Alumni Spotlight: Careers Beyond Academe
Humanities
Garrett Brown (MA English, ’95)
Garrett Brown (MA English, ’95) is an acquiring editor in the book division at the National Geographic Society. He has worked in book publishing for more than a decade and has held editorial positions at Harcourt, HarperCollins, and the American Diabetes Association. He graduated from the University of Virginia in 1995 with a Master’s degree in English. Garrett lives in Arlington, Virginia.
Career Advice
Make a list of places where you’d love to work. When I made my first list at the end of graduate school, I noted organizations whose causes, political or otherwise, appealed to me; I put down media companies with name-recognition and larger staffs (more turnover, I thought); and, for good measure, I threw in some places, like National Geographic, that I never dreamed possible. I checked regularly with their personnel departments and kept tabs on their Web sites. In pretty short order, I landed a job as an assistant editor at one of the places on my list. In the absence of any open positions, you can make yourself known to people within your favorite companies in a variety of ways—from informational interviews to freelance work. Be creative in your approach and be persistent. But don’t underestimate the role that circumstance will play in shaping your career. Life intervenes in significant and unanticipated ways. Family, illness, and just bad luck sometimes interrupt one’s best laid plans. Be flexible. Diligence, resourcefulness, and confidence are always an asset.
Matthew Gibson (PhD English, '05)
Matthew Gibson (PhD English, '05) wrote his dissertation at U.Va. on vigilante narratives in popular American culture. While writing and researching, he was also the Assistant and then Associate Director of the University of Virginia Library's Electronic Text Center. Currently he is the Managing Editor of Encyclopedia Virginia, a multi-year online publication of the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.
Career Advice
Take advantage of opportunities that intrigue you even if--perhaps especially if--they have nothing to do with your research and why you came to graduate school in the first place.
Mendy Gladden (PhD English, '04)
Mendy Gladden (PhD English, '04) is Associate Editor of Book Publications at the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture in Williamsburg, Virginia. For the academic year 2007-2008, she will serve as Acting Editor of Publications. Her primary work is in acquisitions, for which she evaluates book proposals and travels to academic conferences. She also provides substantive editing of book manuscripts, guiding authors' revisions at the level of scholarship and argument, and participates in the Institute's annual selection of its two postdoctoral fellows. Sponsored jointly by the College of William and Mary and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the Institute is a scholarly center dedicated to the study of the histories and cultures of North America from circa 1450 to 1820, including related developments in the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, and Africa.
Career Advice
You may not know what you'd like to do instead of pursuing an academic career, but don't grudgingly stick with academia for that reason. For inspiration/panic quelling, look at job listings (the ones in the Chronicle are especially helpful) to get an idea of all the possibilities to which you've opened yourself.
Ravi Howard (MFA Creative Writing, '01)
Ravi Howard (MFA Creative Writing, '01) published his debut novel, Like Trees, Walking in March of 2007. The book gives a fictionalized account of a true story, the 1981 lynching of a black teenager in Mobile, Alabama. As a graduate student, Howard edited the literary magazine Meridian. He has received fellowships and awards from the Hurston-Wright Foundation, Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, and the New Jersey Council on the Arts. Howard has published work in the literary journals Callaloo and Massachusetts Review. He has also recorded commentary for NPR's All Things Considered. As a former television producer for NFL Films, he received a 2005 Sports Emmy for his work on HBO's Inside the NFL. He currently lives in Mobile, Alabama with his wife.
Career Advice
Graduate students often have the research, editing, and grant writing experience useful in other fields. It helps to create a CV for the academic market and separate resumes for each career path. Presenting your experience in job-specific language will help to make a career start--or a career change--more attainable.
Jennifer McCune (PhD Spanish, '00)
Jennifer McCune (PhD Spanish, '00) graduated from Northwestern University in 1992 with a BA in Spanish and International Studies, and received her MA and PhD at U.Va. in 1996 and 2000 in Spanish Literature. While a graduate student, she taught Intermediate and Advanced Spanish along with Composition and Literature. She also taught for the Summer Spanish Institute and Piedmont Virginia Community College. In 2005, Jennifer began consulting work for ACGE (Academic Consortium for Global Education) and completed two projects for the Border Patrol Academy located in Artesia, NM. Current projects include work with FEMA and the Office of Naval Research. She has also worked in fundraising and grant writing for Monticello, and presently for First Night Virginia.
