Meet the Feld Center Staff

Monica Parker-James joined the Feld Center for Career & Alumni Engagement in June, 2022 as Associate Dean.

Prior to joining the Feld Center, Monica was a Director in Institutional Planning and Policy at Harvard Medical School, where she set strategy and drove decision-making related to accreditation and continuous quality improvement. Monica previously served as Executive Director for Industry Engagement at the Feld Center, where she initiated, stewarded, and advanced relationships with industry partners and alumni locally, nationally, and globally. Monica spent the first two decades of her career at the Museum of Science, Boston, in roles in marketing, educational programming, and exhibits project management.

As Associate Dean, Monica leads the industry engagement, career services, career operations, and alumni engagement teams at Questrom. Monica holds a BS and an MS in Mass Communication and a Graduate Certificate in Fundraising Management, all from BU. Monica earned her Doctor of Education degree from Northeastern University with a concentration in Organizational Leadership. Monica is a mom of four – Rhys (BU Class of 2034), Caroline (BU Class of 2030), Libby (BU CAS and KHC 2020) and Maggie (BU COM 2018). Monica loves BU so much that she rescued her dog Ella because she was advertised as a Boston Terrier. (Ella is in fact a small black and white super-mutt.)

Lucy van Beever is the Senior Director of Career Operations at the Feld Center for Career & Alumni Engagement. Lucy directs all operational and logistical support for key employer-engagement activities, career initiatives, recruiting systems, electronic and print career resources, and office administration. She works collaboratively with other BU and Questrom departments to oversee the planning, policymaking, marketing, implementation, and evaluation of Feld Center’s events, programs, and services. Previously, Lucy served as the Feld Center’s Director of Employer Engagement and Industry Relations Manager (IRM) for the Social Impact MBA program and Energy & Sustainability sector (2019-2022). As an IRM, Lucy cultivated and built recruiting relationships with organizations to connect Questrom students with jobs and internships. She held career-advising meetings with undergraduates, graduate students, and alumni, and led employment data collection and reporting for Questrom.

For over a decade, Lucy has worked at Boston University in career development and business operations functions streamlining processes, implementing platforms (Handshake, BU Connects), and helping hundreds of students & alumni land employment opportunities and leverage their BU experience. She serves as a mentor to BU’s Boston Public Schools Community Service Scholars Program. Prior to working at BU, Lucy held leadership roles in a variety of industries including consulting, retail, health & wellness, and hospitality. She holds an M.S. in Administrative Studies (Sustainable Economic Development & Tourism) from Boston University and a B.S. in Hotel Management from Cornell University.

Misty Start joined the Feld Center for Career & Alumni Engagement in November 2022 as the Senior Director of Career Services and Strategy. In this role, Misty leads a talented team of career educators by developing and implementing career education strategy that will allow undergraduate and graduate students to thrive in an evolving business landscape.

Prior to joining the Feld Center, Misty served in career leadership positions at Babson College and Franklin Pierce University where she similarly set career strategy, supervised dynamic teams, and successfully delivered numerous high-impact programs and initiatives. As a first-generation college student and job seeker in global markets, she appreciates the unique bridges and barriers each student will navigate throughout their career journey. Misty takes a collaborative approach to career development in which students’ identities, backgrounds, and experiences are honored, valued, and celebrated.

Misty earned her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Education from Franklin Pierce University, and she is currently enrolled in the Doctor of Education in Higher Education Leadership program at Regis College. Beyond academic and professional endeavors, Misty is deeply committed to philanthropic initiatives that empower underprivileged communities and promote diversity and inclusion. In her leisure, she enjoys international travel, adventure-based recreation, and exploring the city of Boston with her dogs, Bay and Beacon.

Questions? Email Misty at startm@bu.edu

Trish Harper joined the Feld Center for Career & Alumni Engagement in November 2015. Prior to joining the Feld Center, she served as a Senior Career Advisor with The Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst. Prior to this she was at Quinlan School of Business at Loyola University of Chicago teaching and providing career counseling. Before returning to school to complete her M.A., Trish worked for several years in Human Resources doing recruitment and talent management. Trish enjoys bringing a business and psychology background to working with students and is often described as disarmingly approachable. In her appointments she aims to be honest, thorough, and direct, but will also regularly inject a pop culture reference, funny analogy, or terrible pun in as well.

