2012 Keynote Speakers
Suzanne Walsh
Suzanne Walsh is a senior program officer at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation where she leads the Foundation's developmental education and new models strategies.
Before joining Gates, Suzanne worked at two other foundations: The Lumina Foundation for Education in Indianapolis where she managed the Making Opportunity Affordable initiative, which was aimed at increasing college productivity by bringing about fundamental change in the way higher education does business; and The Heinz Endowments in Pittsburgh where her diverse portfolio included community colleges, universities, workforce development, tech commercialization and transfer, city/county consolidation, immigration and regional economic development.
Her path into the field of philanthropy was circuitous, however. At Oklahoma Indian Legal Services in the late 1990s, Suzanne provided pro bono legal services to low-income Native Americans living in the western region of Oklahoma. Later, Suzanne joined Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland. At the college, she was responsible for developing new programs and linking the college's workforce and economic development activities to the needs of the Northeast Ohio business community. In 2002, she was selected as a distinguished German Marshall Fellow (one of 38 young American leaders). As a fellow, she traveled to Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Romania to improve transatlantic relations between the United States and the European Union, with a focus on economic development.
Suzanne has her juris doctorate and masters in social work from Case Western Reserve University, a bachelor's of science from Cornell University, and an associate's degree in applied science from Hudson Valley Community College. She is a member of the Grantmakers for Effective Organizations board.
(General Session 9:00-9:40 AM, Monday, March 19, 2012)
Donna J. Jena
Donna Yena’s experience spans more than thirty years in career services and experiential education. Donna shares her experience and advice with students, faculty and career services teams in her textbook, Career Directions: The Path to Your Ideal Career and the Career Directions Handbook, now in fifth edition with McGraw-Hill. Donna’s experience includes manager, instructor and curriculum designer as Vice President of Career Services, Vice President of Career Services and Alumni Relations and Vice President of Employer Relations at Johnson and Wales University. The University’s total enrollment is 16,000 across four campuses which offer four year degrees in business and hospitality management and two and four year degrees in culinary arts.
Yena implemented and led a series of career management education courses for students at Johnson and Wales, while responsible for experiential education programs for more than 4,000 students at four campuses.
Yena is one of the University’s certified DACUM (Developing a Curriculum) facilitators. For thirty consecutive years, 98% of Johnson and Wales University graduates were employed within sixty days of graduation, under Yena’s leadership. Professional memberships include board member with The World Association of Cooperative Education and member of the Society for Human Resource Management, the National Association of Colleges and Employers and the Women’s Foodservice Forum. As a nationally recognized speaker on career services, job placement, experiential education and student success, Donna has served as career association keynote speaker and leads seminars, workshops and in-service training for school professionals and their students across the country.
(General Session 9:00-9:40 AM, Tuesday, March 20, 2012)