Career Advice
Apply to companies where you would like to work and ask for informational interviews in the department in which you're interested whether or not a position is open. Also, make sure to use connections and networking opportunities whenever possible. You never know who you will meet, unless of course you don't leave your house!
Andrew Plemmons Pratt (CLAS, '05; MA English, '06)
Andrew Plemmons Pratt (CLAS, '05; MA English, '06) is the assistant editor for Science Progress, a new online and print publication covering how science and technology policy can benefit the common good. Science Progress is a project of the Center for American Progress, a Washington, D.C. think tank, where Andrew has worked since graduating from the U.Va. English Department BA/MA program in 2006. He first learned web technologies building digital humanities projects and as the webmaster for the U.Va. Women's Center. Working in online communications at the Center, he has been at various times a new media producer, a print and web designer, a project manager, a writer, and an editor.
Career Advice
There are very few careers in which some knowledge of current web technologies will not help you. There is an abundance of free tools that allow Internet users to set up blogs and podcasts, communicate through social networks, and create and share videos, photos, and documents--and the accessibility of those tools gets better every month. Experimenting with them on your own may allow you to do things that were once expensive, complex, or impossible.
Amy Siddons Karr (PhD English, ’04)
Amy Siddons Karr (PhD English, ’04) is Senior Director of Development & UVa Health Foundation Affairs at UVa’s Health System Development Office, a role that combines executive staffing for the Associate Vice President for Development, oversight of the Health System’s foundation and corporate relations program, chief of staff duties, and volunteer board administration. She has worked in development at UVa for twelve years at the Health System and the Engineering School. Amy has a B.A. in English and Liberal Studies from the University of Notre Dame and was awarded a Mellon Fellowship for her graduate studies. At UVa, she studied Victorian literature and received an M.A. and Ph.D. in English.
Career Advice
Your network is bigger than you think. Look for opportunities to talk with professionals in a variety of fields about what they do and how they got there. An internship or part-time job at U.Va. could offer an opportunity to gain a broader perspective on how a university works. Skills gained from scholarship and teaching—analysis, synthesis, attention to detail, communicating with a variety of audiences, leading groups—are valuable in a number of career paths.
Life, Physical, Mathematical Sciences
Claire Kaufman Brown (PhD Biology, '93)
Claire Kaufman Brown (PhD Biology, '93) conducted doctoral research at U.Va. on circadian rhythms and development in the Departments of Biology and Anatomy. She was a postdoctoral fellow in neuroscience at the National Institutes of Health from 1993-1996 and is currently a patent examiner with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, with a broad focus on patents related to receptors and ligands, including antibodies and methods of treating cancers and other diseases through receptor/ligand pathways.
Career Advice
Think outside the box in terms of what jobs are available to you. Search the internet for jobs by using broad search terms that capture your interests and education in order to get ideas of jobs of which you might not otherwise have thought. Do not underestimate your skills. Employers are looking for smart, creative, motivated people who can learn on the job.
John McCune (PhD Physics, '01)
John McCune (PhD Physics, '01) is the Director of the Financial Institutions Group at SNL Financial in Charlottesville. He began his career at SNL in February of 2002 as a research analyst in the bank and thrift group and assumed the role of Director of FIG in early 2005. John's commentary regarding the banking industry has appeared in a variety of the nation's premier business publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Crain's Business New York, Forbes, Fortune, Barron's, The Economist, and others.
Career Advice
1. If you are leaving academia make the skills acquired in your research work accessible to non-academics. It is an overused phrase, but you may need to "dumb it down." 2. Remember that getting a good job takes time. Be patient. It generally takes 6-9 months. 3. That fellowship you got from that industry society looks good on an CV, but doesn't really mean much to someone outside of the industry. Put your awards in context. Don't overload your resume with them.
Richa Rudola (MS Statistics, '07)
Richa Rudola (MS Statistics, '07) is working as a Consulting Analyst in the Human Capital Advisory Services business with Mercer Human Resource Consulting, global leader in human resource consulting. Richa designs and conducts analyses to address workforce-related client issues; creates analytical and data handling protocols; and handles database compilations and data quality management.
Career Advice
Know your strengths well and play them to your advantage when drafting your resume and cover letter. Having confidence in yourself and being proactive in job-pursuits will take you a long way. Good luck Hoos!