In her role as  Associate Director, Undergraduate Career Advising at Questrom, Trish supports undergraduate students in constructing and editing professional documents, increasing interview preparedness, discussing job and internship search modalities, and providing support in career exploration, negotiation of salaries, and navigation of opportunities. Trish also instructs several ES courses each semester and leads content revisions and updates. She also serves as the career liaison to the academic team in the UDC and manages the Career Skills Coach program who operate the Career Drop In services.

 Trish completed her B.B.A. in Management at Stetson University in Deland, FL and her M.A. in Organizational and Counseling Psychology at Adler University in Chicago. Outside of work Trish is an avid sports fan and enjoys playing sports of any kind. She spent several years playing semiprofessional women’s tackle football with the Chicago Force, but now sticks to sports with (a little) less contact like flag football, basketball, volleyball, and kickball. When not outside or on a court, you can find her eating every type of cuisine in the city, sampling New England craft breweries, complaining about winter, and trying to pretend she isn’t crying about the latest seasons had by the Chicago Bears, Sky, Cubs, Red Stars, or Blackhawks.

Sara Davis joined the Feld Center for Career & Alumni Engagement in November 2021 as the Assistant Director of Undergraduate Career Advising. Sara started her professional career as a Graduate Assistant on the Undergraduate Career Team at Questrom. She then shifted to the corporate world to work at a medium sized investment consulting firm as a Human Resources Assistant where she conducted full-cycle recruitment and eventually took on an investment role as a Performance Analyst producing monthly and quarterly reports for clients. Having gained experience in both the higher education and corporate space, Sara enjoys using her past work experiences to serve students.

In her current role, Sara supports students through one-on-one advising appointments by hosting resume and cover letter reviews, conducting mock interviews, navigating career exploration, discussing job search strategies, and reviewing offer letters including salary negotiations. She likes to make empathy, active listening, and effective questioning key components of her advising approach so that she can guide students based on the information they share during appointments. Sara also teaches several ES courses each semester to promote students career development through the curriculum by encouraging participation in class and weekly homework assignments. Another component of Sara’s portfolio is managing the MBA-Undergraduate Mentorship Program where she matches current Questrom MBA students with undergraduate students based on industry interests.

Sara graduated from Providence College with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Business Studies. She is currently pursuing her Professional Evening MBA (PEMBA) at Questrom. Outside of work and school, Sara enjoys spending time with family and friends, watching competition cooking shows, being out on the ocean, snowboarding, and playing the piano. She is also a huge dog lover!

Melissa Glaser Rubin joined Questrom as an Assistant Director of Graduate Career Management in April of 2019.  She later stepped into the Interim MBA Career Team Lead role, and recently earned a promotion to Associate Director of MBA Career Development.

Originally from St. Louis, MO, she’s lived in Los Angeles, CA, St. Paul, MN, Houston, TX, and now, Boston, MA. She’s a lifelong educator, learner, organizer, relationship builder, and people helper who enjoys collaborating with individuals and groups to identify and meet their goals. Working with MBA students, she constantly seeks to make the complex and sometimes frustrating process of career management more user-friendly and successful.

Much like the people with whom she works, as her life and personal goals and skills evolved, so too did her profession. She is a 4-career professional, starting in fundraising/ nonprofit management/ community organization for 8 years where one of her favorite roles was creating a community center without walls from the mission statement to the finances, committee structure, and programming. She stepped back for 8 years to be an at-home mom and community volunteer, then re-entered the paid workforce as an educator in multiple settings over 13 years. In 2015, a fellow educator introduced her to career coaching, which brought together all elements of her background, including educating, event planning, and relationship building. She trained and contracted first in Northeastern University Employer Engagement and Career Design Department, followed by a stint as a career navigator for CNAs at JVS Boston before landing at BU.

This work is deeply personal, having seen the dramatic impact a “good job” and a “good job search” can have not just on an individual, but their family, friends, and community as well. Questrom gives Melissa the opportunity to support students 1-1 and collaborate with others to strategize, identify, and build the best learning approaches and resources for our MBAs, and plan and implement career events and workshops.

When she’s not career coaching, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, especially her husband David, and three adult daughters, Bri, Danielle, and Sam. She also enjoys traveling, cooking, entertaining, watching and performing in the theater (especially musical theater), singing, hiking, kayaking, snowshoeing, exploring restaurants, and reading (according to Kindle analytics, she’s read 255+ consecutive weeks – and counting!).

