THE INNERVIEW

SUMMER 2015

In This Issue…

•Message from the President •Note of Thanks •News from the Board •Employer Notes •Save the Date •Congratulations

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

“Let’s get this party started!” If you were at the Conference and attended the Annual Business Meeting, you heard me say, “Let’s get this party started” as Cristie handed the gavel over. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to serve VACE as your President for the next year. One of the things that I have appreciated the most about VACE, and quite frankly, one of the main reasons I accepted the invitation to serve as President, is YOU! Cristie says it best, “VACE is the difference between a handshake and a hug.” Volunteers, whether they are past presidents lending advice; current board members spending countless hours looking at sites and contracts for future conferences, reconciling and balancing budgets, updating websites and membership lists, managing communication and social media efforts, organizing professional development workshops, planning the annual conference; or committee members mailing out magnets to potential members, developing webinars for new members, etc., each of you make VACE the unique organization that it is! While it might be “last call” for outgoing board members Mike Lawston, Immediate Past-President (First Investors), Sarah Hobgood, Director of Professional Development (Longwood University), Josh Fisher, Director of Finance (First Investors), and Emily Culbertson, Employer Director (Deloitte Consulting, previously at Berkeley Research Group), I’d like to raise a toast to the VACE 2015-2016 Board of Directors listed below, and a “first round” toast to Catherine, Chris, Sarah and Emmett who are new to the Board:

Ellen Masters, President (Hampden-Sydney College) Cristie Lucas, Immediate Past-President (Veris Consulting) Catherine Copeland, President-Elect (Virginia Tech) Denise Rudolph, Director of Finance (JMU) Chris Campbell, Director of Finance-Elect (JMU) Monica Hill, Director of Membership and Marketing Services (CNU) Ashley Crute, Director of Operations (GMU) Dorothy Hayden, Director of Technology & Communications (VMI) Sarah Orem, Director of Professional Development (JMU) Amy Foster, College Director (Roanoke College) Emmett Corboy, Employer Director (First Investors)

The Annual Board Transition Meeting took place at Hampden-Sydney College on June 11. The 2014-2015 and 2015-2016

Boards spent a good amount of time reviewing the VACE Administrative Manual. As a result, an updated Operations

Manual, Organizational Chart and Position Descriptions have been devised. The 2014-2019 Strategic Plan continues to be the focus of our efforts, and as the year unfolds, we hope you will get involved in any number of initiatives.

If you haven’t done so, be sure to renew your membership. The VACE membership cycle runs from July 1-June 30; however, renewing by September 1, 2015 will ensure you get the most out of your membership and without interruption to the members-only portion of the web site, VACE emails, VACE LinkedIn Group, ability to register for events at the membership rate, and more! VACE is what you make of it! I encourage you to make the most of your membership.

Serve as a mentor and/or being mentored. Check out the email and guidelines that came out last week and fill out the Mentorship Program Survey by July 10.

Visit VACE.org where you can view and search the Member Directory (under Member Resources). Upload a picture to your profile so we can make name/face connections at events throughout the year.

Communicate directly with other college and employer members via the listserv regarding job postings, professional advice and more.

Join and engage in the VACE LinkedIn Group to discuss recent trends and exchange information. Post interesting articles, resources, or questions that you may have in the discussion section. Jobs can also be shared via the job postings section.

Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter and/or Instagram (@VACEoutreach) to keep up to date with articles, resource suggestions,

and live tweets during conferences and events. Share current events of your office or company through pictures and mention us using @vaceoutreach in the caption.

Submit news to The Innerview, VACE’s e-newsletter Editor Kimberly Phillips, kimberly.phillips@emu.edu News may include staff changes/promotions, awards and honors, events, photos and any other announcements that you would like to share.

Get involved. Check out all of the committees and let myself or a Board member know what interests you. Invite others to join! Feel free to share the member benefits brochure, marketing tips and employer flier also found

on the Member Benefits section of the VACE website. Attend the VACE Annual Conference, April 20-22 2016 at The Hotel Roanoke in Roanoke, VA to connect with

employer and college members. Ask questions by emailing askvace@gmail.com.

I hope you will take time to enjoy a relaxing and fun-filled summer as we look ahead to another year of developing and hiring Virginia talent!

