Advisory Council

Dr. Michelle Talbert-Horsey is a higher education professional and nationally certified counselor with 23 years of experience in career development and student success. She specializes in creating innovative career development and student success programming for traditional and non-traditional students. She has also demonstrated ability in counseling, building collaborative relationships, budget development, and program administration. Dr. Talbert-Horsey holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Human Services from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, a Master of Education degree in Cross-Cultural Community Counseling from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Doctor of Education degree in Educational Leadership from Duquesne University.

Mia Harvey serves as the Student Engagement Coordinator at Bryn Mawr College. She works closely with all student organizations in addition to planning activities across the campus. Having recently graduated from Edinboro University with both her bachelors (Music & Strategic Communication) and masters (Communication Studies) degrees, Mia spends a lot of time focusing on student organizations and leadership development. Mia’s goal is to create a welcoming and vibrant environment for all students!

Holly came to United States over 20 years ago as a business owner who had businesses in international trade, travel and hospitality, fashion and entertainment. After earning her MBA in Finance and post-MBA degree in Marketing from St. Joseph University, Holly founded the Etiquette School of Grace, which services schools, SME, government offices, non-profits, corporations and the private sector on teaching business protocol, the art of conversation, body language, social etiquette and international culture.

Since 2008, Holly has worked at Temple University. She has served as a senior specialist in international business at the Fox School of Business and Management and was also certified by the SBA as a senior expert in international trade. Five years later in 2013, Holly was appointed by the senior vice president/provost to establish and operate the Office of Executive Leadership Education, which organized and received training groups and study programs from overseas organizations to Temple University. Starting from 2020, Holly is also responsible for the global institution collaborations for the Temple Office of International Affairs.

Holly spends many nights and weekends volunteering in the community. She is one of the representatives of the Temple AAPI Faculty and Staff Group, general advisor for Temple Chinese Student and Scholar Association as well as Temple NAAAP. Holly founded the American Center for Chinese Students, a non-profit organization to serve and guide Chinese students and students of Chinese descent in the US on career opportunities and mental health. Holly is also on the board of directors at the American Chinese United Association, the American Chinese Museum and the Asian Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia and more. She speaks fluent Mandarin and Cantonese.

Amie Ryno currently serves as the Manager of the Center for Professional Development at the William G. Rohrer College of Business, Rowan University. She came to Rowan in 2016 to open the Center for Professional Development and has built an office where business students can engage in professional development, career preparedness training and employer engagement. Prior to joining the team at Rowan, Amie spent 10 years working in the corporate sector as the head of University Relations at Comcast NBCUniversal and at Lincoln Financial Group serving in various roles over the course of six years, mostly in talent management. Other positions include working within the Career Center at Saint Joseph’s University where she developed a passion for assisting students on their career journey. She is active on a number of professional development committees and a member of the Women’s ACE Network at Rowan University and outside organizations such as NACE, EACE and SHRM. Amie resides in Moorestown, NJ with her husband and two sons.

Bob Bullard is currently the Assistant Vice President of Professional Success at Rowan University. Dedicated and diligent in his approach, Bob has over ten years of experience creating, developing, and cultivating meaningful relationships with industry, governmental, and workforce development partners to support the career growth of students and alumni through proactive outreach and curriculum development. Bob is routinely a speaker at regional and national conferences discussing career integration into curriculum, student life, and holistic career development and has presented to industry partners like Lockheed Martin and Johnson & Johnson.  Through his entrepreneurial-minded and collaborative approach, Bob has secured over one million dollars in the last three years to develop initiatives and fund projects that support student career development, including the Autism PATH Program at Rowan University. Before his current role, Bob served in different roles supporting career and academic engagement, including Director of Career Advancement and Associate Director of University Advising Services. He was also on a team that received the NCAA Innovations in Research Grant to develop mindfulness training and holistic career support for Rowan University student-athletes. Bob is a proud graduate of Rowan University for both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. 

Marissa has worked in higher education and international education since 2012. She received her M.Ed. in College Student Affairs from Rutgers University-New Brunswick. Marissa currently serves as Assistant Director for International Students & Global Programs at Rutgers University-Camden.   