Julie Kaneb joined the Feld Center for Career & Alumni Engagement in August 2022 as an Assistant Director of MBA Career Coaching. Prior to joining the Feld Center, Julie worked as an executive recruiter, conducting multi-channel recruiting efforts for consumer product and start-up technology clients. Her work spanned the recruiting cycle, from advising clients on hiring plans to preparing job descriptions, identifying passive candidates, and conducting interviews. She has also served as a Board Member on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing, which oversees licensure; as a Board Member for the Nativity School of Worcester; and has worked with other non-profit organizations such as the Social Innovation Forum. Her early professional work was as a financial analyst in the telecommunications industry. Julie worked at Questrom part-time as an MBA Career Coach before joining the team full time.

In her current role as an Assistant Director of MBA Career Coaching, Julie guides and advises MBA students on the entire career and job-search process, from exploration of industries and functional roles, to crafting and refining personal branding tools, preparing for interviews, and negotiating salaries and job offers. As part of the Feld team, Julie collaborates on developing MBA curriculum offerings and resources, teaches career workshops, and supports the many corporate events held at the business school.

Julie holds a Bachelor of Arts from Princeton University in Politics with a Minor in Russian Studies, and an MBA from Columbia Business School with a concentration in Finance. Interests outside work include travel, fitness, reading, and spending time with family and friends.

Janet Lee Taylor joined the Feld Center for Career & Alumni Engagement in January 2023 as the Assistant Director of MBA Career Coaching.  Prior to joining the Feld Center, Janet held several career advising and career development positions at BU’s College of Communications, Boston College (BC), Northeastern University (NEU), and Merrimack College.  She also instructed and lectured career development courses for undergraduates at BC and NEU.  Previously, she held several corporate HR roles including University Relations in finance and insurance industries.

For the last two years, Janet has worked at Boston University as a career coach helping students achieve their employment goals and enhance their job search skills through a variety of methods like one-on-one coaching and presentation workshops.

Janet earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Providence College and Master of Arts in General Education from Simmons University.   In her leisure, she enjoys outdoor activities including hiking, visiting coastal Maine, and spending time with her husband, children – Cameron & Sophia, and goldendoodle, Evey.

Peter DeCotis assumed the role of PEMBA Career Coach at the Feld Center for Career & Alumni Engagement in July 2020. His prior experience includes serving as an Associate Director for Specialty Master’s Career Programs where he led a team of career professionals and developed curricula for a largely international student population. Peter has had the privilege of coaching, advising, and partnering with every graduate student population, many alumni, and dozens of employers at Questrom.

Notably, Peter made significant contributions as the pioneer staff member responsible for conceiving and launching all MSBA career programming. He initiated and cultivated partnerships with employers, designed specialized curricula, and orchestrated numerous career-focused events and presentations.

Before his tenure at Boston University, Peter spent over two decades as a technology leader within the financial services sector, where he ascended from a help desk role to executive leadership. Throughout his career, he actively engaged as a hiring manager, mentor, and trainer, amassing valuable experience in these areas. Furthermore, Peter has a background in college admissions counseling and life coaching.

Currently, in his capacity as an Associate Director, Peter is dedicated to guiding and mentoring the PEMBA student population. His responsibilities encompass conducting career-oriented classes and workshops, providing one-on-one guidance to students, fostering relationships with employers, and coordinating various career-related events. Peter also collaborates closely with the MBA Center on social programming initiatives.

Beyond his professional pursuits, Peter derives enjoyment from outdoor activities such as kayaking, traveling, hiking, golf, and tennis. He is a perpetual advocate of lifelong learning and holds both an MBA and a master’s in hospitality.

Steve Schmitchel joined the Feld Center for Career & Alumni Engagement in May of 2023 as the Executive Director of Industry Engagement. In this capacity, Steve is responsible for developing and overseeing a comprehensive strategy for industry engagement including advancing the career outcomes of Questrom students.

