Ashley Rizzotto, 2019 New Professional Award Recipient

Ashley Rizzotto- new professional Award recipientThe New Professional Award is awarded yearly to a SoACE member who is new to the profession, with no more than five years of experience, who has demonstrated significant contributions to career services and/or recruitment. Thw award recognizes “future leaders” within the association and profession.  Contribution may be to the association, a state association, NACE, or through direct activities as a part of their normal employment.  These activities must show innovation, reflect foresight, and display promise that the individual has the unique quality of future leadership.

The 2019 New Professional Award was presented to Ashley Rizzotto, who was nominated by 4 different individuals from 4 different universities, a true testament to Ashley’s impact. Nominators shared the following sentiments about Ashley:

The nominee is a model for any new professional on how to take pride in the simplest tasks that make a big impact.

The recipient is passionate about SoACE and has used their skills to create intentional and innovative ideas within the world of professional development.

The nominee has been a vital part of the SoACE Diversity & Inclusion team with her enthusiasm and creativity.

The recipient literally “hit the ground running” with ideas on how to market D&I initiatives and reach an audience of diverse backgrounds.

Ashley serves as the Marketing and Communications Chair for the Diversity and Inclusion Committee and launched the #InclusionThursdays initiative on the SoACE Twitter. She has contributed to the field significantly in such a short time, whether that be by creating TEDx talks or assisting with building a foundation for online student engagement at Florida International University.

Ashley Rizzotto has been a full-time career development coach since June 2017 and currently works at Florida International University where she specializes in online student initiatives. Ashley has been actively involved with SoACE as the Marketing and Communications Chair for the Diversity & Inclusion Committee and with the Social Media Committee. She is a native of Brooklyn, NY and now lives and works in sunny South Florida. She is passionate about supporting nontraditional students and empowering others to understand their strengths.

Ashley Byrd-White, NACE Rising Star Award Recipient

Ashley Byrd-White received the NACE/ Spelman Johnson Rising Star Award this year. The NACE/ Spelman Johnson Rising Star Award is given to “an individual who demonstrates strong leadership potential, and contributes to the career services profession and the NACE organization” according to the NACE website.

Ashley Byrd-White serves as the Assistant Director for Career Education in the University of South Carolina Career Center. She has been with the Career Center for 4 years initially serving as a Career Development Coach. Prior to her work in the Career Center, Ashley served the University of South Carolina students as a Leadership Coach in the Department of Student Life.

She began her professional career in residence life at the University at Buffalo. Ashley received both her Master of Education in Higher Education Administration and her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University at Buffalo. She was a cohort member of 2015 SACSA New Professionals Institute and the 2019 NACE Management Leadership Institute. She presented on the Career Champion program at NACE in 2018 and NCDA in 2019. She also published an article “Creating a Culture of Collaboration with Career Champions” in the 2019 NACE Journal. 

As an Assistant Director for Career Education, Ashley works on educational efforts for both students and faculty/staff. She has created, facilitated, and assessed the Career Champion program which educates and empowers campus faculty and staff on having career conversations with students. Since the start of the Career Champion program, nearly 250 faculty/staff have gone through Level I. Ashley has continued the growth of the program by adding in a Level II and a Level III training which covers additional career development topics. In addition, she is leading the efforts on the Carolina Career Ready program that covers the NACE Core Competencies for students. She also serves as a career coach for the UofSC alumni. In addition to her regular duties, Ashley serves on the First-Generation College Student Work Team, is the Career Center liaison EAB Navigate, and routinely supports campus partners in various office initiatives.

In her free time, Ashley enjoys spending time with her husband, Chad, her very busy toddler, Oliver, and her adopted dog Charlie. In addition, she loves to flex her creativity through crafting and baking.

How did you get into the Career Services profession?

My dad went to college for the first time when I was in middle school. He got hurt on the job as a mechanic, had no college degree, but needed to do something to provide for us. He enrolled in college through the GI Bill to become a teacher. I remember typing his handwritten papers for him since I typed faster. I remember going with him to the campus bookstore to pick up his textbooks. I remember doing my homework alongside my dad at our kitchen table. However, what I remember most was who my dad was before college and who he had transformed into upon graduation. Witnessing what higher education did for my dad, for our family, is something I always hold on to.

