resource Center to facilitate Career Informed Learning and Fast Forward, each of which engages alumni, parents, and friends of the College. One of my strengths is maintaining relationships with alumni, many of whom give back through participation in programs and events. I am proud of my service to the College through various positions on committees, including Dean’s Grievance; Priorities, Planning, and Budget; Staff Council (recently Chair); and most recently chairing the Flexwork @ Conn Committee. Connecticut College has provided me with many opportunities and I am committed to paying it forward. My strengths include, program development and management, mentoring, coaching, research, and problem-solving.

caban@conncoll.edu Phone: 860-439-2775 112 Fanning Hall

Deb Brunetti

Associate Director | Career Advisor | Pre-Law Advisor

As an advisor, coach and advocate, I support students at Connecticut College as they move through their college years toward realization of their career aspirations. I believe that students’ journeys are made up of many opportunities, each helping to shape their post-college plans and inform their career destinations. I love helping students make connections between things they’re doing (both in class and out) and learn to tell the story of the value of these things in ways that make sense to employers and those in the space beyond college. My main goal is to help students understand that there likely won’t be a single, prescribed landing point, but a series of destinations that will act as launching points towards the discovery of things that have meaning to them. I also act as advisor to students interested in exploring the field of law and the law school application process.

dbrunett@conncoll.edu Phone: 860-439-5183 112 Fanning Hall

Kevin Finefrock ’07

Associate Director of Employer Engagement and Operations

As a student at Connecticut College, I engaged with the Hale Center from my very first semester and benefited immensely from the guidance of its professional staff and from the opportunities opened by its career program and funding. I am incredibly lucky now to oversee the Career Action Program and the College’s internship for credit program, which continue to support students in reaching their career goals regardless of interest or background. Ask anyone here at the Hale Center and they’ll tell you that I love data and digging into historical records, skills that I honed while completing my doctoral dissertation on slavery and freedom in early Connecticut. I feel lucky that I get to bring those passions for analysis and equity to my work each day, building new career and professional development opportunities for our students with colleagues across campus, in New London, and in the alumni and parent community.

kcfin@conncoll.edu Phone: 860-439-2004 112 Fanning Hall

Hale Center for Career Development

P: 860-439-2770 F: 860-439-2280 E: careerservices@conncoll.edu

Mailing Address

Connecticut College
Hale Center for Career Development
270 Mohegan Ave.
New London, CT 06320

Office Hours

Monday - Friday, 8:30 am - 5 pm ET

Handshake is the centralized resource for events and activities and is where appointments with Career Advisers and Career Fellows can be made. During the academic year, Career Fellows may be available for appointments outside of the 8:30 a.m.- 5 p.m. timeframe. Employer events may also be held outside of standard office hours.

Campus Location

112 Fanning Hall

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