Steve brings over 20 years of experience in strategy and operations consulting, business management, and client relationship management. Prior to joining the Feld Center, Steve was Managing Partner of Client Solutions and Business Growth for LogicSource where he had overall responsibility for building new client partnerships, growing revenue, and overseeing operational consulting engagements with client partners. Steve has also held executive positions including Vice President of Account Management at Topco Associates, a $15B company providing business support services to retailer and wholesale clients. Steve has also held leadership positions within Ahold USA where he helped launch a center lead operational strategy team, and Accenture where he led corporate strategy projects for clients across diverse industries.

Steve holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, an MS from Tufts University, and a BS from the University of Massachusetts.

Outside of work, Steve enjoys spending time with family, friends and his dog Maui. He also enjoys spending time outdoors to golf, ski and paddle board.

Subhadra England, our new Industry Relations Manager for the health sector, joined us at the end of September 2018 and has hit the ground running! Subhadra will be supporting HSM students with their career strategy and developing relationships with health sector employers. Subhadra comes to us from BU College of Engineering’s Career Development Office, where she worked with biomedical engineering students.  Prior to BU, Subhadra founded ThinkFlex, a placement firm that connects professionals with employers that provide flexibility, and sat on Let’s Get Ready’s board, a college access and success organization.  Subhadra started her career at John Hancock Advisers, where she held multiple roles including Institutional Marketing, Risk Management and Communications.

Paige Parsons joined the Feld Center in May of 2023 as the Industry Relations Manager for CPG/Retail/Entertainment/Sports/Media. In this business development role, she will manage and cultivate employer relationships in the pursuit of enhancing career outcomes for Questrom students.

With over 20 years of experience in the music industry, Paige most recently served as Vice President of Creative Operations for Scooter Braun-owned Atlas Music Publishing, whose roster included award-winning musical talent ranging from Brandi Carlile to Van Halen. In addition to overseeing the indie music publisher’s Los Angeles operations, she also signed and developed burgeoning songwriter/music producer talent. Prior to joining Atlas, Parsons held the post of Sr. Director of A&R for Kobalt Music Publishing. Based in Los Angeles, she signed and developed Grammy/Golden Globe/ASCAP/BMI/SESAC/Juno award-winning talent within the genres of Pop/Country/R&B/Rap. At Kobalt, Paige served as one of 5 team members to establish and develop the Los Angeles arm of the now #1 independent music publisher in the world. Previous to her Kobalt tenure, Parsons served as Director of A&R for Arthouse Entertainment, a music publishing, record label and talent management firm. Formerly, she worked as International A&R Manager for EMI Music Publishing in New York City.

Parsons’ creative song pitching, collaboration, artist management, and talent signing efforts have resulted in hit placements with a wide breadth of world-renowned recording artists, such as Lil Nas X, Shawn Mendes, Kelly Clarkson, Justin Bieber, Ellie Goulding, Mary J. Blige, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Rihanna, Maren Morris, Dan + Shay, Carrie Underwood, Ed Sheeran, Youngboy NBA, Bad Bunny, Beyonce, H.E.R., Latto, and Kendrick Lamar, among many others. She has also placed her clients’ songs with scores of international artists spanning the globe.

Paige studied Music Business at Syracuse University, where she has also served as both Curriculum Consultant and Adjunct Professor for its Bandier Program for Recording and Entertainment Industries. She began serving in this capacity during the inaugural year of the university’s SULA Semester, where she instructed and mentored notable alumni, including both major label recording artists and many of the music industry’s most prominent executives.

Joe Saunders joined the Questrom Feld Center for Career & Alumni Engagement in Fall 2014 as an Industry Relations Manager.  Joe has over 25 years’ experience in sales and management for T1 through boutique financial services firms.  At Questrom, Joe focuses on growing the Feld Center’s portfolio of Financial Services and Real Estate employers.  Joe graduated from University of Massachusetts with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and an MBA in Finance from Northeastern University.

Daniel Spiess joined the Feld Center in 2018 as the Industry Relations Manager for Consulting and Accounting. In this role, he collaborates with current Questrom employer partners, actively seeks out opportunities to grow our partnerships, and support students in achieving their career goals. Dan returns to Boston after five years at The University of Chicago, working with graduate students and postdoctoral researchers from across the University in all aspects of career development as well as facilitating employer relations in consulting, government, nonprofits, and academia. Prior to UChicago, Daniel was the research director at the World Class Cities Partnership at Northeastern University, managing a global network of city leaders and researchers, working with business and government leaders in Massachusetts, and strategizing with graduate students on career opportunities. Dan earned his PhD in Urban Planning from the University of Michigan in 2008.