Michael Torok (PhD Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics, '06)
Michael Torok (PhD Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics, '06) has helped start 5 companies, 3 of them within the Charlottesville area. He currently works at Pharmaceutical Research Associates (also know as PRA International) as a Global Clinical Team Lead where he helps manage clinical trials focusing on oncology-induced anemia and myelodysplastic syndrome. He has worked at the U.Va. Patent Foundation and Spinner Technologies, a business incubator. His long term goals include starting a biotech company focused on his graduate research.
Career Advice
If you think for one second that you might not be at the bench in 5
years or more, you need to be researching career plans B & C. That
doesn't mean stop focusing on your graduate work; this should be your priority. Instead, this means that you need to step back and be honest with yourself and your overall career development. In the future, if you're not at the bench, you will most likely find yourself deficient in skill sets that are required in the corporate world. You owe it to yourself to spend time identifying those skills which are needed beyond your graduate and postdoctoral work. You need to find ways of attaining those skills. Use all of the resources around you. The U.Va. Career Services Center was a great help to me and will help you, too. Also, whenever you can, find mentors in the corporate world and network as much as possible. Educate yourself with information outside of the academic box. You may have to dig, but then again, you're researchers after all.
Dave Witkowski (MS Microbiology, '00)
Dave Witkowski (MS Microbiology, '00) is currently a Manager in the Public Sector practice of Deloitte Consulting. Specializing in workforce analysis and organizational transformation, Dave has worked with healthcare, military, federal civilian, and intelligence community agencies. Prior to joining Deloitte, Dave held positions in consulting with IBM Business Consulting Services, in Human Resources and Finance with Avendra, LLC, a startup spin-off of Marriott International, and as a Laboratory Specialist with the University of Virginia. In addition to his MS, Dave holds a BS in Biological Sciences and an MBA from Cornell University.
Career Advice
There are two components of finding your perfect job. First, you have to find an opportunity. Use your network and talk to as many people as possible; think about people you've met at conferences, other grad students you've met, or the U.Va. alumni directory (HoosOnline). Start with informational interviews and leverage the fact that you're a student; people are almost always willing to talk to students. Second, you are your best advocate and salesperson. When you're formally interviewing for a job, you have to sell yourself. Translatable skills (ability to write well, strong analytical skills, understanding an industry or function etc.) are a great way for you to add value to a potential employer.
Social Sciences
Tim Emmert (MA Politics, '03)
Tim Emmert (MA Politics, '03) helps coordinate small town revitalization efforts for Central Park NC, a nonprofit serving an eight county region in North Carolina's piedmont. Central Park has a wide-ranging mission that includes economic revitalization as well as preservation and promotion of the region's natural and cultural resources. This unique venture is managed from inside a former hosiery mill in Star, North Carolina that doubles as a business incubator that attracts entrepreneurs for the new economy such as glass blowers, potters, biodiesel, geothermal energy, and (hopefully) a microbrewery. Before joining Central Park Tim managed communications for the Pew Partnership for Civic Change, a national nonprofit based in Charlottesville, VA.
Career Advice
A critical factor in job satisfaction is the people with whom, and for whom, you work. My advice for graduates is to seek employers who will let you explore new ways of getting results and who can contribute significantly to your personal and professional development. There likely is no good litmus test for this sort of approach so inquire broadly about the reputation of potential co-workers and supervisors and match that against what their organization seeks to accomplish. Working for the "right" people can make the difference between a dead-end job and a career.
Valerie Fuller (PhD Social Psychology, '00)
Valerie Fuller (PhD Social Psychology, '00) is an expert in experiment and survey design, data collection, multivariate data analysis, and report preparation. She is currently a Study Director at the McLean, Va. office of Synovate, Inc., a multinational survey and market research firm. In this capacity, she writes government proposals, manages large-scale telephone and Internet surveys, and conducts non-response analyses. Her current clients include the Food and Drug Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the Department of Defense. Before joining Synovate in 2004, Fuller conducted survey research at the Office of Educational Assessment at the University of Washington in Seattle. She also spent several years as a usability engineer for Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, WA, where she used cognitive interviewing techniques to improve the user-friendliness of Windows XP and MSN.com. While at U.Va., Valerie worked as a Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Psychology under Daniel M. Wegner and a Graduate Research Analyst at the Center for Survey Research under Thomas M. Guterbock. She was also a Teaching Assistant for Introduction to Psychology, Social Psychology, and Research Methods and Data Analysis. Fuller's research in graduate school, which investigated people's perceptions of conscious will, was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Career Advice
95% of all non-academic research jobs for social scientists are located in the Washington DC Metro area. Search for jobs on washingtonpost.com. You can get a good nonacademic job with a Master's degree. (Stay in school!) A PhD is even more lucrative than a Master's degree. Anything that looks good on an academic CV also looks good on a nonacademic CV, plus grades count! All the training and experience I gained in grad school (such as research experience, classes, publications, teaching experience, conference presentations, etc.) have made me an attractive candidate outside of academia.
