WGU CAREER & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Meet the Team!

Bonnie is a dedicated career services professional with over 17 years of higher education experience.  Her favorite part of being in career services is empowering learners to realize their own potential while assisting them as they pursue personal and professional opportunities that build on their inherent strengths and passions. Bonnie has a strong student service philosophy and cares deeply for the success of all the students she works with.

As the senior manager, Bonnie has the privilege to lead a team of dedicated career professionals, design innovative and scalable strategies to support all learners as they seek their next opportunity, and work to build relationships with key internal and external stakeholders. Bonnie strives to be a career services thought leader and is always looking for the next opportunity to be a changemaker and disruptor in the career space. 

Brandi Hoel is a career leader who is passionate about helping others identify their own unique strengths, and discover pathways to fulfill their ultimate career goals. Prior to joining the Career & Professional Development team at WGU in 2017, she spent about 10 years at Oregon State University in various student services roles, including academic advising and success counseling positions. While at Oregon State, she also taught courses focusing on career decision-making and student success. Additionally, Brandi has delivered workshops through local community agencies to support job-seeker confidence and motivation throughout the job search process.

Brandi earned her B.S. in Psychology from Western Oregon University, and her M.S. in Human Development and Family Sciences from Oregon State University. She has also received training in motivational interviewing, earned Cognitive Behavioral Facilitation Certification, and is a certified MBTI Practitioner.

At Western Governors University, Brandi currently serves as the Career & Professional Development Manager. Brandi says, “getting to be a part of an incredible team that cares so deeply about supporting students and graduates throughout the career development process, as they identify strategies that build confidence and highlight all that they have to offer, has been a true honor and highlight of my own career."

Jill Rand is a career services professional with over 10 years of higher education experience. Dedicated to supporting student development and success, Jill has held roles in student services and diversity and equity before finding her home in career services. Prior to joining WGU, Jill served as a Career & Internship Specialist at the University of Washington Bothell, working with students and alumni from each of the campus's 5 schools. In this role she partnered with faculty to integrate career development into course curriculum and create career 'trek' opportunities with local employers in  engineering, government and non-profit sectors. She also had the opportunity to teach a quarterly internship course in partnership with the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences. 

Jill holds a Bachelors Degree in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Wisconsin and a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University. She first discovered her passion for career development at Environmental Defense Fund, where she created and managed a graduate internship program that paired business and engineering students with public sector organizations to create the business case for increased building efficiency. 

Her favorite part of working in career services is helping students gain a better understanding of themselves and how they fit into the world of work. 

Prior to coming to WGU, Kristen worked as the Career and Internship Coordinator for the business school at Florida Southern College. In this role, she managed a mandatory for-credit internship program and provided career and internship coaching to students and alumni.  In addition, Kristen has taught courses on career decision making and professional development both online and in-person. 

Kristen received her B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Central Florida, and her M.Ed. in Adult and Higher Education from the University of Oklahoma. She has presented at multiple national conferences, including the annual meetings of the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the Cooperative Education and Internship Association, and the American College Personnel Association. Currently, Kristen is currently the Information Management Director and Conference Registration Chair for the Florida Association of Colleges and Employers.

Cliff is an accomplished career specialist holding national certifications as a Career Coach and Resume Writer. He began his professional career in the Church where he spent three years counseling parishioners as a spiritual director and as a life coach. His career path then led to supervisory roles in the public sector and for the State of Texas as a career counselor for Project RIO: The Re-Integration of Offenders. Cliff was recruited to work for The University of Texas at Arlington as The Coordinator of Career Services. He over-saw The College of Business Career Services Office as well as worked with other graduate students and alumni from all academic units on campus. He has presented on a wide-range of career topics to both faculty and students alike. Cliff was one of the founding members of the Student Veteran Advisory Council where he presented career-related topics to more than 1200 military veterans seeking their education and career paths.

Today, Cliff is on the WGU Career & Professional Development team serving as the career advisor for Information Technology students and alumni. He continues to bring a sense of compassion and empathy to engage WGU students in the best professional way possible. Cliff’s experience adds to the robust expertise of the team. His knowledge of the hiring process, cutting-edge practice of resume development, and effective networking skills expands the professional scope of the team.  Cliff works  to empower students to take charge of their career path, to develop and design their career goals and to execute and implement their career plan.