Cheers, Ellen Masters VACE President, 2015-2016

A NOTE OF THANKS

As my year serving as your President comes to a close, I want to thank you for this opportunity to give back to an

organization that has been so important to me. Thank you as well to our amazing board and their dedicated committees

for a fantastic year. I am so proud of all that we have accomplished over the past year, and I know that many more great

things are ahead! I would like to extend a special thank you to our outgoing board members and to their companies,

Michael Lawston of First Investors, Josh Fisher of First Investors, Emily Culbertson of Berkley Research Group (now with

Deloitte) and Sarah Hobgood of Longwood University, – your leadership has made an impact on this great organization and

your contributions and sacrifice are so very appreciated. I would also like to thank Emily and Amy for a truly outstanding

conference this past April in Newport News – it was a success all around! We are proud of the tremendous job you did and

thankful for the experience you provided for each of us. Looking ahead, please allow me to welcome your new board and

Ellen Masters of Hampden Sydney to the role of President with great enthusiasm. I can’t think of a more talented and capable individual than Ellen, and I am beyond excited about her contributions and leadership in the year ahead!

Saying thank you is easier than saying goodbye – but both are important. It has been the honor of my career to serve as

your VACE President, and I hope that as members each of you will accept my #VACEChallenge to engage in VACE and to

say “yes” to those great opportunities to get involved and serve such a fantastic organization in the days ahead. As many of

you have heard me say, VACE has meant to me, throughout my career, the difference between a “handshake” and a “hug” on campus – and I hope it will be for each of you! May you find continued success on the road ahead.

Yours in Service,

Cristie Lucas

2014-15 President

NEWS FROM THE BOARD

The outgoing and incoming Board members have been hard at work updating all of our organizational information. Prior

to the June Board Transition meeting Ashley Crute, Ellen Masters, and Cristie Lucas meet to discuss changes to the

Administrative Manual. Through the month of May and June they made corrections and presented our new Operations

Manual to replace the Administrative Manual, Position Descriptions, and Organizational Chart to the members present at

the Board Transition meeting. Since then we have created an easier to read and more user-friendly Operations Manual

that now includes our Constitution. The Board has continued to revise and update our Position Descriptions and

Organizational Chart to best describe our organization today. Also, Ashley has been working with George Mason

University legal counsel to ensure our Articles of Incorporation are current and correct. The Board hopes that all members

will review the changes once the updated documents are placed on the website and ask as many questions as they may

have. We have worked very hard to make all of our information easy to understand and reflect the current state of our organization.

Submitted by Ashley Crute, VACE Director of Operations

EMPLOYER NOTES

As this year's crop of college graduates flip their tassels and throw

their mortarboards in celebration, GEICO is offering up the

greatest gift a grad could ever hope to receive: opportunity.

GEICO's office in Fredericksburg, Va., is seeking candidates for the

Management Development Program (MDP), one of GEICO's accelerated leadership programs.

MDP candidates must have a bachelor's degree, preferably in

business or a related field, and at least a 3.0 cumulative

undergraduate GPA from an accredited college or university.

Candidates should also have demonstrated leadership

experience—whether on campus, in the community or at work—

and possess well-developed analytical, problem-solving and

decision-making skills.

"As GEICO and our office here in Fredericksburg continue to grow,

we're putting a great deal of emphasis on identifying rising talent

and providing them top-notch training so they can successfully

step into management positions," said Nancy Pierce, GEICO

regional vice president. "GEICO's Management Development

Program gives participants the tools and opportunities they need

to build successful management careers, and we're excited to bring in a new class of future leaders to GEICO."

Associates in the Fredericksburg office's leadership program

receive industry-leading training and on-the-job experience in

sales, customer service or claims. MDP openings are also available

in the company's auto damage unit, with opportunities in

Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and the greater

Washington, D.C., metro area. GEICO's fast-track management

training program provides mentoring opportunities, real life

business projects and management forums to help develop participants into future business leaders.

GEICO offers competitive starting salaries, a comprehensive

benefits package, continuing education, career growth

opportunities, community service opportunities and a friendly,

supportive workplace. For job listings and to submit an application, visit careers.geico.com.