Camille Preston (PhD Psychology, '98)
Camille Preston (PhD Psychology, '98) is founder and principal of AIM Leadership, a coaching and training company focused on improving individual, team and organizational effectiveness by developing capacity from the inside out. She specializes in helping teams and individuals to develop authentic leadership - leveraging self-awareness, latent strengths, personal values, and individuality to create a leadership style that is comfortable, sustainable and effective. Preston has coached individuals, developed curricula, delivered trainings and facilitated sessions for individuals and teams from the corporate, private, government and non-profit sector. Her work is enriched by her experience conducting needs assessments and effectiveness evaluations, designing mentoring programs and developing leadership, diversity and coaching curricula. She utilizes her knowledge of human development and psychology to create dynamic learning environments that are theoretically grounded to ensure a lasting impact. After earning her PhD in psychology from U.Va., Preston received an executive coaching certificate from Georgetown University, advanced leadership training from the Center for Creative Leadership and is certified to administer numerous assessments.
Career Advice
The most important work you can do in preparing for a job search is with yourself. So often we are "taught" or "raised" to think X, Y, Z is important or 1, 2, 3 will make us happy. And yet, if you are like me, you have had very little "education" on figuring out what will make you most happy. I wrapped up 23 years of formal education and a doctorate in psychology with roughly 1.5 hours of classes focused on figuring out ME (what I now call Inside Out Leadership).
Identify what you LOVE to do: For the next month, keep a weekly log. Take 5 minutes, twice per week, to reflect and record "magical moments" from the past few days. What made you smile? Where do you feel most at home? Where did you lose track of time? What inspires you, motivates you, brings out the best in you? Where were your happiest moments? Look for themes. Use these notes about activities, environments and people that bring out the best in you to guide your job search.
Dare to Dream: If you want better answers to your job search, learn to ask better questions. Creativity and innovation are essential. You want to approach a job search from 360 different degrees. Surf the web, create a mindmap, explore across disciplines, etc. Then do it all again - after a glass of wine. An uncle told me about a native American tradition for creativity. Elders would debate an issue to resolution. This same group would then come back that evening, inebriated, and debate the same issue. If they came to the same conclusion - sober and drunk - then the resolution would stand. Do whatever it takes to think outside the box.
The "Who" is as important as the "What": Research shows that one of the top reasons people change jobs is because of WHO they work with/for, NOT for the money or different job skills. Prior to starting the interview process, spend time reflecting on your ideal work environment. Think back over past jobs, your peer group and past study environments. Who do you enjoy being around? What situations/people inspire you to be a better person? What types of people energize and excite you to do your best? (For some - it might be easier to capture who you do not like to be around, who frustrates you, what professors did you struggle with). Capturing this information is ESSENTIAL. We can learn from both likes AND dislikes.
Daniel Aaron Weir (MA Foreign Affairs, ’07)
Daniel Aaron Weir (MA Foreign Affairs, '07) is the Director of National Campaigns at The Justice Project in Washington, DC, a non-profit dedicated to advancing social justice through systemic criminal justice reform. The Justice Project works to address unfairness and inaccuracy in the American criminal justice system by developing, coordinating, and implementing integrated national and state-based campaigns involving public education, litigation, and legislation.
Daniel in responsible for facilitating direct action campaigns by producing educational and advocacy tools; performing research into issues relevant to The Justice Project’s national agenda, relevant legislation, coalition support, and legislative opportunities; and building coalitions to advance The Justice Project’s priorities. Daniel first learned the tools necessary for intense research, lucid writing, and effective public education while studying for a graduate degree in the Woodrow Wilson Department of Politics.
Career Advice
Network furiously, write thoughtful and informed cover letters, and keep yourself out there. You will never believe the difference made by a well-written and thoughtful cover letter. Demonstrate in 200 words that you are aware of and care deeply about the issues or clients of the company to which you are applying. Even if that company cannot place you, the odds of the person passing your application off to someone they know improve tenfold if you make clear your caliber and character.