Her area of interests in higher education includes on-campus support for international students and scholars, intercultural activities, and programming, internationalizing the curriculum, and increasing student diversity in education abroad programs, specifically among minority and first-generation students.  

Marissa is a resident of Philadelphia and enjoys all the city has to offer. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for a Philadelphia preschool and leads an interest group for black women with young children in Philadelphia schools.  

In her free time, she enjoys travelling with her young daughter and family.   

Jackie Hopkins is a native Philadelphian with over a decade of higher education experience in enrollment, events management, marketing, and customer service work. Jackie graduated from Temple University with a bachelor’s degree in communications and history and serves as the President of Temple’s Klein College of Media and Communication Alumni Board of Directors. Jackie has proudly built her career at Drexel University, where she earned her master’s degree in Arts Administration and currently serves as Executive Director of Enrollment Strategic Partnerships within Communications & Marketing. Jackie’s passions within higher education include student success and engagement within their local communities, professional development related to Title IX education as well as strategic onboarding for new colleagues and building creative partnerships across campuses. 

With nearly 20 years of progressively responsible experience in the field of higher education and strategic communications, Kate Szumanski is an experienced and highly motivated professional who cares deeply about the students and families she serves.  

Currently, Kate serves as Director of Professional Development and Internships at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in the Office for Undergraduate Students at Villanova University. In this role, she: 

• Teaches leadership and professional development courses on a variety of topics, from Professional Communication and Creativity & Innovation to Effective Leadership and Professional Networking. 
• Directs internship experiences for students, supporting them as they identify opportunities, apply for them, interview, and accept an offer. 
• Collaborates with student leaders and on-campus organizations to create and execute quality career and professional development programming. 

• Designs and hosts career and professional development workshops on a variety of topics, from leveraging social media for career success to writing in the workplace. 
• Positions the Office for Undergraduate Students through effective strategic communications and social media campaigns.  

Prior to returning to Villanova University, Kate served as Communications Director at City Year Philadelphia, where she developed and executed comprehensive and integrated social media, Web, public relations, and media strategies to engage and influence a vast audience. Kate also provided critical expertise and service to City Year’s departments to ensure consistent communications, messaging, visual brand management and strategy, and media planning. 

Before her role at City Year, Kate served as the Executive Communications Specialist in the Office of Business and Finance at The Ohio State University, where she communicated clear, concise, and relevant information related to business and finance initiatives to achieve short- and long-term strategic goals for the University. 

Kate served as Director of Communications in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Villanova University for eight years before relocating to Ohio. She earned a bachelor’s degree in History and Political Science from Villanova, a master’s degree in History from Villanova, and a master’s degree in journalism form the Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism in New York City.   

Kate lives in Merion Station, Pa., with her husband, Andrew, and three children, Peter (17), Tess (11), and Luke (8). 

Ian Sladen is Drexel University’s Vice President of Cooperative Education and Career Development, overseeing the Steinbright Career Development Center. As one of the region’s premiere providers of talent, Drexel’s cooperative education program assists over 5500 students with obtaining six-month work experiences at over 1500 companies annually.  

Prior to this role, Ian was the associate dean and one of the founders of Drexel’s Charles D. Close School of Entrepreneurship. As Associate Dean, Ian assisted in curriculum development for the School’s BA and MS degrees in Entrepreneurship and Innovation and helped the Close School achieve top #25 national ranking by the Princeton Review/Entrepreneur within five years of its founding. 

For a decade, Ian served as the Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Programs for Drexel’s Bennett S. LeBow College of Business and was responsible for all undergraduate student support services including academic advising, career services, recruitment, co-curricular engagement and freshmen business studies. Ian helped LeBow’s undergraduate program achieve top 50 national ranking from BusinessWeek. He began his career working in admissions for Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, MA before moving to Drexel’s admissions office in 1999. 

Ian’s holds a BA in Psychology from Stonehill College in Easton, MA and an MS in Applied Educational Psychology from Northeastern University in Boston, MA.