JOHN BLEAKNEY

PRESIDENT

Email John : j.bleakney@northeastern.edu 

John Bleakney is an associate co-op coordinator and part-time project management lecturer at Northeastern University within the College of Engineering.

Before joining Northeastern, John worked within the private sector for approximately 15 years in the finance industry with a focus on pension plans before transitioning to the education industry sector. John’s focus in his current role is teaching students how to search for co-ops/internships, advising students during their search, and developing strong partnerships with employers.

He has a strong interest in looking at the impact a person’s confidence has on a person securing a position as well as working with non-profits within the Boston area via service-learning to assist with their business needs.

MARIELLEN FIDRYCH

SECRETARY

Assistant Professor Experiential Learning, Internship Coordinator, ENDICOTT COLLEGE

Email Mariellen: MFIDRYCH@ENDICOTT.EDU

As an Assistant Professor of Experiential Learning and Internship Coordinator at Endicott College, Mariellen is a student-centered, holistic career management educator who enjoys guiding college students as they begin serious and committed career exploration via experiential learning models that promote curiosity, competence, meaningful networking, and professional development.

Mariellen has been part of the Endicott community since 2005, where she previously taught in the School of Arts and Sciences.  She also was an Adjunct Instructor at Boston University from 1992 to 2014.

Mariellen has held many challenging positions involving association management, public policy and program development, and event coordination.   A graduate of Assumption College, Mariellen has her MA from the University of Massachusetts and completed a Public Policy fellowship at Georgetown University.  She and her husband Gary reside in Beverly and are proud parents of four grown children.

KATE MOORE

TREASURER

Principal and Co-Founder, Global Career Center

Email Kate: kate@globalcareercenter.org

Kate Moore is an international educator energized by our changing world of work and how we connect campuses, communities, and companies across the globe. She built the Global Career Center (GCC) to partner with universities and colleges throughout the world, employers from a wide range of industries, and learners of all ages to connect employability and education through collaborative program development, comprehensive services delivery, and curated experiential education. Kate has decades of experience directly related to global internships and applied learning, including work within higher education, nonprofit management, workforce recruitment, government relations and civic engagement.

Thea Cerio 

Massachusetts State Dir.

Director of Career Planning & Internships

Email Thea: tcerio@dean.edu 

Thea Cerio enjoys more than 20 years of experience working in the fields of Career Services and education, having held a variety of positions that have served a diverse range of populations. Driving her passion for her work is the opportunity to help students answer the question, “What should I do with the rest of my life?”

Currently, Thea is the Director of Career Planning and Internships at Dean College in Franklin, MA, where she collaborates with faculty and staff to deliver the Dean Career Advantage approach to students. Previously, she held career development leadership positions at Lincoln Technical Institute, and Smithfield High School.

She holds a B.S. in Communicative Disorders from the University of Rhode Island, and earned an M. Ed from Northeastern University. In working with students – both past and present – Thea often credits her senior year internship as the impetus for her entry into career services after questioning her original selection of a major. She shares openly the valuable lessons and impacts her internship experience had on her career.

Away from work, Thea enjoys spending time with her family, and is an avid runner and crossword puzzle junkie. A couple of interesting tidbits include that Thea has completed four marathons and recently exceeded more than 1,800 consecutive days of running at least one mile per day.

Eric Hall

New Hampshire State Dir.

Assistant Vice President Career Services, Southern New Hampshire University

Email Eric: e.hall7@snhu.edu

Eric Hall has over sixteen years of experience in career services and higher education. Currently, he serves as the Assistant Vice President of Career Services of Southern New Hampshire University where he leads a team of sixty seven in providing comprehensive, lifetime career support to the SNHU’s online and Campus 160,000 + undergraduate and graduate population.

Prior to this position, he was most recently at Endicott College where he oversaw the institution’s hallmark internship program, Career Center and their inter-related services for both the undergraduate and graduate colleges. During his tenure, Endicott was recognized by U.S. News and World Report as one of twenty colleges and universities having an exemplary internship/co-op program and was ranked #2 in the nation in the Wall Street Journal for institutions that prioritize career preparation.  Eric has also worked in career services at a variety of institutions including Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland College Park, and the University of Florida. He holds a graduate degree in Higher Education: Student Affairs from the University of Connecticut and an undergraduate degree in Kinesiology: Sports Studies from the University of New Hampshire. His specific research interests include the longitudinal career development and mobility of diverse and non-traditional learner populations, notably first-generation college students, and innovative practices in experiential learning and its impact on career outcomes and engagement. He has been a co-investigator and collaborator on research studies focused on first-generation college students’ career development beliefs and experiences and the impact of internships on early career outcomes that was featured in the Journal of Career Development and the National Association of Colleges and Employers Journal respectively.  He resides in Maine and enjoys spending time with his young family, traveling, and New England sports.