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About the OCA Team
The Office of Career Advancement (OCA) at HKS provides the essential tools and resources to prepare and position students and alumni to pursue their professional aspirations and enable their continued commitment to public service.
We expect each student to be the primary stakeholder in his or her own career development.
OCA further serves as the integrating hub for the vast career and professional resources within the HKS network.
OCA includes four career coaches who are dedicated to providing the most individualized level of support to students and alumni, as well as an employer services team which is equipped to handle the needs of interested employers.
For detailed information about the coaching staff, review the Career Coaching page.
Sandy Schultz Hessler, Assistant Dean and Director
Sandy brings her experience in leadership, strategic thinking & entrepreneurship to helping students build their own career paths. She brings her twenty plus years of marketing experience to building strong hiring pipelines in areas and sectors of interest to HKS students. Her experience spans corporate brand management at Procter & Gamble, social entrepreneurship as a co-founder of Imagitas, consulting to many non-profits and teaching at the college level throughout her career.
View Sandy's complete bio. (link to PDF)
OCA Administrative and Employer Services Team
Janice Rand Vaughn, Senior Associate Director
Janice is a seasoned administrator at Harvard having worked at the Harvard Medical School, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and the John F. Kennedy School of Government. She received an Ed.M from the Harvard Graduate School of Education concentrating in Administration, Planning and Social Policy. Janice is responsible for the administrative oversight of the Office of Career Advancement, including taking a lead role in the implementation of our career management system, JACK: Jobs and Careers for the Kennedy School, and in building partnerships with HKS research centers and programs to enhance career networking opportunities for students. While at the Kennedy School, Janice has held the positions of Director of the Mid-Career Summer Program, Director of the Office of Community and Public Service and Special Assistant to the Associate Dean of Degree Programs.
Laura Homokay, Manager, Student Fieldwork Programs
Laura came to HKS in 2000, serving as admissions coordinator for international development programs and then as assistant director of the MPA/ID program. She joined the OCA team in 2005 to work with first-year students on their summer internship plans and to manage the Policy Analysis Exercise (PAE), the capstone project that second-year MPP students complete for client organizations. Laura’s career has primarily spanned the education and government sectors. She worked for the U.S. Information Service during the 1992 World’s Fair in Sevilla, Spain, and spent four consecutive seasons "on the ice" working with the National Science Foundation at McMurdo Base, Antarctica. Laura holds a BA in International Relations from Syracuse University and an EdM from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She also holds a CELTA English Language Teaching Certificate and has taught ESL for several years. Laura loves traveling and speaks Spanish and a bit of French. In her free time, Laura sings professionally in a wedding band and likes to spend time outdoors camping, hiking, or walking on the beach (even in the cold Boston winter) with her adopted dog, Ollie.
Paula Koczera, Recruiting Manager
Paula joined the Career Services team in August 2006. Paula serves as our primary contact for employers seeking to recruit HKS talent. In her previous role, she worked as an Account Manager in the staffing industry, assisting local companies in finding top talent to add to their organizations. Before staffing, she worked as a Sales Representative for the biotech industry and had the opportunity to see much of the country through her business travel. Paula graduated from Stonehill College with a B.S. in Biology and still keeps close ties with the college through involvement in alumni activities. In her free time, Paula enjoys watching the Red Sox and Patriots, playing softball, skiing, and being involved with small town political campaigns back in her home town of Acushnet, Massachusetts.
Sheron Russell, Administrative Manager
Sheron joined the OCA team in the summer of 2008 as the Administrative Manager. Sheron holds an M.S. in Criminal Justice from Bridgewater State College and has more than 16 years of professional experience in administration and office support. As a diversity trainer, she is also skilled in public speaking and promoting healthy conversations about sensitive topics such as race, gender, religion, and sexual orientation.
Karin Kane Bloom, System Coordinator
Karin has worked at the HKS since 2000, serving as the Internships Coordinator for the Institute of Politics (IOP). She joins the OCA to work exclusively on JACK- Jobs and Careers at Kennedy School- Database for the 2008-2009 Academic year. Karin is working to enhance and build upon JACK to make it the best resource possible for HKS students! She holds a degree in Politics, French and International Relations from Saint Anselm College, in Manchester, NH. Her work over the last few years has focused on placement of college students in high profile political offices, as well as political internship and career advising. She also has developed and managed databases for event planning, securing information and producing customized reports. Outside of the HKS, Karin is a busy Mom to two kids, Dillon age 4 and Kiley, almost 2.
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