I was never a good student in school; academic work was very difficult, but I worked hard because I was determined to follow in my dad’s footsteps. I got accepted to my alma mater on a special program because even though my grades and SAT scores were not up to par, the university saw something in me. I really thrived in college because I had so many wonderful faculty and staff there to help me and I am forever grateful for them.

My senior year internship in the University at Buffalo Career Center solidified my passion for working on a college campus and helping students better their lives. Every day is an honor and privilege to help students find where they fit in the world and provide them with guidance and tools to get there. Every day is also an opportunity to think creatively and critically about the challenges facing higher education and be innovative as we move forward. I absolutely love what I do, and I believe wholeheartedly in the power higher education has to transform lives, like it did for my dad and myself.

What advice do you have for new professionals who aspire to get more involved in the profession?

Do not be afraid to try new things and talk to new people. Some of my most memorable and rewarding professional experiences have come by getting out of my comfort zone. It is important to take some time to learn your role, your campus, your organization but then do not be afraid to think outside the box and be creative. The field of Career Services and higher education is changing rapidly, and we must adapt which means new ideas and exciting possibilities! Embrace them!

You can connect with Ashley on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleybyrdwhite/

 

Lynn Chisholm and Peter Thorsett, 2018 Innovative Spirit Award Recipients

Peter Thorsett
Lynn Chisholm

The SoACE Imaginative Spirit Award is presented to either an individual, team, or office in recognition of their contributions toward the implementation of a unique and creative approach relevant to student/alumni programming, advising, employer/university relations, recruiting and/or training.  This award upholds the high standards of excellence in support of student/alumni/employer/university engagement and serves to encourage creativity in our profession.

At the 2018 Annual Conference in Atlanta, the SoACE Innovative Spirit Award was presented to Lynn Chisholm and Peter Thorsett from the University of South Florida. Lynn and Peter were recognized for innovation and creativity in developing the USF Career Readiness Badging Program. This program has provided a creative and scalable “career readiness” solution for the more than 50,000 University of South Florida students across all three campuses.  Utilizing the university’s on-line learning platform, a framework was built using the NACE Career Readiness Competencies, organized by Learn It, Do It, and Show It components.

Utilization of this badging program has helped students build stronger resumes, become fully connected with job search tools, and iteratively practice and receive feedback on their performance in behavioral interviews.  Furthermore, the badges they earn are made fully visible to employers and portable for students through the utilization of verifiable credentials based on the Open Badges standard through Badgr.

In support of student success beyond the University of South Florida, this team has been asked to share their program with higher education institutions across the country, as well as with high schools and communities, and have given many presentations and webinars, including at the SoACE Annual Conference.

As Director of Internships and Career Readiness, Lynn Chisholm is responsible for the overall administration and supervision of the Office of Internships and Career Readiness to develop, support, and manage student career-relevant experiential learning opportunities and programming. This office collaborates with Employer Relations and the Office of Professional and Career Development to offer internship opportunities for both on-campus and off-campus experiential learning including co-op, as part of a student’s progress toward graduation and obtaining full-time professional employment. Previously, Lynn was the Internship and Prior Learning Assessment Coordinator at Polk State College, Human Resources Specialist with the City of Lakeland in workforce and organization development, Clinic Director at the University of Georgia Speech and Hearing Clinic, and Speech and Language Clinic Coordinator at Florida State University in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department. Lynn earned a Certified Public Manager Master’s Certificate through Florida State University, a master’s degree at Boston University, and a bachelor’s degree at the University of Central Florida.

Peter Thorsett works within the Community Engagement and Career Readiness (CECR) unit at the University of South Florida. In his role, Peter directly supports the efforts of the Associate Vice President in strategic planning, evaluation and assessment, and programmatic integration across the unit’s individual teams to ensure that student career outcomes are linked to student and career success. Peter is also responsible for managing the team that provides marketing, outreach, and operations support to all of the teams in CECR. Peter has more than 20 years of experience in a variety of strategy, marketing, and technology related roles in both higher education and private industry, including work for Turner Broadcasting, Johnson Controls, Miami University (Ohio), UNC Charlotte, and Georgia State University. Peter holds an MBA from Georgia State University and a BSBA from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.