Richard Stuebi brings over 35 years of experience in the energy sector to his role as Industry Relations Manager for energy and sustainability at the Feld Center at Questrom.  He is also a Lecturer in the faculty of the Department of Strategy and Innovation at Questrom, where he teaches courses on energy and manages Questrom’s administration of the undergraduate Sustainable Energy Minor and the graduate MBA/MS Energy & Environment dual degree program.  In addition, he is also an affiliated faculty member at BU’s Institute for Global Sustainability.

Richard has spent much of his long career as a consultant in the energy sector, including 7 years in the energy practice at McKinsey & Company.  Additionally, he has extensive experience in energy entrepreneurship, having co-founded two start-up ventures, led a venture-backed start-up company as CEO, served as a Board member of several emerging ventures, and managed industrial technology investment activity at a regional venture capital firm.  Through his boutique consulting practice Future Energy Advisors, Richard continues to work with early-stage ventures and support established companies in pursuing opportunities associated with the transition to a decarbonized energy sector.

Richard has an undergraduate degree in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in economics from Stanford University.  He is currently a candidate for a Ph.D. in marketing at Virginia Tech, with which he aims to pursue academic research centered on the drivers of consumer behavior in relation to decisions with significant environmental impact.

Patti Collins joined the Questrom Feld Center in June 2015 as Manager of Marketing, Operations, and External Relations. She has over 25 years of experience at Boston University Questrom School of Business. Before joining the Feld Center, she was an Assistant Director of the Executive Development Roundtable, a research center that focused on enhancing the impact of leadership and organizational development for senior executives and their organizations.

In her current role, Patti oversees the Feld Center’s brand strategy: developing, implementing, and executing the long-term strategic marketing plan as well as the day-to-day marketing efforts of the department. She is responsible for increasing employer brand recognition by supporting the employer and alumni recruiting efforts, through strategically targeted marketing campaigns, to enhance student engagement and career development, and contribute to the employment outcome results.

Outside of work, Patti enjoys spending time with family/friends, and participating in outdoor/indoor activities including being in nature, walking, hiking, golf, spinning, and volunteering at local organizations.

Stacie Nardizzi joined the Feld Center for Career & Alumni Engagement in August 2022 as Assistant Director, Employer Engagement. Prior to joining the Feld Center, Stacie was with Questrom Events & Conferences as an Event Specialist for almost 2 years and served close to 8 years in her role as Program Manager for executive programming with the Executive Leadership Center.

Stacie comes from a diverse educational background stemming from a legal business background with extensive corporate experience to holistic wellness and the theatre arts. In her new role with the Feld Center for Career and Alumni Engagement, she focuses on employer engagement and collaboration connecting Questrom students with job and internship opportunities. Stacie’s attention to detail and clear communicative style helps support the logistics of all Feld signature and Feld sponsored employer-centric events geared for student and employer success.

Certified in yoga and a meditation, Stacie has taught concurrent sessions on Mindfulness Meditation as part of Boston University EDRT’s 2015 fall conference on “Resiliency, Agility & Mindfulness in Leadership”, in addition to Questrom Women’s Summit 2016 and 2017. Stacie taught weekly Mindfulness Meditation sessions pro bono for the Questrom community during the COVID pandemic. She has also had the honor to facilitate a “Leadership and Mindfulness in the Workspace” workshop series for Questrom’s Center for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Spring 2022.

Stacie completed her Master of Education from Boston University Wheelock College of Education and Human Development in May 2022. She earned her degree with a specialization in Applied Human Development. Stacie earned a Bachelor of Arts from Scripps College of the Claremont Colleges in Theatre Arts. Additionally, she holds post-graduate certificates in Classical/Shakespearean Theatre and is a certified instructor to teach adult and child yoga.

Sasha Baptiste joined the team in June 2022 as the new Senior Program Coordinator.  She will be supporting daily operations and customer service for Questrom’s undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, alumni, and recruiters. She has a positive attitude and thrives amongst the chaos, which will serve her well as she manages critical office functions and assists in running 200+ employer engagement events each academic year. Her many years of event marketing experience and problem-solving will contribute to her success in this role. Previously, Sasha was part of the Covid-19 Initiative at BU.

Outside of the office, Sasha is an avid fisher who enjoys hosting family and friends.