SAVE THE DATE

•Employer Relations Best Practices Exchange

August 10, 2015

Christopher Newport University

Last call for registrations! Register by July 8. This

event is open to anyone working in and around

university/college career planning, regardless of

their specific role. For questions, contact Monica Hill or Kelly Gooch.

•53rd Annual VACE Conference

April 20-22, 2016

Hotel Roanoke

Watch the VACE website for registration and program details!

•SoACE Annual Conference

December 6-9, 2015

Austin, TX

Visit www.soace.org for more information!

JOIN A VACE COMMITTEE!

There is no better way to get involved in VACE, and

committees always welcome new members- no matter what your interest is, there is a place for you!

Check out the committee interest form or email

askvace@gmail.com with questions.

#WhyVACE!

We know that you all have different reasons to be a

part of this organization and we’d love for you to tell

us #WhyVACE! Look for the email with a sign

attached, print it, share with us why you can’t wait

to join for another year (or first year!) and then snap

a selfie and send it to AskVACE@gmail.com. The

images will be posted to Twitter and Facebook. We

are so excited to share another year with you!

CONGRATULATIONS!

Several VACE members were recognized for special achievements and membership milestones at this year’s annual

VACE Conference on April 22, 2015 in Newport News, VA. Congratulations to these members! o Membership Awards

5 Years: Kelly Eddins, Rhonda Hall, Jessica Harlow, Monica Hill, Lewis Newbill, Libby Westley

10 Years: Julie Chappell, Raphaela Kamholtz, Joy Miller, Rhonda Perdue, Cathy Rollman, Sherry

Talbott, Karen Witherspoon

15 Years: Laura Hickerson, Leslie Holden, Beverly Reid, Scott Robert, Blake Wingfield

30 Years: Donna Cassell Ratcliffe, Mary Meade Saunders

o Leadership Awards, The Leadership Award is presented annually to board members as they complete their term

on the board of VACE. It is with great appreciation that we thank them for their dedication, service and leadership to

VACE.

Emily Culbertson, Employer Director/Conference Co-Chair

Josh Fisher, Director of Finance

Sarah Hobgood, Director of Training and Development

Michael Lawston, Immediate Past President

o Team Spirit Award

Christopher Newport University Center for Career Planning

University of Virginia University Career Services

o Emerging Leaders Award, For those members who have made significant contributions through service, whether on

a committee, task force or in some other capacity serving VACE.

Dorothy Hayden, Virginia Military Institute

o New Professionals Award, This award is given to an outstanding VACE member with 1-3 years of experience in the

field of college student employment.

Sara Greene, University of Virginia

o Patricia J. Carretta Special Achievement Award, Recognizing the outstanding performance of those members

who have distinguished themselves as role models in their dedication to and advocacy for career services and HR

professionals.

Toni McLawhorn, Roanoke College

o John L. Chase Award, Honoring Association members whose contributions to cooperative education, career services

or college recruiting exemplifies their exceptional value and continuing dedication in the field.

Cristie Lucas, Veris Consulting

o A. Isabel Gordon Distinguished Service Award, Presented to VACE members who have shown a continuing and

superior level of service and leadership to the Association.

Ashley Crute, George Mason University

Virginia Tech is excited to welcome two new Career Advisors who began work on June 22!

Heidi Thuesen comes from the University of Central Missouri

where she just completed her MS in Student Personnel Administration.

Ashely Jaramillo is from the University of South Carolina where

she just completed her MEd in Higher Education and Student Affairs.

Please help welcome these new professionals to the state of Virginia and show them what a great state organization we have!

Let’s stand and cheer for our very own Sam Ratcliffe

(Director, Career Services at VMI) for his many

accomplishments this year as President of the

National Association of Colleges and Employers (the

first president from Virginia in the 59 year history of NACE).

He has contributed much to the career services field

in his many leadership roles (former president of

VACE and EACE) and his many published articles!!!! Sam, you made us all proud!

Congratulations!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE VACE ANNUAL CONFERENCE

APRIL 22-24, 2015

Thank you to the Conference Planning Committee and Co-chairs, Emily

Culbertson and Amy Foster, for making the conference a huge success!

President’s Welcome,

Break-out Sessions,

Keynote Speakers,

Roundtable Discussions, Fabulous Door Prizes!