As a student affairs professional with over 15 years of experience related to the areas of admissions counseling, academic advising, adjunct teaching, career counseling and supervision of graduate students and staff, Jennifer feels privileged to have the opportunity to connect directly with students on a daily basis. Jennifer’s personal mission to meet each student where they are while serving as a compassionate facilitator for lifelong academic/career exploration.   One of her favorite quotes, by Maya Angelou, states, “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it,” and she believes that this quote is exhibited in her everyday work with students.  She thoroughly enjoys working with students from diverse backgrounds, and she has direct experience serving students from diverse populations such as veterans, first-generation students, international students, Native American students, and students with disabilities.

Before serving as a Western Governors University career advisor, Jennifer served as a career coach for both the centralized career services office and the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University.  She has worked with students ranging from first-time freshmen through PhD candidates, and enjoys the diversity of skills, life experiences, and related stories which each student possesses. Jennifer is originally from Erie, Pennsylvania, and she earned her Master of Arts in Counseling:  Student Personnel Services from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, as well as her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Penn State Erie, the Behrend College. She is a certified MBTI practitioner, as well as a Nationally Certified Counselor.  Jennifer also possesses the Global Career Development Facilitator certification and she is Past President of the Arizona Career Development Association.  

Lola Clayton is an experienced career services professional with over 10 years in higher education and career advising.  She is committed to motivating others on the power of education and tapping resources that open roads leading to personal career outcomes.

Prior to joining WGU, Lola has happily serviced students, graduates, alumni, and employers while working as a Career Advisor and Externship Coordinator, Director of Career Services, and a Regional Career Services team lead for private colleges. In these roles, she has cemented lasting relationships with employers across the Mid-Atlantic, hosted student-employer experience sessions, and delivered career advising for a variety of academic programs to include, Cybersecurity, Nursing, Criminal Justice, Electronics Engineering, and Project Management.  She has facilitated career exploration workshops on topics such as, Interviewing with Confidence, Writing Winning Resumes, and Networking best practices.  

A true champion for student success and career empowerment, Lola was a consistent key contributor to former U.S. Representative Scott Rigell’s Congressional job fair. Joining forces with a team of career services professionals, she helped to organize job seeker preparedness, employer engagement, and community outreach.  

Lola holds a B.S in Education from Old Dominion University and a M.A. Education with an emphasis on Adult Education and Training from Trident International University. She also holds a State of Virginia Teachers Certification, VCLA. 

With career-long commitments to values-based leadership and using inquiry as a primary practice, I feel so rewarded when I have the opportunity to empower others by first listening, and then working together to connect them to people and resources to discover pathways toward their career and life goals.

My twenty years of experience in higher education have given me opportunities to understand student experience from several perspectives, first as an Admission Counselor at Concordia College in Bronxville, NY, then as the Director of Admission at Trinity Lutheran College in Issaquah, WA, and recently as the Director of the Student Success Center at the University of Washington Bothell in WA state, where I worked closely with Academic and Career Advisors. Just prior to joining the WGU Career & Professional Development team, I served as the Director of Strategy and Operations at the Teaching and Learning Center at the University of Washington Bothell, collaborating with faculty and staff to provide opportunities for their professional development. Additional years of experience as a consultant and coach gave me the opportunity to work with a variety of corporate and not-for-profit leaders in the capacity of assisting them to identify priorities and action plans in their professional journeys. I hold a Master of Arts in Organizational Design and Leadership Development from Antioch University in Seattle WA, and a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Luther College in Decorah, IA.

RJ Ponesse is a higher education professional with eight years of experience across a variety of different offices that include career services, academic advising, and undergraduate admissions. His passion has always been working with students to help realize their capabilities as professionals, and he enjoys collaborating with his students in building a sound foundation for future career success. 

Prior to joining WGU, RJ served as a Career & Academic Advisor at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park NY. He worked with students on meeting their academic and career goals and focused on empowering students to realize their full potential as hospitality professionals. RJ also served as an adjunct faculty member at the Culinary teaching a course on industry professionalism and life skills. He created and implemented a Peer Mentor Program that focused on working with at risk students better adapt to college life. Before the Culinary Institute of America, he worked as an Admissions Counselor for Manhattanville College in Purchase NY. 

RJ earned a B.S in History and M.S in Student Affairs Counseling from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh in upstate New York.